Phoenix Ashes Master

by Anne, Melody

  Elise gazed at him for a few moments, a feeling of contentment washing through her. She closed her eyes as she thought about her husband, his image blurry in her mind. It had been so long ago he’d held her close, had been in her life. She knew if she’d been the one who had died, she wouldn’t want him to live his life alone. She wouldn’t want him to grieve her death forever. He wouldn’t want that for her either.

  “I’ve been falling in love with you from the moment you so gently cradled my children when they were injured. It’s hard to let go of the past, hard to imagine this hasn’t all been a dream, but this last month was good. Guilt eats away at me when I think of all those poor souls praying to be saved, but I’ve done what I’ve had to do to save my family. I want to stay and plant a garden with you and watch the children grow. I need to keep hearing their laughter. If you can promise we’ll never give up trying to save more people, I’ll gladly stay here with you. I just hope we aren’t found. I’ve been afraid to be happy again, but being with you it’s impossible not to feel joy.”

  “I don’t deserve you,” Drake said as he slowly bent forward, feeling an intense need to kiss her, claim her as his own. He took his time, moving slowly to allow her to pull away if she so desired. He wouldn’t rush her or allow her to do anything she’d later regret.

  Her eyelids slowly dropped, her delicate lashes fluttering against her cheekbones, the light from the candles whispering across her pale skin. He took a moment to take a mental picture of the stunning portrait she made with her head tilted back, her cheeks flushed, and her dusty pink lips moist from the tip of her tongue.

  He brought both hands up to cradle her head as he ran his fingers through the silken strands of her hair, noting the shudder that ran through her body. She was trembling in his arms, making him want to hold her all night and ease her worries, along with the ache invading him.

  He brushed his lips across hers, turning his head slightly so their mouths barely touched, just brushing each other’s lightly. Elise’s mouth opened as a soft gasp escaped, her warm breath heating his jaw, making him clench with need.

  “Tell me to stop and I will. But right now I’m going to kiss you like I mean it, claim your beautiful lips with mine, and show you how much I need you,” Drake whispered, each word causing his bottom lip to brush against her top one, making her body tremble even more.

  Without further protest, he hungrily joined their mouths together, his tongue slipping out and caressing her full lips. She quickly opened to him as her arms threaded around his shoulders and she pulled him closer to her.

  Minutes, maybe hours, passed, but time meant nothing to Drake. All that mattered that night was that he was in the arms of the woman he planned to stay with for the rest of his life. He’d never let anything happen to her — they would survive. Fate couldn’t be so cruel as to bring them together only to rip them back apart.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  *** Jayden ***

  “We need to leave now. This mission is abandoned. Gather everything together so we can pull out,” Jayden commanded as he walked through the doors of the warehouse.

  He was deeply frightened for Phoenix and had to get back to her. He feared he wasn’t going to make it in time, and the thought tore him up inside.

  Right then, he stumbled and dropped to his knees as unbelievable anguish washed through him, followed by a sense of nothingness and then complete blackness . . .

  Time spun for what could’ve been an eternity . . .

  Jayden opened his eyes and looked around. Where was his team? Where was he? A dim, misty fog surrounded him, only allowing him to see a few feet in any direction. Overwhelming sadness seeped inside of him and he knew he must fight against it. If he only knew where he was, he’d have a much better chance of fighting against whatever force had summoned him.

  Disoriented, he shakily rose to his feet and tested his ability to move, suddenly noticing his appearance. He looked down at his shirtless chest and tensed as the weight of his power settled within him. His wrists were covered in the cold bands he’d worn when he was still a part of good magic.

  It was a dream — that was all. He’d somehow passed out and this was nothing but a dream. Jayden knew the truth of dreams, though, and knew he could be in trouble — real trouble. He couldn’t die. He had to get back to Phoenix. She was too vulnerable right now. She needed his protection.

  “Devon . . .”

  Jayden whipped his head around at the sound of Phoenix’s voice. She was here, somewhere in the mist. Something was terribly wrong. He started moving, frustration clawing through him, not knowing how to get to her. He should be able to focus, find her through the steady beat of her heart, but every direction he turned was wrong.

  He began running, fingers of fog whispering across the ground, stirring as he pushed his way through it while he traversed this unknown realm.

  “Phoenix!” he called, no longer caring if he was drawing attention to himself against some unknown force.

  The moment he spoke, he felt intense pain shoot through his body, trying to double him over as he fought against dropping to his knees. Hatred was aimed at him, like arrows attacking, piercing his skin, going straight inside to rip him apart from the inside out.

  “Stay with me, Phoenix. We’re at peace here, nothing can harm you. Just focus on my voice, stay with me . . .”

  Who was that? Who had a hold on her? It wasn’t Vyco. Jayden knew the voice speaking, but confusion filled him. He couldn’t quite place it. Something with great power was trying to block him — keep him away from her.

  “I can’t stay . . . I have to help . . .” Phoenix whimpered, her voice sounding so young, so vulnerable and afraid, and also muffled.

  “You don’t have to save the world. You can stay right here where you’re protected. You’ve sacrificed enough. Let me comfort you, carry the weight of the many burdens you carry. Stay with me in this paradise.”

  “No! Don’t listen, Phoenix. It’s a lie — all of it is a lie. I’m here!” Jayden shouted into the void before him.

  He felt a stirring in his heart, a tiny flutter as if she was fighting against whatever was holding her, fighting to call out to him. Determination filled him with that small spark of hope. He hadn’t lost her — she was still trying to reach out to him, but something was trying to make her forget.

  Another shooting pain coursed through him, this time making him stumble. He stilled as he caught his balance. He somehow knew if he fell the mist crawling up his legs, surrounding him on all sides, would suck him under. If he gave in to the pain, allowed the darkness to overtake him, he’d be lost for all time and eternity.

  He shook his head, refusing to let the darkness pull him under. His sole purpose was to find Phoenix, to save her from the forces trying to lure her under. He’d gladly sacrifice his immortality to save her — give her everything so she could live.

  “No! Stay with me,” the voice called to Phoenix again, this time sounding desperate, angry, as if she was starting to pull away.

  “I . . . I want to . . . but I can’t. Sadie is calling. She needs me to come back,” Phoenix moaned. Jayden felt the tugging on his heart grow a little stronger.

  He changed directions, having a clearer idea of where she was. His body lifted, carrying him off the ground as he began to fly through the realm of mist. He scanned the darkness, aware as the shadows started emerging from the wispy threads of fog, fingers of smoke reaching out to him — trying to pull him back to the ground.

  The higher he rose, the clearer his mind became. Yes, he was moving in her direction, getting closer to her. His heart filled as he began to bond, began to regain their connection.

  “Nooo . . .” the voice rang out in rage and sorrow. Jayden lost his connection with Phoenix and was falling to the ground, his power pulling inside his body as he made a deadly decent, the dark shadows among the fog turning into void faces, the fingers of smoke reaching up as if to catch him and pull him under
.

  Just as the wispy fingers of hell grazed his skin and began to curl around his body to pull him under, he turned his head and got a glimpse of a bright light. White wings spread out as he looked into the face of Devon, hatred plastered across the man’s face as his eyes connected with Jayden’s.

  “She’s mine . . .” were the last words Jayden heard before blackness once again took him over.

  ***

  “Jayden, are you with us? What’s going on? What happened?”

  When Jayden opened his eyes, his team members were circled around him, panic filling their eyes as they called his name over and over again.

  They were firing off questions, and it took him a few minutes to realize he’d left them for a period of time. He didn’t know how long, but his body must’ve remained in the room while he traveled through the alternate realm.

  “Phoenix,” he cried out as pain seized his muscles. Had she escaped or was she still trapped there? He had to know. His gaze moved to one of the grime-covered windows. The morning light began to peek through, in spite of the dust that threatened to block out the sun.

  “Jayden, we’ve been so worried. You left us, and no matter what we tried, you wouldn’t wake up. It’s been hours, but you just kept moaning and twisting as if you were in pain,” Marcy cried as she dropped to her knees and laid her hand on his chest.

  “We have to go. Phoenix is in trouble,” he replied as he slowly rose with great effort to a sitting position, the movement extremely difficult. He turned toward Jacob and missed the rejected flinch on Marcy’s face before she managed to mask her features again.

  “Okay, Jayden, we’re ready to go,” Jacob said. “We weren’t sure if we should move you or not, but we packed the trucks, and once morning hit, we were planning on loading you inside if you hadn’t woken. We figured it would be safer to get you back to the base than to sit here waiting.”

  Jacob and Ben had to help Jayden stand, and it took all of his strength to move to one of the trucks. Wherever he’d been taken to had sapped all of his energy and magic. He just hoped it was temporary because he had a feeling the mortals were going to need all of the help they could get in the coming days.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  *** Phoenix ***

  My life has changed once again — though I don’t see how it’s possible. I’m told that I’m supposed to save the world. How? Supposedly, I have something inside of me that was preordained from the gods to show itself when mankind is at the brink of extinction.

  How could anyone think I’m capable of saving the human race? I’m a teenage girl who’s afraid of everything. I don’t want to question the powers of the universe, but I really think they got this one wrong. I’m too scared to be a savior.

  After Devon told me I had this gift inside of me, he held me in his arms, and for just a moment everything faded away — all of my worries, fears, and insecurities. I was safe, warm and loved. I wanted to stay with him, stay where there was no pressure.

  I don’t know why I came back — I’m so tired of fighting. Sadie’s worried about me now, hovering over me like a mother hen. Tonight’s the first time she’s left me alone since Devon’s visit, and only because Brian pleaded with her for some attention.

  I do have to say my jealousy has gone down. They are so perfect for each other that it’s impossible to feel anything other than complete happiness for the two of them. Besides, Jayden will be home soon, and he can help me figure all of this out. If the feeling in my gut would disappear, everything would be so much better, but since Devon’s visit, my insides have felt like a storm is brewing. I can’t eat, can barely sleep, and focusing on anything is seemingly impossible.

  My mom’s worried about me, but the elders have been locked away in meetings, planning what our next move will be. Several men from other camps arrived with great news. The enemy soldiers have fallen way back, fleeing from the refugees. There is hope on the horizon. I’ll just choose to believe that Josiah and his magical army will be the ones who save us all, and then the burden will be lifted from me.

  Whether Devon says what I have is a gift or not, it’s not like any other gift I’ve ever received, and I respectfully decline it. I want to just go back to being plain old Phoenix, a teenage girl who’s in love and more than ready to live a happy, albeit boring, existence.

  Phoenix startled awake by a thundering boom, instantly on alert as she sat up in bed. What was happening now? Was she not allowed to sleep anymore? It had taken her hours of lying in bed before exhaustion had pulled her under.

  “Everyone out, now!”

  Phoenix didn’t hesitate. They’d planned for every type of situation. If someone said move, you moved, and you did it fast. She quickly jumped up and threw on her clothes, which were laid out next to her bed. It took her less than thirty seconds to dress, and then she was flinging open her bedroom door.

  Smoke filled the air as she scampered around the corner, immediately heading for Sadie’s room. She was reaching for the knob when the door burst open.

  “What’s going on, Phoenix?”

  “I don’t know, but we need to leave now. We have to get to the evacuation site! Where’s Brian?”

  “He’s with the elders. They called an emergency meeting right as we were getting ready for bed, and he hasn’t returned. We’d better stick with the evacuation plan. He’ll find me.”

  Phoenix grabbed Sadie’s hand, and the girls ran through the smoke-filled hall, joining the crowd of girls as they all moved in sync toward the exit. As they stepped outside, Phoenix could smell the odor of burning wood and gas, and see the plumes of smoke rising over the buildings.

  With the sun beginning to rise, there was an eerie beauty to the flames leaping up the sides of the infirmary building. Flashes of red, orange, and yellow were brightly outlined as building after building caught on fire. She knew this was a worst-case scenario.

  “Plan B, plan B,” was shouted over the speaker system.

  Phoenix changed direction, Sadie a step behind her, as they moved along the base, heading away from the water, which was where they were supposed to meet. If they weren’t going there, it was because the attack was coming from that direction.

  Just as she skirted one of the bunkhouses, a huge ball of fire struck the side of it, not more than twenty feet in front of them. Both girls were thrown backward, lifted into the air a few feet before being tossed to the ground like rag dolls by the intense blast of heat. They sat frozen on the hard tarmac for a moment, stunned as the building went up in flames, the last of its occupants barely making it out.

  “Are you okay? Is anything broken?” Sadie yelled over the rising panic in the voices surrounding them.

  “I’m fine. Are you hurt?” Phoenix asked as she twisted her body to visually inspect Sadie.

  “I’m going to be sorer than I care to be, but nothing’s broken. We need to get out of here — and fast!”

  “Agreed.” Phoenix got up more slowly than she would’ve liked, but she stretched out her aching legs, knowing she needed to keep moving. She wanted to turn back and make sure her parents were safe — and that all of her friends made it out. Getting off-track of her duties wasn’t allowed. They’d been told repeatedly to move forward. If they saw someone who needed help, help them but keep moving forward. The rescue teams would secure the buildings, make sure the injured got out.

  Phoenix and Sadie were on medic duty and they had to get to their location so they could take care of the injured coming in. As she glanced over the crowd of screaming people, she knew it would be a busy day.

  “Run,” someone yelled, quickly coming up behind them.

  Phoenix didn’t need any more encouragement than that. Still gripping Sadie’s hand tightly, she started running again, her feet leading her, since her fear was almost suffocating in its intensity.

  “I’m scared,” Sadie cried, her voice echoing off the burning buildings.

  “I know. Me, too,” Phoenix ass
ured her, making sure not to slow her stride.

  Chaos reigned around them, flames reaching for them from the crumbling buildings as they ran past each one in a large throng of people. They heard shouting, voices crying out for help, and children screaming — but somehow they kept moving forward, one step at a time.

  Phoenix’s heart was breaking at not being able to stop and search the structures, but she’d promised time and time again to stick with the evacuation plans if they ever came into effect. She’d only agreed to that after hours of arguing. She’d pleaded to be on one of the rescue teams, but of course, John and Jayden had both protested, instead placing her and Sadie on medic duty. They were to take care of the wounded. The men said it was because they were so skilled in that area, but both girls knew it was because the men wanted them farther away from the danger.

  It took about a half hour to get to their rescue point, even at a steady run. They’d trained for months, and she and Sadie were in great shape, but it was still a hard journey, especially with smoke filling the air, sucking into their lungs with every deep breath they took.

  They passed several people, taking time to call out to them, telling them not to give up. Each corner they turned, they heard the wounded crying out and groaning, needing medical attention. Supplies needed to be opened, makeshift beds set up, and plans set into motion for what came next.

  As Phoenix turned toward the base, all she could see was a giant orange light glowing beneath a massive cloud of black smoke. It looked as if the entire base was on fire. Their home — their safety — was gone, gone in a single second. They would’ve been better off staying in the caves and hiding until the war was over.

  Phoenix felt instant guilt at where her thoughts had turned. It wasn’t normally like her to act so selfish. They’d rescued so many people — that’s what was important. If she had to live through some discomfort, that was the price she’d pay to be on the right team.