Phoenix's Fate (RARE Series, #2)

by Dawn Sullivan

  “And I’m in?” Flame asked excitedly. “You’re in on the meeting. I can’t tell you if you are in on anything else. I don’t know. Bran’s going to be there, too.” Flame stiffened, but kept silent. “It’s alright,” Rikki told her. “Angel already put him in his place and Chase backed her up. When Angel is ready to bring you on, Bran will go back to being Chase’s beta.”

  “And Bran was ok with that?” Flame asked. “I find that hard to believe. He has already made his opinion clear. Loudly. I am to stay at home and be the meek little mate while he goes out and kills all the bad guys. Screw that. That is not me. If that’s what Bran wants, he can go find a new mate. I don’t have time for one now anyway.” Turning back around to face the target, Flame picked up her gun and quickly unloaded the clip. Lowering the gun back down, she pulled in the paper target. With a satisfied smile, she showed it to Rikki and Jade. There was a huge hole right in the middle of the bullseye.

  “Perfect,” Rikki grinned widely. “Looks like you just need to get a little pissed off. Oh, and for the record, Flame, Bran can’t find a new mate. You are it for him. Shifters are given one true mate, a soul mate. If you reject him, he won’t find another. Hell, I don’t even think he can have sex with another woman now that he’s found you. I could ask him, though. It’s been a while since I’ve been with a man and Bran is fine. Maybe we could....”

  Before she could finish the sentence, Flame had her down on the ground with an elbow slammed into her neck, murder in her eyes. Rikki wrapped her legs around Flame’s and quickly flipped her over, holding her down. “Maybe you should think about that reaction before you so casually toss aside your mate.” Jumping up, Rikki motioned for Jade to follow her and hooked another target up, sending it out for Jade to practice.

  “Come on, Flame,” Rikki said, not bothering to turn around. “Get off your ass and string up another target. Let’s get busy. Then we will work on your takedown technique.” She knew she had pissed Flame off, but she didn’t really give a shit. The woman needed to wake up and see what was right in front of her before she lost it. Rikki was happy to be the one to beat some sense into her. She was looking forward to hand-to-hand combat training.

  Chapter 27

  Everyone was at Angel’s when Phoenix and Serenity arrived. They had spent the day shopping for clothes for Serenity and Hunter and moving Phoenix’s things into their new home. Chase had sent two enforcers to shadow them, which had made Phoenix feel safe enough to take his little family off compound for a couple of hours. Hunter was thrilled with his new room and excited to live with Phoenix and Serenity.

  Serenity had loved every minute of the day until it came time to drop Hunter off to Jenna and Jade, at which time reality set in. She had been playing house, and now they were going to a meeting to plan out the best way to hunt down and kill a guy. Even though Malcolm had made Serenity’s life a living hell for several years, actually planning a death did not sit well with her. She could kill in a do-or-die situation, but premeditated murder was wrong.

  Entering Angel’s home through the porch area, they walked through the kitchen and down the stairs to the basement. At the bottom of the stairs, was a room where everyone was seated around a large table. Serenity was so upset when she entered the room that she forgot to block the thoughts coming from the others. They all hit her at once.

  Chase was pissed because Angel had bitten him and started the bonding process. Angel was pissed at herself for the same reason. Bran was pissed that Flame was in the room. Flame was pissed because Bran was angry that she was there. Rikki was pissed at Flame for being an idiot and rejecting her mate. Serenity could not handle it all at once. All of the anger slammed into her and she lost it. “Shut up! Everyone shut the fuck up!”

  Surprised, the team turned in her direction. Phoenix put his arm around her as he looked at her in confusion. Taking a deep breath, Serenity closed her eyes and slowly built the wall in her mind, effectively blocking out everyone’s thoughts.

  Once she was able to function again, she walked over to the far side of the table and sat down in one of the available chairs. “Sorry about that. There was so much anger in the room, I lost control of my shields. I’m ok now.”

  “Anger?” Phoenix asked. “No one’s angry, Serenity.” Closing her eyes against a developing headache, Serenity whispered, “They are all angry with each other for different reasons. It just got to me. It was too much all at once.”

  “She’s right,” Angel ground out. “There is a lot of anger in this room. It’s coming from almost all of us. With our gift, if we drop our shields, that much emotion would be painful. Get it under control, people. Jaxson, we need to focus on something else. Tell me what you got.”

  “I have good news and bad news. After Serenity left, to put it mildly, Malcolm went nuts. He tried to leave and look for Serenity immediately, but his dad wanted him representing the pack at some summit meeting. He told Malcolm to stand down and they would find Serenity after the pack business was handled. Malcolm killed his father in a fit of anger and took off, leaving his pack without an Alpha. One of the enforcers took over as acting Alpha until Malcolm could come back and claim the position. Malcolm never returned and the enforcer couldn’t hold the pack together. The shifter council had to step in. They disbanded the pack and placed the wolves with other packs in the area. Malcolm was never found. I can’t find any trace of him on my end either. He is completely off the grid.”

  “At least we don’t have to worry about her old pack hunting her down,” Phoenix said, “but why isn’t there anything out there on Malcolm? It doesn’t make sense. You’re the best at what you do, Jaxson. If it was out there, you would have found it.”

  “Maybe he’s living as a homeless person?” Nico responded. “Then he wouldn’t have any credit cards to track, no car payments or rent.”

  “That’s not it,” Chase told them. “If he’s gone off the grid, it means we are dealing with a rogue wolf. He’s living primarily in his wolf form. Hunting, fishing, tracking as a wolf. And he has no alpha to keep him in line.”

  “Shit,” Bran cursed. “If that’s the case, he is going to be more dangerous than we originally thought. If he considers Serenity his mate, he will continue tracking her until he finds her, which is going to bring him here. We need to be prepared.”

  “So that’s the plan? We just sit on our asses and wait for him to come to us?” Flame said sarcastically.

  “You got a better one?” Angel asked her.

  “Well, yeah. Have Serenity connect with him and find out where he is. And then we hunt him. Why sit and wait for him to get the jump on us?”

  “No fucking way,” Phoenix growled. “There’s no fucking way Serenity is connecting with that bastard.”

  “It’s the only way, Phoenix,” Serenity said, the fear evident in her voice. “Flame’s right. If we sit here and wait for Malcolm to come to us, that makes all of us vulnerable. If I can find out where he is, then we can track him.”

  “And what if he turns it around on you, Serenity?” Phoenix demanded. “What if he takes control of you when you connect with him?”

  “That’s not going to happen. I’m going to slip in undetected, get the information we need, and slip back out. He won’t even know I was there. I’m strong now Phoenix. I have been perfecting my gift for years now. I can do this.” Reaching out, Serenity placed a hand on Phoenix’s arm, squeezing lightly. “I can do this for us, for our pack. I couldn’t live with myself if someone else got hurt because of me.”

  “Phoenix,” Flame said. “Serenity won’t be going in alone. I’ll go in with her. With our abilities combined, we will be strong enough to hide our presence from Malcolm.”

  “The fuck you will,” Bran yelled. Getting up he turned and slammed a fist through the wall. Growling, he turned back to Flame and ordered, “You aren’t going anywhere near that fucker’s head.”

  “What?” Flame retorted defiantly. “You expect her to do it on her own? It’s ok for her to do it,
but not for anyone to be there to support her? Screw that. I’m a strong telepathic. It’s one of the reasons the General wanted me.”

  Pacing the floor, Bran growled louder. “If both of you merge with Malcolm won’t it be easier for him to tell that you are there? I don’t know much about this psychic bullshit, but I would think that the more people in his head, he would be able to detect it.”

  “No,” Flame told him. “That’s not how it works. Basically, I will be piggybacking off Serenity’s link. I will be there to help her hold the connection without giving away our presence and to help strengthen her gift. She will be in control.”

  “But you will be safe?” Bran questioned. “I have a huge problem with this Flame. I’m trying to get on board, but I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  “We will be fine, Bran,” Flame promised. “We are strong, capable women, and we can do this. Trust me.”

  Swallowing hard, Bran nodded and moved to stand behind Flame, placing his back against the wall. If he could not talk her out of this crazy plan, then he would be nearby to support her.

  “I still have a problem with this,” Phoenix insisted. “It is my mate who is actually going into that sick bastard’s mind. It is my mate who could get caught in there.”

  “We need to do it, Phoenix. We need to stop him before he hurts someone else. I can do this. I can track him and find him. I can beat him at his own game.”

  Taking a deep breath, he nodded once and leaned down to kiss her softly on the lips. “I know you can, Serenity. You are one of the strongest people I know.”

  Smiling at him, Serenity said, “Ok Flame, I’m ready.” Flame came around to Serenity’s left side, Angel moved to stand on her right. As Serenity looked up at Angel in surprise, Angel shook her head. “I am not going to let the two of you enter that asshole’s mind alone. Let’s do this.”

  Concentrating, Serenity closed her eyes and merged with Angel and Flame. She had never attempted anything like this before and was shocked at the amount of energy that flowed through her from the other women. As soon as she felt confident that she would not give herself away to Malcolm, she went hunting.

  It took her several long minutes to connect with Malcolm. She had never before tried to connect with him; he was the one who always sought her out. And, she was trying to go slow enough that he didn’t detect her presence. Suddenly she was inside his mind. It was a vile and hateful place, and without the added support of Angel and Flame, she would have left immediately. As Serenity sifted through Malcolm’s thoughts to try and figure out where he was, she realized he was in his wolf form and was stalking prey. At first she didn’t recognize the area. The land did not look familiar. But then she heard Jade’s laughter. Malcolm was in the compound. Somehow he had found her and he was inside the compound.

  Looking through his eyes she saw Jade pushing Lily in a swing up on a hill. Hope, Faith and Hunter were playing nearby while Jenna was laying out a snack for everyone on a blanket. As Malcolm stalked closer to Jade and Lily, Serenity screamed and broke the connection.

  “Oh my God,” Angel cried. “We have to get to the compound now.” As she ran for the door she cried over her shoulder, “Chase, call your enforcers and send them to where that picnic area is with the swing. That area where Nico and Jenna like to take Lily. Malcolm’s there! He’s after Jade, Jenna and the kids.” As the team raced to their vehicles, Chase placed a frantic call to his head enforcer, Slade, to fill him in.

  Chapter 28

  Jade was pushing Lily on the swing, laughing as Lily giggled and demanded, “Higher, higher.” It was so nice to be free. With the exception of the first four years of her life, Jade had been the General’s prisoner and had only seen the outdoors when she was being taken to and from the hole. Never had she seen a sky so blue, or grass so green. It was breathtaking and peaceful. She wasn’t stupid enough to think she was completely safe. The General was still out there, and he was looking for her. But for now, she was happy and at peace.

  Suddenly, Jade realized they were no longer alone. She felt the anger of another wolf slowly seep into her body, and knew they were all in trouble. Jade had no idea who the wolf was, but he was there for one purpose only, to kill. She had to protect the kids. Grabbing the swing, she pulled it to a stop and slipped Lily off. “Go to your mama now,” she ordered pushing her towards Jenna.

  “Jenna!” she screamed. “Get the kids out of here now!” Whirling around, Jade quickly changed into her wolf. Hackles raised, she growled loudly at the wolf stalking towards her. He would not get near those children. Jade was vaguely aware of Jenna and the kids were running down the hill toward the center of the compound. As the wolf tried to lunge past Jade, she bared her teeth and lunged at his shoulder. Jade had never been in a fight before, and she knew she did not have a chance in hell of winning. But she was going to do some damage and keep the wolf distracted until help go there.

  Jade fought him with everything she had, but it was not enough. A few minutes later, she lay gasping on the ground. She was covered in blood from the gashes left from his teeth and claws. She also had several broken bones. The wolf had his jaws locked around her neck and all it would take was one quick jerk to end her life. She tried to send him calming vibes, but it wasn’t working. He had gone wild. Trace, she whispered in her mind. I am so sorry, Trace.

  Suddenly the wolf let go of her throat with a low growl, and backed away shaking its head in confusion. Growling, he dug at his ears with his paw. Jade was too weak to even raise her head, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw enforcers running up the hill towards them. The wild wolf took off, with several of the enforcers chasing him.

  One of the enforcers knelt beside Jade, slowly gathering her up in his arms. She panted through the pain as tears leaked out of her eyes. “It’s ok, sweet wolf,” he told her. “I’m taking you to Doc Josie right now. She will fix you right up.”

  Jade slowly closed her eyes and let herself lose consciousness, trusting he would take care of her.

  Chapter 29

  The vehicles tore through the compound gates and screeched to a halt outside the hospital. Slade had been in contact with Chase and filled him in on what had happened with Jade and the other wolf. The minute the SUV stopped, Angel was out, up the hospital stairs and through the doors. Following Jade’s scent, she went straight to the room where Doc Josie was examining her. Jade was still in wolf form. She was the most beautiful white wolf Angel had ever seen.

  Hesitantly, Angel stroked Jade’s head. She was afraid to touch her. Jade was covered in blood and it made it hard to see where she had been hurt. She slowly opened her eyes and whined softly. Then she closed her eyes, losing consciousness.

  “Doc Josie, talk to me,” Angel whispered. “Is my daughter going to be ok?

  “She is in a lot of pain.” The pack doctor told her gently. “That wolf roughed her up good. There are lacerations and broken bones all over her body, and she is so weak. He almost killed her, Angel. I honestly don’t know what is holding her to us.”

  As tears fell down Angel’s face, she felt an arm go around her waist. Leaning into her mate’s chest she cried. “I just got her back, Chase. I can’t lose her again.”

  “You are not going to lose her,” Serenity promised as she walked into the room. “I’m going to save her.” Moving over next to Jade’s bed, Serenity gently stroked the fur around her ears.

  “Thank you,” Angel said on a sob. “I saw what it did to you when you healed Phoenix. You were out for days. I know how much it hurts you, but I’m not going to ask you to stop. Please, save my baby.”

  “I will,” Serenity vowed. “I brought this hell to your door. It is because of me that Jade is lying there in so much pain. I will fix this.”

  Phoenix slipped his arms around Serenity, adding his strength to hers. “My mate is strong, Angel. She’s proved that. I believe in her. She can do this.” Serenity looked gratefully up at him, love shining in her eyes. “Let’s do this Beauty.”

&
nbsp; Turning back to Jade, Serenity gently placed her hands on Jade, and, taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes. Jade’s body suddenly jerked up and off the bed. Her eyes snapped open and she howled loudly. Frantically, she tried to move away from Serenity’s hands, but Serenity was not letting go. It was because of her that this sweet, innocent woman was in pain in the first place. It was because of her that she lay there near death. Serenity was fixing this.

  Jade howled in pain again and then passed out. Everyone in the room watched in awe as the lacerations slowly started to close. Inside Jade, her broken bones were knitting back together, causing even more pain.

  Once Serenity was sure she had fixed everything she could, she slowly removed her hands from Jade, and fell back against Phoenix. “That was bad, Phoenix,” she moaned as the pain took over her body. “She was so broken. I need to rest. Make sure they keep an eye out for Malcolm. He will be back. He never gives up.” As Phoenix scooped her up in his arms, she whispered, “I love you, my Phoenix.” With that Serenity passed out.

  “Let’s get her in a room,” Doc Josie said. “I will make her feel as comfortable as I can right now.” Moving out of the room she snapped orders to the nurses for a regular hospital room to be set up for Serenity immediately and to bring pain medicine.

  As Phoenix carried Serenity past Angel, she told him, “You take care of your mate, Phoenix. I owe her. I will return the favor. When she wakes up, tell her thank you. Thank you so much.” Phoenix nodded and left to take care of Serenity.

  Angel looked at Jade, and as she watched, Jade slowly shifted back into her human form. Angel flinched at all the bruised and marked up flesh that was slowly healing. Walking over, she tucked a blanket up over her daughter’s battered body and leaned in, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. Sitting on the side of the bed, Angel sang softly to Jade. She was aware that Chase was still in the room, but she didn’t take her attention away from Jade. She had not able to be there for her the past twenty years, she was going to be here now.