Chapter 1460: Phoenixes, Dragons and The Insane Family

The three women stared at the vacant space for several breaths.

Melissa shook her head first.

The Goddess followed with a slower, far more elegant version of the same reaction.

Soraya released a long breath before shaking her head hard enough to compensate for both of them: "I’m never going to get used to that."

"None of us ever do," the Goddess replied serenely.

Soraya turned toward her immediately. "No, but it’s different for you."

The Ashford Madam looked faintly entertained. "Is it?"

"Yes!" Soraya threw both hands upward, bracelets sliding down her wrists with the movement. "This life of powers isn’t new to any of you. You say you never get used to it, but you were already living in a world where at least some of this insanity made sense."

Melissa folded her arms beneath her chest and leaned lightly against the dressing table, already smiling because she could tell Soraya had been storing this speech for several weeks and had finally found somewhere to release it.

Soraya began pacing:

"Noor and I have been here less than a month. A month, at most, and I’m not even convinced I should count the first week because I’m fairly certain my mind spent most of it refusing to process anything happening here." She pointed toward the doorway through which Phei had vanished. "People teleport. People fly. I looked out a window the other day and someone was simply standing in the air having a conversation (it was Lucienne and Anahita teasing her at the orders of the former) as though the ground had become an optional suggestion."

Melissa’s smile widened.

"There are elves in this house," Soraya continued, turning around sharply. "Actual elves. Vampire too. Demons. Real demons walking through the corridors as though someone gave them keys at reception and told them breakfast ended at ten."

The Goddess’s lips twitched.

Soraya pressed both palms to her temples with growing disbelief:

"And I have a Dragon for a little sister too— oh gods she’s so cute!"

Melissa laughed.

Soraya immediately pointed at her. "Don’t laugh! She is cure despite being a gluttony and... well, an actual dragon."

"She is."

"A literal Dragon."

"Absolutely."

"Who steals my hair ribbons!"

The Goddess finally surrendered. A soft laugh escaped her while Soraya looked increasingly betrayed by creation itself.

"Technically," Melissa managed between amusement, "she’s Phei’s little sister."

Soraya dropped her hands and stared at her. "Which makes her ours now, doesn’t it? That’s how this family works. One person comes attached to fifteen others and suddenly I’m emotionally adopting ancient mythical creatures before anyone even asks whether I’m prepared."

"That is remarkably accurate," the Goddess admitted.

Soraya looked between them before glancing around the immense chamber as though perhaps the walls could tell her precisely when her life had stopped resembling anything an ordinary person would recognize.

"The absurd part is that I’m fine."

Melissa’s amusement softened. "You’re fine?"

"Yes, and that’s what worries me." Soraya resumed pacing with renewed purpose. "I’m completely fine with it now. If you tell me tomorrow morning that a phoenix was asleep in the garden, I’d probably ask whether somebody has fed it. If Phei walks into breakfast carrying a mermaid, I suspect I’ll merely ask whether she wants coffee or tea before wondering where he found her."

Melissa’s shoulders shook.

Soraya spread both hands helplessly. "What is wrong with me?"

The laughter disappeared from Melissa’s face almost immediately, replaced by something warmer. She pushed herself away from the dressing table and crossed the distance between them before Soraya could continue talking herself into a genuine crisis over the rate at which magical absurdity had become domestic routine.

Melissa took Soraya’s face gently between her palms and tilted it toward her before placing a warm kiss against her forehead.

"Nothing is wrong with you, sweetheart."

Soraya blinked.

Melissa smiled, violet eyes bright with affection. "Welcome to the insane family— fully."

Something in Soraya’s expression loosened.

She had entered Phei’s life carrying enough uncertainties of her own, and everything since then had moved with almost offensive speed. A month was barely enough time to learn the habits of an ordinary household— even the insane fact that her new man had an actual active harem where his women welcomed her instead of fighting her, never mind ancient beings, Gods, supernatural races, impossible wealth, relationships tangled across families and Realms and a seventeen-year-old Dragon who periodically disappeared for a few days only to return with another impossible creature, treasure or catastrophe attached to him.

Yet nobody had made Soraya feel as though she remained outside some invisible boundary waiting to earn permission to belong.

Perhaps that was why she had adjusted faster than she believed she should have.

Melissa’s thumbs brushed gently over her cheeks. "Although I should probably warn you now, try not to look too shocked when you meet the rest of the Ryujin Tiamats."

Soraya’s eyes narrowed immediately. "There are more?"

Melissa stared at her.

Soraya’s expression collapsed. "That was a stupid question."

"Very."

The Goddess laughed quietly.

Melissa released Soraya’s face only to smooth a loose strand of hair away from her forehead: "You’ll survive them."

The pause that followed carried enough intention to make Soraya instantly suspicious.

Melissa’s smile turned dangerously sweet.

"Too bad you definitely won’t survive meeting the Phoenixes."

Soraya’s eyes widened.

"The what now?!"

Melissa looked delighted. "The Phoenixes."

"Plural?"

"Very plural."

Soraya stared at her with genuine horror, and Melissa immediately reached out to cup her face again.

"So adorable."

She kissed Soraya’s forehead a second time.

"Empress, please stop enjoying my distress."

"I can’t. Your face is too good."

Soraya tried to look offended and failed somewhere around the moment Melissa’s teasing settled into the deeper affection beneath it. Her shoulders relaxed, and when she looked up again, a shy warmth had replaced much of the earlier bewilderment.

"Thank you, Empress," she said softly.

Melissa’s expression softened.

The Goddess and Melissa exchanged a glance.

Then both women laughed.

Soraya frowned at once. "What now?"

"Nothing," Melissa said.

"You’re both laughing."

"Because you’re adorable."

"I am a grown woman."

"An adorable grown woman."

Soraya opened her mouth, almost certainly preparing to defend what remained of her dignity, but the Goddess spared her the effort.

Unfortunately, the Ashford Madam replaced the embarrassment with something considerably worse.

She had been watching Soraya for several moments, dark eyes carrying the quiet amusement of someone who had allowed the conversation to wander exactly where it pleased before remembering another matter entirely.

Dressed now and standing with effortless elegance, the Goddess still possessed that languid beauty capable of making almost any chamber seem designed around her. Her head tilted slightly while she regarded Soraya with the patient interest of an exceedingly sophisticated predator deciding whether the smaller creature before her required affection or interrogation.

Possibly both:

"So," the Goddess said casually.

Soraya looked toward her.

The word had been spoken mildly enough that what followed could have concerned breakfast, weather or whether someone should have tea brought upstairs.

"When are you telling your sister about Phei?"

Soraya froze.

Every trace of amused embarrassment vanished from her face with such sudden completeness that Melissa noticed before the final syllable had even settled into the room.

Soraya’s shoulders stiffened, her breathing paused and her eyes went still, as though the Goddess had reached into the conversation and touched a secret Soraya had been hoping would remain comfortably buried for much longer.

Melissa’s smile faded into immediate curiosity.

The Goddess continued watching her.

Soraya gulped audibly— very hard!