Total pages in book: 148
Estimated words: 139178 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 696(@200wpm)___ 557(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139178 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 696(@200wpm)___ 557(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
A pause, her gaze turning distant. “I can’t say, but…I hope he will not. Sometimes, memory is a cage, and sometimes, memory is a revelation.”
With that, Raphael had to be content.
“I forget at times,” he told Elena when next they met, “that my mother knew Aegaeon when he was a youth.” A light breeze blew across their bodies as they stood on the railingless balcony outside his Tower office.
“I don’t blame you—she doesn’t interact with him the way she does with Alexander.” His consort stretched her shoulders, while both of them kept an ear open for Phoenix, who was playing a pouncing game with Tigress in his special corner of Raphael’s office, with Bengal his ever-present friend and guard.
Raphael and Elena both worried for their son’s heart when it was time for Bengal to lie down for his final rest—Tigress would make the transition easier, but the loss would still shatter him.
“No,” he said. “I don’t think Mother and Aegaeon were ever friends. I’m fairly certain she and Alexander are a little older—old enough that they wouldn’t have been children with Aegaeon. Still, she knows things about him that none of us ever will.”
“She’s also honorable enough to keep whatever it is that she used to get through his thick head to herself.” Elena smiled at the sound of Bengal’s warning growl. “Here he comes.”
Had they not been on the balcony, the feline would’ve physically blocked Nix from walking out. He no longer had to do that much—their boy was old enough now that he understood he wasn’t to go on the railingless balconies alone until his flight wings came in.
Because Phoenix Zakriel, this most fragile piece of their hearts, could still die. He wasn’t strong enough to survive a fall from this height—but he was also a winged being who ached for flight. To satisfy that hunger, Raphael and Elena took him flying with them each and every day.
Then there were the special permissions they’d given to a highly limited number of Nix’s favorites in the Tower. Sameon was one of those favorites; he’d strap Nix to his chest, Nix facing out, and off they’d go; Raphael could often hear the whooping from around the Tower as they dived and rose together.
As for protecting Nix from his own primal urges, they’d installed balcony shielding for the first nine years of his life, taking it down only when he was old enough to begin to understand why the rules were in place. They’d also instructed the Legion to reiterate the need for him to stay away from dangerous edges rather than reassuring him they’d catch him if he fell—which they would, the Legion always near their son.
He was never in any danger, shield or no shield, but every indication they had told them that Phoenix was going to be a powerful youth and man. He had to learn discipline from the beginning.
Having Bengal as their early-warning system—with Tigress quickly catching on—helped tremendously.
Today, Nix stopped in the doorway. “Mama, Papa, can I come?”
My heart. Elena’s mental voice was the sound of love. “Yes,” she said aloud to their son, and when Nix ran over to her, she crouched down to hug him. “Good job following the rules.”
Their son beamed, looked up at Raphael.
He reached out to tousle his boy’s hair and say, “I can tell you’ve been doing your wing exercises.” Phoenix had had a growth spurt these past two weeks—specifically in the musculature of his wings.
“I did, Papa!” He lit up. “Can you see?”
Raphael nodded solemnly, even though his poor son’s wings were drooping with tiredness. “I’m proud of you, Phin.”
Phoenix’s face was a small sun…and Elena’s expression as she looked up at Raphael…
You’re one hell of a dad, Archangel. I knew you would be, but seeing you doing it? I might even get pregnant again.
Grinning, Raphael took their son’s hand on one side while Elena took his other, and they walked together to peer out over the edge so that Nix could look down safely. Ready to throw the keep-the-baby-away leaves to the wind?
His consort rubbed her jaw, as if considering it—and Nix jerked forward in excitement when he saw Izzy’s wing take off.
He’d have tumbled off into thin air if they hadn’t been holding on to him. As the sudden appearance of multiple Legion flyers below indicated—they’d been doing the gargoyle thing, just hanging about…but they never lost sight of Phoenix.
On second thought, Elena said dryly, let’s survive this one first.
“Oops.” Their boy righted himself, then sighed. “I wanna fly.”
Elena’s entire face softened. “I know, baby. When I first woke with wings, I wanted nothing more than to fly. It’s so hard to stay on the ground when you have wings.”
“Mama practice,” Nix said. “Nixie practice.” A pause. “Anise?”
“Yes, Anise also has to practice,” Elena confirmed.
“She’s probably doing the same wing exercises as you,” Raphael added. “Why don’t you ask her in your next call?”