Eight Overprotective Dads and One Egg

Summary

I was the only phoenix egg laid in three thousand years.

Before I even cracked my shell, I was already the most pampered, revered thing in the entire Celestial Canopy. My eight fathers—the ruling elders of the Phoenix Clan—took turns pulling guard duty around my nest. The entire clan revolved around me. And honestly, they had to. If the phoenixes didn’t hatch another egg soon, our species was headed straight for extinction.

Life inside the shell was pretty sweet. Perfectly heated, overflowing with cosmic energy—I was seriously considering staying in here for another few centuries.