anxiety that surrounded our answer, and I immediately went to comfort her. “Of course we are going to be there with you, especially for the first part and everything about being a phoenix. If you want to talk to her afterwards alone though, no one would blame you. Especially if you need to ask her questions.”
I mean, frankly I would probably have some questions if I had seven mates.
“Why wouldn’t I want you in there?” Her delicate nose scrunched in confusion.
Croy let out a soft rumble. “She is probably going to also want to talk to you about mating heat and—”
“Well, considering you’re my mates, you should be there,” Maya confirmed, her eyes filling with surety that had me wondering what her anxiety was really about. “I just wish the others were here.”
Before any of us could respond, the office doors opened. Croy walked forward, followed by Sai, probably attempting to buy us a minute. I immediately grabbed Maya’s hips and spoke softly. “What’s this really about, Maya? What’s going on?”
Her soft lips opened and then shut before she finally inhaled and nodded. “I am worried about what she is going to tell me. I am worried she is going to tell me that something is wrong with me health-wise… or that I’m not like a normal shifter. Or something even worse. I don’t know, I just am so worried all the sudden about what she is going to say—”
Gently tugging her onto one of my knees to sit, I cupped her jaw and kissed her deeply. A soft, happy sigh broke from her lips, her hands stringing through my hair. My dragon hated how worked up she was, and the little worried noise breaking from her throat had me wanting to take her away from this damn doctor. She didn’t ever need to feel anxious, in my mind, and I would do some pretty extreme shit to keep that emotion from affecting her. I knew it was unavoidable to some extent—it was clear Maya had anxiety, and rightly so after everything she’d been through. Still, I wanted to calm her down, no matter how she needed that to happen. I wanted to fix all of her problems, even if I knew it wasn’t possible and she wasn’t asking me to. It was a compulsion.
“Atlas.” Her soft voice against my lips had me admitting things that I had been trying to figure out for days.
“Maya, no matter what happens, no matter what she says, we will figure it out. There is nothing we can’t handle. You are the most important factor here, so whatever you need to be comfortable is what we are going to do,” I promised softly as her face morphed from anxious into soft within moments, making me already feel ten times better. I wasn’t even positive what I was saying fully, just wanting her to know how I feel, but apparently it was working.
“What if she says there is something wrong with me?” she quietly persisted. “My mother always said there was something wrong with me, and I’m terrified that someone from your realm is going to confirm that. Is going to confirm that I’m not worthy of being your mate, especially because it’s clear how important you guys are.”
“You don’t need to ever worry about being ‘worthy’ of being our mate.” I frowned at her concern, wanting to hurt anyone who thought they had the right to pass that judgement. “You are without a doubt our mate, and I could give a fuck what anyone else thinks.” My hand tightened in her hair as I spoke softly. “Angel, I could never feel the way I do about you with anyone else. That has never been in question.”
“The way you feel?” she whispered softly.
I hadn’t planned on telling her this way, but I could tell it was what she needed to hear, and I was more than happy to oblige. It was the truth, and I was tired of her not knowing it.
“I love you.” My voice dipped into a rough cadence as her eyes sparked with gold streaks, making me realize that I’d authentically surprised her.
“You love me?” she questioned, her hands tightening on my jaw.
“Yes,” I confirmed without a doubt in my mind. Her magic tightened around me as she examined my expression with warm hope and affection in her gaze.
“Atlas, I love you,” Maya’s voice softened as she quietly spoke.
Surging forward, I kissed her hard again until she melted into me completely, making