Risen

32

Nova had to admit, waking up next to Derek had become something she had liked, his arms were always wrapped around her, whether she faced away from him or had her head on his chest. Derek liked waking up next to Nova as well, especially knowing that she was close to him, having her in his arms made him feel as if he could do whatever he wanted to do. He was proud to have a strong mate like Nova, but it wasn't just her physical strength, it was more of what she chose to do when she put her mind to it, no one would be able to stop her. And he was lucky enough to not see when she was angry, no one wanted to be around an angry phoenix, they didn't care who was in the way when they needed to release some of their fire. Derek looked at Nova as she slept, her lips bare of the red color - which was also a unique trait in her bloodline that the youngest carried - but he still thought she was beautiful.

"Stop staring, Hale, it's creepy" Nova muttered, turning around to lay on her side, her back facing Derek

A small chuckle emitted from the alpha, wrapping his arms around her from behind and placing a kiss to her shoulder, letting out a small sigh in content through his nose. Nova couldn't help the soft smile that formed on her lips, turning her head and opening her eyes slightly to look at her mate, who watched as the the deep red color slowly bled into her lips, beginning from the very center, before spreading out to the edge of her lips.

"Are you nervous about today?" gentleness in his voice

"You'll be able to hear my heartbeat, regardless of what I say" honesty in her voice, turning to lay on her back once more

"I'm right here" one of his hands moving to her hair "you'll never have to do anything alone again"

He leaned in, ready to place a kiss to her lips, only to have her hand place itself over his mouth, Derek opening his eyes, raising an eyebrow,

"If I'm going to kiss you, I'd like to brush my teeth first" moving her hand and lightly patting his cheek

Derek let out a groan as he rolled off of her, Nova untangling herself from the blankets and getting up from the bed, wearing a spaghetti strap tank top and shorts, feeling his eyes on her the whole time. Since she stayed at the loft as much as she stayed at the house, Derek took the liberty of getting all of her toiletries for her, the ones that she has at the house - specific lotions, perfumes, shampoo, conditioner, razors, a toothbrush, even feminine products - which she was impressed with, since some men refused to go near the feminine hygiene section. She was also lucky that she didn't have to deal with the monthly bleeding, male phoenixes believe it to be pointless, so they stop it, regardless if the host has been accepted or not. But in her opinion, real men weren't afraid to do things for their women.

∆

"What if they don't like me?" Nova asked as she slightly paced "what if we have nothing in common?"

"They're your brothers" Derek replied, leaning back against his desk "I'm pretty sure you'll have something in common"

"What if they don't see me as their sister?" lightly clenching her hands into fists "our parents tossed me to the side when they didn't see Enjin, fot crying out loud"

A knock emitted from the loft door, Nova turning toward it, but not moving to open it. Derek pushed himself off the desk, walking over to the large door and pulling it open, revealing two boys standing there, the alpha looking at them for a moment before stepping to the side, which gave them a full view of Nova. They were similar in height, both of them having gray eyes like Nova, dark hair - but tipped in a fire color - which indicated the strength of their phoenix.

There were no marks that she could see, their phoenixes didn't have to help them with any wounds, and she had been told that the mythical birds actually love tattoos, which is why they choose a design that would fit their hosts. They walked inside the loft, not taking their eyes off of Nova, looking at her fiery red hair, then the marks on her hands, their eyebrows furrowing slightly, wondering if they were tattoos, or if something happened to her. But by the pain behind her eyes, they easily figured out that it was the latter.

". . I'm David" the slightly older one spoke up as Derek closed the heavy door

"I'm Jake" the younger one informed

". . . I'm Nova" the redhead replied

"A Latin name" Jake smiled "it means new"

". . It's also an astronomical term for a star that suddenly increases in brightness" a small smile forming on her lips

Silence fell over them as Derek walked back toward Nova, who didn't really know what else to say to David and Jake, she didn't have the same bond that she'd had with her other siblings. It would never be the same with the two in front of her, but she knew there would be something there, they were blood, and when it came to a phoenix, siblings always protected one another before anyone else, even their parents. When they found out Marie and Adrian - their parents - had given up their sister, they grew angry with them, the phoenixes they carried were angry with them, but there was nothing they could do to stop them. But she was here, now, right in front of them, and they believed Nova looked more like Irina than Marie. Either way, they thought she was beautiful. Nova turned her head slightly, looking at Derek, who was already looking at her, silently asking if she was okay, which earned a small nod in return.

"You're Derek Hale, right?" David asked, looking at the alpha

"That's right" the werewolf replied, giving him a small nod

"And who are you to Nova?" curiosity in his voice

"She's my mate" a tone of pride in his voice

With everything that happened in Derek's life, meeting Nova was the best thing, but meeting her again when she was old enough to understand, was even better.