Forever Burning

by Evi Asher

  “I didn’t come here to listen to you talk bullshit, Archer. Hand her over, and I’ll let the rest of you live.” Her voice was glacial, and a white light had started forming in her clenched fists.

  Erik stepped past Archer. “Scarlet has become a phoenix. She’s been taken to their realm, so stop your bullshit and leave, before we kill you where you stand.”

  “A phoenix?” Jasmine’s eyes glinted with greed.

  Archer took a menacing step forward. “Hold up—what do you know about phoenix?”

  Jasmine answered his question with one of her own. “Can I speak with you in private, Archer?”

  Archer waited, expecting her to rub her hands in glee. What had become of the sweet angel that had once dated Dimi?

  “No, whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of everyone.”

  “Very well. I know about the phoenix, and about their realm, and I can get you there.”

  Archer was stunned into silence for a moment. “What?”

  “You heard me. I can get to their realm, but I need your help. I can’t get there without you.”

  “I don’t know how to get there.” He folded his arms again. She was up to something, and he had a feeling it was more than getting her hands on Scarlet.

  “I smell her all over you, Archer. Do you think I’m an idiot?”

  He leveled a flat stare at Jasmine. “So. What.” Archer enunciated each word, putting emphasis on them.

  “You have a connection to her, and with that, I can open a doorway between the planes and we can fetch her.”

  “Don’t even think about it, Archer. Nothing good can come from that suggestion. This one is pure evil,” Tate said from just behind Archer.

  Heath nodded his head in agreement. “It would be a deal with the devil.”

  “You.” Jasmine narrowed her eyes at Heath. “You and I have unfinished business.”

  “That’s debatable, little devil. I’m done with you and your ilk.”

  She clenched her teeth and turned to Archer. “I suspect that Scarlet is mated to you, so I know that sooner or later, you are going to come begging me to go get her. As for me wanting her? You can have Scarlet. I’ll take another phoenix for my purposes. Think on it. You have my number.”

  She waved her hand dramatically and disappeared in the white light.

  “She’s such a drama queen.” Erik quipped in a fake effeminate accent.

  As a group, they turned, and in unison said, “Shut up, Erik.”

  Archer was tempted, Jasmine’s words playing on a loop in his head. She wouldn’t take Scarlet. He could have his She back.

  Heath was regarding Archer with a thoughtful expression.

  “There is another way, Arch, so don’t even go there.”

  “What. I didn’t say anything,” Archer snapped.

  “I don’t need my precognitive abilities to see what you were thinking. You didn’t have to say it.” He put his hand on Archer’s shoulder. “We know you want her back, and we will help you get her back—Jasmine, she’s bad news.”

  A chorus of, Yeah and of course we will and you bet your ass came from the rest of the group.

  “Where do we start?” Archer felt good about the support, but still a little lost. He wanted Scarlet back now.

  “We go back and do some research like we said we were going to do,” Tate said with a smile. “So get your ass behind the SUV’s wheel. The sooner we are motoring it, the sooner we’ll get back to Crossroads.”

  He turned and walked towards the Impala, stopping to take the keys out of the trunk where Zane had left them. “Let’s go, everyone.”

  By the time they pulled into the underground garage under the Outsiders Inc.’s building, it was late afternoon.

  Everyone was tired, and more than a few of them were bleeding from the skirmish they’d had with Jasmine’s forces.

  Archer felt as if he was functioning in zombie mode, and his beast was strangely quiet.

  Heath got out first, and went around to the trunk of the Impala to open it for Zane. The vampire exited with a groan and stretched his tall body. “Never, ever again,” he said, giving the trunk a dark look.

  “We’ll make sure we have some industrial strength sun block with us next time.” Heath’s lips twitched.

  Zane transferred his dirty look to Heath. “Ha-frigging-ha.”

  “Grab your stuff. Time to face the music.” Tate pulled a green duffel bag out of the back of the Impala, slung it over his shoulder, and started walking towards the elevator. Then he turned to look at Archer. “Dude, you look like someone kicked, ran over, then cremated your puppy.”

  “Shut up, Tate. I’m coming, okay?” Archer grabbed his duffel and walked past Tate, the others following. The mood was subdued, and Archer had a feeling it was because of him. So, as he passed Tate, he bumped him and said, “You only want me to go first ‘cause you are scared of big-bad-Dimi.”

  Tate released a bark of laughter. “Damn skippy.”

  They filled into the elevator, which was a tight squeeze, but they managed to fit and Zane pulled down the grating and hit the button to take them up.

  When they reached the reception area, they were greeted with, “About bloody time.”

  Poe unfolded himself from behind the reception desk, a big grin plastered on his face, and walked over to open the elevator for them. “You suck at keeping a vampire updated,” he told Archer as he straightened. “And the point of owning a cell phone is to bloody well answer it.”

  “I was too busy to deal with cell phone calls, Poe, so stop pouting.”

  That got him a dirty look and a raised eyebrow. “I see you’ve brought the other chapter of Outsiders with you.” Poe then greeted everyone as they exited the elevator.

  “And you.” Poe cuffed Zane across the back of the head as Zane walked past him. “You just up and disappear, and leave me holding the reception baby.”

  “Hey.” Zane swung around and glared at Poe. “Archer needed me. You work here, too, so it didn’t kill you, did it?”

  “I’m already dead, you dork, but if I wasn’t, it might just have.”

  “What the hell is going on here?” Dimi’s voice boomed across the reception, and Archer nearly grinned when Tate flinched.

  “Now, Dimi, try to stay calm.”

  A vein on Dimi’s temple started to pulse. “You are supposed to be in Mayborn. What are you doing here?”

  “Well, you see there is a problem with the headquarters in Mayborn.” Tate scrunched up his eyes.

  “What’s the problem?” The vein pulsed faster.

  “There is no headquarters in Mayborn anymore.”

  “What?”

  “That was so three weeks ago.” Erik shrugged. “We had a run-in with Jasmine’s crew and they took the place out.”

  Erik’s butting in only made matters worse when Dimi bellowed, “Jasmine?”

  “Where is the pyro?” When no one answered immediately, Dimi growled, “I want a full explanation for all of this, and you are all going to give it to me now.”

  Archer sighed and dropped his head back. “Dimi, please, just breathe. I don’t have the strength for demon histrionics right now.”

  Dimi’s skin started turning a violent shade of red.

  Tate hissed out for Archer’s ears alone. “That didn’t help, Archer.”

  Archer pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m too tired for this.”

  “Screw tired. Debriefing, now.” Dimi spun and strode towards the living room.

  Poe jumped over the reception desk, and hit a switch. “I’m not missing a moment of this.”

  Dimi took the center of the floor and pointed at the furniture. “Sit, and start talking.”

  Archer sank down into an armchair, exhaustion making his bones feel like rubber. He let his head fall back on the back of the armchair.

  The rest of the Outsiders found seats while Dimi remained standing.

  The big demon pinned them with a hard look in turns. “Someone needs
to start talking.”

  Tate cleared his throat. “Archer?”

  “Okay, let me start where you last saw us.”

  He sat forward in his chair, and told the story as it had happened. He left out his night with Scarlet in the forest, but told about the phoenix woman capturing her.

  When he’d finished speaking, there was a long silence from Dimi, then he went exactly where Archer had expected him to go.

  “So that bitch wants to become a goddess.” His voice was a low growl that made everybody in the room react as their hackles rose.

  Archer surged to his feet and grabbed the front of Dimi’s shirt, catching him off guard. He slammed Dimi’s back into the nearest wall, putting all his fury into the attack.

  “My She has been taken, and all you can think of is Jasmine. It’s about time you stop having a pity party about what she did, and get over her.”

  With a roar that made the windows vibrate and the Outsiders cover the ears, Dimi threw Archer back away from him, sending him flying over couches as the Outsiders scattered out of the way.

  Archer bowled over the armchair he’d been sitting on, but as soon as he hit the ground, he rolled, and was up on his feet again. He flew at Dimi, knocking the demon’s head back with a right hook and following it up with a hammering left to the demon’s gut.

  Dimi gave an Oomph as his wind was knocked out, but he threw his head back, grabbed Archer’s shirt and head-butted him across the bridge of his nose.

  Blood spurted as Archer’s nose broke. He ignored the crimson liquid pouring from his own, and jabbed at Dimi’s nose in return. Hearing a satisfying crunch, Archer ducked someone trying to grab him from behind, and grinned when Dimi’s nose bled all over his white shirt.

  “Dimitri, Archer, stop this!” Poe dove between them, his vampiric agility allowing him to duck war-hammer punches as they they threw them.

  He spread his legs and held his arms apart to try and separate the fighting Eternals, but Dimi barreled past him, tackling Poe to the ground, then hooking Archer’s knee and pulling him down so Dimi could crawl up to straddle Archer and throw another punch, snapping Archer’s face to the left.

  Archer lifted his legs, slamming them down on his feet and rolled his back. Throwing Dimi off him, he now had the advantage.

  He started to rain punches down on the demon, but someone hooked their arms around his shoulders and dragged him off Dimi, pushing Archer face-down on the floor and pinning him with a knee in the back.

  “Enough!” Tate’s voice roared through the room, stopping everyone mid motion.

  It was Heath that had Archer pinned to the floor, well, Heath and Zane.

  Erik, Poe, and Sophia were holding Dimi down. Tate stood in the middle of the mess his face flushed with anger.

  “We are not enemies, and I won’t stand here and watch you fight each other, because that’s exactly what Jasmine would want.”

  When Dimi growled at the name, Tate’s head snapped in his direction.

  “You!” He pointed a finger at Dimi. “Archer is right, so get over it, already. All she is to us right now is an enemy. So stop wallowing in the past.”

  Archer let a disdainful chuckle escape his lips.

  It caused Tate’s attention to focus on him. “And you.” Again, Tate pointed a finger. “Stop being such a dick. We will get Scarlet back. It’s not something you need to face on your own. So you can stop behaving like a child and man up.”

  He took turns looking at both men on the ground.

  “Can we let you up now? Will you behave like adults?”

  Archer nodded, and when Heath lifted his weight, Archer sat up slowly, wiping the blood from his nose and split lip.

  Dimi was still puffing out air, his demon form close to taking over, but he sat up and kept his distance from Archer.

  Tate dipped his head, and his shoulders relaxed a bit. “Good.”

  The others stepped back from where they’d been hovering, waiting for the fight to start again.

  “We’ve debriefed you, Dimi. Now, we all need some rest so we can face these problems with clear heads.”

  “Agreed,” Heath said. “We’ve been up too long and fighting too hard. Zane, when you get up, meet me in the library so we can start finding some answers.”

  Zane nodded. “Sure.”

  “Give Trinity a call,” Dimi rumbled. “She might know something more about phoenix lore than we do.”

  “I’ll do that,” Sophia volunteered.

  “We meet back here tomorrow evening and see what we’ve found out.” Tate turned and walked to the door. “Get some rest, and I’m not asking—I’m telling.”

  Chapter Seven

  Pacing like a caged animal in front of the windows, Scarlet fought the sense of frustration that crawled through her bones.

  “You are going to wear out the stone if you keep that up,” Ath said from her bed near the window.

  Scarlet stopped and turned to Ath. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”

  “The moon is full tonight,” Kell explained, and Scarlet drew in her breath.

  That was what the restlessness in her body was.

  “We haven’t been allowed out of the building the entire time I’ve been here, so how are they going to let us change and run?”

  “They aren’t,” was Ath’s succinct reply.

  “What?” Scarlet gaped in horror at the thought of being locked up.

  Two women opened the massive double doors of their bedroom and stepped in, which interrupted Scarlet’s query.

  “It is time,” one spoke in a throaty voice.

  “Time for what?” Scarlet was sick of taking orders from this bunch, and she was ready to rebel in a big way, but a warning look from Ath made her shut her mouth with a snap.

  Ath seemed to be trying to convey that now was not the time for them to act.

  Forcing her impatience into a mental box, Scarlet tried for an outward show of composure.

  “Come, lie on your bed. We are going to put your animal at rest for the duration of the moon.”

  The urge to argue was tantamount to undeniable. Her Lycan wanted nothing to do with someone shackling her in any form. It wanted to run. It missed Archer’s wolf with a sharp ache that matched Scarlet’s longing for her werewolf, and it wanted to run to escape that ache.

  Got news for you...don’t think that plan will work, Scarlet told her wolf, only to have it respond with a roar of denial.

  Scarlet suspected one of the women heard her inner creature’s roar, because she tilted her head and her eyes flashed emerald green.

  Be quiet. Scarlet breathed deep, hoping to quell her beast’s objections.

  “Come and lie on your bed,” the woman repeated. The other women in her room had each lain down on their backs, looking like a little row of coffin-bound corpses as they closed their eyes.

  “What are you going to do?” Scarlet asked, but then moved towards her bed.

  “Nothing that will harm you, child,” the second woman spoke, sounding as motherly as her words made her seem.

  “We will put you to sleep for the duration of the moon. That way, your beasts will be harnessed.”

  Scarlet felt a flash of a plan develop. “You mean everyone in the building goes to sleep during the full moon?”

  The motherly phoenix chuckled, and it was a warm sound.

  “No, dearest. Only those phoenix that are governed by the pull of the moon.”

  “There are some that aren’t?” Scarlet sat down on her bed, taking her time so she could pull some answers out of these women. She had the kernel of a plan forming in her mind.

  “Yes, some of us have animal forms that aren’t governed by the moon, and those are the ones that stand guard while the rest sleep.

  Damn, there goes that plan.

  Scarlet admitted momentary defeat, and lay down like the others, closing her eyes.

  “Sleep well, dearests.”

  Scarlet heard those last words before she dre
w herself down into a deep sleep where her wolf ran through her dreams.

  Scarlet woke refreshed as if she had slept for a month, not a night. Voices in a quiet argument had woken her and she stretched, then sat up.

  “You can’t show her that,” someone hissed.

  “Yes I can. She’s our ticket out of here, Angelica, and I’m sure I don’t need to remind you that if you don’t get out of here soon, you are going to find yourself bred and fat with some thrope’s spawn,” Ath hissed back.

  Scarlet cleared her throat. “I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but you were arguing about showing me something.”

  Angelica threw her hands up, and stomped off to the other side of the room.

  “You have awakened.” Ath smiled broadly. “Good, do you feel refreshed?”

  Scarlet gritted her teeth at the formality of Ath’s speech, then plastered a smile on her face. “Had weird dreams.”

  Dani snorted. “That would be the fever.”

  “Fever?” Scarlet asked with a frown.

  “Scarlet, I have a question to ask you, and you have to be completely honest with me, okay?” Ath moved closer to Scarlet’s bed and sat on the foot of it.

  “Okay, ask and I’ll answer honestly.” Scarlet was frowning again. She had a feeling this was leading somewhere serious, and that she wasn’t going to like the question.

  “Were you and Archer together?” The words spilled from Ath’s mouth in a rush.

  Scarlet’s frown deepened, drawing her brows down. “Yes I told you that he saved me from the enforcers. That’s how we met—”

  “No…” Ath let it trail off and paused for a breath. “Were you and Archer…Intimate?”

  Scarlet felt her cheeks turn red. “What has that got to do with anything?”

  Kell and Dani walked closer to the bed. “We suspect that Archer is your Wolf.”

  Scarlet was confused and it must have shown because Dani supplied an explanation. “We think Archer has mated you, that you are his She.”

  “What makes you think something ridiculous like that?” Scarlet remembered Archer talking about his She being someone else. She recalled the jealousy she felt because of it, and was even more embarrassed that these women thought that she might be Archer’s mate.