stood near the counter and started nibbling on crackers. “A large portion. According to Zahur, I burn a lot of calories.” She seemed to remember something. “Please.”
Asher went about making pork chops while we focused on her.
“So, being crushed can kill me?” Ethan asked, his shoulders straightening.
She nodded. “Yes, as long as your body stays crushed. If the pressure is released, you’d just heal again. As I said, dismemberment, placing your body parts in mirror-lined boxes and sunk in different bodies of water is the only sure way of doing the job.”
I simply stared, fascinated, as the woman finished off a roll of crackers and pulled out another one.
“What about fire?” Zeke asked.
She shook her head. “Fire would help him heal. It’s part of a phoenix’s ability. Get a stab wound, cauterize it and you’ll scar in a few hours or so. A lot of phoenixes were burned as witches over the centuries. It wasn’t remarkably effective.” She frowned down at the crackers then moved over to peek around Asher’s shoulder. “Are you finished?”
Asher sighed as he set the meat on the grill. “Not yet, it’s got to cook.”
She saw the meat on the grill and frowned. “That’s not enough.”
“It’s ten pork chops.” Asher glanced back at her.
She looked up at him with an oddly innocent face and nodded. “Yes, and it’s not enough. Not if you people want to eat as well.”
Asher’s eyebrows went up. “Okay, then the pork chops are for you and I’ll make something else for the others.”
Her smile was brilliant as she thanked him before returning to her crackers and turning back to us. “What were we talking about?”
“How I can die,” Ethan said, his voice strained.
Jade nodded. “Of course. So, punctures are bad but you’re a fast healer so it’s not too bad if you do get stabbed. Your subcutaneous scales just can’t protect against it, but they can against lacerations. Phoenixes were mostly revered.”
“What?” I shook my head not following. “If they were so revered, why were they hunted into extinction?”
She nodded and swallowed her bite as the scent of cooking pork filled the kitchen. “Witches mistook them for dragons. Mostly in what is now Asia, since that’s where we’re from, but that was at least a millennia ago.”
“I thought dragons were a symbol of protection?” Ethan said.
“That came later,” she said around a cracker. “When we became extremely rare, they realized how much we protected our chosen villages. Before that, they wanted us dead.”
“How did you survive?” Isaac asked as he leaned against the breakfast counter.
“I hid. Stayed in human form, moved from village to village. Then, when the hunts finally stopped, I went into hibernation.” Her chewing slowed. “If I don’t fly or shift humans don’t really notice me. Simple.”
Simple, right. “Okay, so, can Ethan shift?”
Asher began to plate her pork chops.
She shook her head as her attention went completely to the plate in Asher’s hands. “Since he wasn’t born a phoenix, I highly doubt it. But he should have their practically immortal lifespans.”
Asher got a knife and fork then delivered the plate to Jade. “Here you go.”
“Thank you.” She took the plate, set it on the kitchen’s breakfast bar, and began to shovel down food. I don’t think she even paused to breathe.
I shared a look with Asher as everyone watched in odd fascination as the tiny woman scarfed down the food.
Ethan sighed.
“What’s wrong?” I whispered as my hand moved to his back.
He shook his head and met my gaze. “For a minute there, I thought I was a dragon.”
I fought back the smile. “And you’re disappointed?”
He turned to Jade. “How sure are you that I’ll have their lifespans?”
She tilted her head to the side and thought about it. “Completely. Hybrid or not.”
Isaac grinned. “That’s fucking awesome.”
Ethan turned to Isaac as he began to spin his rings. “Yeah, sure. Until you guys start dying around me.”
Jade paused her eating, looking between all of us. One day, Ethan would be alone.
“Ethan …” I didn’t know what to say.
He shook his head and walked out of the kitchen.
“Was it something I said?” Jade asked before taking another enormous bite.
“It wasn’t you,” Uma explained.
Jade nodded then turned to me. “Who is this girl you keep seeing?”
The change of topic was jarring and caught me completely off guard. “Um, I don’t know. It started with dreams.”
“Then she showed up in our bedroom,” Miles added. “And disappeared.”
“Did she say anything?” Jade asked before she popped another piece of meat into her mouth.
“Just to ‘Make it