THE PHOENIX CODEX (Knights of Manus Sancti Book 1)

by Bryn Donovan

  “Mind-read me? Like what you did?” He nodded. “Shit! That’s even worse.— I’m not mad at you,” she rushed to add. “I’m freaked out.”

  “I’m telling you now so it’s less of a shock.” He held her gaze and tried not to think about how beautiful her eyes were. “But listen, when I Read you, you were scared out of your mind and resisting me, which made it hurt a lot. The person who’s going to Read you today is an old friend of mine, Valentina Vega. She can go into people’s heads without them even feeling it.”

  “That almost scares me more.” Cassie gave an uneasy laugh. “How come you can’t do that?”

  “I don’t have her talent. She’s like someone who can walk through walls, where I have to smash in a window. And afterward, she can erase the memory of her being in there.”

  “Why would she do that?”

  He tried to think of how to explain this. “She doesn’t do it with me, because she knows me well. But for most people, it’s more comfortable. When someone’s in your head, it can make you feel defensive.”

  “No kidding. It’s like the ultimate invasion of privacy.”

  “When she’s done, though, everyone here will know you’re innocent.”

  That would be nice. She needed their help, and so far, they didn’t look friendly. They passed rows of industrial steel buildings with arched roofs that stored cars, trucks, and a few airplanes and helicopters. More soldiers milled about, but they only glanced up at the moving car. She hugged her arms. “I’m trying not to freak out.”

  “I’m sorry. None of this is your fault.”

  “As long as they can help me fix it.” She peered out at the compound. “Do regular people around here know who you guys are?”

  “The only people who know about us think we’re right-wing religious nutjobs.”

  “But no one bothers you?” she pressed. “The police, the government?”

  “The last thing American politicians want to do is mess with a bunch of Christians with guns. Especially if they’re not hurting anyone.”

  “Are you all Christians?”

  “Hardly, but that’s what they think. And we pay important people lots of money to leave us alone.”

  “Money we take out of their own assets, which they get from illegal deals,” Gabi chimed in. “But they don’t know that.”

  They pulled up to the one-story concrete block building and parked. Cassie followed them through the grimy steel door. They stepped into the lobby with a gleaming terrazzo tile floor. Cassie looked all around her, making Jonathan see the room as though for the first time. A huge red tapestry hung on one wall, covered with flowers, birds, and mythological beasts. Elaborately carved wooden chairs with leather seats and curved armrests gathered in a circle. The floor featured an inlaid metal design of a twelve-pointed star. “This is like one of those rooms in a museum,” she said. “Except we’re on the other side of the velvet rope.”

  The woman behind the desk said to Jonathan, “Take a seat. A medic’s on his way.” Cassie and Gabi sat down, as well.

  In a few minutes, a guy showed up to give Jonathan another dose of the antivenin and something to make his hand numb. He said, “I’m supposed to ask you if you can stay on duty for a few more hours. Otherwise, another Knight can help escort the bruja.”

  Jonathan’s head was pounding, the stitches in his back stung, and he felt like if he laid down, he could sleep for a week. But he couldn’t abandon Cassie to people who were strangers to her, especially when she was so afraid. “I’m fine.”

  They passed through a side door flanked by two more armed soldiers. Cassie said in a low voice, “I can see why I’d be less of a danger here.”

  Jonathan nodded. A bear or a couple of mountain lions would have a tough time getting past all the guards. Gabi shut the door behind them.

  In the large darkened space, a man and a woman sat at computers, and technical equipment lined one whole wall. A large metal tunnel stood in the middle of the room. “You first, West,” the Mage said to Jonathan, standing up and walking over to them. She wore rimless glasses and spoke with an Arabic accent. He began to unbutton his shirt, and Cassie gaped. “Why do you have to undress?”

  “To make sure nothing’s been planted on me, or in me. And that I’m not a revenant. The clothes get screened for unfamiliar compounds and hexes.” He dropped his shirt into a steel barrel similar to the kind that stored radioactive waste, handed the woman his gun and holster, and shucked off the rest of his clothes. The Mage rested her hands lightly on Jonathan’s shoulders and closed her eyes, taking a couple of moments to psychically scan for any curses or abnormalities. She would do the same with his clothing. Cassie’s eyes widened. It was good that she could see him going through security first. Hopefully, it would make her less nervous.

  When he placed his palms on the nape of his neck so his elbows jutted out on either side, it pulled on the slashes in his back, the pain already familiar to him. He stepped into the metal tunnel. A glowing image of his body would appear on one of the computer screens, and an illuminated schema of an eyeball would show up on the other. After a few moments, lines of information would type themselves out beneath the images.

  “All clear,” the man at the computer said, and Jonathan stepped out of the scanner and retrieved his clothes. The woman with the glasses nodded at another steel canister and told Cassie, “You’re next.”

  As Gabi waited behind her, Cassie peeled off her T-shirt without hesitation, then unfastened her bra and deposited it into the container. Her dark hair fell around her naked shoulders, and the shape of her breasts in the low light, graceful and inviting, stilled the breath in his lungs. His hands froze on the bottom button of his shirt.

  She met his eyes. He was staring at her, making a process that was already uncomfortable for her even more so. Deliberately, he turned away.

  He’d been through security many times before with women, including Gabi. Of course, he’d noticed that Gabi was gorgeous for her age, or for any age. After their first mission together, it had crossed his mind that Andre was a very lucky man. It hadn’t been too personal.

  He wanted to talk to Cassie and listen to her for hours, to protect her, to caress every inch of her body, to take control of it and make her come again and again. He wanted to be in her psyche, but with her permission this time. The force of his need for her shook him. He didn’t look at either of the women as they went through the scan and got dressed.

  “I’m off-duty,” Gabi told him as she straightened from tying her boots, breaking the silence.

  Jonathan smiled at her. “Get some rest.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think that’ll be any problem.”

  “Thanks, Gabi.” As she walked away, Jonathan finally turned to Cassie, now fully clothed. “Not so bad, right?”

  She glared at him. “At my old company, I just swiped a badge. Where next?”

  “This way.” He touched the small of her back, guiding her into the hallway.

  Jonathan’s controlling touch annoyed Cassie even as it sent a curl of warmth through her body. She couldn’t avoid repeated thoughts of seeing him in all of his considerable glory. And when she’d been getting undressed herself, she’d caught him staring at her with a dark and distant look in his eyes as though he’d been imagining all of the terrible things he wanted to do to her. Very good terrible things, which she also wanted him to do.

  But even if she did find herself alone with him here, which didn’t seem all that likely, she couldn’t hit on him again. It would be way too desperate on her part, and no matter what he was thinking, he’d already said no. Yes, he’d embraced her in the car, but only to comfort her after a horrible shock.

  He held open a door for her. As soon as she stepped inside the room, she laughed out loud. The walls of the small, cluttered space were painted a brilliant turquoise. A fluffy flokati rug covered part of the black-and-white checkerboard floor, and a lime-green chair that appeared to be made out of the same plushy material as a stuffed
animal sat next to a bright pink tufted sofa.

  A young woman with a teal streak in the front of her wavy brown hair got up from another chair, a huge smile on her face. “Johnny!” she said in a soft, breathy voice, avoiding the injuries on his back as she gave him a hug.

  He had to bend over to return it, as he stood several inches taller than her, a warm smile suffusing his features, as well. “Hey, corina.” Cassie tried to think what corina meant in Spanish. He’d said he didn’t have a girlfriend. Still, this hardly seemed professional.

  “Thank Goddess you’re all right!” She glanced at Cassie and switched to speaking in Spanish, and Jonathan answered her in the same language. Rude. The only thing she could catch was serpiente, snake. The young woman was extremely pretty, wearing a red cardigan over a polka dotted dress that flared out at the knee. Her red round-toed heels matched the sweater, and so did her lipstick, outlining a curvy, full mouth. The rest of her was full and curvy, too. Cassie had always felt uncomfortable around ultra-feminine girls like this, as though her face was dirty. And she was impressed and a little intimidated that this girl was in her early twenties at most, yet she apparently had a big office of her own.

  Her smile disappeared as she turned to Cassie. “I’m Valentina Vega. I’m going to debrief both of you and make written records of your experiences. Do you have any questions?”

  So many that Cassie didn’t know where to start. As she shook her head, she realized that as sweet as Valentina seemed, she was just as pissed at her as Gabi had been for getting Jonathan attacked.

  When Valentina returned her attention to Jonathan, her features immediately softened. He sat on the couch, and as she settled down next to him, he closed his eyes, his large hands resting on his knees. She didn’t touch him, but instead folded her hands and bowed her head slightly, closing her eyes as well.

  Cassie guessed the young woman was in his memories now, experiencing them as he had. Did she feel what he felt? When she reached the parts with Cassie in them, what would it be like?

  He’d said Valentina could do this without people even feeling it and could erase their memory of it afterward. Thinking of that power terrified Cassie. What could she do with it, if she wanted to? Cassie looked around the room. Framed paintings of roses and seascapes, not particularly well done, hung on one of the walls in old, tacky frames—thrift store purchases, maybe. The long white shelves held teapots, teacups and saucers, tins, and dark blue glass jars filled with loose tea leaves and labeled with tape from an old-fashioned label maker, the kind her grandma had used to organize her stuff in the basement.

  She was about to get up to inspect them more closely, but Jonathan stirred. He opened his eyes, and Valentina lifted her head. A tear glittered on her lashes. Jonathan frowned. “Sorry,” he muttered. She shook her head and dabbed at her eye with the corner of her cardigan sleeve.

  What was that all about? His memories of his brother, maybe, when he’d shared them with Cassie. Valentina was an old friend, so she must have known his brother, too.

  Jonathan stood up.

  “That didn’t take long,” Cassie said.

  Valentina nodded. “I compress the experiences. Have you ever had a dream that seemed to last a week? It’s like that.” With a wave of her hand, she indicated the spot on the sofa next to her that Jonathan had vacated. “Are you ready?”

  Cassie didn’t sit down. “Didn’t you get everything from him?”

  “No. And we want to make sure you aren’t somehow misleading us in your psyche.”

  Oh, for God’s sake. “I wouldn’t have any idea how to do that! Besides, if I could fool him, I could fool you, right?”

  “Not necessarily,” she said at the same time that Jonathan said, “I doubt it.”

  Cassie sat down, getting a closer look at the coffee table. “Is this made out of Legos?” Plastic bricks, encased in glass, comprised the entire table top, which sat on metal legs. As an eleven-year-old, Cassie would’ve killed for this room.

  Valentina didn’t show any interest in discussing furniture design. “Relax.”

  Jonathan had closed his eyes, so Cassie did the same. She imagined stroking Layla’s light mane. Somehow, this idea transformed into the thought of running her fingers over Jonathan’s cropped hair. No, this was bad. Valentina would know what she was thinking. She tried to clear her head. After a few moments, she felt nothing, so she opened her eyes to ask what was happening.

  Valentina gave her a small, rueful smile. “All done.”

  “You didn’t do anything yet.” Why was the woman being nice all of the sudden?

  “It actually took quite a bit longer than Jonathan’s debriefing, because I don’t know you, and because I scanned for psychic ability.”

  Right. Cassie couldn’t remember because she’d erased the time in her head. She’d transported herself into the desert of her psyche, sifting through her experiences, and Cassie didn’t even know what either of them had said in there.

  Jonathan took a step forward. “What did you find?”

  “No Reading capability whatsoever, that I can tell.” Cassie could have told her that. “And she’s not a ghost talker, an empath, a psychometrist, a projectionist, or any kind of elemental.” A sense of failure pricked at her before she reminded herself that she didn’t even know what the hell some of those things were. “But there’s something. Like the psychic equivalent of a strong will. There’s a reason this magic is so strong with her.” She gave them both a sweet smile. “It’s been a long day for you two already. I know Cassie is supposed to see Dr. Morales, but do you want to take a break? I can make a cup of tea.”

  “That would be great,” Cassie said. She never drank tea, but it would give her time to ask why she was supposed to see a doctor. And it seemed the girl had decided to like her, after all. Cassie didn’t know why, but she was glad.

  At the kitchenette in the corner, Valentina made tea in a copper kettle. “Are we at war with the Coyote Shifter pack now? That’s the last thing we need.” She must have reviewed the episode in Las Cruces.

  “Not a chance,” Jonathan said. “Andre already dug into it. A lot of the Shifters hated the guy Gabi dispatched. He had a few loyal family members, but no other allies. Anyway, they’re not like Wolves. Coyotes won’t start a war unless they’re sure they’ll win.”

  Val arranged two teacups on a tray. “They’ll smell mountain lion on the bodies. They’re going to think it was Shifters.”

  “Maybe. But the nearest pack is that huge one in Wyoming.”

  It was surreal, hearing them talk business.

  “Good,” Val said. “They won’t go to war with that pack, either.”

  Cassie supposed she should be grateful. She never thought she’d have to worry about inciting a shapeshifter war, yet here she was.

  After Val set the tray with two steaming cups on the Lego table, she said she had a headache and was going to go lie down, but that they were welcome to relax for a while.

  Jonathan asked, “It’s been busy today?”

  “Yes, but my head’s been hurting ever since I got off the plane from Granada.” She frowned. “I should have told you sooner. I saw your father, but I didn’t get to talk to him long.”

  Jonathan shrugged and asked how her parents were doing.

  After she left, Cassie asked, “Does she Read people all the time? That’s her whole job?”

  “Mostly. Everyone gets debriefed after missions. Val has perfect recall of her Readings and writes up reports.” He picked up the teacup, tiny in his large hands. “She’s also an empath, like Morty, except stronger. She feels what people are feeling.”

  Oh, great. “You should have warned me.”

  “Why?” His steel-blue eyes held her in a frank gaze. “What didn’t you want her to know?”

  That she was very much in lust with Val’s good friend, for one thing. “It’s just weird.” She took a sip of the grayish-lavender tea, and it tasted like flowers. “I’m not sure I like this.”

&nbs
p; “Whatever it is, it’s something good for you.” He took a sip himself. “If a Mage makes you a cup of tea, drink it.”

  She took a big gulp. It wasn’t really that bad, and a warm, cozy feeling trickled through her body, like she might get if she saw a bunch of puppies. “Seems like you and Val are really good friends.”

  “I’ve known her since we were kids.”

  “Have you ever been in her psyche?”

  Jonathan raised his eyebrows. “Yeah. When I was a teenager and still learning how to Read people, I practiced on her and Michael a few times.”

  “What were their psyches like? Wait, is that private?” The way he screwed up his face made her think that it was. “Forget it. I’m just curious.” Were all of them outdoor settings? Maybe some of them were nothing like real life.

  “Michael’s was… Have you ever been to Bourbon Street, in New Orleans?”

  She shook her head, her grip tightening on the cup. What had she been thinking, asking this? It wouldn’t be easy for him to talk about. Then again, he could’ve refused to answer. “I’ve never been, but I’ve seen pictures.”

  “It was kind of a party street, but it smells like it’s near the ocean.” His wry tone of voice and the affection in his eyes made her smile.

  He’d grown up so differently from her. For him, and Val and Michael too, it had been totally normal for him to practice his psychic powers. “Where did you and Val grow up?”

  “We weren’t always in the same place. Her family and mine were both in Saint Augustine for a few years. Then they moved to Tokyo, and we moved to Granada—the one in Spain. But when I was a teenager, the Vegas and my parents were both stationed in Cairo.”

  “Cairo. Wow.” Cassie had wanted to go there ever since she’d studied the pyramids in fourth grade. “Why do you guys go so many places?”

  “We have more than fifty guarídas around the world. This is our headquarters, but at a guarída, you’ll have anywhere from one hundred to two hundred people.” She must have looked confused, because he added, “They’re like cells or offices. The only ones in the U.S. are in D.C. and Saint Augustine.”