Twenty

Cam

As Micah had predicted on our way home, Gus showed up minutes after we'd arrived, but luckily, we'd had enough time to shower and change into fresh clothes.

I opened the door for Gus as Micah bustled about in the kitchen doing who knew what. It wasn't like we needed any more breakfast, and Gus didn't eat or drink anything we had in the house, so I had a feeling Micah was simply puttering around to avoid his dad.

"Hey, Cam. You look dashing this morning. Where's my son?"

Grinning, I gave him a short bow as I closed the door after him. "Thank you, kind sir. You look mighty fine as well."

As usual, Gus was dressed in a button-down and comfortable-looking dress pants. This shirt was covered in tiny elf hats, and I wondered if it was a gift from Noel, one of the two elves in our clan.

Gus's purple eyes sparkled as he shook his head at me, and I grinned, leading him into the kitchen.

"Hey, Papa." Micah greeted his dad with a smile, a wash towel in his hand that he seemed very determined to murder.

Walking behind the counter, I wrapped an arm around his waist, kissing the side of his head as he relaxed into me.

It's okay , I told him through the link, giving his waist a squeeze. I didn't know what was worrying him, but I wanted to comfort him. I hated seeing him sad or worried, which made me feel even more annoyed I hadn't noticed it before.

Stop beating yourself up over it. There was fondness in Micah's words as he glanced at me, his dark brown eyes urging me to lean forward and press my lips to his.

"So!" I jumped, having forgotten we weren't alone, and Micah smiled at me, looking much too smug about making me forget.

I lowered my hand and pinched his ass—and now it was his turn to jump—before turning smoothly to face Gus as Micah sputtered beside me.

"Yes?"

Rolling his eyes, Gus pushed his long, dark hair behind his ears as he sat on the barstool, elbows on the counter and chin propped on his fists as he watched us. "How was your date? Oh, and your dads are here too." His eyes slid to his phone, sitting beside his elbow with the screen lit up and a call in progress.

"Hey, boys," Cass greeted, and then my dads joined in as my eyes slid to Micah, my brows practically meeting my hairline.

"And don't think we didn't see you flying in this morning. Did you guys spend the night with him?" Dad asked, but before either of us could speak, Gus piped in.

"Not that there's anything wrong with it. Cassian and I have lived together since the day we met."

While our situations were wildly different, Gus clearly thought that didn't matter, so I refrained from pointing it out. Cass, unfortunately, did not do the same.

"Well, that was because you didn't have a home, Tay."

Now it was Gus's brows that shot into his hairline, and his eyes flashed to the phone, narrowing slightly.

Uh-oh. Cassybear fucked up , I thought into the link, and Micah snorted. Gus was too focused on Cass to hear it, and we shared an amused look as Gus spoke in a level voice. "Are you saying you would've wanted me to leave if I did have one?"

You could hear an egg hatch in the silence that fell in the room, and then Cass cleared his throat.

"Of course not," he answered smoothly, though in my mind he was sweating bullets and weighing every word. "I always want you with me, Tay."

Gus hmphed, but his lips curved upward, telling me all was well. Then his eyes flicked to us, and he grinned.

"Go on, then. Tell us what happened."

Micah and I shared a look, and I smiled, turning to Gus as I started speaking. I told them about the paintball, and the restaurant that Ember owned, and then about Jodi, and how we'd stayed over because it was so late, emphasizing that we stayed in a separate room from Ember.

They asked questions every now and then, and DD seemed especially interested in Ember's restaurant. By the time I finished recounting, Gus's eyes were sparkling as he glanced between us.

"You like him, don't you?" he asked softly, and I opened my mouth to answer before realizing he was asking Micah.

A blush colored Micah's cheeks as he ducked his head, and I smiled. I hadn't seen this shy, sweet side of him since we started dating, because once Micah got comfortable in a relationship, he was a firecracker. Ember wouldn't know what hit him when that happened, but right now, Micah was in his cautious and unsure phase.

"Is he blushing?" Cass asked, which made Micah scowl, and I chuckled as Gus answered in the affirmative.

"I'm glad you boys found him. Or rather, he found you. I know how long you've been searching for him."

If I didn't know DD so well, I'd think he was being sarcastic, because our seven-or-so-year wait was nothing compared to how long he'd waited for Dad. But since DD was the sweetest dragon in existence, he was completely sincere.

"Yeah. We should've realized staying in Mistvale was the key," I said sheepishly. Honestly, I wasn't sure why I'd ever thought we should go looking for our mates. Every mated person I knew had found theirs in this town, and I should've realized the importance of that.

Mistvale was blessed by Fate. There was no other way to look at it. Fate was fond of the residents of Mistvale, and as long as we stayed here, I was sure we'd find our last remaining mate soon too.

But before that, I hoped to solidify our bond with Ember. Something told me our final mate would need all three of us, though I couldn't say why.

Ember

The day after the morning they went home, the three of us spent hours talking on the phone. I'd offered to fly over, but Micah and Cam had wanted to get to know me better this way. Micah had also pointed out that since I wouldn't be able to fly Jodi, she'd be all alone here. It was sweet of them to be concerned about Jodi, so I didn't push too much.

By the time our conversation ended, I realized that I'd enjoyed talking to them this way. It was different than sitting across from each other, less distracting in some ways, and I'd learned a lot about my mates, and told them things about myself that I'd never shared before.

I learned that Cam was trans, which came as a surprise but changed nothing. He'd used his dragon magic to "make his outside match his inside," as he'd phrased it, and I could hear the emotions in his voice, the gratitude for being able to do something like that. I knew many people didn't have that luxury, and judging from his voice, so did he. I worried that he felt guilty about it, but I hoped that if he did, Micah would know and talk him through it, because he had no reason to.

I also learned more about Micah's early life in Ravenshire, the small island claimed by mages that he'd been born on. His life before he came to Mistvale hadn't been an easy or happy one, and I could tell that it still affected him.

Many times in our conversation, I'd wished I was with them so I could pull them into a tight hug. I'd wanted to wrap them up in my arms and keep them safe from every possible danger, but I'd had to settle for comforting them with my voice.

It'd been three days since our date now, and I was itching to see them again. The need to see them, to talk to them, to touch them burned inside me like my phoenix fire, and sometime before noon, I gave in to the urge, sending them a text.

Me : May I visit you two today?

Putting my phone on the couch beside me so I wouldn't obsess over it, I turned to Jodi, grabbing her face in my hands and ruffling her fur. Her tongue lolled out as she let me play with her, and I smiled down at her. Then I noticed something that I hadn't before, even though Jodi had been lounging beside me on the couch for a while now. There was an extra black spot on her fur, and it took me a moment to realize what it was.

Picking up my phone, I sent another text.

Me : Micah, if you're looking for your familiar...

I clicked a picture of Jodi and the small black cat curled up on her back, then sent it in the chat.

My phone pinged a few minutes later, and I picked it up quickly while Jodi watched me with warm brown eyes.

Micah : Oh my God. When did she get there? I haven't seen her all day, but that's not unusual, so I wasn't worried.

Micah : And yes, you're welcome to visit anytime, Ember!

I smiled at the messages, feeling assured since it was Micah who'd said it.

Over the course of our date, and our phone conversation, I'd realized Micah had started lowering his walls around me. I could tell because he'd become snarkier, sassing back at Cam when he teased him, and even making a few jokes. I'd been elated to see him relaxing, and I hoped he would continue doing so.

Quickly changing into presentable clothes, I ran my fingers through my hair, eyeing myself in the mirror. I'd let my hair get pretty long, and I wondered if maybe I should cut some of it off. It had a tendency to get into a tangled mess when I flew, even though the hair didn't supposedly exist then.

Running my palms over my smooth cheeks, I gave myself a nod before heading over to the kitchen and refilling Jodi's bowl.

When I walked into the living room, the two were still curled up on the couch. Leaning down, I pressed a kiss on Jodi's forehead and almost got a faceful of scratches from Saaya for it, jumping back just in time.

"I'll be home soon, Jodi. Don't destroy anything, okay?" I used to tell her that when I first got her, when I didn't know just how gentle she was, and then it'd just become something I said.

Outside, I took a deep breath, gazing up at the clear sky, then walked around the house to the backyard.

I'd bought this house because of the tall trees that surrounded the backyard. They blocked anyone from looking in, so it was perfect for me. I could shift without worrying about being seen.

My skin tingled as I changed, the familiar warmth of my phoenix form taking over. I blinked a few times, adjusting to the winged form, then took off into the sky.

My magic would keep me hidden from human eyes, and I was high enough that even supes would have trouble spotting me unless they were actually looking for me.

I'd never been too fond of my phoenix heritage. I'd always felt like it was more trouble than it was worth.

A lot of supernatural beings had long lives, but none had to repeat the cycle or relive childhood every hundred years like me.

Other than that, I was just a big bird. Sure, I could cover my skin or feathers in flames, but that was more of a defensive magic than an offensive one. I couldn't throw the fire, but it would burn anyone who tried to touch me without consent.

If there was more to my magic than that, I'd never learned. How could I, when I'd never met another phoenix?

Sometimes, I wondered why my parents had abandoned me before I even hatched. Had they thought I wouldn't? Was that just how phoenix parents were? Or had they just not wanted me?

A sound of frustration escaped my beak at my thoughts, and I shook my head. I had to stop thinking about the past and focus on the future. On Cam and Micah, and whoever our final mate was.

There was no point ruminating over my past when my future was so much brighter. I would go to Cam and Micah's, spend as much time with them as they allowed, and strengthen our bond.

Maybe I'd even be able to interest them in a kiss.