Phoenix Fire

by S. D. Grimm

  Over. My. Dead. Body.

  Saliva stretched between its upper and lower canines as the monster opened its massive jaws and roared.

  “Where is she?” I yelled.

  It laughed, the sound deep and throaty. “She knows where you are.”

  Panic jolted in my chest, but I held my weapon steady. “Then she wouldn’t have sent you.” I shot the arrow. It stuck right where the monster’s heart would be, but this beast ripped it out and snapped it in half. My pulsed thundered. I had to think fast. I couldn’t move from here in case it wouldn’t target me and went after Cade instead.

  And since when were Gwen’s creations strong enough to withstand a shot to the heart and survive? How much stronger had she gotten?

  How much longer did Cade have?

  My throat felt thick, but I didn’t have time to think about this. I have to figure out how to put this beast down. Now. Piercing the brain ought to do it. I pulled out my gun and prayed the police weren’t out of their vehicles yet. Then I unloaded.

  A shot to the head.

  It staggered forward, losing momentum.

  I shot again.

  Again.

  Red trickled down its fur and it fell.

  Turned to white dust and whisked away in the wind.

  I dropped to my knees beside my brother and Gwen’s words about Cade, from the last time I’d seen her, rang crystal clear in my brain: He doesn’t have long now. And all of his secret, buried powers are coming alive in me. And I’ll take Ava’s powers, too. I’ll be stronger than you soon. You’ll never stop me.

  If she was truly taking Cade’s powers, no wonder her creations were getting stronger. I needed Ava. I needed her to take Gwen out for good. And the only chance I had was if I could get Ava to access her fire. If she didn’t have that, Gwen and her monsters would take us all out again.

  I breathed deep, letting myself feel for her presence. She wasn’t that close yet. If she were moving in, she’d choose a full moon night. There weren’t enough of her creations in the area for it to be this night, and I’d know. I’d feel her.

  Unfortunately, she’d feel where I was, too. I turned to my brother.

  “Cade?” My heart clutched as I shook his shoulder. “Cade!”

  He gasped in a breath and opened his eyes. “Nick?” He tried to sit up and pressed his hand against his head.

  “Can you walk? We need to get out of here.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Cade

  Nick put the crossbow in the trunk and slammed it closed, causing the whole car to bobble. He got in and closed his door with much less force. After two months with my brother, I knew to leave the whole moody aspect of Nick alone, but right now, I needed answers.

  I turned in my seat to face him. “That was Ava.”

  “I know.” He turned the key.

  “The guy she was with, I—”

  “What guy?”

  “So you do occasionally take an interest in—”

  “What guy?” He paused, giving me eye contact finally.

  “Not the one from class. I told you I remembered him—Wyatt. This was some other guy.”

  Nick stared as if asking me what I was getting at. Thing was, he knew what I was getting at.

  “You know what? This is getting old. I already know I’m some monster hunter who doesn’t stay dead.” My throat tightened. “For now.”

  “We’re going to get her this time.”

  “How? Do you have a plan for this besides get Ava?”

  I thought for a half a second that he might actually answer me, but he put the car in reverse and started home. “I’m working on it. You’ll remember some of it. In the meantime, you need more training.”

  I was more motivated to do this training my brother had been putting me through. “Earlier, when Kelsey was at our house, did you recognize that picture of Wyatt?”

  “I know Wyatt.” His voice gave nothing away, but the look on his face said that he very much disapproved. Angrily so. More angry than normal Nick.

  I paused and swallowed hard. How many Phoenixes were there? “He’s related?”

  “No.”

  “Is Ava in danger with him?”

  He glanced at me, eyes narrowed. “What do you remember about him?”

  I tried to recall the memory without going deep enough to get a headache. Then again, why prolong it? “I think he betrayed us. Her.”

  “That’s one way to put it.” His nonchalance was about to earn him a punch in the face. Except he was driving. And my brother.

  “Sometimes you can be a real jerk, you know that?”

  He sighed and drummed his fingers against the steering wheel. “There’s a lot of history. I can start to tell you, but your memories will be triggered most likely.”

  “If it’s going to happen to me anyway, why prolong it? Why not just help me remember?”

  “I have in the past. And…” He shook his head and glanced my way.

  The sympathy in his gaze was totally unexpected. “It’s worse?” My voice was dry.

  He rubbed his hand over his face. “I want you to remember, Cade. It’s easier when you remember. Until then—”

  “Just tell me. Seriously, what will it do, kill me?”

  He sped up the car and glared out the windshield. Fine. Real mature, older brother. “Jerk.”

  “Yes, Cade.” He practically yelled. “It almost killed you.”

  I slumped in my seat. A shiver throbbed in my core, and I whispered, “Why didn’t you just tell me that?”

  “I can’t—Cade, when I tell you things, Gwen remembers them, too.”

  I closed my eyes. “I need my memories if I’m going to help you fight her, Nick.” What would it take to get him to open up? Wyatt. Okay. Who was he? Some bad Phoenix who stabbed us in the back and… Whoa. My stomach got really queasy. I curled over in the seat and a spike of pain seemed to want to split my skull open.

  I screamed. I think I screamed.

  Because suddenly I wasn’t screaming.

  I was standing in front of Wyatt. He turned to look at me with a devious smile. “You’re so trusting, Cade. Loyalty does not suit you.”

  A woman’s laugh sounded in from behind me, but I couldn’t turn. Then I felt pain. So much pain. She was torturing me.

  The memory flashed and I was in a room with Nick. He placed an arrow into a crossbow and put a loaded gun in his belt. Tonight we were off to defeat the one woman who was out to eradicate the race of Light Phoenixes.

  Nick glanced up at me. “Remember, only Ava can kill her for good.”

  When I pulled out of the memory, I was sweating and trembling on the grass. My throat was raw. I needed water.

  Nick leaned over me. “Come on, Cade. Please.”

  “Nick?” I finally managed to breathe.

  He sat back, obvious relief on his face. “You couldn’t leave it alone, could you?”

  I sat up, my whole body sore. “What did you do, drag me out here?”

  “You were in there for ten minutes.”

  “In the memory?” It was hardly long enough to be out for ten minutes.

  “Screaming, Cade.” He offered a hand to help me up. I took it and he towed me to my feet. That was when I realized we were at home. He’d pulled into the backyard. “What did you remember?” he asked quietly.

  Did this mean he’d entertain questions? “What did I do that made her take my powers?” I gripped the railing and climbed the back stairs.

  “I really don’t want to trigger any more of your memories right now.” One corner of his mouth darted up, but it didn’t mask his sadness. “You look like you’re ready to fall over.”

  I felt like I’d dragged myself out of a trash compactor. “The plan is using Ava to get to this supervillain?”

  “You mean Psycho Chick?” He chuckled and helped me to the couch. Then he headed to the kitchen and got me a glass of water. “Something like that.”

  “Why Ava?”

  He breathed in
as if he might tell me, then he stopped. Finally he conceded. “I think you might want to slow down with the memories. Let’s just say her powers are strong enough to take out Psycho Chick.” Another weak smile.

  I sat up straighter. “Wyatt. He was there. In the memory. He—he did betray us.”

  “That one. I’m sorry man, I should have known.”

  “So you know? He’s on her side. The Phoenix gone bad. He’s—we have to kill him.”

  “We can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “Wyatt is dangerous. But only Ava can kill him, too.”

  I fisted my hands, fingernails biting into my palms, and shook them. “Of course she can. Ava Warrior Princess. Able to save all the weaker Eldersons in one single blow.” I sort of regretted yelling because my throat burned. But seriously, what was I good for?

  Nick cocked an eyebrow. “Did you just make a nineties reference?”

  I half growled a sigh. “Is that a problem?”

  “No. But I’m pretty sure you missed the nineties.”

  “So what do we do about Wyatt?”

  “We warn him to stay away from Ava.”

  “You mean threaten.” That I could do. “Is that why you’ve been getting close to Kelsey?”

  His eyes narrowed slightly. “Kelsey keeps popping up where she isn’t wanted. I’ll handle her. I’ll handle Wyatt, too, if I need to.” He started to walk toward the stairs, and I called after him.

  “Tell me how to handle him.”

  Nick paused. “Just remind him that he betrayed us before. The guilt should take care of him.”

  “What guilt? I didn’t exactly remember what he did.”

  “Good night, Cade.”

  Really? He was just going to leave it at that? What was my memory hiding that was so important to this Psycho Chick? And what could I do to pull my weight around here. I’d already missed half the fight because I’d gotten injured and then passed out. No wonder Nick always seemed annoyed with me. I bent over and pressed my hands against the back of my neck. “Hey, Nick?” I wasn’t sure he’d hear my muffled words.

  “Yeah?”

  I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “Is Wyatt dangerous to Ava?”

  He took his time answering. “He definitely could be.”

  “Does he not remember?”

  “He knows. He remembers early, like me.”

  If Ava was supposed to save me from Gwen, then maybe the least I could do was protect my sister from Wyatt.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Ava

  I sat on the floor, leaning against my bed, Ajax next to me with his massive head in my lap. The soft sound of Danny laughing in the other room at something on TV made things even more surreal.

  I’d fought a monster.

  A real monster.

  I’d thrown a knife into its back, and I felt nothing.

  Well, I felt plenty, but all of that had crashed into me later. I’d hid up here in my room, shaking. Pacing. Disbelieving. Even now, I couldn’t believe this was real. Lisa had died. She was dead. Gone. Because of something I didn’t think existed. I pressed my face into my hands.

  What the heck was a Phoenix? Nick with those scared eyes. And Cade—his wound had closed. I’d watched it close!

  And Nick had said she was after me. She who?

  How much trouble was I in?

  I was a Phoenix—whatever that meant. Nick had said something about being reborn. Like a flower that came back every season? It obviously gave me healing powers.

  And that explained the memories. If all of this was true. I buried my fingers in Ajax’s fur. Something deep in my mind agreed that this made sense even as the rest of me tried hard to reject it.

  It explained my…existence.

  I couldn’t remember anything before the forest. It was like I’d been born there. Soot stained my clothes. I saw a huge bright light, and Cade was there, holding my hand.

  Why it had taken me so long to remember he was there, I didn’t know. Maybe because they never told me I was with someone.

  But when I tried to look back now, all I remembered was a huge, bright light surrounding me. Like fire. Then I just emerged into the woods. My white nightgown was stained with soot as was my skin, my hair.

  And I’d wandered into town, apparently.

  I stroked Ajax’s head. If Nick and Cade were my brothers, who was Wyatt? Just another Phoenix? And why did I remember him first? Why would he tell me to stay away from Cade? None of this made sense. More than ever, I needed answers. Cade had them. Nick had them.

  Did Wyatt? He had to be going through this, too. And he was alone.

  I was so close to finding out who I truly was.

  I’d been sitting in here for hours, trying to trigger a memory from a past cycle, or whatever Nick had called it. I just didn’t exactly know how.

  Opening up to the possibility that these two guys were actually my brothers was scary territory. Ajax tilted his head to the side as if trying to discern my thoughts. Something in my chest tightened. Maybe I’d called Cade brother because deep inside, I believed it. Deep inside, I wanted to trust him.

  And that scared me.

  It didn’t make sense. I hardly knew him. But he’d done nothing to mislead me. In fact, he’d been actively trying to talk to me.

  But Wyatt had been there for me. This whole time. I sighed, deciding that maybe it was time to just ask them. To trust that my questions wouldn’t make them run screaming. Otherwise, this mysterious she would find me. And I’d be alone.

  As if that thought had turned the key far enough to unlock the door, a memory shook me like an incoming avalanche.

  “It’s okay, Ava.”

  I leaned over Cade’s body on the ground. Blood poured out of his mouth. His chest, from a hole. I ripped his shirt. My chest ached and I held in a sob. “Sh-she stabbed you?”

  “She took my powers.”

  Something inside of me seemed to break, painfully. “How did she—”

  “Sh-she’s n-not who you think. Sh-she’s Gwen.”

  He grabbed my sleeve with his blood-covered hand and I wanted to scream. How had everything spiraled into this?

  “Ava?” He coughed and choked on blood.

  No. Not like this. Tears blurred my vision. I pressed my hand against the wound in his chest and tried to call my powers. They didn’t come. Why wouldn’t they come? It was as though they were trapped behind a door I couldn’t open. A sob tore me open. “Cade! Don’t you die, Cade.”

  His head fell limp and his grip on my arm loosened.

  I screamed, from the bottom of my soul. “Caderyn, I’ll never forgive you if you leave me!”

  “Move.” Nick pushed me aside and pressed his hands into Cade’s wound. “Cade!” He let out a shaky breath and closed his eyes.

  Bright, white light emanated from his hands. Grew bigger. Stronger. Until it enveloped Cade’s whole body in pure white. Then it slowly faded.

  Nick sat back, eyes wide and scared. “Cade?” he said softly.

  Nothing. I held my breath and stared at Cade, at once very much aware that Gwen didn’t have the ability to kill Cade for good. That fueled a fire inside me, but no power latched on to it. I-I’d lost my fire. Another ache ripped my insides. She’d somehow stopped me from using my powers. How?

  Cade sucked in a breath and sat up. He looked down at his bloodstained chest, but no more wounds marred his skin. He looked at me. “You healed me? I thought she—”

  I hugged him, burying my tears in his shirt. “Nick healed you.”

  His voice was weak. “Thank you.”

  “I wasn’t going to lose you both.”

  I grabbed Nick’s shirt. “M-my powers. I don’t have—”

  “They’ll come back, Ava.” He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close. And I cried into his shirt while he tried to soothe me. “And we have to make sure she can’t do that again.”

  The memory kicked me out, and I was back on the bedroom floor with Ajax’s head
in my lap. The remnants of anguish still pinched my throat closed. And I had so many questions. Who had tried to kill Cade? Why did Nick think he would lose both of us? And did I seriously have powers?

  Ajax licked my face, and I realized a tear had trailed down my cheek. I pulled my knees to my chest. Residue from the brokenness I’d just experienced through that dream still settled inside me. Cade and Nick, I’d loved them so much. I couldn’t imagine them doing something to harm me, but Wyatt had told me to stay away.

  I didn’t understand.

  Which meant I needed to find out what he meant. Now.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Cade

  Homework on Saturdays was not my thing. But the thought of meeting with Yuki, even if it was in a library to discuss our lit project, got me out of bed.

  Nick leaned his back against the kitchen sink and glanced at me over his bowl of cereal, even though we had a table now. I couldn’t fault him; I still sat at the kitchen island. His training session this morning had me wanting to crawl back into bed, until I recalled meeting with Yuki.

  His spoon stopped midway to his mouth and he narrowed his eyes. “What’s got you in such a good mood?”

  It wasn’t like I was whistling or anything. “Maybe I don’t wake up like I hate life every day like you do.”

  “Sorry. I was just trying to make conversation.”

  “No. You were trying to make an observation.”

  “And I completely failed. Apparently you’re in a defensive mood this morning.” His eyes searched my face again. “You remember something else?”

  I cocked an eyebrow. “Why? Will I remember something that makes me…defensive?”

  He set the bowl in the sink and ran the faucet to rinse it out. “Sorry I asked.” Then he walked out of the room and grabbed his jacket.

  I followed and leaned in the kitchen doorway. “Where are you going?”

  He shrugged into the leather jacket. “I think I’m closer to finding something that will help us defeat Psycho Chick. I might stop at the library after work. Then we train again.”