Changed by Fire (Phoenix Rising #6) - Harper Wylde Page 0,127
ended up as such a caring, giving, kind person. You’ve been changed by fire, and yet the flames haven’t broken you. Seeing you gives me strength and hope that I’ll be the same way. That one day I’ll wake up and it won’t hurt so much. That I’ll be stronger because of the tribulations I’ve been through.”
“You will, Damien.” I squeezed his arm with the promise. “It doesn’t happen overnight. You may not even feel stronger. Honestly, there are still days when I feel broken, and that’s alright. Sometimes you have to give yourself grace and realize that the pain is part of healing. But someday it will hurt less, and then you’ll wake up and all you’ll remember are the good things. All that pain you felt will change into an ache from missing them instead of the agony of such a brutal loss.”
“Smart and sexy.” He grinned easily, his gratitude flooding my mind as he leaned down and gave me a sweet kiss that I felt to my toes. “Thank you, Nix. Without you I wouldn’t even be standing here right now.”
“You underestimate yourself, Damien Adrian LaCroix.” I let his middle name slip with a secretive smile and waltzed back to grade the last block of cheese.
“Where are you learning our middle names from?” Theo paused to assess me, sauce jar in hand as he upended it and poured a healthy amount over the pasta.
I shrugged innocently. “I’ll never reveal my sources.”
“Rini,” all three men answered at the same time, the tenors and baritones mixing in harmonious accusation.
I gaped momentarily before shutting my jaw and lifting my chin. “It may have come up at a girls’ night.”
“The traitor,” Theo growled playfully, his eyes sharpening as he grinned evilly. “I’ll have to repay that betrayal someday. The stories I have about that little Sun Bear.”
I giggled gleefully. “Oh, this is going to be fun!”
“She should know better than to cross us so blatantly,” Damien added with a wicked smirk.
“She seems so innocent.” Theo and Damien both scoffed at Joshua’s wide-eyed admittance.
“Rini?” Theo inquired, his voice going up an octave.
“Not in the slightest.” Damien shook his head, adding wine and heavy cream to complete his sauce.
“You were the only one whose middle name she didn’t know.” I bit my lip, batting my eyelashes at my Basilisk. “Aren’t you going to tell me?”
Joshua smirked and arched a brow. “Now why would I do that?”
“Because you love me,” I chirped happily, gracing him with a cute smile I hoped he wouldn’t be able to resist.
“From sassy to adorable in three point five,” Joshua commented, his eyes softening as he read my true desire to know from Damien’s connection. “I’ll tell you, but you have to answer a question of mine first. Information for information.”
I worried my lip between my teeth before nodding. “Seems fair. Like a game of truth or dare.”
“Don’t say that around Ryder, or he’ll have us all playing tonight before bed,” Theo warned. “I can’t believe we’ve kept you two from playing it for this long.”
I didn’t want to admit it, but the idea was tempting. A little bit of fun with my mates sounded like exactly what we all needed. Plus, the game was bound to turn dirty if my Ceraptor was involved. The little devil on my shoulder was rubbing her hands together as she plotted how to make that happen. I turned to Joshua after I set the last handful of cheese into the bowl and passed it to Theo, who layered the ziti into a casserole dish, topped it with extra cheese, and set it into the oven with a bump to Damien’s hip, making him move from the stove for a minute so he didn’t get burned.
The two of them argued about covering the dish with tinfoil, listing out the pros and cons while I sidled over to Joshua. Hopping up on the only clear part of the counter, I gazed down at him as I stole a pepperoni and popped it into my mouth. “So what’s your question?”
“Eager to know my middle name?” Joshua smiled softly, peering up at me. He had a slight dusting of flower smudged across one cheek, and I grinned at the sight. It was too cute to brush away, so I kept my mouth closed while he worked.
“It seems like a good thing to have in my arsenal. So come on. Think of something to ask me.” I gripped the edge of the counter, leaning forward slightly while