Phoenix Ashes Master

by Anne, Melody

  Drake really didn’t want to be compared to her deceased husband, but he shook off his troubled thoughts and led her to Jed’s grave. She knelt down, her head bowed as more tears fell. Backing off to give her space, he went to the house and checked on the children, who were still sleeping.

  After finding a jug of water and cleaning himself up, he felt much better. He grabbed a granola pack for energy, then got to work hauling some of the supplies from the bunker to the house. He didn’t want to bring too many items up right away, but enough for them to eat for a couple days, and some camping equipment just in case they needed to make a quick escape. He’d put a plan together that night.

  By the time evening fell, he was no closer to knowing if he should stay or go, but the thought of leaving Elise to care for the children on her own left him with an ache inside. She’d been doing it for years, but that was before she’d met him. Besides, even though he’d been surrounded by men for the past four years, he’d still felt alone. Being a part of Elise’s family unit made his heart feel as if it was beating again.

  Maybe he hadn’t made the conscious decision of whether he was staying or going, but his heart told him he wasn’t going anywhere.

  He had no idea if things were going to get a lot worse before they started getting better. For now, at least for a short while, his worry dissipated as he laughed over a camp stove and roasted marshmallows. The kids thought he was the equivalent of a king just for producing something their father had been the one to think of saving.

  That night when he lay down on a real bed, not a cot or the ground, he fell asleep with a smile on his face. The kids were all curled up with Elise in her old room, and he was only a door away where he could help her at a moment’s notice if needed. He had a real purpose again, a reason to keep fighting, but this time for the right side.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  *** Sadie ***

  “Just a few more flowers and the room will be perfect,” Megan said to the volunteers as she looked around the small chapel. Flowers were tied upside down in pieces of ribbons, their color beautiful, as the day of the wedding quickly approached.

  “I need that sheet just a bit higher,” she called out to the two guys hanging a bed sheet above some hastily put-together boards, giving Sadie an arch to stand under.

  “I think your mother has gone a little crazy,” Phoenix whispered, making Sadie giggle.

  “Don’t tell her, but I’m loving every minute of it.”

  “It’ll be our little secret. When is Brian supposed to be back?”

  “Any time now. Can you believe I’ll be married in only three more days?”

  “Of course I can believe it. You're special, Sadie. Every single guy here would marry you in a heartbeat,” Phoenix said before grabbing her best friend in a warm embrace.

  “That goes the same for you. I’ve seen a lot of jealous looks shot Jayden’s way when the two of you stroll together looking all cozy and in love.”

  “I’m certainly in love with him, but . . . he still hasn’t asked me to be his wife,” Phoenix answered, not quite able to hide her disappointment.

  “He will, Phoenix. I don’t think it would be possible for him not to be with you. He’s completely smitten. I think he wants to wait for the war to end before settling down, maybe make it extra special for you.”

  “Maybe . . . still, it would be nice to be a princess for a day, wearing a gorgeous dress with flowers in my hair. The best part would be getting to spend every night with him. I can’t imagine what that would feel like,” Phoenix said dreamily.

  “You’re making me miss my fiancé. Let’s go talk to your dad and see if they’ve called in yet.”

  The two girls stepped out of the chapel and were walking toward the meeting hall when there was a commotion at the front gates. They turned to see what was happening as Brian’s truck came flying through the base and headed straight for the medical building.

  Mitch and A.J. jumped from the truck and ran to the passenger side, then carried someone inside. The girls couldn’t see who it was.

  “I think that was Brian,” Sadie gasped as her feet seemed glued to the ground, unable to move.

  “I couldn’t get a good enough look. Come on. There’s only one way to find out.”

  Phoenix’s words seemed to unglue Sadie’s feet, and the girls took off running toward the building. People were shouting, and then a pained scream filled the air, before it gurgled and then was silent.

  With rising trepidation, the two girls entered the room, then Sadie went white as a ghost when she saw Brian lying lifeless on the table. She choked on her sob as she pushed Mitch out of the way so she could get close to Brian.

  “What happened?”

  “We were in a warehouse and we got ambushed. Brian got clipped in the shoulder, but the wound wasn’t too bad.”

  “Then why is he lying unconscious on the table?” Sadie screamed.

  “The impact of the bullet made him fall. He hit the cement hard. It’s bad, Sadie. Really bad,” Mitch said as he looked at her with remorse.

  “No. He’s fine. He won’t leave me,” Sadie insisted as she threw her arms around Brian. He groaned in pain, but his eyes didn’t open.

  “Let me through. Move!” Larry said as he rushed into the room holding his medical bag and immediately started examining Brian.

  The next twenty minutes went by excruciatingly slowly as Larry thoroughly examined Brian. His parents arrived and waited close by for the verdict.

  “He’s going to be fine — well, not fine exactly, but he’ll survive. He broke his leg, but it doesn’t feel as if he has any internal injuries. I can’t find any bruising on the head, which is quite miraculous for how far he fell. I don’t think he’ll have swelling in the brain. If only a broken leg comes from that fall, he’s one lucky man,” Larry told them.

  Sadie broke down in Phoenix’s arms when she realized Brian was going to be okay. The room slowly started to clear as his team members left to give his parents and Sadie time alone with him. Phoenix tried to leave too, but Sadie wouldn’t let go of her hand.

  Brian was in and out of consciousness most of the night, but by morning, he finally woke up and the first words he spoke were promising he wouldn’t miss their wedding for the world.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  *** Jayden ***

  “Jayden, is everything okay?” Marcy whispered, hating the slight tremble in her voice.

  “I don’t think so. It’s strange, because I haven’t been able to pinpoint it, but something’s felt off all day — just not quite right.”

  Marcy’s fear became an almost consuming terror. If Jayden was frightened, the rest of them had no hope whatsoever. He was a very formidable immortal, not afraid of anything. Something with enough power to scare him could easily destroy mere mortals.

  Without warning, the shadows began to shift, their dark masses swirling in a cyclone, the gloom of night becoming blacker. Jayden kept Marcy behind him as he retreated, his eyes never moving from the shadows that followed them.

  Marcy’s heart pounded so hard, it felt as if it was rising in her throat, choking her. She wasn't ready to face whatever was coming for them. She’d thought she was so much stronger before this moment. But the things that truly went bump in the night were much scarier than any earthly being.

  When they were about twenty feet from the door to the warehouse, the shadows shifted again and a man, or at least something slightly resembling a man, emerged from the swirling clouds of black.

  Glowing red eyes stared directly at Jayden as claws sprouted from its pointed fingers. With superhuman speed, it rushed forward, stopping ten feet from them. Lifting its long arm, it pointed at Jayden.

  “I’ve come for you.”

  The voice froze Marcy to the spot. Deep, old, and authoritative, it made her instantly want to obey. What was it?

  “Vyco isn’t trying to hide in the dark, I see, if he’s sending out the Reapers,
” Jayden said, his tone controlled, giving back a bit of courage to Marcy. He didn’t sound frightened, just shocked. “I now see why I’ve been feeling a presence but didn’t know what it was.”

  Marcy was confused. She’d never known Jayden not to be aware of anything. This thing, whatever it was, wasn’t one of the normal demons that Jayden fought without really trying. It must be strong enough to be able to block him.

  “Come with me and I won’t kill you. Vyco wants to speak.”

  Marcy gripped Jayden’s arms without realizing what she was doing. Like she’d really be able to stop him from leaving her side if he wanted to go. Still, she couldn’t make her hand release the tight hold she had on him.

  “You know that won’t happen, Reaper. Return to Vyco and tell him I want nothing to do with his kind anymore. If you leave, I’ll return the favor and not destroy you,” he said with a smirk that seemed to infuriate the demon in front of them.

  “You’ve always been full of yourself, Jayden. Just because you were once the dark king’s favored one doesn’t mean you’re worth anything now. I’ll enjoy watching you die.”

  Without further words, the thing swiftly shot toward them, its sharp, deadly claws aimed right at Jayden’s throat. Marcy closed her eyes, knowing without a doubt she was about to breathe her last breath.

  ***

  Jayden knew he had only a split second to respond before the Reaper took off his head and would then be able to wipe out the entire group. Reapers were dark, powerful demons who gained more power from each immortal they killed.

  They fed on the energy of the immortals, devouring the souls of their victims. They killed humans for entertainment, feeling that the weak beings didn’t deserve to breathe.

  Jayden shoved Marcy to the ground and lowered his body, feeling the air tremble over his face as the demon’s claws swiped an inch from his neck.

  One swipe from its poisoned claws, and Jayden would be paralyzed, leaving him an easy kill for the beast. He couldn’t let that happen — not when he had a group to guard and a woman to get home to.

  The Reaper quickly regrouped, shock apparent on its face that it had missed its target. Reapers were deadly and rarely missed when they attacked. As Jayden returned to his full height, he saw the beast preparing to strike again.

  A familiar ache in his body appeared, and power surged throughout him, glorious and a bit . . . dark. He held out his hands, blue fire filling his palms in a surge of authority. Lifting his arms, he aimed and released, shooting a blast of energy straight into the demon’s chest, causing the Reaper to scream in pain and anger before it exploded, its body going up in smoke.

  Jayden knew the danger wasn’t over. He wouldn’t have been flooded with power if the threat were so minimal. Vyco wasn’t so overconfident that he’d only send one demon. It was obvious his former ally was sick of playing games, and he knew the only way to win Earth was to destroy all of those who were against him.

  “Jayden,” he heard Marcy cry, fear shaking her normally steady voice. He didn’t have time to reassure her as his eyes scanned the lot, waiting for the next strike.

  Before he turned, he felt a searing pain in his shoulder as a second Reaper ripped into his flesh, the poison from its claws quickly traveling down his arm.

  He was able to block the next strike aimed at his throat by throwing the Reaper backward, but he’d only managed to stun the demon, not kill it. He dropped to his knees as the poison spread, paralyzing him — making him an easy target.

  “Jayden!” Marcy cried as the Reaper staggered to its feet, a grin cutting across its distorted face.

  “Ah, how the mighty have fallen. I’ll see you in hell!” it shouted before launching toward Jayden. He called on everything inside him to block it, but he couldn’t lift his arms.

  From the corner of his eye, horror filled him when he saw Marcy rise. He could see she was planning on standing between him and the Reaper. She didn’t stand a chance. His rage that the demon was about to kill her, along with the rest of his group, gave him that last surge of energy he needed.

  Opening his palm, he shot a stream of blue fire at the beast just before its claws made contact with Marcy. She was trembling in fear, but her gun was raised, prepared to defend Jayden with her own life. His fire connected and the beast went down, screaming as it exploded.

  Jayden collapsed against the cement, praying there were no others. He wouldn’t be able to move for several hours, and that was only if the venom didn’t actually manage to eliminate him. He was praying for a miracle that not enough poison had seeped inside his veins.

  “Jayden . . .” Marcy sobbed as she dropped to her knees and placed her hands on his head, her panic obvious as she trembled against his cooling skin.

  “I’ll be okay. You need to get inside,” he croaked, not wanting her out in the open.

  “Do you honestly think I’m leaving you like this? I thought you were smarter than that,” she admonished.

  “Why are you mortals all so stubborn?” He winced as the pain intensified. He tried to hide his discomfort from her, but Marcy was a medic and not fooled.

  “Why do you think you have to be so tough?” she countered as her fingers pressed against the tender skin around the slashes on his shoulder. “I didn’t think your skin was penetrable.”

  “It’s not by any mortal weapon. Only immortals can kill each other. I guess that’s the universe’s way of keeping a balance between good and evil.”

  “Jayden . . .” a woman’s voice called, and Jayden used the last of his strength to turn his head and watch as a woman surrounded in light floated to the ground, her aura growing as she neared him and Marcy.

  She dropped to the ground next to him and laid her hands on his wound, causing him to cry out in agony as burning pain flowed through his body. She was pulling out the poison, and the pain of it was unlike anything he’d ever felt before, even worse than the torture he’d endured at Vyco’s hands for months.

  “I’m sorry to hurt you, Jayden, but if we don’t do this, you will die,” her gentle voice said as he came close to passing out. Whether it took hours or minutes, he didn’t know. His only focus was on the torture his body was enduring. When the pain subsided and he shakily sat up, the world spun around him as he looked at a long lost friend.

  “Thank you. I didn’t think I was worthy of saving,” he told her, too ashamed to look in her eyes. He’d once fought by her side, until that last battle where he’d stood against her.

  “You should know more than most that all of Josiah’s creations are precious to him, whether they go astray or not. You’ve done good things in the last couple years, Jayden, very good things, and your reward will be great.”

  “I’m not—” he began to say when she interrupted.

  “There’s not much time. I’ve come to warn you. Josiah is with the council, and it’s not going well. They are deciding if Vyco’s broken vow is worth their time to destroy him, but that’s not the whole problem. The problem is that the majority of the high council thinks mere mortals aren’t worth saving. They feel the world has become too corrupt to save. They’re most likely not going to aid this planet. If they forbid Josiah, we also won’t be able to help — you’ll still be on your own, but Vyco — he’ll have free rein.”

  “How is that fair?” Jayden shouted.

  “I know you’re unhappy, Jayden. This isn’t something I wanted to tell you, but I felt you should be prepared. The demons are coming out of the dark, more so than before. They’re roaming the earth, killing when they want. We’ve been coming down, helping where we can, but we’re losing. We need the council’s approval — we need help. If we don’t get it, I don’t think any life will survive on this planet.”

  Before Jayden had a chance to respond, an eerie cry came from the shadows as three more demons emerged, these different from the Reapers, still almost human looking, but with hollow cheeks, and bulging eyes, drool dripping from their open mouths, their jagge
d teeth showing as they snapped their jaws, looking from Jayden to Marcy and back again, not noticing the angel floating above the ground.

  “Marcy, run inside and stay,” Jayden ordered the trembling girl sitting on the ground. She slowly rose, her shoulders firming in preparation to fight, and he felt like strangling her. She had no chance at winning a fight with demons. She was stubborn to the point that it was going to get her killed.

  “I’m not leaving, Jayden. Just tell me what to do.”

  “Stay back!” he commanded.

  The demons spread out as they stalked forward. He really hoped he was going to get some help from his visitor because the mangled Wargloths coming toward him were powerful and he wasn’t up to full strength yet. They split up, caging their enemy in, distracting their target so that at least one of them could strike. They didn’t care if they died, knowing that at least one of them would get a sweet dinner of immortal blood.

  Using a tremendous amount of energy, he lifted his arm and fired, taking one of the beasts out as he turned to aim at the second one. He fired, connecting with the second Wargloth as it moved dangerously close. He felt the whispering of a claw scrape his neck from behind, not quite breaking the skin before heat exploded near his back, letting him know the creature was dead.

  Trembling with exhaustion now, Jayden turned to see that Marcy was alive and standing shakily behind him, her body glued to the wall of the warehouse.

  “It took you long enough to decide to help,” Jayden snapped at the being who was peering down at him with sadness.

  It might be the last help he received. Josiah wasn’t going to send his forces into help. It was up to him and his group of mortal soldiers. They truly were in for the battle of a lifetime.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  *** Brian ***

  It was Brian and Sadie’s wedding day — finally. It had taken too long to get to this moment, and yet it also felt as if it had happened in the blink of an eye.