“I’m sorry Callie,” Lucian says.
“Can you guys change back? It will be easier to talk to you.”
In a matter of seconds both me and Max shift back. “I’m sorry,” I immediately say.
“I know. I want to know if this is going to happen every time?”
“It shouldn’t have happened this time.”
“You’re right. You’re all my mates, and I can’t have jealousy between you. Have I not been given each of you equal attention? I try. I’ll feel horrible if I’m not. I don't want to be a bad mate.”
“No, Callie, you did nothing wrong. This is on me. I was jealous, and I know I shouldn’t have been.”
“Why?”
“Because I wanted it to be me. I wanted to be your first kiss.”
“Who said it was my first kiss?”
We all whip our heads in her direction. “Then who,” Graydon growls.
“Dustin Thomas. We were five,” she giggles.
“Nah, that doesn’t count,” Max states.
“It doesn’t matter who my first kiss is or was. All that matters is you four will be my last.”
She has a point. “Agreed.”
“Good. Now, I have a question for Zeke and Max. I need to know, do you howl at the moon?”
Zeke clears his throat as Max laughs. “We may have a time or two.”
“Try all the time,” Max laughs.
I giggle. “The only other thing I need is to see Graydon shift. You’re the only one that I haven’t seen.”
“I will, but don’t be scared.”
“Why would I be scared?”
“My bear isn’t small. Just know that I would never hurt you.” He gets up and moves to the middle of the yard. In the blink of an eye a huge, brown bear is standing in the spot Graydon just was.
“Wow,” Callie says breathlessly. She slowly gets up and walks over to Graydon. She stops and looks at him for a moment before she launches at him and hugs him. “Just right.”
Max starts laughing and I look at him. “Callie just quoted Goldilocks.” Lucian and I start to chuckle. Graydon shifts back.
“Holy cow, I just hugged a bear.” We all start to laugh.
Callyn
The party is in full swing when we get there. “Kids our age actually find this fun?” I ask.
Max groans. “Don’t turn into a stick in the mud like Graydon. I’ll make sure you have a good time.”
This place is huge. The boys and I are out back sitting by a fire, while the people around us drink and dance. I texted Cat letting her know where I am, so she can join us. None of us has touched the alcohol but I’ve had enough water to float on out of here.
“I need to use the restroom,” I tell Lucian since he is the closest to me. He nods his head.
Finding the restroom was easier than I thought it was going to be. The long line outside the door was a dead giveaway. I felt like I was standing in line forever. There was one person in front of me when I spotted Kelsey coming down the hall from the other direction. Our eyes meet, and I glare at her. I was expecting the same, but no. She keeps walking in my direction, stopping in front of me.
“When you’re done here I need you to meet me outside in the barn. I had a vision that you need to know about.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you. You can tell me right here about the vision. Why are you sharing your visions now? You didn’t seem to want to the last time we spoke.”
“I can’t tell you here, there are too many ears and people around. The reason I’m telling you about this vision is because it involves one of your boys.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. You’ll meet me at the barn if you want any chance of saving him.”
“At least tell me who.”
“Zeke.” Kelsey turns to walk away but stops and looks back over her shoulder. “Don’t keep me waiting.” She stalks down the hallway and out of sight.
As quick as I can, I do what I need to do and start walking out to the barn that I saw in the backyard. It’s set away from the main house, but you can’t miss it. I open the door and walk into Kelsey standing in the middle of the room.
“Okay, I’m here, now spill.” I don’t want to be in here any longer than I need to with her.
“Oh, Callyn, you stupid little fool. Did you think I would actually tell you anything about my visions?” Kelsey laughs menacingly. “I didn’t have one about Zeke. That was just a ploy to get you to come out here alone. I’m surprised they let you out of their sight this long.”
“So, what is the point of this?”
“I’m finally going to get what I want.”
“I don’t have time for your games Kelsey. I’m leaving.” I turn to go back out the same way I came back in, but I don’t make it. I’m hit in the back of the head, falling to the ground. I groan.
“See that’s just the thing Callyn, you aren’t leaving this barn.”
I feel another hit to my head. The last thing I hear before I blackout is the sound of Kelsey’s maniacal laughter.
Kelsey
I drag Callyn to the middle of the barn where I was standing. I check her pockets for her phone. Once I find it, I put it in my pocket. I’m going to toss it in the pool on my way back. I can’t have her calling or texting anyone to come and save her should she wake up. I can’t believe how easy it was to get her to come out here. Actually, I do. She’s not every bright. Plus, I used the one thing I knew would get her to come here, the boys. Just like an idiot and how I predicted, she came.
I’m fortunate that she didn’t come any closer, otherwise she would have seen the metal pipe I slightly hid in the hay near me. I walk to the one corner and grab the can of gasoline I stashed here earlier. It was easy enough getting it here. These people didn’t lock up their shed. I figured luck was on my side when I tried the door and it opened, let alone finding an almost full gas can.
It’s easy to slip away from people and blend in when you want. There are so many people here that no one noticed I disappeared for a half an hour. I poured the gasoline on the hay surrounding the perimeter of the inside of the barn. I kept pouring as I circled in toward Callyn. I ran out about halfway back to her. This will have to do. I can’t take to much more time. I need to reintegrate with the party and my friends before someone gets suspicious.
I walk to the door, turning around to make sure that Callyn is still passed out. I take one last look around, making sure I don’t leave anything behind that could point the figure at me. Seeing nothing, I light a match and toss it to my right. I quickly light another and toss it to my left. I watch for a moment as the hay catches on fire, spreading like a wildfire.
I leave closing and locking the door behind me. I walk slowly back to the party, so as not to draw attention to myself. But I couldn’t help the smile that graces my face as I walk. One way or another I was making sure that vision came true. Now, I can go after what I really want without having to worry about Callyn interfering.
Those boys are going to be mine, and I’m going to be the Alpha Queen.
Callyn
Why is it hot in here? Why does my head hurt? I groan as I try to move and get up. The second I move my head a wave of dizziness washes over me. I go slower and finally pull myself in a sitting position. I open my eyes, and I have to blink. Holy shit, the barn is on fire. Then everything comes back to me. The barn, Kelsey, what she said. She’s trying to kill me. I scramble to feet, ignoring the nausea I feel from the sudden fast movement.
I rush to the door and try to push it open, but the second my hand hits the wood I pull them back. The door is too hot to touch. I start to panic. How am I going to get out of here? I turn back around looking for anything that can help me. I don’t see anything. There are no windows, and this is the only way in or out.
I need to do something soon. The smoke is starting to be too thick to breath and the flames of the fire are licking higher up the barn walls. Someone has to see the barn is on fire right? Then it hits me,
my phone. I reach to the pocket that I had my phone in, but it’s not there. I run back over to where I was just lying and quickly search the ground, but it’s not here. Kelsey had to have taken it.
What am I going to do? If I don’t somehow get out that door soon, I’m going to die in here. I need to make noise. Someone has to have seen the flames by now. I need to let them know someone is in here. I rush back to the only door. Covering my hands with the sleeves of my hoodie, I start to scream and pound on the door.
“Help. Someone help me.”
I can feel the heat of the door through my hoodie. My throat is getting sore from the screaming. It’s getting harder to breath. I try for a little longer, but it’s getting harder and harder. I slump to my knees, looking up at the roof. The fire has completely surrounded me. There is no way I’m getting out of here now. Parts of the roof are starting to cave and fall.
I start to panic. My only regret is that I didn’t get a chance to kiss Zeke and Lucian. If there was still the possibility that I could get out of here, that would be the first thing on my list to do. I can’t even send them one last I love you text. I can only hope that they know that I do. I love them with everything I am.
I start to pant, my anxiety, fear, and helplessness are taking over. My body feels tingly. This is it, my last moments. I start to think of all the good times I have had with my mates. Those are going to be my last thoughts. My chest feels like it’s about to explode. I can feel all my cells expanding. It hurts. Is dying supposed to hurt? I feel nothing but agony. Just when I think I can’t take any more, something burst free. All the pain and suffering gone. I feel a slight ripple across my skin. I look down at my arms.
I’m shocked by what I see. Are those...are those feathers? That’s when I realize I don’t have arms, I have wings. I have shifted. I’m not sure what to do.
I’ve got this, I hear as a whisper in my mind.
Next thing I know, I’m airborne. Flying higher and higher, until we burst through the severely degraded roof. My phoenix takes a couple of deep breaths, replacing the smoke filled air in my lungs with the fresh oxygen. We fly higher, high enough that we can look down and see the scene below us. The barn is starting to crumble and in the middle of all that chaos stands my guards, my kings, my mates.
Maximus - A few moments earlier
“Callie’s been gone awhile,” Graydon states.
I pull my phone out of my pocket to check the time. Graydon’s right; she had been gone at least forty-five minutes. It shouldn’t have taken that long for her to find a restroom and return.
“I’ll go search the house,” Zeke says.
“I’ll go with him, maybe she ran into Cat,” Lucian states.
“If you don’t find her meet us back out here in ten minutes. Me and Max will look around out here.” Zeke and Lucian disappear among the throng of people.
I look at Graydon, “Do you think she is okay?”
“She better be or God help the soul that dare hurt her,” he growls.
The ten minutes passed by and not a single sighting of Callyn. We ask people if they have seen her, but no one has seen a thing. I didn’t think that we would get real answers from anyone. Most of them are drunk. Graydon and I silently walk back to the fire that we were sitting at; Lucian and Zeke are already there.
“Anything?” I ask.
“No. This place is so big that we could be missing her,” Zeke states.
“Anyone try to call of text her?” Lucian questions. We all shake our heads.
Graydon pulls out his phone and calls her. It must have gone to voicemail because he starts cursing up a storm. He tries again and again, nothing.
“She may not be able to hear her phone over all this noise.” Lucian has a point.
“What do we do now?” Before anyone can come up a suggestion, screaming can be heard and a group of people come at us running. That’s when I feel it. The panic, the confusion, the fear. The emotions are so strong. I look to the others, and I can tell by the look on their faces that they feel the same. It’s Callyn, and she’s in trouble. But where is she?
Graydon grabs the arm of someone as they run by, halting them in their tracks. “What the hell is going on?”
“Fire. The barn’s on fire,” he yells. Graydon lets go of the person, and we all look at each other with shock on our faces.
No. There should be no reason for Callie to be anywhere near the barn. But something in my gut tells me that my angel is right in the middle of this mess. We all take off at a run toward the barn. The entire barn is up in flames. If anyone is in there, there’s no way they could survive. I scan the crowd looking for Callie, but I don’t see her. Shit, what if she is inside the barn. She can’t be inside that barn. But if she is, I have to try and save her. She is my mate; what kind of mate would I be if I did nothing? I make a move toward the door, when there is a loud crash. Out of the roof burst a bird, and not a small bird. No, this thing was huge.
My eyes follow the bird as it flies higher. Suddenly, it stops and hovers slowly, beating its wings to stay in place. Without notice, the bird starts to descend, and gracefully lands a few feet in front of all of us. That’s when I notice this is no ordinary bird.
It’s a fucking phoenix.
Holy shit, Callie shifted, and she is breathtaking. Her bird towers over us. Her feathers start off red at the top of her head and gradually change to orange then yellow. Her wings follow the same pattern. My eyes travel down to her feet...claws. More like talons of death. I don’t think I’ve seen claws that big on any avian shifter.
The shriek that erupts from the bird’s beak rattles me to my bones. I have this insane urge to kneel and bow in front of her. So, I do. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see that I’m not the only one. The guys are all kneeling before the phoenix with their heads bowed. I can feel the air shift around me. It’s more than that. I can feel the air as if it’s a part of my body. It’s weird, yet exhilarating at the same time.
I lift my head to watch as the phoenix starts to shrink, and Callie rises from her kneeling position. As she stand, there is something different about her. She seems more regal if that makes sense.
“Rise my kings, you never have to kneel before your queen.” Me being who I am I can’t pass up the opportunity to tease her.
“Is that so, because I can think of one reason you would want us to kneel before you.” I give her a wink.
She chuckles. “You cheeky devil.” Shoulders and back straight, she walks over and stands before us. We all rise from our kneeling position.
“What the hell happened, Callie? How the hell did you end up in that burning barn?” Graydon practically yells. “This wouldn’t have happened if we had gotten around to assigning the protective detail we talked about. How stupid were we to let you go anywhere by yourself.” Graydon starts to pace. He’s clenching and unclenching his fist as he murmurs to himself.
Callie walks up to Graydon, halting his steps. She wraps her arms around his waist giving him a hug. With no hesitation Graydon wraps her up in his embrace. “One thing at a time my grumpy bear. I prefer not to go into that conversation here. Let’s wait until we leave. Also, there is something that I need to do first.” She untangles herself from Graydon and walks right up to Zeke pulling his head down. She doesn’t give him any warning before she presses her lips to his. Well, this is definitely a strange turn of events.
Lucian
I knew the second I saw that bird burst through the roof that it was Callyn. When she landed in front of me, I shake my head. I have never seen a more stunning creature. I felt her power. When I was kneeling before her, I swear I could feel the earth move beneath my hands and feet. It was like it was talking to me. A strange, yet comfortable feeling washed over me. You can since the change in the air around Callyn. When she shifted back to her human form, you can tell there was something different about her. She emerged from that fire as a queen.
You can hear it in the way she talks, and the way she carries herself.
This Callyn is more confident and sure of herself, if the way she walked up to Zeke was any indication. I feel like I have missed something by the way Graydon is scowling. Callyn just pulls Zeke’s head down and starts to kiss him. I wouldn’t have expected her to do something like that, not in front of all of us, not yet anyway. What happened to her in that fire? She rose from those flames as a new person it seems.
I don’t have much time to ponder my thoughts before Callyn is standing in front of me. When did she stop kissing Zeke?
Callyn stands on her tip toes, placing a hand on my chest, right over my heart. She moves closer to my lips. I angle my head slightly to give her better access. I’ve wanted to kiss her for the longest time, and it’s about to happen. As much as I would like to take this kiss over, almost every fiber of my being is begging me too, I don't. I will take our first kiss at her pace, let her be in control. But only this once.
I can feel her lips ghost over mine. “You think too much, Lucian,” is all she says before she presses her lips to mine.
I wrap my arms around her, pulling her flush to my body. The feeling of her in my arms, her lips on mine, everything that I thought it would be doesn’t compare to this. This is better, so much better than anything I could have dreamed. She lets out a moan and all it does is spur me on more. My hand travels down her back to grip her butt, pulling her hips closer to mine. She let out a little gasp giving me all the opportunity I need to push my tongue in her mouth. I lied when I thought this couldn’t get any better, because it just did.
The taste of her on my tongue is something I will never forget. This only makes me want to taste her in other places. I live for that day. We separate just for a moment, to catch our breaths, before we change the angle of our heads and resume kissing. This time when our lips meet, I feel a wave of power release. The feel of it is almost as intoxicating as Callyn’s lips. Almost.
Callyn feels it too because I feel a shiver rack her body. She pulls back meeting my eyes and graces me with the biggest smile. Then she winks at me. I growl, barely resisting the urge to pull her back into my arms and continue kissing her.
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