Phoenix Rising

by Anne, Melody

Jessica sat on the large intimidating throne, feeling as though she were on top of the world. This was only the beginning. Conquering this throne was her first step. It was her way of showing both Vyco and Johnathan their power and control over her had meant nothing.

  She was taking control of her life and her needs. Devon had shown her that. He had reminded her just how much power she held in her perfect little palm.

  She slid her hand down the smooth metal on the arm of the chair, and tapped her nails, feeling almost reassured by the steady clickety-clack created by her claw-like nails.

  After talking with Devon, Jessica had decided she needed to summon the dark followers for a meeting. He had taken a walk, saying the minions would not accept his presence, that it would cause distrust, so Jessica sat in her throne room alone. It was a waiting game. Nothing could be done until all who had been summoned arrived.

  As soon as Jessica and Devon had finished their discussion, she had started to plan the invasion he’d suggested. Of course she couldn’t do it alone. She was a lady after all, so it was obvious the males needed to do her dirty work, while Jessica thrived and schemed in the background. She wouldn’t want to get her impeccable fingers dirty, now would she?

  It had been easy. A lot easier than Jessica had anticipated.

  She’d called Alaric, who had always been in awe of her. She needed a puppet, and he was the perfect one. Using her charm and natural assets, she’d convinced him to do her bidding.

  Closing her eyes, she pictured how he had practically drooled as she slowly ran her nail from his bottom lip to below his waistband. He’d been a puppy dog as she told him the faithful were always rewarded, and then she’d leaned close and whispered in his ear.

  He’d been more than eager to call a meeting, to get the followers excited about a new beginning. That’s how easy men were to manipulate — or usually how easy they were. If they weren’t Johnathan Light. She still hadn’t heard a word from him.

  Not that she wanted to anymore. No. She had Devon at her side now, and Johnathan was of no use to her. Still, if she could just have one night with him . . . Ah, one night to prove she could have anything she wanted.

  But that didn’t seem to be happening.

  Well, she had Alaric, and he had kept true to his word. He was the new gatekeeper of the chamber. Johnathan hadn’t trusted the old one because he had been so devoted to Vyco.

  Johnathan had ended him violently and angrily. It hadn’t helped that he’d been so loyal to Vyco while Johnathan was freshly upset over the death of Cassidy.

  Why oh why was he so obsessed with her? Jessica was much prettier. She was also so much more fun, and flirty, and imaginative. None of that mattered though. It had nothing at all to do with the gatekeeper.

  No, the last gatekeeper hadn’t known how to keep his mouth shut and it had cost him his life. Not that Jessica cared. But with the new gatekeeper, she was much better off since he was so much easier to manipulate to her will.

  Jessica couldn’t help but smile as Alaric opened the door to allow the first of the followers into the throne room. From then on a steady line of them trickled in. They were there to see her.

  They were there to listen to her. Jessica was finally achieving what she’d been working for her entire life. She would be the one people bowed down to. She would be the important one.

  A deep-seated sense of satisfaction filled her as the throne room filled with curious followers. Her plans just might be possible. As the doors to the room slammed together, talking quieted down. They were sealed off from prying ears.

  “I’m sure you’re wondering why I’ve gathered you here today,” Jessica said, satisfied as the room fell into a hush. Everyone was silent for her.

  “As you know, the underworld has gone through many changes lately. Vyco has been defeated, Johnathan took over his position, and the underworld lost its destructive quality.”

  A murmur rose with that final statement. Jessica smiled, knowing she was hitting a chord. As long as she said the right words she could play them to her tune, manipulate them to her will. This would be too easy.

  “I want to change that, but I need each and every one of you to be by my side to make it happen. We will take over. No longer will we be stuck hiding, but instead we will rule the planet — the universe. We will have power. Beautiful chaos will be unleashed!”

  A cheer sounded and Jessica gave her followers a moment to worship her. She took it all in, practically feeling as if she could float from the high. She waited for them to calm before resuming her speech.

  “I’m sure you are wondering how I plan to manage all this. Am I right?” There were some nods. “Even under Vyco all of you had been cast away in the lower bellies of the planet, isolated outcasts.”

  Some growls rumbled around the room.

  “I understand the strength within each and every one of you. You are the true power of the universe and your place in life should reflect that. Your strength will earn you a higher rank, a higher position in society. You won’t have to cower to anyone. You’ll never need to hide in the dark.”

  “Here, here,” the crowd shouted.

  “Vyco thrived on chaos, but no matter how much he wished against it, he was still one of Josiah’s right-hand men for a lot of years. He couldn’t escape his heavenly roots. I’m different. I won’t play by the rules. I do what I want to get what I want. I don’t like how the situation is now so I will change it!”

  Jessica paused to look out at the crowd. Every eye was focused on her. She had their loyalty and their intrigue. The hard part was over.

  “Together, we will invade, and we will overtake the council. We will rule the universe, and we will make the rules,” Jessica stated confidently, going straight to the point. The room erupted again. Shock was the main thing she noted. No one had ever tried to take down the council.

  Jessica continued to sit in her chair. She watched, wondering what would happen next, as the impact of her words sunk in and the idea festered and grew, worming its way into their consciousness. Their greediness surely would outweigh their doubt.

  Too many of them wanted ultimate power and control. Too many wanted to have freedom to do what they want when they wanted, and with this plan that would be possible.

  It took a while, but the rumble eventually calmed, and the evil forces united together to look toward Jessica once more.

  “All settled now?” she purred, making eye contact with several upper level followers in the room. Her query was met with a wide variety of nodding heads, although a few stayed stony and motionless. Some would be much harder to crack.

  “Good. Any questions?” Jessica asked. She absolutely loved that they were all staring at her. She would be their queen. Soon.

  “When are we making this happen? It’s been a while since I’ve had some pure blood,” someone from the back said, opening his mouth in a wide, shark-like grin, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth. Jessica grinned, knowing she could always count on these bloodthirsty souls.

  “Go time is in one week. You better have our preparations set, because we only have one chance at this.”

  The beings left to find more who would fight. Many of them would die, but that was okay. She would build an even stronger army when she was queen. She needed the council destroyed and then she’d kill any who weren’t one hundred percent loyal to her.

  Victory was in her grasp.

  When the room was emptied, she pulled Alaric back into the room with her. She was so high on the adrenaline, she needed an outlet, and Devon was nowhere to be found.

  “Words can’t describe how pleased you’ve made me,” she purred.

  “Anything for you, my queen,” Alaric responded, staring at her in awe. “I would move earth and the moon to please you.” She thrived on his eagerness.

  “That’s what I like to hear,” she told him as she pulled him against her. “Now it’s time I show you just how pleased I am.”

  “
Yes, please,” Alaric gasped.

  Power. It was the most addictive drug out there.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Johnathan

  Johnathan shook his head, still getting used to traveling from the underworld to the surface and back again. It always took a moment to orientate himself to his new surroundings, and the form of transportation.

  Most shocking was the difference in environments. The underworld was certainly less welcoming than the surface. Overwhelming sensations of gloom and hate sat heavy on his shoulders while in the dark.

  Plus, the underworld reminded Johnathan of the cave he’d spent a portion of his life hiding in. There was no blue sky, no fresh air. He felt confined and trapped, which was the biggest reason he’d been gone for so long. But he felt more trapped on earth, surrounded by the past, and the memories of his family. He couldn’t make them fade.

  Johnathan moved quickly through his underground kingdom. It felt like it had been forever since he’d last been there. Earlier he’d wanted so badly to leave the gloom of his kingdom, but every little thing lately had thrown him for a loop, and he needed time to think through all that had happened. He needed time away from the familiarity of earth.

  Seeing Phoenix had been difficult. His little sister hadn’t changed. He could clearly picture her mulish expression, the stubborn tilt to her chin, and the pleading hope in her eyes.

  She didn’t understand why he changed; she hadn’t experienced enough life to know. Seeing Jayden with her had been especially difficult. Jayden made him so furious, made him want to rip him apart, to show him just how much it hurt to lose Cassidy.

  He’d never be able to do that, because by killing Jayden, he’d surely be killing Phoenix too, and though he wanted to lose his soul, he couldn’t do that — not ever.

  Johnathan hadn’t realized it would be so difficult to see Brian and Sadie. They were important to him before, yes, but that was before he’d lost Cassidy. That was his old life, before he had changed and had chosen a different path. They shouldn’t have been able to stir so much emotion within him. The darkness should’ve been strong enough to overcome his affections.

  To forget about the past and his old life.

  Johnathan growled as he entered the large, ominous cave that led to the center of his kingdom. He continued to stalk through the narrow hallway, not even aware of his surroundings.

  He didn’t notice the hangings on the wall, the statues dotting the corners. Instead he was lost in his mind. He hated that his past life was hanging over him. He’d get past the screaming of his conscious.

  “Jessica’s idea for a takeover is perfect,” a voice from around the corner echoed.

  Johnathan paused in his path, his curiosity piqued. A distraction was just what he needed. He came to the underworld to take his mind off earthly matters, and the opportunity was now presenting itself.

  What kind of plan had Jessica come up with? Why hadn’t he heard of it? What was she planning to takeover? Johnathan felt himself grow angry all over again. Why were decisions being made without his go-ahead? Just because he’d been traveling earth didn’t mean he’d relinquished his power to anyone.

  “Yes, I will gladly follow the queen,” another said.

  Johnathan had heard enough. He stepped out, alerting them to his presence.

  “What are you speaking of?” he demanded.

  He stood strong, anger dripping from him to show these beings he was the boss, and that his minions should never go behind his back. He would need to prove just who was in power in the dark realm.

  “N-nothing,” the first one stuttered, sweat droplets appearing on his forehead.

  Johnathan grinned, though the look had no humor in it. These creatures would crack quickly even though the second one remained impassive. He could be more difficult.

  “Final answer?” Johnathan asked with a bloodthirsty grin, looking from one to the other. The second one sent him a cocky smirk and nodded. The first shifted from one foot to the other, not saying a word. What an easy decision the two of them were giving him.

  Johnathan took one last glance between both of them. Nothing had changed, so without hesitation he lunged forward and took hold of the cocky one.

  “Wrong answer,” he whispered before snapping his neck.

  Johnathan reveled in the audible sound echoing through the cavern walls. It was music to his ears. Better than that was the visible fear instantly manifesting in the other. His sweat-soaked skin, widened eyes, and shaking hands weren’t inspiring confidence in his abilities as a creature of the night.

  Johnathan would never get sick of this enticing feeling of power. He wondered just how the being felt, losing a brother. Was it anything like losing a lover? John shook his head, deciding to focus on the moment at hand.

  “Now,” Johnathan said as he took a menacing step toward the trembling being. “Are you going to be tightlipped on me too, or do you feel like cooperating?”

  Johnathan stepped over the corpse and got in the being’s face. He could practically taste the fear, feel the shivers.

  “She’ll kill me if I tell you,” the man pleaded, searching for mercy and finding none.

  “Do you really think you would be spared if you kept this from me? Was that not telling enough how easily I murdered that little friend of yours because of his absolute refusal to talk?” Johnathan asked. He could see the being breaking. He just needed a tiny push. “Do you want to know the difference between Jessica and me?”

  It stared blankly, and slowly nodded his head. He was absolutely helpless at Johnathan’s mercy, or lack of mercy as seemed to be the case.

  “Jessica will be angry. She will scream and yell. Maybe she’ll harm you. Maybe she’ll kill you, if you push her past her limits. But you just might walk away from an incident with her,” he said before grinning. “Me? I have nothing to lose. I don’t care. I don’t care about having followers. I don’t care about being admired. I don’t care if I’m the last living being in the universe. If you aren’t useful to me. If you are outright defying me, I will kill you. And I’ll take great pleasure in it and your death.” He trembled and Johnathan went on. “I’ll also take immense pleasure elongating the process to make it as painful and as exciting for me as possible. Now tell me what I want to know unless you are seriously dumb enough to test my patience.”

  The follower was done hesitating.

  “Jessica called a meeting. I heard about it from Alaric. Apparently everyone heard about it, all of the underworld’s occupants because the throne room was full,” the being uttered, looking for approval from Johnathan and feeling disheartened to be met by none.

  “What were the contents of this meeting?” Johnathan questioned.

  “Jessica is planning an attack. She wants to fight the council so it will be destroyed, and so the habitants of the underworld will reign supreme over the universe.”

  “How did she get this idea? When does she plan to do this attack?”

  “She never said what brought the idea about. She wants to attack in a week.”

  “Was there much consent to the idea among the followers, or did they seem against it?”

  “Everyone was for it. We’re all sick of hiding in the shadows. We’re sick of being second tier. We’re powerful, and we deserve that power to be made known.”

  “And what did Jessica say about me, concerning the plan?”

  “She didn’t want anyone to tell you. We were to remain quiet.”

  “Did she say why?”

  “She implied that you’d be against the plan and would stop it. She implied she had all of the underworld’s best interest while the previous leaders did not.”

  “Interesting. Anything else?”

  “No, my liege,” the follower responded. His burst of confidence from talking to Johnathan and giving him all of the information he’d requested had vanished, and now he was once again the nervous wreck he’d been a few moments before.


  “Hmm, you certainly don’t have as much information as I’d like to know,” Johnathan murmured, satisfied by the nervous twitch in the pathetic creature.

  “I can get more information for you,” he pleaded, terrified this would be the end.

  “I don’t need your pathetic information,” Johnathan snapped. “What I need you to do is tell each and every individual you come across, and I mean every single one, about this encounter. I want the followers in the underworld to know the danger in going behind my back, and the fate your friend came to, the fate that you were in store for if you hadn’t shown obedience in a timely manner.”

  “Yes, my liege! I can do that,” he exclaimed.

  “I will know, and your death will be given without remorse if I find out you disobeyed my orders,” Johnathan said.

  “I will do everything you’ve asked,” he said quickly, standing tall and ready.

  “Then quit wasting my time, and get out of here,” Johnathan snapped.

  He was gratified by the quick obedience as the minion sprinted around the corner. Johnathan stared in the direction, listening to the steady pounding of feet on the cold stone floor. Once the sound faded Johnathan looked back with a smirk.

  Now to find his sweet little Jessica . . .

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Sadie

  “I’ve missed this,” Sadie whispered, snuggling against Brian’s chest, loving the feel of his skin against hers.

  “You have no idea,” Brian murmured, splaying his hand across Sadie’s back. “You are so exquisitely perfect.”

  “You make me feel that way,” Sadie responded.

  “I wish we could stay here. Stay at camp with our families. Stay together in a real bed. Act like the married couple we are,” Brian mused. Sadie opened her mouth to respond, but Brian put a hand over her lips with a smile. “I know. We have responsibilities. That can’t happen. Even if we could, you would never abandon Phoenix. I’m just musing.”

  As soon as Brian moved his hand away, Sadie responded, “I completely understand where you’re coming from. I wish we could do the same. I wish we didn’t have to worry about the rest of the world, but that isn’t possible right now. If we keep at it, though, it could be a reality in the near future.”