Phoenix's Fate (RARE Series, #2)

by Dawn Sullivan

  There was blood all over the place. All over them, all over the floor, all over Malcolm. He had gone crazy. I didn’t think twice. I pulled out the gun my dad had insisted I carry and shot the bastard. I unloaded the clip in him and then I turned and ran. Obviously I should have shot him in the head, though, because he lived. Every once in a while I feel him testing me, seeing how strong my shields are. He’s still out there somewhere. I have no idea where.”

  Phoenix tightened his arms around Serenity as they sat in stunned silence. “Well shit,” Nico said. “So you got not only the General on your ass, but you have a lunatic from your old pack, too.” Glancing at Phoenix, Nico grinned suddenly. “I say we go after Malcolm first. Let’s pull RARE together, hunt him down and eliminate him.”

  “I’m going to fucking kill him slowly,” Phoenix growled. “He is going to wish he never touched what’s mine. Call them, Nico. We’re going hunting.”

  “Now wait just a minute, Phoenix,” Serenity protested when Nico took out his phone. “You can’t just go after Malcolm. First of all, you have no idea where he is. Second of all, he is crazy! And he can make you do things with his gift. He can make you hurt yourself and you won’t be able to fight it.”

  “What he has isn’t a gift, Serenity,” Jenna said. “It is only a gift if you choose to help people with it. You never harm. What he has is a curse.”

  “We are going to find him, Serenity, and we are going to remove him from your life once and for all,” Phoenix vowed. “And then we are going to go after the General and bring him down.” Serenity did not know what to say. As much as she wanted to be free of Malcolm and her old pack, she didn’t want to place anyone else in danger. As she tried to figure out a way to make everyone stand down, Nico ended his call.

  “Angel will be here at 9am tomorrow. She is going to bring the team with so we can come up with a plan. You are family, Serenity. And we protect our family. Jenna, Angel wants you to call Chase and let him know about the meeting. It is up to him whether or not he comes, but as the White River Alpha, he deserves to know what’s happening on his turf.”

  As Jenna nodded and walked off to make the call, Serenity looked at Phoenix and Nico in amazement. “Thank you,” she whispered softly. “Thank you so much.” Snuggling back into Phoenix, she clung to him as tears slipped down her cheeks. She had never thought that she might really be free of Malcolm someday. Serenity had accepted the fact that she might always be running from him. Now she had real hope that freedom was near. Well, freedom from Malcolm anyway. She would worry about the General another day.

  Chapter 22

  That night Hunter surprised everyone by insisting he wanted to have a sleepover in Lily’s room. They made up a bed for him on her floor; the children were so tired they fell asleep within minutes.

  While Serenity was getting ready for bed, Phoenix went to check with the enforcers guarding the perimeter around Nico and Jenna’s home. When Phoenix was done, he made his way down the hall to the room he and Serenity would share. Opening the door, he quietly slipped inside. Gazing at Serenity snuggled under the covers, he silently shut the door. When he noticed her shoulders were bare and peeking out from under the comforter, Phoenix groaned. Bare, beautiful shoulders...wait, there were no straps of any kind. Holy shit, was she naked? “Serenity?” he questioned softly.

  “Come here, Phoenix,” Serenity demanded. “I’m tired of waiting. I need my mate.” Phoenix’s breath caught in his chest as she pushed the covers down past her chest. Her bare chest with the full perfect breasts that fit perfectly in his hands. The nipples that he loved to tease with his tongue and suck into his mouth. “I want to see you, Phoenix,” she moaned as she reached up and cupped her own breasts, playing with the nipples. The phoenix necklace lay between them and it was like she was wearing his mark. It was hot as hell!

  Phoenix shrugged his shirt off and started undoing the button on his jeans as he moved towards Serenity. “No briefs?” she teased as he slid down the zipper and slipped the pants off. Phoenix shook his head. “Too constricting,” he ground out before he reached down and ripped the covers off the bed. As Serenity’s eyes widened, Phoenix was on the bed and covering her with his body within seconds. Leaning down, he slowly traced her lips with his tongue and pushed his way inside her mouth. She tasted like fucking heaven.

  Growling, Serenity reached up and raked her nails down his back. Phoenix pulled back when he felt her fangs graze his lips. Serenity watched him though eyes that had gone pure wolf. There was no way she was going to wait for foreplay.

  Serenity pushed him over onto his back and straddled him. Reaching down, she grabbed hold of his cock and stroked once, twice. Oh shit, Phoenix thought, this was going to be fast. Serenity rose up on her knees and slid his cock into her hot, wet heat, slowly pushing down on top of him. “Mine,” she growled. “Mine.” Then she started moving, slowly at first and then faster and faster.

  Jesus, he wasn’t going to last. He could feel his orgasm building. “Mine,” she growled again. Grabbing a hand full of her hair, he yanked her mouth to his shoulder, shuddering when he felt her bite down. Phoenix shouted as he came, unable to hold back.

  Serenity pulled his head down to her shoulder, and not thinking twice, he bit down. His teeth weren’t as sharp as hers, but they got the job done. He felt her clench tightly around him as she came. He felt the bond Nico had told him about slipping into place. It was like their souls were merging together and becoming one. Perfect, absolutely perfect. Finally everything felt right in his life.

  Sighing, he pulled Serenity on top of him, snuggling her close. As he slipped into sleep, Phoenix vowed to himself that he would keep Serenity safe at all cost. She was the most important thing in his life. He was not going to lose her.

  Chapter 23

  Serenity woke up to a hand running up her thigh, past her waist, then cupping her breast. “I fucking love these,” Phoenix growled as he lightly squeezed it before rubbing his thumb over the nipple. Serenity gasped at the sensations that flooded her body. Leaning down, Phoenix licked the nipple, nibbled lightly using his teeth, and then sucked it all the way into his mouth. When he was done with that breast, he moved on to the next one, lavishing it with just as much attention as he had the first.

  “Oh God,” Serenity moaned, her body shaking. Fire was igniting in her veins and she needed Phoenix in her now. “I want you, Phoenix, please,” she begged, arching into his mouth.

  “You know what I want?” Phoenix rasped around her nipple. Shaking her head frantically, Serenity moaned loudly. “Hush, Beauty,” he whispered. “We aren’t alone. Everyone else is in the kitchen eating breakfast.”

  Serenity’s eyes widened as she remembered where they were. She tried to push his head away from her breast, but he just chuckled. “Back to what I want,” he continued. “I want to taste every inch of your gorgeous body, all the way down to your delectable tiny toes. But since we don’t have time for that, I’m gonna do this instead.” Grabbing her by the hips he flipped her over onto her stomach. Serenity gasped as she felt his tongue tracing the phoenix tattoo on her back, starting at its head on her shoulder and moving down to the feather right above her tail bone. “You are so fucking sexy, Serenity,” he groaned. “I want to kiss and lick you from top to bottom.”

  Phoenix slipped a hand down her back and up over her ass, sliding it around onto her stomach, he continued to move down more until he found her clit and began rubbing it. He kissed his way slowly back up to the top of the tattoo. Serenity ground against his hand until he moved and slipped two fingers inside of her. “Please, Phoenix,” she begged. “I want you inside of me. I need you to claim me again.”

  Phoenix pulled her onto her knees and positioned himself behind her. Grabbing her hips, he pushed himself as deep as he could go inside her slick heat. Serenity loved the way they fit together, and as soon as he stopped to give her time to adjust, she started pushing back against him. She didn’t want to wait. She wanted him to move now. Growling, Phoenix
grabbed a fist full of her hair, pulling her head back as he quickened his thrusts.

  “Tell me you’re mine,” he demanded as he thrust harder into her. “Yours,” she panted. “I’m yours, Phoenix.” Pulling her head to one side, Phoenix leaned down and bit her again on her shoulder, in the same spot he had marked the night before. She bit down on her lip to keep from screaming as he slammed harder and harder into her. Serenity’s orgasm came on fast and she came, crying out his name. With one last thrust, Phoenix finished inside of her. The stayed like that for a moment trying to catch their breath. Then Phoenix slowly untangled his hand from her hair and dropped to the bed beside her, pulling her so she lay across his chest. He loved holding her like this.

  Softly stroking her hair, he whispered, “I think we better have a talk, Serenity. I should have asked you some questions last night before you claimed me, but I wasn’t thinking clearly. All I could think about was being balls deep in you.”

  Pulling back to look at him, Serenity raised her eyebrows. “What do you want to know?”

  Kissing her softly, he pulled her back down in his arms and held her close. “I never asked what happens to me now that we’re mated. “ As she looked at him in confusion, he continued. “Do I stay human? Do I turn into a werewolf? I know you don’t age very quickly. When I’m ninety, how will we be together when you still look like you’re thirty? I should have asked Nico these things, but I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

  Serenity looked at him in shock. “I have no idea, Phoenix,” she told him. “We weren’t allowed to mate with humans in my pack. If someone found their fated mate and they were human, our Alpha wouldn’t allow them to complete the bond. He made them choose someone from our pack to mate with instead. If they refused, he killed the human.”

  Phoenix stared at her in confusion. “I don’t understand. I thought you couldn’t be with anyone else once you found your fated mate? That you were drawn to them and only them? Nico said that once he saw Jenna, that was it for him. He only gets hard for her. And personally, I can’t think of anyone but you, Serenity. You consume my thoughts.” Serenity blushed with pleasure at his words.

  “You can as long as you haven’t bonded with them, yet. So no biting, no sex. But it’s hard. And they go through life feeling like a piece of them is missing. If they have already bonded, there is no way to tear them apart. The healer of my old pack tried to get me to heal a woman once because she had found her mate, but the alpha forbade them to be together because he was human. The pack couldn’t figure out why she couldn’t just move on and find someone more fitting. There wasn’t anything wrong with her physically, which meant there wasn’t anything to heal. I tried because it was expected of me, but there was nothing I could do. The enforcers ended up killing both of them. The Alpha refused to contaminate the bloodlines. He only wanted pure wolves in his pack.”

  “The Alpha killed two innocent people just because the man was human? And his son has been stalking you for years? What kind of fucked up pack do you come from, Serenity?”

  Serenity blanched, moving out of Phoenix’s arms and off the bed. This was what she had been afraid of. Phoenix finding out all of her secrets and then not wanting her anymore. But before she could get far, he was beside her and pulling her into his arms.

  “Hush, Beauty,” he whispered. “That was your pack, not you. You are a kind, sweet, giving woman who has been through hell and back. You’re mine and there isn’t anything in the world I wouldn’t do for you. Don’t ever feel for a minute that I think badly of you because of the way you were raised, or because of what you went through after you escaped your pack, or when you were held against your will by the General. You are one of the strongest women I know, Serenity. Own that, baby. Screw everyone else and what they think.”

  A sob escaped Serenity’s throat as she sagged into Phoenix’s arms. “I’m not strong.” She insisted. “I’m scared to death, Phoenix. Scared of Malcolm somehow finding me and taking control of my mind, scared of the General’s men tracking me down and taking me again, but most of all I’m scared of losing you.” Once she started crying, she could not stop. She had held everything in for so long, hiding her feelings and emotions from others. But Phoenix wouldn’t let her hide. She cried for the young girl she used to be, she cried for the woman she had become, and she cried for the unknown future ahead. And through the whole thing, Phoenix just held her, gently stroking her hair and whispering how much he cared for her and how special she was.

  When it seemed the worst of Serenity’s tears had passed, Phoenix cupped her head in his palms and tilted it up making her look directly into his eyes. “No one is ever going to take you from me, Serenity. You remember that. If it were to happen, there isn’t anywhere on this earth that I couldn’t find you. We’ve bonded. Our souls are one. And with our gifts, we will always be able to find each other.”

  Serenity gasped as she realized that he was right. They were one now. She would always be able to contact him if she needed him. Smiling, she whispered into his mind, I adore you, my mate. Phoenix kissed her, then turning her around he lightly swatted her on the butt. “Go take a shower. I’m starving.” Laughing, she went to do what she was told. Phoenix loved to give orders, but she didn’t mind taking them as long as they were from him.

  After a quick shower, Serenity got dressed and went looking for Phoenix. She found him in the kitchen with Jenna, the children, and all of the RARE team members, along with Angel’s daughter, Jade. RARE was there to come up with a plan to remove Malcolm from Serenity’s life forever. But even though she was excited at the thought of being rid of Malcolm, there was a feeling of foreboding that wouldn’t leave her.

  Chapter 24

  Angel laughed and joked with everyone around Nico and Jenna’s kitchen table, but inside she was miserable. She wished she had never bitten Chase. Before it had been difficult being away from him, but now it was next to impossible. She could not eat, could not sleep. She was reunited with her daughter and she should be the happiest woman on earth. Instead, all Angel could think about was Chase and how much she missed him and wanted to be near him. Last night she had almost broken down and went to see him and the girls, Hope and Faith. She missed them, too. Having Jade back in her life didn’t change how she felt about the girls. They were still hers; at least she wanted them to be. Angel had not been able to visit them in days. In her defense, she had been trying to rescue Rikki and Serenity. Hope and Faith would not understand that, though.

  God, she needed Chase. This sucked. She should have run far and fast when she realized what they were to each other. Angel did not want a mate now any more than she had a month ago, but it looked like she did not have a choice. Her wolf had taken away all options when she claimed Chase as her own.

  Closing her eyes, Angel took a deep breath, trying to calm down and center herself. As she did, she felt her daughter’s calming presence fill her and peace spread throughout her body. All Omegas had the ability to calm others and make them feel at peace. With Jade near, Angel felt she could get through this. For now, she just had to keep away from Chase. She had to concentrate on her daughter and her work. She would do this.

  The front door opened and Chase’s scent enveloped her, making Angel want to grab him and finish the mate bond. Angel’s mate was near and her wolf wanted him. Suddenly she heard a squeal. Turning toward the kitchen door, she had just enough time to push her chair back from the table before a little girl was launching herself into Angel’s arms. Angel held on tightly until Faith started squirming to be let down. Then it was Hope’s turn.

  “I’ve missed you both so much,” she told them, smiling through her tears. Hope reached up and wiped them away before leaning in and kissing her sweetly on the cheek. “We missed you, too, but Chase said you were rescuing some special people. Just like you did us. He said that we would be able to see you when you were done.”

  “That’s right, sweetie. Rikki and Serenity were taken by some bad guys and we had to go get them back.” Angel
pulled both of the girls back into her arms and snuggled them close. Looking up at Chase, she smiled. But the smile was quickly wiped off her face when she saw the indifferent mask on his. Ignoring her, he walked over to the counter and started filling some plates for Faith and Hope. Angel’s wolf whined and once again she felt Jade’s calming presence filling her as Jade felt Angel’s anxiety and tried to soothe her. Unfortunately, this time it was not helping.

  “Who’s this?” Jade asked with a gentle smile on her face. Jade was a kind and sweet wolf, Angel was figuring out. She had not realized Jade was an omega wolf when she was younger, but now it was obvious. Jade was sending calming vibes to everyone in the room. Unfortunately, Jade was not exactly calm herself. She was worried about Trace and was trying to deal with all of the new people in her life. Angel and Jade had spent the night getting to know one another, and Angel was very proud of the woman Jade had become. With everything she had been through, Angel was shocked that Jade was so compassionate and good natured. She could easily have become bitter and resentful.

  “This is Faith and Hope,” Angel told her. “I told you about them last night. My little sweethearts.” Chase put the girls’ plates down at the table then, without a backward glance, turned and walked out of the room.

  Yep, this was definitely a craptastic moment. Settling the girls into their own seats, she stood up to follow Chase. “Girls, this is Jade, my daughter. Jade, will you please help them while I go talk with Chase?”

  “Of course,” Jade told her. “Go fix this.” Angel nodded once and stalked out of the room. Dammit, she knew she had messed up, but this was ridiculous. Chase was going to talk to her whether he wanted to or not. She found him in the living room gazing out the window, hands clenched into fists at his sides. He did not acknowledge her presence when she walked in, so she moved to his side and stood silently trying to figure out what to say. She had messed up big time and, somehow, needed to fix it.