1
Azara
Four girls flutter around me, making final preparations. Copy paste. Copy paste. Copy paste. All four girls move in a synchronization I could never understand. All four girls have the exact same curly red hair. The same freckles adorning their cheeks and nose. They all look exactly the same except for their eye colors and facial structures. The design of a subordinate phoenix shifter.
Which is why it startles me when I make eye contact with myself in a mirror. I am different. My hair is straight and black, deep purples and red hinting at the roots. My eyes are a smoky grey with gold flecks. A small crown of thorns and jewels sits atop my head while my leather suit sticks to my skin. Steel knuckle braces decorate my fists while a dagger accompanies my thigh.
This is my fighting attire.
I'm fighting tonight.
Kyros
Whispers travel to my ears. Whispers of an illegal underground fight. Whispers that the Scarlet Princess will be there. Whispers that she is fighting.
I wonder, if Eryx knows.
Who am I kidding. Of course he knows. Nothing gets past him. As if on queue, he calls out.
"Brother. What are you frowning for?" He steps beside me onto the terrace, hands behind his back, staring off into he distance. "You'll wrinkle that pretty face before we find our mate." He looks at me with a half grin.
There's my brother. My brother without the facade of a strong leader. I let my grin match his as my heart skips a beat thinking about the mate we don't have..
"Have you heard? The rumors about the girl?" I ask quietly, not wanting to be overheard.
"You mean the Princess? Isn't she fighting...undercover?" Eryx questions, looking around for eavesdroppers.
I look around with him while saying, "So I've heard." I raise my eyebrows at my brother. "You wanna go?"
