Chapter 13 STELLAN
STELLAN
Liz's expression shifts from smug to uncertain as I approach her table. The cafeteria has gone completely silent, every eye tracking my movement.
"You don't know anything about phoenixes," I say, keeping my voice steady even though my fire wants to flare. "You're just repeating what your father told you. And your father has been lying to everyone for centuries."
Her face goes pale. "My father has nothing to do with—"
"Dmitri," I interrupt, and the name makes several students gasp.
"The first Praestes. The one who created the seven-element system to control what he couldn't understand.
The one who's been eliminating anyone who proves his categories are lies.
" I lean closer, letting my eyes glow orange just enough to make my point.
"You want to talk about dangerous? Ask your father what he really is.
Ask him how many essence types he's destroyed to maintain his power. "
I turn and walk away before she can respond, leaving her pale and shaking at her table. I don't know if I've planted a seed of doubt or just made an enemy. But I'm done letting her define me.
We eat quickly after that, the confrontation hanging over the table like smoke. My mates keep glancing at me with a mixture of pride and concern, but no one mentions what just happened. There'll be time to talk about it later.
The next two days blur together in a haze of preparation and growing dread. The entire academy knows something big is coming.
I can feel their eyes on me every time I walk through the halls, tracking my movements like I'm a bomb waiting to detonate.
Some students look hopeful, like maybe if I succeed, they'll have proof that different isn't dangerous.
Like my success could mean their own differences are acceptable too.
Others look terrified, like they're already planning my funeral, already mourning the loss of another rejected Magila to the Council's systematic elimination.
Liz is the worst. She's been gathering followers all week, students who believe the seven-element system exists for good reason.
Students who are convinced that Dmitri's categories are protecting them rather than imprisoning them.
Every time I pass her group, she makes sure I hear the whispers. Makes sure everyone hears them.
"Phoenixes were eliminated for a reason. They're too powerful, too unstable. The historical records are clear about that."
"The Council knows what it's doing. If they're sending hunters, it's because he's dangerous. They don't waste resources on false threats."
"We should petition to have him removed before the test. For our safety. What if he loses control during the demonstration and burns us all?"
My fire wants to prove her right, wants to explode and show her exactly how dangerous I can be.
The heat builds under my skin, begging for release, begging to show everyone what a phoenix really looks like when pushed too far.
But Jade's hand finds mine before the flames can manifest, his demon hunger drinking in my rage before it can turn destructive.
His fierce certainty pulses into me. No one is taking me away from him.
"Don't let her get to you," Jade murmurs, his demon voice layered with darkness that makes several nearby students flinch. "She's been saying the same thing for days. It's just noise."
"She wants me gone." My voice comes out bitter, and I hate how weak I sound. How afraid.
"She wants the old system back because it made her feel safe.
Even if that safety was a lie, even if it was built on the suffering of people like us.
" Jade squeezes my hand, his claws pressing gently against my skin.
Not threatening, just present. A reminder that he's here, that he's chosen me.
"Let her talk. In two days, you're going to prove every single one of them wrong. "
I wish I had his confidence. Wish I could look at the future and see success instead of failure and pain.
On the morning before the demonstration, we gather at our usual table in the dining hall.
It feels like an island in a sea of staring students.
The noise level drops the moment we're all seated, conversations stuttering to a halt as people watch us.
Skye looks exhausted, dark circles under his eyes from too many nights spent planning and worrying.
Harlow flickers between worlds more than usual, his death-sight clearly showing him things that make him uncomfortable.
Rumi's wings are visible despite his attempts to keep them hidden, golden feathers catching the morning light.
And Ambrose has that faraway look that means he's monitoring his contracts, keeping track of every thread he's woven to protect us.
The moment I sit down, Skye's hand finds mine under the table. On my other side, Jade presses close, his warmth surrounding me.
"Two days," Rumi says, not bothering to lower his voice. Several nearby tables go completely silent, straining to hear. "Then we show them what six impossible mates look like when they work together."
A few nearby students lean in, clearly eavesdropping. I don't care anymore. Let them listen. Let them see we're not hiding, that we're not ashamed of what we are.
"The journalists I contacted will be here tomorrow," Ambrose reports, keeping his voice low enough that only our table can hear.
"They'll set up recording equipment throughout the demonstration area, broadcast everything live.
By the time the hunters arrive, millions of Magila across the world will be watching. "
My stomach drops. Millions. Watching me either succeed or fail catastrophically in front of the entire world. Watching me prove that phoenixes deserve to exist, or watching the Council strip my essence and turn me into an empty shell.
Skye's hand moves and tightens on my thigh, his fingers pressing hard enough to ground me. His steady confidence pushes into me, trying to drown out my fear. "You can do this. We've got you."
"What if I can't?" The words slip out before I can stop them, quiet and terrified. "What if I transform and lose control? What if I prove Dmitri right, that creatures like me are too dangerous?"
Harlow leans forward, his death-touched eyes glowing faintly white.
"I've seen the futures, Stellan. Multiple timelines, multiple possibilities.
In every single one where you trust yourself and trust us, you succeed.
The only futures where you fail are the ones where you let fear control you instead of controlling your fear. "
"That's not as comforting as you think it is," I mutter, but his words do help slightly. Knowing that success is possible, that there are timelines where this works out, makes the crushing weight of expectation a little lighter.
Rumi reaches across the table and flicks my forehead, making me yelp.
"Stop spiraling. You've spent a week training with all of us.
You can manifest wings on command. You can transform fully and maintain awareness.
You can regulate your temperature with Harlow's help.
You can feed Jade without burning him. You can fly with me without crashing. You've done everything you need to do."
"But can I do it all at once?" I counter. "Can I do it under pressure, with hunters judging my every move, with millions watching?"
"Yes," Skye says simply, his Praestes authority making the word feel like absolute truth. "Because you won't be doing it alone. We'll be right there with you, supporting you every step of the way."
Jade's hand slides up my back, his claws tracing gentle patterns against my spine through my shirt.
The sensation is grounding, a reminder that he's here, that he chose me despite everything.
"Remember what we learned in training. Your fire responds to emotion, but you can choose which emotions to channel.
Fear makes it unstable. Love makes it controllable. "
"So instead of being afraid, be in love," Rumi adds with a grin. "Shouldn't be hard with five mates who think you're gorgeous."
I can't help but smile slightly at that, even though my stomach is still twisted with anxiety. "You're all ridiculous."
"We're all in this together," Ambrose corrects, his green eyes finally focusing on the present moment instead of whatever distant contracts he's been monitoring.
"That's the whole point of the demonstration.
Not just to show them that you're in control, but to show them what's possible when different essences work together instead of against each other. "
The rest of breakfast passes with my mates deliberately keeping the conversation light, telling stories and making jokes to distract me from my spiraling thoughts. It helps, but I can still feel the weight of what's coming pressing down on me.
After breakfast, we head to the training room we've been using all week.
The space is scarred from our practice sessions.
Scorch marks on the walls from my fire, frost patterns on the windows from Harlow's death-chill, claw marks in the stone from Jade's demon strength, and strange symbols glowing faintly on the floor from Ambrose's contracts.
"Full run-through today," Skye announces, his power filling the room with pink light. "We need to practice the entire demonstration sequence, start to finish, as if the hunters are already here watching."
My heart rate spikes immediately, and my essence surges hot in response. Jade moves to my side instantly, his hunger drinking in my panic before it can spiral.
"Breathe," he reminds me, his voice layered with that dual quality that comes from his demon nature. "We've done this a hundred times. This is just one more practice run."
We arrange ourselves in formation. Me at the center, where I'll be the focus of the demonstration.
Skye slightly behind me, his power ready to support and stabilize.
Jade and Harlow on either side, providing balance between heat and cold, hunger and death.
Rumi above, his wings spread wide to show the aerial support.
And Ambrose forming a protective circle around all of us with his contracts.
"Transform," Skye says, and his Praestes voice makes it feel less like a command and more like permission.
I close my eyes and reach for the fire inside me.
I reach for the controlled burn that Jade taught me to channel rather than the wild, chaotic flames that destroyed my family.
I seek the deliberate shift that Harlow helped me master rather than the explosive transformation that happened the first time.
The fire builds slowly, starting in my chest and spreading outward. My wings manifest first, white-gold flames that don't burn but shimmer with living light. Then my body begins to change, bones reshaping, essence transforming from human to phoenix.
The full transformation takes thirty seconds, and I maintain awareness the entire time. When I open my eyes, I'm looking down at my mates from my phoenix form, massive and powerful and completely in control.
"Beautiful," Skye breathes, his pink aura reaching out to caress my flames.
I hold the form for five minutes, practicing the various movements the hunters will probably demand.
Flying in controlled patterns with Rumi keeping pace beside me.
Creating precise flames on command without letting them spread.
Landing and taking off smoothly. All while maintaining perfect awareness and control.
Then the hard part. Transforming back.
I reach for my human form, pulling the phoenix back inside me, compressing all that power and flame into a smaller shape. The transformation hurts, like shoving something massive through a tiny opening, but I've learned to handle the pain.
When I'm human again, naked and covered in soot, I'm panting but triumphant. "I did it."
"You did it perfectly," Harlow confirms, wrapping a blanket around me. "No hesitation, no loss of control, perfect execution."
We run through the sequence seven more times that day, until I can transform back and forth without thinking about it, until the movements are muscle memory instead of conscious effort.
By the time we finish, I'm exhausted and my fire is dim, but for the first time since this whole nightmare started, I actually believe we might pull this off.
That night, tangled in bed with my mates, I can't stop shaking. The anxiety is back, worse than before, and even Jade's feeding earlier isn't enough to take the edge off.
"You're spiraling again," Skye murmurs, his hand sliding down my chest. His power flows through his touch, warm and grounding, but it's not enough. "Let us help."
Jade shifts behind me, his demon heat pressing against my back. "He needs more than feeding tonight," he says, his voice rough with hunger. "He needs to feel wanted. Cherished. Reminded that he's ours."
Skye's eyes darken with understanding. "Then let's remind him."
What follows is slow and deliberate, my mates taking turns showing me exactly how much I mean to them.
Skye's mouth on mine, soft and reverent, while Jade's hands map my body like he's memorizing every inch.
Harlow's cold lips trace down my spine, the contrast with my fire making me gasp.
Rumi's divine warmth surrounds us all, amplifying every sensation until I can't tell where I end and they begin.
Ambrose doesn't touch me directly, but his contracts weaving around us, binding us together in ways that transcend physical contact. I feel all of them at once, five different flavors of love and desire and fierce protectiveness flooding through me.
When Jade finally wraps his hand around me, stroking slowly while Skye swallows my moans with kisses, I don't last long.
The orgasm crashes through me like a wave, and for one perfect moment, there's no fear, no anxiety, no dread about tomorrow.
Just pleasure and love and the absolute certainty that I belong to them and they belong to me.
After, Skye traces the bond marks on my arm while I float in satisfied exhaustion. "Tomorrow the journalists arrive. The day after, the hunters. Are you ready?"
I think about the question seriously. Am I ready? No. But I'm as prepared as I'm going to be, and I have five mates who just spent an hour proving they'll stand with me no matter what happens.
"I'm ready," I say, and this time I actually believe it.