Prowled Darkness (Dante's Circle, #7)(15)

She coughed. “Litter? Roar?” Apparently, she could only speak in one-word sentences.

“You’re only having one for now, beauty,” Malik soothed. “The next time you get pregnant since we’ll be mated, there’s a chance for multiples. It’s how cats work.”

She put her hands over her belly, pulling her hand from Malik’s. “Let’s just deal with this one first.”

“As for a roar, yes, the baby could roar after taking its first breath. Between that and the fact that you could end up removing your glamour and reveal your true form while in pain and under duress…”

She froze. She’d been very careful not to look down at her arms or to the side to see her reflection in the mirror. She hadn’t wanted to see what she was until Malik told her she was safe…but now…now she wasn’t so sure that was a good idea.

“What do you mean glamour? Malik?” Fear laced her voice and her mate—her mate—leaned forward to kiss her softly.

“I’ll teach you, beauty. You’re a phoenix. Stand up and look in the mirror and I’ll explain what that means and what you can expect. At least, what I know. We’ll go to the phoenix realm as soon as we can so you can learn more about your people. I promise you, no matter what, you’ll never be alone in this.”

Eliana took a deep breath, knowing she’d had to trust him in order to mate with him, so she could trust him now. It wasn’t easy, but nothing worth fighting for ever was. She stood on shaky legs, grateful Malik stood at her side, keeping her on her feet. The mirror to the side of the bookshelf on the wall was a full standing mirror that she used to make sure her outfits matched before she ran out of the house for one thing or another. She’d never thought to one day use it to see what she looked like as a phoenix, rather than as a human.

She didn’t look too different, but she wasn’t the same Eliana she’d been before. The first thing that caught her eye was Malik’s mark on her shoulder. It didn’t hurt, but she could feel the warmth there, the promise of something more. Her hand reached up to hover over it, and Malik let out a satisfied growl.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to you growling and supposedly roaring,” she said dryly.

“Get used to it. I tend to growl a lot.” He let out another growl, this one deeper. “And I’ve never seen anything as sexy as my mark on you.” He leaned down and licked over it, sending delicious shivers down her body. “I plan to mark you again and again when we’re alone and you’re ready. Marks just for you and me.”

She closed her eyes and let out a groan. This wasn’t the time for that kind of talk, but damn if she didn’t want to hear more. She opened her eyes once more, this time taking in the fact that she was a new Eliana, not the one she’d been before.

Her skin glowed with an incandescent light that should have scared her, but instead, spoke of a power she would one day learn to harness and nurture. New tattoos inked her forearms, and she couldn’t help but run her fingers down them.

She gasped when she felt not fresh ink, but feathers. “Malik?” she asked, her voice breaking. “Are these…feathers?”

He wrapped his arms around her and put his hand over hers. “Not exactly. It’s more like a brand of your history, much like the others in your group who have changed into paranormals with a type of ink. It feels like feathers because of who you are, but it’s still ink. Skin. If not for the glow, you could walk around in the human realm with that ink showing and no one would be the wiser.”

She studied her new brightly colored ink and couldn’t help but pet it over and over. “My history?” she asked, aware she needed to keep asking questions.

“Each feather is your personal history, your family history…and your curse.”

Her head shot up. “Curse?” she gasped. “Like Amara? I’m cursed?”

He shook his head before turning her away from her reflection and into his arms. “Not exactly. It’s more of an additional…burden, for lack of a better word, your line carries.” He frowned as he studied the marks. “I don’t know what each means because that is something from your realm. In fact, I don’t know if I’ve ever heard of a phoenix mating outside the realm before.”

He looked up and into her gaze. “We will figure it out, beauty.”

“But you said I could die.”

He nodded. “Yes, but you can come back,” he whispered. “That’s the thing about phoenixes, they can come back. Your curse is what can kill you in truth.”

She took a staggered step back, her hands over her belly. “I…I can’t breathe.” Her lungs seized and she couldn’t get in enough air. “I…what happens if I’m killed but I come back? How does that work? Malik?”

He crushed her to his body and she grabbed onto him like a lifeline. “We’ll figure it out. It’s going to be okay. I promise you. You’re not alone, Eliana. Never again. Do you hear me? You’re not alone.”

She leaned in to him, her belly making it difficult, but she didn’t care. The baby kicked again, apparently wanting to be near Malik, as well. Everything had changed so quickly, and she felt like she kept running to keep up and couldn’t quite do it.

Malik ran his hand through her hair and murmured in her ear, his warm breath soothing her as much as the words themselves.