Read Online Burned In Shadows (Shadow Unit) by Tigris Eden - Free Book Online Page B

and bunched it at her breasts. It had to be Jes, it couldn’t be any of the others, she could hear well, but her sense of smell wasn’t that illustrious. What she wasn’t expecting to find was Dietrich on the other side of the door. She grabbed her towel tighter to herself as he walked past her into the room. Why is he here? She thought to herself as she stood by the door. It was still open, and she’d hoped he’d turn around and walk out. But today just wasn’t her lucky day. He seemed agitated and uncomfortable. This was normal for him of course, had been since she’d first laid eyes on him all those years ago. They were barely out of their maturation cycles. He’d come from a prominent family and crossing the species was not a grievous thing. It ensured survival. Belinda was sure had she and Dietrich had offspring they all would’ve been of the watcher variety with maybe one or two baby birds intermixed. She’d been looking forward to it back then. Now, she was glad life had turned left instead of right.
    “Why do you walk in as if we are familiar with one another? Less than two months ago you treated me as if I was dirt beneath your boots.”
    He smirked and moved toward her kitchenette. He didn’t say anything as he forcefully opened her fridge and poured himself a glass of water. The cup was empty before she could even think of something else to say.
    “Calm down.” Dietrich cleared his throat. Sunglasses still attached to his head, she could feel the heat of his stare. She wondered if anyone else knew what was behind the shades. His eyes were milky-white, with the smallest of pupils. She knew because she’d looked into those eyes, said things as she stared into what she thought was the heart of him. Things she thought she’d always feel.
    “I am calm. Do I look like I’m not?” Belinda moved to the closet and grabbed another pair of yoga pants and a top. She walked over to her dresser and pulled out underwear and headed toward the bathroom.
    “I didn’t mean to hurt you.” He said harshly when she’d almost closed the bathroom door. It had been such a long time that the pain had dulled to nothing. She turned and looked over her shoulder. He’d taken off his glasses, and his ghostly stare was focused on her in a way that held her immobile. She didn’t know wha t she saw as he stared at her far longer than necessary. But she did know he no longer made her feel alive and adored. These were different times, in another life maybe, but not this one.
    “It’s in the past. Let’s leave it there, alright?” Belinda closed the door and quickly dressed. She didn’t have to wait long. He was gone as soon as she c losed the door. She let out a long sigh, resting her head against the doorframe frame. She knew life was never meant to be easy. She’d figured that out the hard way a long time ago when she’d almost lost her primary.
    To a Phoenix, immortality was truly a gift, something that could be taken away at any moment. In a moment of complete stupidity, she’d foolishly left the safety of the Enclave walls. A woman on the street had liked the feathers in her hair and had tried to pull her primary out of her ponytail. Luckily, Ryan had been there, he’d taken hold of the woman and shoved her away. The woman had been human and hadn’t known better, but had she’d taken the primary, Belinda would have been dead long ago.
    When she was younger there had been more than ten Houses, now there were only five. House Benu, Simurgh, Ziz, Turul, and then Magyars. All five Houses were now housed under one Enclave. Before, they had their own, but their numbers had decreased so rapidly, they’d all agreed to combine the Houses under one umbrella. Each member from each house sat on the council and voted Surelle the Matria of House Phoenix. Her heir would be next in line to take the seat as long as the heir was female. Belinda hadn’t gone through her nesting phase and wouldn’t for a while. It would bring