Rise of a Phoenix Read online

  “He’ll still protect you,” she said softly. “Even if he isn’t who you hoped. That happens with parents sometimes. We don’t see what they sacrifice until they are gone.”

  The truth of what had been shown to me finally sunk in, and with it, I went to the ground with the weight of who Rooster was. That he’d run away, that he’d left me and my mom to fight for ourselves without any thought of whether we were okay. “I wish he’d never come back.”

  Eleanor sighed. “Let’s hope that by the end of this, he figures out what’s really important to him. If not, then I don’t think he’ll survive. Because if Romano doesn’t kill him . . .”

  I nodded, understanding. “Then my mom will.”

  “Yes,” she said softly. “I think so too.”

  17

  Phoenix

  I stood at the doorway of the fishing lodge, the sound of the Snake River in my ears, Killian and Abe in the truck behind me, waiting. Brikoff, Russian mobster and abnormal with abilities that meant he could make anything with metal, held out a single golden bullet to me. “It’s primed, you just have to cap it, and I imbued it with some added strength so it will drive into whatever it is you shoot it at,” he said.

  I held out the bag of cash—a million dollars—and he took it, holding it limply. As if it meant nothing to him. I lifted an eyebrow and he shrugged.

  “You don’t seem to care about the money now,” I said.

  “I wanted to know how badly you wanted this bullet. I want to offer you the money back if you tell me why you think this golden bullet will kill that Romano pig.” That smirk on his face from the scar seemed to taunt me.

  I rolled the bullet in my hand. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

  He snorted. “You’d be surprised. Not all the places of this world have such a balanced relationship between humans and abnormals. Russia . . . it is the wild west of that world. I have seen more than I wish to when it comes to strangeness.”

  “Is that why you’re here?” I arched an eyebrow. “Just a vacation?”

  He smirked. “Nothing is ever a vacation, and no, I’m not sharing my reason for being here with you.”

  I thought not.

  I didn’t need the money, and I didn’t want to share more secrets than I had to, any more than he did. “No. My secrets are my own, as are yours to you.” I’d only taken a few steps when he stopped me with five little words.

  “I know where Emerald is.”

  Emerald, my niece. I stopped moving, turned and looked at him. That smirk, and the bright blue of his eyes, told me everything I needed. He wasn’t lying. The decision was easy.

  “You first,” I said.

  “She’s in Europe,” he said with more pride than he should have.

  “That’s a fucking lot of ground to cover for being so damn pleased with yourself.” I turned away even while Dinah gasped and shimmied in her holster. I put a hand on her. “Wait.”

  “She’s with a group that works to quiet the abnormal abilities in children. They aren’t hurting her but they are keeping her powers from growing.”

  I kept very still. “She like her mother?”

  He grunted. “You wish. She is like her father, able to manipulate the people around her, tampering with their brains.”

  “What is the group called?”

  “The Healers.”

  I didn’t hesitate. “What will be put in the bullet are several things, all which are detailed in the original deal between Romano and the devil that made him immortal. It’s the only thing that will kill him.”

  “Holy shitballs,” he grumbled. “Then I wish you luck, killing your father.”

  My spine stiffened but I started walking again. Our business was done here. That would have to be enough. I got back to the truck and Killian put it in gear, taking us straight to the airport.

  Killian didn’t say anything for the longest time. Mostly because Dinah wouldn’t shut up.

  “Emerald, I can’t believe we know where she is!”

  “We don’t,” I reminded her as gently as I could. “But she’s safe, and that counts for a lot.” Though I’d thought Bear was safe too when he wasn’t. There was no good in reminding Dinah of that little nugget of truth.

  She chattered on and on about how great it was going to be to see Emerald, to see how she’d grown up.

  “I’m sure she’ll be as beautiful as you,” I said in an attempt to slow her down. “But again, we are not going for her yet, Dinah. Not yet.”

  There was a grinding from the holster. As if her frustration came through the metal itself.

  The airport came into view and lucky for us, Killian’s plane was still there. Not so lucky, it was surrounded by cops.

  Killian put the truck in park and we got out, Abe trotting in between us. As if he could protect us both.

  “How are we going to do this?” Killian asked. “I am assuming you don’t want to kill them all.”

  While there were dirty cops in town, the last thing we needed was to add a police tail to this little jaunt. Which meant we had to distract the cops long enough to make this happen.

  “Give me your phone,” I said, and he handed it over.

  I dialed 9-1-1 and waited for the receptionist to pick up before I let out a shout that startled Abe and Killian at the same time. “Hurry, there’s a shootout in the center of town! Two gunmen, dressed all in black. They just ducked into the park, through the archway! I don’t know if—” I hung up and handed the phone back to Killian.

  “They won’t fall for that, will they?” Killian’s quizzical expression made me smile.

  “Small town. They won’t realize for a good long time.” We kept walking, and then all of a sudden, the cops around the plane went wild with activity.

  I’d kicked the ant’s nest good on this one, as my brother Tommy liked to say. The three police cruisers peeled out of the airport, sirens and lights flashing as they raced toward town.

  “How long?” Killian asked.

  “Ten-minute drive each way at that speed,” I said. “Thirty minutes or more to realize no gunmen. Rest of the day to figure out that they should have come back to the plane sooner.” I smiled at him. “This is what comes from living in a small town like this.”

  “I see. I could get used to that,” he said.

  I chose to ignore his words and turned instead to hurrying up. Because while I was pretty sure I was right about the timing, there was always the chance that one of the new cops was smarter than the rest of the pack.

  Or, as it was in this actual case, a cop was left behind.

  I saw him standing on the far side of the plane as we approached. He stepped around the wheel so we could get a good look at him. Only he wasn’t just any old cop.

  Noah.

  “Noah, what the fuck are you doing here?”

  He touched the badge on his shirt, a tight smile on his face. “Official business.”

  “You were never FBI,” I said, remembering that the last time I’d seen him, I’d thrown him out of the helicopter. “And how the hell did you survive that fall?”

  He smiled at me, blue eyes sad. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me. About this abnormal world. It’ll get you killed one day.”

  Killian had slowed. “I don’t remember him.”

  “He’s . . . been helpful but also a pain in the ass liar,” I said. “Much like Simon.”

  Noah tipped his head. “Have I been that bad? Here I’ve been doing my damndest to keep you on the right track. To help you kill Romano.”

  “Well, you’ve done nothing but lie your face off and get in my fucking way.” I pushed him out of my way to prove my point. I jumped up and grabbed the cord to pull the stairs down for the plane.

  Noah reached up and helped me pull it down. “I’m coming with you.”

  I snorted. “No, you’re not.”

  “I can still help.”

  I glared at him over the stairs. “You wouldn’t survive me throwing you out of the pla
ne at ten thousand feet, and I might just do that.”

  He grinned. “And I might surprise you.”

  I had Dinah up in a flash, before the smile could leave his lips. “You’re an abnormal?”

  “No.”

  Well, that made no sense. “Then you wouldn’t survive.”

  Martin brushed next to me, his voice quiet. Demon.

  I stumbled away from Noah, fucking stumbled. “Martin.”

  Noah frowned. Killian frowned. My heart kicked into high gear. Noah was a demon? How could I have missed that? And was he . . . was he Bazixal? No, he couldn’t be that one. I had to believe I would know if I was facing the demon who’d haunted my dreams for so long.

  “I can still help you,” Noah repeated.

  I had to think, and think fast. “Fine. Can you fly?”

  Killian stiffened, but otherwise he gave no reaction. Noah frowned. “Yeah, I can. You want me to fly this plane for you?”

  “We’re headed to the Middle East next. We’re flying to the East Coast and—”

  He shook his head. “You still need a ruby ring. We both know that so don’t try lying to me of all people. You’re right, there is one in Vivian’s lair, but it’s guarded by her friends. I can’t cross the threshold or I would have gotten it already.”

  How did he know this? “Why the fuck wouldn’t you tell us this sooner?” I yelled the words because he’d put me so off balance. Gone was my cool as a cucumber routine. “We were there, inside her damn house. We could have gotten it!”

  “You wouldn’t have thought it a priority then.” He shrugged. “Now, hopefully you do. Also, I don’t think this plane is a good idea. The police have it marked.”

  Killian muttered under his breath.

  I didn’t know what to say. I only knew that I was being pushed in a direction I didn’t want to go.

  Noah flexed his hand. “Come on, there’s a plane leaving for Seattle in a matter of minutes. We can get it.”

  “I’m not leaving Abe behind.” I was stalling, throwing anything I could to stop this from happening. Whatever the hell this was. It felt like ants inside my head, working their way through my brain.

  Killian, though, already followed Noah. “It’s the best plan yet, Lass.”

  I wasn’t so sure, but I fell into step behind Killian. “Like lambs to the slaughter,” I whispered.

  Neither of the men heard me.

  Noah led the way through the airport. He flashed his badge a few times and pointed to us, and we were let through with nothing more than a cursory glance or two. How the hell was he doing this? I didn’t think the FBI had that much say. I was still wearing my Kevlar, guns and knives right out in the open.

  Martin’s one word came back to me stronger than before. Demon.

  “Martin,” I whispered. “Stick close.”

  With pleasure. A cold wash whispered over my ass and I rolled my eyes. What did I care? He wasn’t truly touching me, and he may have given me my first understanding of what and who Noah was.

  Noah had us in first class, all four of us. The airline attendant didn’t even blink at the big, unleashed dog that walked into the cabin, though a few other passengers did before they looked away. Again, Noah just flashed his badge. “Air marshal” was what he said. Another lie, of course.

  Abe lay on the floor at my feet, across my toes. Killian sat next to me, and I had the window seat.

  “This feels surreal,” I said to him, pitching my voice low.

  “Let’s talk about how sure we are that the ring is at Vivian’s. You said we killed her, so it should be an easy toss of the house, right?” His green eyes were serious and I leaned into him a little.

  “Vivian’s,” I said. “I’m not sure it will be so easy. If she left friends to guard her home, then it will be harder than walking in and tossing the place. Don’t forget that the house is guarded by Daniel’s creations, on purpose or not, they were there. Was he guarding her or what was in the house?”

  “The ring.” Killian nodded. “Whose, though?”

  I thought through it. “She was sleeping with Romano, we know that much. Maybe he . . . maybe he gave her the ring at some point? Or maybe she took it? That would explain why she was able to fly under the radar for so long. Why none of the Magelore hunters ever found her if she could use it for protection. It also explains how Romano knew she was in Seattle. That was where he was going to send me.”

  Noah leaned back in his seat across from us. “Tell me when we land.” He tipped his head back, closed his eyes and promptly went to sleep. Abe did the same, keeping his head on his paws and snorting in his sleep.

  The plane took off and we were in the air before we resumed our quiet conversation. Almost like a real couple discussing the day’s events while they headed out on a vacation together. The fantasy was there and gone in a flash, because I knew it was just that. A total and complete fantasy. More and more, despite how well we worked together, despite the feelings I had for him.

  I could feel the final fights coming, like a growing pressure under my skin reminding me I was not immortal like Romano. I was not indestructible, and neither was Killian. For that matter, neither was Bear. None of us were above being killed.

  I closed my eyes as I spoke to Killian. “He sent me after her, when I assume they broke off their love affair.” I could still see Romano in my mind’s eye.

  He strode back in forth behind his desk, far more agitated than I’d seen him in a long time. His dark hair was a mess from running his fingers through it and his eyes were more than a little wild as he stared at nothing. He clenched his fingers over and over again and I stood quietly, waiting.

  There was no fear in me anymore, not of him. He’d lost that power over me when I’d learned to kill without feeling. The only worry I had was that he’d somehow discovered my plans to escape, that maybe Barron had confessed our plans to him out of fear.

  I shouldn’t have worried.

  “There is a female Magelore I want you to hunt down and kill.” My father bit the words out as if they were poison. “She stole something from me, and I want it back.”

  I didn’t arch an eyebrow, didn’t snort at him, though I wanted to do both. Right now, I was all about not provoking him so he wouldn’t see what I was doing until it was too late.

  “What is her name and do you have a rough location?” I asked.

  “Vivian. Seattle.” He almost growled her name, which made me wonder at their relationship. I had to fight to keep myself from shuddering. God, who would want to fuck a dirty Magelore?

  I nodded. “And the item?”

  “You will contact me when you have killed her. I will come for the item myself.” He swung around so his eyes were locked on mine. On his one hand, he spun the large ruby ring he wore, the ring that connected him to his guardians. Not that he’d needed them to protect him, not when he had me. I let my eyes shut to half-mast.

  “As you like.” I was not going to argue with him. Not when I was so close to escaping.

  “If it was his ring, then he took someone else’s because he was wearing a ring when I took the order from him. And Vivian wasn’t terribly surprised by my arrival. She even took Simon to try and use him against me, I think, despite the time lapse between when she took the ring and when I showed up.” I didn’t feel like calling Simon ‘Justin’. In my book, Justin died, and that was going to be that. I refused to think about him out there, just living a life, not caring that his son was in danger, or that his wife was doing everything she could to save their child.

  “But a Magelore’s home, they are traps in themselves. If they have any treasure they truly love, their lairs can be even more dangerous after they die,” Killian said.

  “Yes.” I closed my eyes fully and let myself reach over to him. He took my hand and laced his fingers through mine. Just like a normal couple.

  If you didn’t count the weapons on us, the magic in our blood, or the blood on our hands.

  Normal.

  Right.
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  “Excuse me,” the airline steward said, her tag proclaiming her Patty.

  I opened my eyes. “Yes?”

  “Would you like something to drink?”

  Killian leaned forward. “Champagne. She just agreed to marry me.”

  My jaw dropped and she squealed and clapped her hands. “Oh, lovely!”

  Noah snorted in his sleep and opened one eye, then turned his back to us. Apparently, he wasn’t really sleeping.

  Patty was gone in a flash and I turned to Killian, spluttering. “What are you doing?”

  “Getting us free champagne.” He winked and I couldn’t catch the laugh that escaped me. A part of me said I shouldn’t be laughing. I shouldn’t enjoy this while Bear was in trouble, but the other more logical side of me pointed out the obvious. I’d almost lost Killian, and he’d been right about living in the moment. There had to be moments where the pressure eased or I would end up making a mistake. The intensity at which I’d been running since Bear had been taken was nothing short of insane. Even I knew that.

  A few minutes later, we were brought a full bottle of champagne, on the house, of course.

  “Oh, can I see the ring?” Patty grinned as she leaned forward.

  “It’s being sized,” I said and held up my bare left hand. Her face was a perfect pout.

  “Darn.”

  Bear would get a kick out of this story one day. How me and Killian boarded a commercial plane, flew with all our weapons, Abe at our feet like a giant lapdog, how the stewardess gave us free champagne for being fake engaged. I downed two glasses of the champagne as if they were shots and let the bubbling alcohol ease my mind enough that sleep stole over me.

  The warmth of my hand in Killian’s gave me a place to ground myself, but it didn’t stop my fears from curling through my dreams.

  I jerked and twitched as I saw those I loved killed as I relived the accident that had torn my world apart. As I searched for Bear and couldn’t find him in a swamp thick with water and death. And then there was Killian staked out on a crucifix and my father below him. “Well done, daughter. Not conventional, but you made sure he faced me and now he’s dead.”