“That could be it, even though it may not be all that scientific,” Jordan said.
Chance swallowed. “It’s worth a look.”
“What do you mean by ‘look’?” Jordan’s eyes widened. “I don’t want to break any laws—you’re not stealing anything, right?”
“You can stay at home then.” Chance clapped him on the shoulder. “I bet Derek or Mac’ll join me.”
At mention of his name, Derek walked into the room. “I’m always game. What are we doing?”
“Getting ourselves a phoenix feather,” Chance answered. “There’s a cryptozoology museum in Seattle. We could fly there and back in a day. Ana would be safe with Lifen and Batukhan here to protect her.”
“As long as you check with Mac first.” Derek shuddered. “Last time we went on an adventure he scared us pretty bad. Are you so sure it’s a phoenix feather?”
Chance shared a look with Jordan and shrugged. “Seems like the museum believes it is. Worth a try.”
It took a little convincing, but Mac agreed to join Chance and Derek on a day trip to Seattle. Lifen paid for the tickets without being asked. Apparently after countless lifetimes she’d collected quite a fortune.
The next day they were off, leaving Ana at home with the others. Her forlorn expression when he turned out the door broke his heart, but he hoped that within hours she’d have the cure in her hands.
When they pulled up to the Victorian house, the anticipation that had been building in Chance’s soul reached a fever pitch. Hands shaking and heart drumming, he walked up the path through the rain to the front porch. Mac and Derek followed behind him.
A bell rang when he opened the door. He stamped his wet shoes on the rug on the floor and shook the droplets off his head. From behind a display stand, an elderly woman greeted them, “Hello and welcome to Seattle’s International Cryptozoology Museum.”
Her cheeks lifted sweetly at them as they paid the entrance fee. Chance’s eyes swept across the room, scrutinizing anything that resembled a feather. From behind him, the woman asked, “Is there anything in particular you’re interested in? We have an impressive Sasquatch display—Washington is a hotbed of activity.”
Mac winked. “Only during hockey season.”
Derek choked back a laugh. Chance was too tense to find humor in the moment. He did, however, want the woman to leave them alone. “We’re fine. Not looking for anything special.”
“Very well,” she answered. “The first level is dedicated to North and South American cryptids, and the whole upstairs is the rest of the world.”
“Thank you,” Mac said as he stared at an illustration of a scaly sea monster in a green lake.
Derek stood beside Chance as he peered into a glass display. Bones and footprints cast in plaster lined the shelves. He knew that what he was looking for wouldn’t be on the ground floor. Instead of going directly to the stairs at the back of the room, he spent time studying everything.
The look of amusement on Mac’s face while he perused the collection was entertaining to Derek, who kept asking, “Real?”
At the Mothman display, Mac laughed. “This ‘creature’ was constructed by too many psychotropic drugs in the sixties, although that,” he pointed to a hairy werewolf replica, “was a form created and used throughout Europe thousands of years ago and was later revived by a North American tribe.”
Derek frowned at an old newspaper clipping, featuring a sketch of the Jersey Devil. It had a kangaroo face, curled horns, dragon wings, hooved feet and a forked tail. “That’s not right.”
“That,” Mac said, “is what happens when you try to create a form before you’re ready. Look here—the article says it makes a blood-curdling scream. You would too if you shifted and failing miserably. Many have died trying, as a matter of fact.”
Chance recalled the time he tried to take thunderbird form without the mapping. The discomfort stood out in his mind. He’d only tried to create a large eagle form, not merging different animal’s parts. He could only imagine the agony if one failed at that.
Finally, they climbed the stairs together. Without the woman there to observe them, Chance traced the room, searching for the feather. Then he found it.
Iridescent metallic-orange with yellow wisps, it sat in a five-foot-long display case with other bird specimens: an enormous talon, colorful beak and sculpture of some kind of prehistoric flying dinosaur. Chance pressed his fingers against the glass as he stared at the label beside the feather.
Derek and Mac stood beside him. Finally, Chance found his voice. “This is it.”
“Hmm,” Mac said.
Chance straightened his back and closed his eyes. He didn’t like the tone in Mac’s voice. It frightened him. “What?”
He heard Mac’s voice inches from his head. “There’s one way to test to see if it could truly be a phoenix feather. Only a shifter healer can take its form. Since I am only a shifter, if I can embody it, then it’s just the feather to a beautiful bird.”
Chance’s eyes snapped open. Mac craned his neck around the room, presumably looking for cameras. Derek wandered to the doorway, glanced downstairs and gave the thumbs-up sign. Mac pulled off his shirt and with his face hovering above the feather’s resting place, stared at it in silence.
After a long wait, brightly colored feathers sprouted down the length of Mac’s arms and torso. Gold specs shimmered under the track lighting. He shrank down until the top of his head was only a foot from the ground. He snapped his beak a few times, flapped his wings and without warning, shifted back to his human form.
Chance avoided looking at him while he got dressed. The disappointment was too much to bear. He felt like bashing his fists through the display case or screaming until his voice went hoarse. Neither was a good option.
Instead, he brushed past Derek at the doorway and went directly to their rental car. He didn’t say a word the entire way home. Mac and Derek tried to strike up conversation, but he was lost to everyone.
Ana embraced him when he walked through Lifen’s door. The only thing Chance could do was whisper, “I’m sorry.”
Chance paced through the living room and into the hallway. His face was strained as he said into the phone, “I don’t understand how you can lose something from your collection. You say it was numbered and should be in storage, but it seems to have vanished from the museum?” He paused and answered with defeat in his voice, “If you find it, can you let me know as soon as possible?”
The phone beeped when Chance hung up and he swore aloud.
“Problem?” Ana asked from the couch while she yawned.
There was a permanent indent in the couch from where she had sat over the last three weeks. Not expending more energy than necessary, Ana remained in place while Chance committed every waking hour dedicated to finding something that could lead to her salvation. Sometimes she snuck away to the sanctuary to visit the animals, despite the aches in her joints when she moved. The wildlife relaxed her and kept her at ease. There was something about them she connected with. Maybe it was their innocence, but they filled her soul with fortitude.
Guilt struck her heart as she watched him spin around to face her. Dark circles hung below his dull eyes, no longer shining and vibrant. If he weren’t so consumed with finding a relic of the phoenix he wouldn’t be in the state he was in now. Just a shell of the man she loved.
He shrugged. “Another dead end. Even though they lost it, I don’t think that was very promising. A ceramic feather? Not likely, but don’t worry, I’ll find it. Jordan’s begun looking through all of Lifen’s ancient historical books—maybe he’ll find something there.”
Ana placed her hands in her lap. “I’m not worried.”
She waved him over to her. He sat near her feet and placed his hand on her leg. His brows furrowed while he squinted at her, something he did when he tried to measure her glow.
“You’re shining already. I thought Lifen just re-punctured your energy a couple hours ago?”
&nbs
p; Ana sighed, ignoring his question. She knew he didn’t really want to discuss how her condition was deteriorating, because she’d already tried having that talk. It caused him too much stress. She had other things she wanted to accomplish right now. Ana had a lot of time to think over the last few weeks, about her mortality and her life. She had decided.
“I think it’s time,” Ana said.
His hand gripped her foot tight and a panic-stricken expression drained the color from his face.
Ana hurried to put his mind at ease. “No, I don’t mean supernova. I mean, I think it’s time for us to get married. I don’t want to wait anymore. You’re my soul mate and I don’t want us wasting any more time.”
A deep crease lined his forehead and his eyes squinted at her with suspicion. “There will be plenty of time for that after we deal with our current problems.”
She knew that he’d fight her on it. For days she’d heard those very words tumbling around in her head. She knew what he’d say, what points he’d argue.
“I don’t want to live my life with regret. I would regret never having married you before—”
“No. No more,” he interrupted her. “I can’t stay if you’re going to start talking about dying. You are the reason for my existence—life doesn’t mean anything without you!”
Ana took in a slow breath, attempting to calm her hammering heart and roiling emotions. After a minute, she pushed on, sure of what she wanted. “Good, I’m glad we’re in agreement. No matter what happens in my life, I want to know that every moment moving forward we’ve bound ourselves to each other for eternity.”
She leaned forward, staring at his profile, waiting for him to turn to her. When he did, his dark eyes had brightened, and a fleck of hazel shone like amber. Anguished, he reached across to her and their lips met.
“You make it hard to say no to you,” he said with a restrained laugh. “But, there’s no way you can leave here with this mess going on. It wouldn’t be safe. It also doesn’t seem very realistic that our families would be able to come here without them seeing some weird stuff that would be hard to explain.”
“I’ve already thought about it and I think we should get married here, now, without our families. It’ll be our little secret—we don’t have to tell them. This is for us. When all of this is over and behind us then we can go home and have a proper wedding.”
Chance touched her cheek with a bewildered expression. “This isn’t Vegas. It’s not like we can find a priest on any street corner in the middle of the Canadian wilderness.”
“Well, according to Mac, he’s able to marry people, so—”
“What about a dress? I thought that sort of thing was important to women.”
Ana smiled and answered, “Lifen.”
With a shake of his head, he said, “How long have you been thinking about this?”
She slipped her hands into his and squeezed. Her heart felt like it had lifted into the sky, she was so happy. Their time would come. They would pledge themselves to each other as they were meant to be.
“A while,” she whispered.
He kissed her on the nose and said, “This can’t be a big to-do. I don’t want you using up too much energy. Got that?”
“I won’t lift a finger. I have a feeling I’ll have plenty of volunteers.” Ana suppressed a grin.
Whispers from the hallway alerted Chance. He turned his head and called out, “Who’s there?”
Gabby and Derek wandered out, hand in hand, wearing guilty expressions. Well, maybe only Derek looked guilty, or maybe embarrassed for having been dragged into the situation. Gabriella appeared excited, her eyes were wide and she couldn’t seem to stop beaming.
“So?” she asked. “Do I get to plan a wedding?”
Chance peered sideways at Ana, who nodded and avoided his gaze. She knew something happy that they could look forward to was just what they needed. Life was more than simply waiting for the end to come. It should be relished and enjoyed until the very last minute. She was determined to do just that, even if it was from the safety of her comfy jail, the couch.
After Derek and Gabby left them, Ana decided to bring up one more thing that had been nagging at her since she’d learned the news of her rare problem. Although she was happy she’d spent quality time with her family during the holidays, she was concerned that she’d lied to them about her whereabouts. If her time on this Earth ran out, like she expected it to, her lies would come to light.
“I think we should tell our parents where we really are. That we’re working at an animal sanctuary. That way if anything were to happen then it wouldn’t make things so complicated.”
The softened expression Chance had adopted fell away and he glared at the wall. “I don’t like you talking like that.”
She ignored his chastising. “I know you know it’s the smart thing to do. Plus, I think it would make Mom happy to know I’m doing something I love.”
Or, had at one time.
“Please,” she whispered, “support me.”
His expression softened at her plea. Chance squeezed her hand while he said in a choked up voice, “Always.”
Once word spread that there was going to be a wedding, everyone pitched in. Ana was right that it was just what everyone needed. They all seemed happy to have something to distract them from the gloom and doom business.
Chance and Ana had agreed on the end of the week, Friday. It was actually Gabby who’d pushed to have more prep time. She was probably the most excited, at least outwardly. Ana let her take control of all the details, since she wasn’t supposed to expend any energy—a part of her agreement with Chance.
“Mac will make the wedding cake—he insisted,” Gabby said. “I do not know what he will make. He would not tell me—said some surprises are bueno. Whatever that means.” She planted her hand on her hip. “Jordan and Lifen will make the food and Mac said something about some sister soup. Derek has a black button-up shirt that fits Chance and Lifen has many pretty dresses to pick from, but I have one I think would look beautiful on you. It is on your bed for you to try and since Chance is out with Derek looking for a place for the wedding, I think you could do that now.”
Gabriella offered her hand to Ana and helped lift her off the couch. On her feet, she stretched and gave a little yawn. “Thanks for thinking of everything, Gabby. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Are you serious? This is great fun! Do not stay in your room very long, or I will have to look for you. Chance told me not to leave you alone”—Gabby winked at her—“but some things a girl needs to do on her own.”
Ana left the living room, thankful to have some moments to herself—a rarity these days. She went down the hallway to her door and enjoyed hearing the final click when it closed behind her.
On the bed, a cream-colored dress was spread out, fanning the entire width. Folds of chiffon rippled in layers from the waistline. The simple tank-cut top appealed to her. It was classic, understated. Perfect.
Ana’s tears surprised her. She’d been soldiering on every day, accepting her fate in numbness. But now, the moment struck her and she felt like she was drowning in a depthless ocean. The pristine dress represented the hope and future of a life she didn’t expect to live with the person she loved more than anything in this world.
She wiped her eyes and slipped out of her clothes. Ana lifted the dress over her head. The fabric was cool and smooth against her skin, which helped it slide easily over her body. Her palms moved down from the waistline, brushing the chiffon folds. Taking a deep breath, she walked into her bathroom to look at her reflection.
If she hadn’t looked so miserable at that moment, she might have appeared angelic. Time would fix that. So would Gabby, she suspected. A shower, some makeup and her hair done, she’d be ready for Chance wherever he chose to get married.
She flicked off the light switch and left the room. From her nightstand, she took out some loose leaf paper and a pencil. Perched on the edge of the bed, she be
gan to write a letter.
Dear Chance,
I write this to you before our wedding. I am so happy that we will pledge our lives together. I can only hope it will be for a long lifetime.
If you are reading this, then I have passed on. I don’t know what to say but, the time I’ve spent with you has been a gift. You may have given my life back when you saved me from death, but you also gave me the reason to live the moment I met you. You gave me your devotion and showed me the meaning of true love. You inspired me to live and live fearlessly. I thank you for being my friend and soul mate.
If my energy truly does return to the Earth and stars, then I will be watching over you at the most constant point in the sky, Polaris. You can find me there when you seek me, and know that is where I will look down upon you. I won’t be alone and neither will you, because we share a piece of each other’s hearts.
For always,
Ana
She folded the paper in thirds and slipped it into the bottom of her sock drawer. When Ana slid it shut, she heard the front door open and shut. It was likely Chance back and she knew he’d come searching for her, so she got changed back into her clothes and hung the dress in her closet for safekeeping.
Chapter 18
Chance raised his hand to the door and knocked. “Ana?”
“Yeah, I’m here. Coming,” she answered and a moment later left the room, walking right into him. “So, did you find a spot for us to get married?”
He was temporarily confused by her question. “Oh, right. Yeah, just past the sanctuary there’s a clearing, but that’s not what’s up.” He couldn’t wait to tell her. “When I was walking around I had a thought. I had Daemon in me, so somewhere deep inside I have his memories. Mac was able to guide me back to discover who Daemon was, so what if he can help me remember if Daemon really has a memory about a phoenix talisman?”
After weeks of trying to find some trace of a phoenix talisman and after hearing about Daemon claiming to know where it was, this offered the most promise yet. He only hoped that Daemon wasn’t lying to Ryan just to get his allegiance.
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