Arabe, Sandro, and risse reached the entrance of the Phoenix’s sacred ground. Lady Arabe stood at the center of a pentagram, and close to her was an elevated tform with a golden cup and an open book next to it.
Turning to address the gathering, Arabe gasped softly. “Is that me?” she murmured, looking from Sandro to risse and back at the woman.
“You go about looking like everyone, Cara. Not that I me you for that,” Sandro grunted.
“You’re one to talk,” Arabe red at him, recalling her confusion between Alessandro the first and Sandro earlier. Now, she was faced with her own lookalike.
“Like I mentioned, the sin began a century ago, stemming from your ancestors. The figures you see here are your forebears,” risse exined.
“What about Alessia, then?” Arabe inquired, considering their twin connection. “If there’s a first doppelganger, it would make sense for her to be present too.”
“She was absorbed by the first, but that’s a tale for another time,” risse replied.
Arabe hesitated, sensing dark energy surrounding risse. She refrained from asking about Alessia’s fate, deciding to inquireter as she had said.
“What’s going on?” Arabe asked, eyeing Sandro’s arm wrapped around her waist. Despite her attempts to break free, he maintained his grip.
“It’s the rising of the Phoenix ceremony for debutantes,” Sandro whispered, leaning in.
“Feeling cold?” he added, noticing her arms wrapped around herself. Shrugging off his leather jacket, he draped it over her.
“I never said I was cold,” Arabe retorted, trying to shrug off Sandro’s jacket, but he held her shoulder firmly.
“I’m just trying to protect you, Arabe. Why make this so difficult?” Sandro’s brows furrowed.
“I’d be more protected away from you,” she replied, adding, “You suddenly realize I need protection now because I’m pregnant?”
“I realized it a long time ago,” Sandro insisted, making Arabe snort.
“You’re absurdly funny. And need I remind you that no amount of groveling will change my perception of you,” she dered.
“I never wanted you to change your perception. I’m not trying to be a good guy, Be; I just want the kid to be safe,” Sandro rified.
“Why do you care about my baby now? You hate the mother, remember? It makes no sense you’re acting all sentimental just because I’m pregnant, and it’s not even yours,” Arabe wrinkled her nose.
Sandro growled. “Stop rubbing your affair with ze in my face.”
Arabe heard Sandro’s warning but didn’t care. If that made him leave her alone, she’d happily goad him again.
Sandro gripped her hand tightly. “I know what’s running through your mind, Cara, and no, don’t do it. You’ll only make it worse for him.”
“If I can’t take my anger out on you in your current state, I’ll take it out on him. I don’t care if I have to remove his limbs,” Sandro growled.Còntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org
Arabe shivered, meeting his angry gaze. She bit her lip but refused to cower.
“Whatever, Sandro. Just stop acting so touchy suddenly. We know how it often ends up,” she shrugged.
“I brought you both here to see what happened in the past life, and you’re squabbling like some old married couple?” risse interrupted, ring at them. “I could have separated you longer.”
“What’s happening?” Arabe asked.
“Well, the ceremony finished,” risse rolled her eyes.
“Oh!” Arabe could only mutter, ncing around.
She didn’t think she and Sandro had been talking for that long. She noticed ashes on the ground and the phoenixes standing, dusting their body off.
“Except the ceremony is only for a second because we didn’t even use up to a minute,” Arabe said.
“It’s fine. Let’s return-”
risse was interrupted by a loud voice booming, “Surrender or be killed.”
Arabe’s eyes widened as she saw Alessandro the first step out of the shrub he was hiding behind.
“This is weird. A copy of you and me. What the hell?” Sandro muttered.
Arabe ignored him, her focus on Alessandro the first approaching her lookalike.
“Alessandro,” she heard her lookalike snarl.
The hate on their faces indicated their strong dislike for each other. What surprised Arabe was when they stalked toward each other, grabbed each other’s faces, and locked lips in front of everyone.
“What the hell?” Arabe and Sandro muttered together.
“I’m sorry, ra, but were they supposed to kiss? I mean, she’s the evil one, right, and-” Sandro started.
“It’s risse,” risse corrected.
“He’s the evil one,” Arabe retorted, ring at Sandro.
“She is. Have you seen her abilities? I doubt it,” Sandro stated, his eyes returning to the scene.
Both had ripped off each other’s clothes, their upper body bare, unashamed of the onlookers.
“This isn’t how I yed it out in my head,” risse muttered, eyes narrowed.
Alessandro the first dragged Lady Arabe toward the podium, bent her over and ripped off his breech.
“Fuck Alessandro,” Lady Arabe snarled as Alessandro’s the first palm collided with her backside before parting her asscheeks, and he thrust inside of her. “Do you know how long I waited for you to do this?”
“I’ve been waiting all day, my dear,” Grunted Allesandro the first, his hand moving to her throat as he pounded into her.
“Okay, this is disturbing and disgusting. Time out, please,” Arabe dered, signaling a timeout.
The scene before her shattered her vows of not thinking about Sandro inappropriately. Memories of their time together flooded her mind, and she felt the urge to throw up.
“You don’t have to watch, you know,” Sandro stated, turning to risse, but she wasn’t with them.
“Where’s she?” Sandro scanned the area, but there was no sign of her.
“How would I know? She was just here with us,” Arabe replied.
Feeling a shift in the atmosphere, Sandro tugged Arabe into him, ignoring her protest.
His eyes narrowed as he observed the Phoenixes seated. They were now staring in their direction, snarling, while Lady and Alessandro remained oblivious to what was happening.
“Stay put, Arabe,” Sandro growled.
Hearing the change in his voice, she turned to stare at him and frowned to see his pupils dted, turning golden, and his canines out. It was the first time she saw him up close since learning what he was, and it didn’t frighten her.
Instead, he looked dangerously sexy and angry.
“What’s going on?” she asked, licking her lower lip, trying to divert her thoughts.
“I think we’ve been tricked,” Sandro muttered.
“What?” Arabe stuttered.
“Listen to me,” Sandro said, making her face him while remaining aware of the creatures in the background. “No matter the hate you feel for me right now, you need to set it aside. Do everything I say, and when I say run, do so without thinking about my safety.”
“O-Okay,” Arabe said, now realizing the seriousness of the situation as she nced around.
The Phoenixes, who had been watching everything unfold, turned their attention to them, their slitted eyes emanating hatred.
“Arabe…”
risse cut off Sandro’s words. “I know you want to say run; unfortunately, she can’t do so.”
“What the…” Sandro was cut off for the second time, and this time it was Arabe.
“Sandro!” Arabe screamed. One minute, she had been standing next to him, and the next, she was bound to a tree in the middle of where the pentagram had been.
“Be!” Sandro growled, his eyes narrowing at risse. “Let her go, and who the hell are you?”
“I forgive you for not knowing me. I was quite infamous during my time,” risse said.
She continued, “But I don’t mind reintroducing myself again. I am Astralys, the greatest sorceress of all time, and you, my dears, are just what I needed to create the unstoppable Astralys armies!” She tilted her head backward, cackling.
“The fuck!” Sandro grunted.
Arabe found nothing funny about the situation. She should have trusted Ellen. If she had realized it sooner, maybe she wouldn’t be in this predicament. Yet, Astralys, in the form of risse, had nned everything meticulously. There was no way they wouldn’t have met.