Phoenix_A Forbidden Love Novel, The Boston Clan

by Danielle James

  “Blasphemy!”

  “I could break free of my restraints, if I wanted. I prefer you trust me first,” he said with a smug grin.

  “How do I know you won’t kill us if I set you free, that you are telling the truth?” the first woman asked.

  “Heidi, he is tricking you! Can’t you see? Kill it before it is too late!” the second shouted.

  “I don’t know why, but I want to believe him. Have you ever seen a demon glamour wings? I haven’t. Let’s just say, sister, that he is telling the truth? Would you kill a heavenly being?” the one called Heidi asked.

  “I think I know how to prove myself to you,” Phoenix interjected. “Go ahead. Kill me. Do you know the myths about firebirds?”

  “That they are reborn from the ashes of their death? Yes. But you are a man, not a bird.”

  “I have wings. My eyes are the color of orange flames. I catch fire on a regular basis. Allow your sister to kill me. I will hold no ill will toward her for doing so. In fact, I would like to be rid of this grey streak.” Phoenix jerked his head to the side to emphasize the grey streak that graced the right side of his hairline. It had been the result of saving Andrew’s life the day Jules and Nick got married. The act had drained every bit of strength from him, but it had been completely worth it.

  “With pleasure!” the sister shrieked, wasting no time and lunged for him. She was armed with a samurai sword and she plunged it deep into his chest. It pierced his skin like a hot knife through butter. She jerked it out just as quickly as she shoved it in, spilling blood across the floor. The pain was excruciating. Dying was always painful. What a shame that immortality didn’t constitute invincible! The blue and orange flames began to flicker around the newly created wound in his chest immediately.

  Phoenix could only hear gasps and arguing in French, but he couldn’t concentrate on that now. All he could concentrate on was dying. He jerked his wings free, snapping the ropes that bound him. He wrapped his wings around himself as the flames began to shimmer across the surface of his wings. Each feather became alive with the flame, licking and shimmering across his wings. They grew in intensity and the last thing Phoenix saw before losing consciousness was the flames engulfing his entire body.

  While he knows it is only a matter of minutes that he is unaware when his body dies, to Phoenix, it seems like an eternity. He could almost call it an out of body experience. He felt himself float freely while his body mended itself. He swam in his black dream until finally, it was done.

  When he was himself again, Phoenix was aware of the women talking to each other. They were still arguing. What the hell was it with women and the inexhaustible ability to argue? The first one, Heidi, was scolding her sister for killing him.

  “If he is telling the truth, he will come back. If not, he will stay dead, in which case is alright by me.” Phoenix could hear the smugness in the sister’s voice.

  Phoenix gathered his strength, enjoying the rumbling thunder that accompanied the effort, and shot up from the ash. He spread his eight foot wing span wide and let the fire consume them. The temperature in the small room shot up drastically. He could see the sweat beading on the women’s foreheads. The little part of himself that kept a conscious reminded him that he should stop it, but he rather enjoyed the effect he had on people. I liked watching their mouths gape open and closed again like fish out of water. He loved proving people wrong.

  He let the flames die out and stood completely naked in front of them. Normally he wouldn’t be overly happy about his clothing not making it through the rebirth process, but this time, he reveled in it. He placed his hands on his hips and stood proud while the ladies openly gaped at him. They struggled to form coherent words as they drank in the sight of him.

  Tall, lean muscle over a heavy frame stood there staring back at them. His hair had returned to the jet black it was supposed to be, only long enough to brush his shoulders. When one of them finally spoke, it was Heidi.

  “How?” she whispered.

  “I told you, I am the phoenix. I live and die by the flames. I fly and I can heal.”

  “But the myths,” she stammered.

  “Written by human men a long time ago. Not everything you read in books is absolute truth. Centuries ago, when those tales of me were written, men wrote with heavy speculation. And many times in riddles. Perhaps the inconsistencies were deliberate, to protect me. Who knows? But what I tell you is true.”

  “I am so sorry,” she said. “Let’s start over. I am Heidi, and this is my sister, Michelle. We are pleased to meet you, Phoenix. Can you forgive us?” She grabbed a blanket from the corner and held it at arms’ length for him.

  He laughed out loud, clearly amused by the abrupt turn of events. “Of course, I am nothing if not reasonable,” he said, reaching to take the blanket from the woman. “I do, however, wish to know why you abducted me, and just how you were able to do it in the first place.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  October

  Phoenix walked the city streets with Heidi and Michelle every night for three weeks. It was early October and finally cool enough that he didn’t look like a lunatic wearing a long overcoat. He was impressed by the women’s efficiency when hunting supernaturals. That was what they did. They hunted down and mercilessly dispatched wayward vamps and shifters that took advantage of humans. Two, maybe even three demons a night met there untimely demise by their hands and their swords. They were fierce fighters, yet graceful in every move they made. Their extensive martial arts training gave them a great advantage in most cases. They were able to move silently, and inflict the most damage with the least amount of force. Phoenix never thought that he would meet any human that would fascinate him the way these sisters had.

  They moved silently through the night, always on guard. It was their training that allowed them to sneak up on Phoenix that night, only a few weeks ago. Heidi thought he was a demon at first, then, when she got closer, she didn’t know what to think. Michelle was all for killing him, no questions asked. It was Heidi’s curiosity that led to his captivity instead of instant death.

  He almost felt sorry for the sentient creatures that met their fate by these two women’s swords. Their samurai swords were steel, the edge of each made of finely sharpened diamonds. They were hard enough to cut through anything, including steel and concrete. Their skill and strength was a subject of awe for him; for their victims, it was a death sentence. In fact, by the time the victim realized they were in danger, it was always too late.

  Phoenix never argued about who they hunted. They had it down to a science. They never attacked anyone who was innocent. They killed demons indiscriminately, though. They only killed vamps or shifters if they were harming a human. Their judgment was swift but accurate.

  It took some doing, but Phoenix finally convinced the sisters to meet his family. He felt the need to prove that not all supernaturals were assholes. He had learned to trust Heidi and she him. Michelle was quickly catching up as well. As it turned out, he found that he thought of them both as his friends and liked them very much.

  They prepared to travel to Paris the next day. The conversation with Nick over the phone had been interesting. He was wary of bringing dangerous humans to meet his family, and Phoenix didn’t blame him. In the end, Nick conceded that if Phoenix trusted them, then he would as well. As expected, Jules gave him a proper chewing for ditching her. He sat patiently as she chastised him like one of her own children. He couldn’t help but giggle as an image of himself being caught in her cookie jar flashed across his mind. Heidi thought that his expression throughout the conversation was hilarious and rolled with silent laughter the whole time. It took everything Phoenix had to not burst out in laughter right along with her. Yeah, Jules could over react with the best of them, but her intentions were good. He knew that she would be the most upset by his leaving and it didn’t help that he stayed away several weeks without checking in.

  Phoenix convinced Heidi to let him fly her to Paris, but Mic
helle, however, would not agree. She wouldn’t fly in a plane, much less with a giant bird. She was the one who sided with safety. Phoenix tried to convince her that driving was more dangerous than flying, but Michelle wouldn’t leave her Harley behind. He could empathize. To a human, riding a motorcycle was the poster board for freedom, as flying was for him.

  Nick and Jules were already there in Paris, wrapping up their honeymoon. Kelly, her boyfriend, Victor and Rachel were to meet Phoenix and his new friends the next day at the Arc De Triomphe. The others, Michael, Jolice, Andrew, and Jared, all stayed behind to look after things in Boston. Phoenix felt a little uneasy leaving them unprotected, but Jared insisted that between himself and Jolice, there was nothing to worry about. Jared was a shape-shifter; he could change into any animal or person he wanted. He was also blessed with excessive strength. His form of choice, a white Siberian tiger. The massive animal was as powerful as it was beautiful. He could also see through a glamour. He knew what any creature was, be it a vampire, an angel, or a demon, with just a glance. Jolice was a witch. Not the ride a broom, wart on the nose kind, but one who could perform simple spells. She was gifted with knowledge. Not visions. She could just know something, but not have any idea why or without any details. Michael and Andrew were one hundred percent, bonafide humans. Well, Michael used to be a guardian angel, but he gave up his eternity for Jolice.

  The first order of business was to introduce Kelly into our life and to her mother’s new way of life. Kelly knew her mom got married, and she knew who Nick was. What she did not know was what Nick was. Or what her mother now was. Nick had to change Jules into a vampire to save her life. It was essentially the love they felt for each other that gave everyone the strength to defeat the demons they fought together just a month earlier.

  Phoenix wondered if Kelly would be accepting of the new situation. They all wondered if she knew the man she was dating was a demon. Jules was certain of her daughter, but what mother wouldn’t be? The new friends Phoenix made would make Kelly more at ease, he was certain of it.

  Preparing to fly under the cover of night, Phoenix woke Heidi and waited patiently for her to gather her things and get dressed. She packed lightly, and he was glad for it. It wasn’t difficult for him to fly with another person, but eight suitcases could become cumbersome. At three a.m., Heidi said bye to her sister, and met Phoenix in the yard.

  “Let’s do it,” she beamed. Heidi was a bit of a risk taker, even in her chosen calling. He knew she would be up for trying anything new and dangerous.

  “Try to be still, and don’t worry, I won’t let you fall,” he told her.

  “I’m not worried about falling, I trust you,” she said confidently. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and waited. Phoenix smiled at this information. He was grateful to have earned her trust.

  As he wrapped his arm around her slim waist, the smell of patchouli and sunflowers enveloped his senses. It was a familiar and comforting smell. Without further hesitation, Phoenix spread his wings and lifted them both from the earth.

  “Wow! This is incredible!” Heidi gasped.

  He smiled. If he were completely honest with himself, he would be the first to admit that flying was an incredible skill that he would rather die than lose. He could only imagine how it must seem to a human. “You like it?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

  “Hell yes! I don’t think I’ll ever drive again!”

  Phoenix decided it was time to turn up the excitement. “Hold on,” he warned, and dipped to his left, spinning toward the earth. He heard her catch her breath as the ground rushed toward them. He arched his back and shot back up into the sky a mere second before they would have plummeted to the earth. He turned his body so that their backs were to the ground and they faced the stars overhead.

  “That is beautiful,” Heidi remarked about the night sky. It was clear, and the stars were very visible. “I never saw so many stars before, and never so close! I feel like I could reach out and touch one!”

  “Yeah, I suppose it is beautiful,” Phoenix mused aloud.

  “Welcome to the City of Lights,” he finally told her as they approached the city.

  The city was truly beautiful at night. The flood lights around the monuments shone brightly against the clear night. He could see the Champs Elysees clearly, and thought that would be a great place to land.

  He landed gently on the walkway in the gardens, setting Heidi down gently with one hand, her bag with the other. The smell of the fall flowers was simply intoxicating. He saw Heidi breathe the smell in deep, savoring its flavor. He motioned toward a stone bench for them to sit. Phoenix threw his coat over his shoulder, concealing most of his wings. He doubted very seriously that anyone would be out so late, but then again, he had thought that before. And how did that end up for him? Knocked out and tied up, that’s how.

  “What are you thinking about?” Heidi asked as she took her seat.

  “Just about how we got here, not to Paris, I mean, all of us. How we got to this point in our lives.”

  “Have I told you about Michelle and me?” She asked.

  “No,”

  “We were six when our mother died. She had some kind of cancer, and the doctors couldn’t cure it. Our father took care of us then,” she paused and shook her head. “He wasn’t very good at it. We were fed, we had clothes, but he wasn’t a very loving man. At least, not until we hit puberty.” Heidi was staring at some invisible spot on the sidewalk.

  “What happened to you?” he asked, allowing his curiosity to lead the way.

  “Are you sure you want to hear this? It isn’t pretty,” she whispered.

  “You can tell me anything,” he encouraged. He wanted to know. He didn’t want to know. But he had to hear it all the same.

  She sighed heavily. Phoenix watched as she stared out into the night as if searching for the right words. “At first, it was just me. He would come into my room at night, he would say things like he loved me and I was so special. I knew there was something off about it, but I didn’t say anything about it to anyone. After all, he wasn’t doing anything. I thought maybe he was finally learning to be affectionate.” She talked while never making eye contact. “So one night, my fifteenth birthday, he came in my room again. He was drunk and stumbling all over the place. He told me again how special I was, and how I was a woman now. That made me really uncomfortable. Then he started touching me, telling me there were duties a woman had to fulfill...” She trailed off.

  Phoenix knew what had happened without her voicing the words. “I am so sorry,” he told her sincerely. He reached over and placed his hand gently on her shoulder. “What did you do?”

  “Nothing at first. I didn’t tell anyone, not even Michelle. I hoped he was just drunk and wouldn’t try it again. But he did. Often. I hated him for it. If not for Michelle, I think I would have run away. But she needed me, and I wasn’t about to abandon her. She needed me to protect her. From him.

  “I got a job when I turned sixteen, to get out of the house as much as possible. I saved every penny I made. It was one night I got off work early that I discovered what was going on.

  “I came home and our father was not in the front room. I thought maybe he was passed out in his room; he drank a lot during that time. But that was not the case. I went in to say goodnight to Michelle. That’s when I saw him there with her. He was touching her! My baby sister! She was only fourteen. I couldn’t stand it anymore.

  “I picked up the softball bat in the corner and slammed it into the back of his stupid head. That’s what he got for teaching me to swing a bat. He dropped to the floor, bleeding and unconscious. I didn’t care if the bastard lived or died. I grabbed a few of our things and Michelle and I left. We never looked back.”

  “Well, I guess that explains a lot. I am so sorry that happened to you, both. I couldn’t imagine…” he said. And he was sorry, but he didn’t feel pity. No, instead he felt an intense hatred for their father. He had no patience for anyone who would h
arm a child, and even less for someone who would hurt those he cared about. He wanted to rip the bastard to shreds and dance around the pieces. Instead, he kept his rage in check. “So, how did you girls come to killing evil beings?” He was still very curious about that.

  “When you live on the street, you meet some interesting characters. We met our first vampire in a dark alley one night. He was feeding on a prostitute. We ran away, but not without being seen. We were afraid he would come looking for us, so we learned to defend ourselves. We researched and dug until we found information that was useful. A lot of trial and error. Many things came together to make us who we are now. Fear, in part, but the anger at our father mostly. I can’t speak for Michelle, but every demon I kill, has his face. I take out my anger on the evil bastards that hurt others.”

  “And so you are still angry at him, even now?” he asked her.

  “Yes. How could anyone do such horrible things to children? His own children. He was supposed to love and protect us, not steal the only gift one is born with.”

  “Gift?”

  “Innocence. It is the only thing one has that is pure and he stole it from us. I know we can never get it back, no matter how many demons we kill. I know it will not change what happened, but it helps the pain.” She was staring at the ground again.

  His heart ached for the trauma these two women who had become his friends had suffered. He wanted to steal them away from the anger and the pain. He wanted to heal her, but that was not in his power. If either of them had a broken leg, yeah he could fix that. Inner pain, not so much. For the first time in a very long time, Phoenix felt helpless. He tightened his grip on her shoulder and pulled her closer to him. He may not be able to heal her, but he could offer her comfort.

  He held her there, in the gardens until the first rays of light peeked out over the horizon. The sun emerged from the darkness a giant ball of orange and red flames. They watched as the sky turned orange at first, then red, then purple, and finally blue. The clouds were scarce; the few in the sky were white. It was going to be a beautiful day.