10

You are a…

Henley

Parker takes me to the beach. Since neither of us packed a suit, we just wade in the water. Parker has his jeans rolled up to his knees and the skirt of my dress is short enough to not soak the bottom. Still, every once in a while a wave will crash a little higher and splash my skirt. I squeal as a wave splashes high.

Parker chuckles, his blue eyes lighting up with humor.

My heart swells as I realize that this is going to be our life now. We might be young, but I found the person I'm going to spend the rest of my life with. We're going to be able to make memories like this together.

After playing around in the water for a while, a dragon shifter approaches us on the beach. I don't recognize the young boy, but Parker does.

"Prince Evander." Parker bows slightly.

"How am I supposed to address you?" Prince Evander asks. "Is it Alpha Parker?"

"Just Parker," he explains. "I'm the heir, but I'm not alpha yet. Wolves aren't that formal."

Prince Evander nods thoughtfully. "Cool. Then you guys can just call me Evander." He turns to me, his teal blue eyes lighting with curiosity. "You are the unknown supernatural?"

I chew on my bottom lip as I nod.

That's me.

The mystery.

Ugg, I hate it.

"Dad is ready for you guys back at the house. I think he found something in this old book," Evander nods toward the house.

I hesitate, not sure if I'm ready to know. Even though I know that Parker won't send me away once we figure out what I am, the fear is still clinging to me. It's still hard to accept that Parker isn't going anywhere.

People don't stick around. I'm too different—too scary. So I still can't comprehend what Parker sees in me.

Parker explained the soulmate bond to me. He said it was like his soul could see into mine and they decided they couldn't live without one another. It makes me wonder what his soul saw. I'm not worthy of having a mate bond and I'm not worthy of Parker.

Parker, seeing my hesitation, takes my hand in his. He gently squeezes my fingers and tugs me along after Evander.

Evander is not what I expected a dragon prince to be. I expected… more like the other prince we met earlier. But Evander is so chill. Even Parker, the future alpha of his pack, is super uptight at times. He worries about everything and seems to carry a heavy weight on his shoulders. But Evander doesn't appear to have the same issue.

Evander glances back at me as we make our way up the stairs. I notice he does it a couple of times. It reminds me of when I first started hanging around Parker and his pack. Everybody was so curious about me.

"What can you do?" Evander asks, breaking the silence. "Like, what makes you supernatural?"

I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. "Uh, I can read minds."

He laughs so hard that he stops in the pathway in front of us. Parker and I nearly run into him. But when he realizes Parker and I are just staring at him, he stands up straighter.

"Wait, you're not joking? You can read minds?" Evander asks.

I nod. "I can also teleport, come back from the dead, and I can fly."

He raises an eyebrow. "How can you fly? Do you shift into a bird or something?"

I reveal my wings quicker than he can blink. Evander's eyes bug out as he looks at the black feathered wings protruding from my back.

"Wow." He keeps looking at my wings. "I've never known any supernatural that can fly other than dragon shifters and raven shifters. But even raven shifters are extremely rare."

I hide my wings again so that we can fit through the pathway.

Evander starts walking again, but he abruptly turns back around to face us. "Wait, did you just say you can come back from the dead?"

Parker motions for him to keep walking and the two of us explain to the dragon prince how I've come back to life on two separate occasions.

"Huh, kind of like the human stories of phoenixes," Evander comments.

Phoenixes?

I had never thought about that before, but he's right. I do have similarities.

"Are phoenixes real?" I ask.

Parker and Evander both say, "No."

Evander continues speaking. "According to supernatural history, phoenixes have never existed. If they did, it would've had to be over a millennia ago."

When we get back to the estate, Evander opens a back door and walks inside. Parker and I follow him, with Parker holding my hand. My heart is starting to race as we head back to the library to meet up with Parker's dad and the dragon king.

Do they have information about me? Am I going to know who I am? What I am?

Once we get into the room, Evander starts to leave, but King Basilicus motions for him to stop.

"Evander, sit. I want you here for this," King Basilicus says.

"Uh, okay." Evander furrows his brows in confusion, but he sits around the large conference table.

Parker pulls out a seat for me and I sit down. He takes the space between me and his dad. Prince Stellan and Princess Wisteria are also at the table. It isn't until I see the grim expression on Mr. Thorne's face that my stomach sinks.

Whatever this is, it can't be good news. If it were, he wouldn't look so stricken.

King Basilicus clears his throat. "Dragon shifters keep very old records. Our species has been good at preserving history. Every few hundred years, we have older history books translated so that, as language changes, future generations will be able to understand."

My heart thumps faster, which causes all the shifters to turn to me.

My cheeks grow warm at the attention. "Please continue, King Basilicus."

King Basilicus looks at me for a moment longer before continuing. "The book that we have is over fifteen hundred years old. It's been translated many times, so I'm not sure how accurate the information is. But from what we can understand, your species went extinct nearly two thousand years ago."

Two thousand?

Well, he's wrong about that. Because if we did go extinct, I wouldn't exist.

"We were wrong and the proof sits in front of us." King Basilicus turns his eyes on me and they seem to glow.

I sit up straighter. "You know what I am?"

He nods. "You are what I would've thought of as a legend before I looked at that book. Even seeing you, I can hardly believe it. But you, Henley Stone, are a phoenix."

My ears ring a bit as I take in his words. Everybody around me shouts their astonishment, but I sit there and quietly take it all in.

Evander joked that I sounded like a phoenix, but he said phoenixes didn't exist. But I do.

I lick my lips. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

My question silences the table.

King Basilicus hesitates before responding. "The only thing I know about phoenixes is what's been passed down. Considering this book was written five hundred years after the last phoenix was believed to die, we can't give too much credit to the words written in this book. What the book says is that phoenixes were greatly feared because of their ability to escape death. The supernatural community banded together to find a way to rid the world of phoenixes, but the knowledge of how to kill a phoenix was lost to history. That is all we know."

I shift my weight. "Phoenixes were feared, so that means they were evil, right?"

"No," Princess Wisteria answers, leaning forward to look at me. "I am half elf and elves were believed to be extinct until a few months ago. My species was nearly wiped out because of fear, as was dragon shifters not so long ago. The supernatural community fears power. And you, Henley Stone, are very powerful."

I sit back hard at her words.

I'm powerful.

I never thought I would hear those words directed at me. I don't feel powerful.

"Thank you," I tell her, then turn my attention back to King Basilicus. "Is that all you know about phoenixes?"

"What I told you is all that was passed down through history. And, as I said, it may not even be all true." He taps the shut book. "To be honest, I thought this book was all a big joke until I heard about you."

I feel every single eye on me, so I look down at my lap. I adjust my weight, wanting to be anywhere but here. It's like we all just found out unicorns are real and I'm a unicorn. I don't even know what to make of the situation.

Parker's hand finds mine. He laces our fingers together and I shoot him a grateful smile. No matter what, I know he will be at my side. That's all the comfort I need.

Holding his hand gives me the courage to look up and meet King Basilicus's eyes from across the table. "So, I'm supposed to be dangerous, but other than being difficult to kill, what makes me so dangerous? As far as I'm aware, there is nothing special about me. I don't have the strength or speed of a wolf or the fire of a dragon."

King Basilicus gives me an amused look. "Teleporting beats the speed of a wolf shifter any day. And from what I hear, fire is involved."

I nod, confirming.

"This is so cool. You're a real phoenix." Evander sits up straighter.

"I admit that I am quite intrigued myself." Wisteria studies me with furrowed brows. "It makes me wonder how many other supernaturals we've believed to be extinct are simply hiding out of fear."

"Supernaturals have a bloody history," Parker says quietly to me, though I'm sure every shifter at the table can hear him. He once admitted that he could hear my heart beating, which was embarrassing at the time.

I chew on my bottom lip, looking up at him through my lashes. "Do you think the other supernaturals will think I'm too dangerous and want me dead?"

Parker's eyes flash gold. "I will kill anybody who tries to harm you."

King Basilicus clears his throat. "I know you need to speak with Alpha Devin about this, though I know you will have his support, especially when it comes to soulmates. But the dragons will support the wolf shifters on this. I will be calling an Alpha Council meeting and I'm certain the council will back you as well."

I have never heard of the Alpha Council, but I assume it's a council made up of alphas.

"The Alpha Council is a group of all the alphas and pride leaders. The council was formed about two hundred years ago to try and stop the fighting among various shifters," Parker explains. "But even the dark fae queen and the vampires have joined the council recently. No supernatural could stand against their joint power."

So having them on my side would be a very good thing.

Still, the thought that I could come from a potentially dangerous line of people is scary. What if Parker's pack decides I'm too big of a risk and they ask me to leave? I know Parker will always believe in me, but he's my mate. He has to. If his pack turns against me, will he still fight for me?

It takes me quite a few moments to realize that nobody is talking. When I look up, everybody has their focus on me.

Evander sits up straighter. "You should see her wings. They're very pretty and are nearly as big as a female dragon shifter's wings."

King Basilicus's eyes light up as he studies me. "I'd love to see them."

"I would as well," Mr. Thorne says. "I've only ever seen you when you're flying above pack land."

That's because Parker is usually the one who does with me when it's time for me to shift. I'm not ashamed of my wings, but it feels weird to have everybody coo over them.

Still, everybody looks expectantly at me.

I glance around the room. "It's too small in here. My wings wouldn't fit."

"Later then," King Basilicus says as he casually changes the topic. He talks about something that is going on with the vampires. I only half pay attention as Parker slips his arm around me. I lean into his side, taking in everything that King Basilicus said.

I'm a phoenix. I finally know what I am. But I still don't fit in. There is no group of people for me to talk to about my powers. Nobody can teach me how to block out the voices. Somehow, knowing what I am only makes me feel lonelier.

Phoenixes are believed to be extinct and have been for over two thousand years. My existence disproves that, but if phoenixes have stayed hidden that long I doubt they will reveal themselves to me—not when my soulmate is a wolf shifter.

Parker stands from his chair. The others turn to look, but he waves a hand at them and they continue their conversation as Parker tugs on my hand. He guides me out of the room and for the first time since I heard the news, I am able to take a deep breath.

My hand trembles slightly in Parker's as he leads me down the maze of corridors until we finally reach the back door. He opens it and tugs me with him outside. I allow him to guide me to an outdoor couch that overlooks the cliffs and water below. We sit down and Parker slips his arm around me, tugging me into his chest. I allow him to take my weight as he squeezes me against him.

This is nice. It's here that I know nothing will ever be able to hurt me. Not as long as I've got Parker by my side.

"Do you want to talk?" Parker asks.

I shake my head, knowing that I'm not ready to talk about it yet. There is still so much to process and right now, all I feel is confusion.