Forever Burning

by Evi Asher

  Sophia took her hand back and went to sit down. That was all the answer he got, and when he glanced over at Scarlet, she gave him a smile of encouragement.

  He smiled back at her, then turned to the room again. He explained what had happened, telling them everything, including the part about the weeping angel statue.

  When he glanced over at Dimitri, he saw the demon was crying. Archer pretended he hadn’t seen it when Dimi reached up and rubbed his face to hide the evidence of his emotion.

  “So, tonight you have to meet Jasmine at the cemetery to open a portal to the phoenix world?” Tate asked to clarify.

  Archer nodded.

  “It won’t work,” Ath spoke up and then blushed when everyone looked at her. “Sorry.”

  “No, don’t be sorry. You are part of this meeting, and your opinion is valued,” Dimitri said, and Ath nodded in response.

  “To open the tear, Jasmine needed Archer’s connection to Scarlet. Because Scarlet is his mate, it would have been strong enough…”

  Archer’s head snapped towards Scarlet to see what she thought of the revelation that she was his She-wolf. Scarlet looked at him but didn’t give anything away in her expression.

  Does she know?

  He almost missed the rest of what Ath was saying, so he focused on her, and decided to worry about what Scarlet thought of the situation later.

  “But Scarlet is on this plane now, so there is no connection, so Jasmine won’t be able to open a tear.”

  “That’s good news,” Tate said.

  “Yes it is,” Dani agreed.

  “No, you are all missing the point.” Archer went to sit next to Scarlet with a sigh.

  “Jasmine wants a phoenix, so her necromancer can enslave the phoenix, and she can become a goddess.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “There are four phoenixes in this plane right now. So we have to get rid of Jasmine before she gets her hands on one of you, and I think the best time to do that is tonight at the cemetery.”

  There were murmurs of agreement.

  “Then, we set up a trap for her. It’s about time someone did something about that evil bitch. Guess we are it,” Heath stated as he stood.

  “I’m going to the supply room. Let’s get weaponed up. We’ll work out logistics in the meantime.” Archer said.

  Dimi was the first person out of the living room and into the passage. His sudden bellow stopped everyone else before anyone could move.

  “Heath! Your dog left a present on my damn floor.”

  A grin split Heath’s face. “Tink is only a puppy, Dimi, so give him a break.”

  “How about I break you next time there is shit on my floors.”

  Heath laughed and left the room to clean Tinkerbelle’s mess.

  “We need to talk.” Archer leaned in and spoke close to Scarlet’s ear. When he saw goose bumps run up her neck, he suddenly felt the need to do more than talk, but he reined himself in and took her hand to lead her to her room.

  * * * *

  Scarlet let Archer lead her to her bedroom and pushed the door closed behind them. She was sure he was going to talk about the fact that he’d made her his mate without so much as a by your leave, or at the very least that what he was going to do was start kissing her and let things lead to more interesting things than kissing.

  What she wasn’t expecting was that he’d stop in the middle of her bedroom floor, turn to her and say, “Tonight when we go after Jasmine, you and the other phoenix have to stay here. I’m going to leave Heath here to stand guard, but it’s going to be up to you to keep the other phoenix from doing something stupid.”

  Scarlet was dumbstruck. For a moment, she didn’t have a response.

  He nodded as if he was pleased that she wasn’t arguing. “Good, Heath should be enough to—”

  “Who the fuck do you think you are?” The words burst from Scarlet’s mouth without her even thinking about it. “How dare you try and bench me for this.”

  Archer did a double take, then moved closer to her, placing his hands on her upper arms.

  “Scarlet, please.” He looked genuinely worried. “I

  don’t—”

  She stepped back, shrugging her upper arms out of his hands. “I don’t care what you do or don’t want.” She drew her brows down in anger.

  “You are a high handed asshole,” she spat out, feeling the urge to hit something.

  “Scar—”

  “Shut up,” she interrupted him again. “First, you go and marry us without even asking me. Now you are standing here, trying to tell me I’m not allowed to go up against a creature that threatens me and my race?”

  Archer opened his mouth, but Scarlet shut him down again by repeating her previous words.

  “Who the fuck do you think you are?”

  Archer’s body stiffened, and he took two steps forward. He loomed over her so that she had to crane her neck to see him, making her step back and find her back against the bedroom door.

  He reached up and caged her in, pinning her against the door with his body.

  “Let me out, you—”

  His mouth descended, and she tried to fight him off, but the force of his kiss melted her thoughts and turned her resistance to compliance. Scarlet found herself kissing him back with all the heat he was giving her, and more.

  Archer broke the kiss when they were both breathless and panting. “That’s better,” he said when she didn’t argue.

  “Jasmine is trying to capture a phoenix. What kind of stupid, dumbass move would it be to hand her one on a platter?”

  He was right, from a strategic standpoint.

  “But...”

  “No buts, She of mine, you are staying here with the other phoenix, and the rest of us will take care of the threat.”

  “Archer—”

  He leaned down and stole a quick kiss. “Don’t try and sweet talk me, belan. I’m not losing the woman I love to a psycho wannabe goddess.”

  With those words, he gripped her arms and lifted her out of the way. He had to, because Scarlet had lost the ability to talk or move. He opened the door and stepped out the room.

  “Be vigilant, belan. Don’t let anyone into the building while we are gone, and for God sake, keep the phoenix here.”

  He walked down the passage, leaving her standing there like an idiot gaping after him.

  He loves me.

  Scarlet hadn’t heard much more than those words. Her heart was racing, her stomach was doing happy flips, and her body heated with joy.

  He loves me.

  * * * *

  Plans were made on the fly as everyone got the weaponry they’d need for the fight.

  They were going to get there early and Archer would wait at the meeting place while the rest of the Outsiders, sans phoenix, would take up ambush positions around the perimeter.

  The building was chaotic as everyone got the weapons they would need, and last minute strategies discussed, decided on or discarded.

  Scarlet and the other phoenix watched from the sidelines with Heath, who Scarlet was sure was sulking.

  “Heath, stop looking like Tink ate your breakfast. You get to keep watch on all these delicious women,” Erik pointed out as he field-stripped a nine mil and cleaned it.

  “Shut up,” Heath grumbled.

  Erik looked up at Heath and wiggled his eyebrows.

  “I don’t see why we have to stay here,” Ath said for about the tenth time.

  “Ath.” Scarlet sighed. “Archer—”

  “I don’t care what Archer said. I owe him nothing, and I’m not under his control.” Ath raised one eyebrow, implying that Scarlet had to listen to Archer.

  Scarlet ground her teeth, but kept her mouth shut. Despite Archer’s sound logic, she still wanted in on the battle. A little payback was good for the soul, and Jasmine had caused Scarlet more grief than most people had. Scarlet wanted her taste of payback.

  To that purpose, she had a plan, but she couldn’t say anything with the others still aro
und. She’d have to wait till they left, then she’d tell the phoenix what she had in mind.

  “Okay, we are leaving.” Archer appeared next to her, and spun her into his arms.

  “Is that a gun, or are you happy to see me,” she teased.

  He laughed. “Sadly, it’s a gun.” Leaning down his head, he kissed her soundly, and thoroughly. “But when we get home, I’m sure I’ll spend all night being happy to see you,” he whispered in her ear.

  Scarlet shivered a little, which got her another husky laugh.

  “Be careful,” she whispered back. She felt she had to warn him, but she wasn’t going to leave it to him to make sure he came back in one piece. Scarlet was going to be there to make sure of it.

  “Of course I will be,” he said before he kissed her again, making her body want to melt under his touch.

  “Archer, damn it, no time for that now,” Tate bitched.

  Erik grinned. “Let him have some fun.”

  Archer broke the kiss, grinning against Scarlet’s mouth.

  “Stay safe,” he said, then he leaned right against her ear and whispered, “I love you.”

  She didn’t get a chance to answer because he turned and left the building while she stood there, grinning like an idiot.

  “Why do you look so damn happy? We’ve been kicked out of all the fun stuff. We have to stay here like…like women,” Kell griped, before flopping down on a couch and picking up a magazine, then tossing it down again.

  Scarlet felt guilty. She was going to disobey Archer’s wishes, but she was so not going to be left out this fight. The wolf she was head over heels for was in danger, and there was no way she was staying home like a little woman. She was a damn phoenix, and phoenix were a force to be reckoned with.

  It was time Jasmine got to feel what it felt like to have her wing feathers deep fried.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The cemetery was quiet. Even the night birds were silent as the graves. Archer stood, staring down at the weeping angel, who was forever spilling silent stone tears down her granite features.

  “Don’t do this,” she whispered in the night, the sound so soft, it could be mistaken for a breeze.

  “Hush, stop your weeping,” he told her in an equally quiet whisper.

  He turned his collar up against the chill. It was even colder than the first time he’d stood by this grave, but so much had changed. He knew he had Jasmine to thank in part for the changes, but he couldn’t let her live to let her reach her goal.

  He needed to eradicate that kind of evil like cockroaches, before the infestation could take hold.

  Even though he was out in the open, a target to anyone who wanted to attack, Archer felt safe.

  The stones and markers around him hid the Outsiders, and he knew, when it came to a fight, few could compare to his crew. There was a lot to say for the variety of talents they possessed.

  Archer glanced down at his watch and sighed. Jasmine was late again. Not surprising. At least it gave him a chance to think before he joined the battle.

  Instead of thinking strategy, his thoughts kept returning to Scarlet, and the fact that he’d told her he loved her, but she hadn’t said it back. He knew she loved him. No woman would react to his touch the way Scarlet did and not have strong feelings for him.

  In fairness, the first time he said it, she’d been pissed as hell at him, and the second time, he’d been on the way out the door. Still, it would have been nice if she’d told him she loved him before the battle.

  Stop being such a girl, he told himself. They had their whole, long lives to tell each other how much they love the other. There was no rush if Scarlet didn’t want to tell him now. He wasn’t going to push her to it—or maybe he would.

  Footsteps crunching on stone made him look up away from the weeping angel. Jasmine and her necromancer stepped out behind another head stone.

  “Can’t you be on time for anything?” he snapped at her. He had to make sure she wasn’t suspicious of the trap.

  She laughed. “So eager to get your little pyro back?”

  Then she sobered. “Why do I smell her on you?”

  Archer had the forethought to realize Scarlet’s scent might be a problem, since Jasmine had been able to smell Scarlet on his skin before this. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of material.

  “It’s Scarlet’s.”

  Jasmine was about to laugh at him. “You walk around with her clothing in your pocket?”

  “I thought it might help the connection if I had something of hers with me.”

  Jasmine nodded instead. “Good thinking…for a werewolf.”

  Archer ignored her disdain because they would spring the trap soon, and the bitch would get what was coming to her.

  “Let’s get started, shall we?” Jasmine motioned for the necromancer to move forward and he did, stepping onto the grave Archer had been standing on. Malan set up a small ritual alter.

  “I thought you wanted to be a god, not use another god for power, Jasmine.”

  “Shut up. It’s a necessary evil to fulfill my goal.”

  Archer shut his mouth, but it felt good to get one up on the bitch.

  The necromancer opened a jug and poured a circle of something that made Archer hiss. “That’s human blood.”

  “So?” Jasmine looked down at her manicured nails before looking up at Archer. “Did you want to be the sacrifice?”

  He kept his mouth pressed shut in a hard line, reminding himself that the minute the necro was chanting, the Outsiders would swoop in and take over. Whoever the poor blood donor was, he would avenge them.

  Archer stiffened when more people stepped out from behind head stones—Jasmine’s people.

  Fuck, we just went from being the superior force to being outnumbered.

  He hoped to the gods that Dimi was watching and saw this new development.

  “What? You didn’t think you could handle one little phoenix without backup?” Archer’s tone was snide.

  Jasmine raised an eyebrow at him. “You thought I’d be unprepared? Always have more people than are needed, no matter the situation. I’d think even a werewolf knows that.”

  Jasmine’s people formed a circle around the necromancer, his little alter, and his blood ring.

  “All is prepared and readied, goddess,” the necromancer sniveled.

  Jasmine took a breath to speak when she heard a loud screech from amongst the trees outside the last of the headstones. “Let go of me, you ogre.”

  Another of Jasmines people dragged a struggling figure into the clearing and Archer’s heart fell when he saw it was Dani.

  He let off a string of curses in his head. Now, Jasmine had the advantage over them. They were in deep trouble.

  “What have we here?” Dani was dragged into the circle, giving Archer an apologetic look.

  “My goddess, she is a phoenix.” The necromancer tripped over the hem of his robes because he was in such a hurry to get to Dani. He was drooling, literally drooling, and Archer nearly gagged.

  Where the fuck was Dimi and the backup? If they’d caught them, they would have been dragged out like Dani.

  Archer was itching to ask where Scarlet was.

  The necromancer grabbed Dani’s arm, then dropped it and spit on the ground at her feet.

  “She’s a youngling. I need far more power to do the spell you need, goddess.”

  “Then use her to open the tear. Surly, using a phoenix would work much better than using the bond between a lowly werewolf and his mate?”

  “You are correct as always, goddess.” The necro grabbed Dani’s arm and wrenched it, causing the phoenix to buckle to the ground and scream out in pain.

  Archer lurched forward, but was grabbed from behind by Jasmine’s minions. “Let me go.” He tried to break the hold, but they had a good grip.

  “No,” Jasmine spoke. “You have no use to me anymore. I think we will dispatch of your flea-bitten hide as soon as our business here is done.” She told
the minion, “Keep your hold on him.”

  Dani’s scream echoed as the necromancer started chanting, and the tear started to form.

  Now! Fuck it, now, Dimi.

  Archer wished with all his might that he had some telepathy in his blood, but it wasn’t necessary because Dimi and the Outsiders burst from the headstones, screaming war cries and attacking.

  Chaos ensued, but they were losing. There were too many of Jasmine’s people, and too few Outsiders.

  Archer managed to break free in the chaos. He was working his way towards Dani who was still writhing in the necromancer’s grip.

  The man he was fighting looked past Archer and screamed in terror. Archer turned and felt fear himself. Out of the trees, three flaming creatures walked in slow measured pace, making the most of the terror they were inspiring in the enemy.

  Jasmine’s people turned, one by one, broke, and ran as the Outsiders followed behind so no one would escape.

  Archer found his path to Dani open and he took it, diving and tackling the necromancer flat onto the ground.

  He landed on top of the necromancer, and pinned the hateful creature down. He let his claws sprout, and called his beast. Archer grabbed the necro around the neck and used his claws, and a twist of his wrists decapitated the animal.

  “Watch out, Archer!” he heard Scarlet scream. He twisted and saw Jasmine coming at him with a raised blade. She was about to swing and decapitate him.

  As Jasmine reached the top of her arc, hands grabbed her wrists and twisted, throwing her back. She hit her head on a gravestone, and was dazed for a moment.

  As she fell, Archer saw Geo was standing behind Jasmine. “You’re welcome, oh and you owe me.” Geo grinned.

  A flaming woman threw herself at Archer, and without thinking, he caught her.

  “Oh, thank God.” Scarlet was still on fire and Archer was shocked that he wasn’t burning.

  Ath grabbed Scarlet off Archer as Jasmine flung herself through the air. “Now’s not the time, Scar.”

  Archer rolled to get out of the way.

  Jasmine flicked her hand in Geo’s direction, and the angel was flung backwards.