by Lea Kirk
You forgot: sexy as hell.
Her channel clenched and she bit back a groan. What? Now just thinking about him made her almost come? It was a really good thing she wasn’t going home tonight. She didn’t have near the amount of coffee there that it was going to take to keep her awake all night.
And speaking of coffee…. She placed her palms on the desk and pushed out of her chair. May as well get the first pot started, then do a status review of all her clients to make sure everything was in order for her replacement. No one would be able to say Nixy Vogel half-assed anything.
Kai leaned back against the edge of Adam’s desk, wings tucked forward so as not to knock anything over, arms folded over his chest and ankles crossed. The dim night lighting gave the lobby a more intimate atmosphere. In the right situation, it could be considered romantic, if only his Nixy were here.
But she was on the other side of the wall doing who knew what, completely clueless about his presence. He opened himself to her feelings again. Her sadness, desperation, hope, and…yes, that was most definitely a flash of desire…washed through him. Was she thinking about him?
He allowed one corner of his mouth to curve up in a satisfied smirk. That was something he rarely did—smirk. But just the idea that Nixy was feeling all the same confusing things about him as he felt for her warranted such a smirk.
Just a few more minutes.
Buzz.
The sound of the phone vibrating on the desk next to his hip drew his attention. Raven had texted two letters, a “g” and an “o”. Raven and Fyad were ready on their end. Everything was set. Now it was up to him. The timing of his talk with Nixy—Phoenix—was crucial.
He closed his hand around the device and pushed away from the desk.
The swish of a door opening broke the silence of the lobby and Nixy stepped through the doorway. A wave of heat ripped through him with the force of a wild-fire, stronger than any of his previous reactions to her presence. Soul mate. How had he not figured it out sooner?
Her eyes widened with a flash of surprise, and a tinge of panic. “Kai?”
“Aye.” He surreptitiously flicked his thumb over the “one” button to let Raven and Fyad know contact had been made.
“What are you doing here?”
Being utterly amazed by fate. “Do you have a moment to talk?”
“Um, well.” She made a fanning gesture around her face with her hands. “I have all night, I guess. Is it hot in here?”
“A bit.” Hotter than a desert at high summer. He tilted his head toward her office. “Shall we?”
“Oh, uh, in my office? Sure.”
She seemed adorably flustered.
He followed her inside, stopping in front of her desk until she had rounded it and sat in her chair. “First, I have something for you.”
He placed the phone on the desk and slid it over the glass surface, then reached into his carrying pouch and lifted out a sealed baggie of reddish-brown powder.
She frowned at it. “Is that cinnamon?”
“Yes. It is delightfully similar to a spice we use called cinbin.” Please remember that later.
“Okay, now I’m really confused.”
“I promise it will get more confusing before it becomes clear.” He met her gaze. “I am sorry for that.”
She huffed. “Don’t make me get the fire extinguisher again.”
“It is probably best if you do not.” The results could be disastrous. “Do you remember that I told you I was a phoenix?”
“At the restaurant. Yes.” She barked a small laugh. “We have a mythology here about them, you know.”
“I heard about that earlier this afternoon.” Thanks to Raven. Now for the hard part. “What happens to Earth phoenixes is very similar to what happens to us.”
Her eyes widened in increasing increments as his words sank in, then she slapped her hand to her mouth. “You mean, you go up in a ball of fire when you die?”
“Aye, something like that. But we call it rebirth.” He gave her a crooked smile. “It happens every hundred years or so. It also happens when our soul mate confesses their love, which can be alarming to them since our soul mates are never another phoenix.”
“I’m going to throw up.” She did seem paler than normal.
“Nixy…Phoenix Vogel, please do not do that.” He leaned across her desk until there was barely a hand’s width between them. “We have more to discuss.”
She shook her head in denial. “H…h…how did you know my name?”
“It is on the application you accidently submitted.”
“I never told you….”
“I…guessed, after sharing your dream with you last night.” He would explain Fia’s timeslips later.
Her cheeks turned the most brilliant and beautiful shade of red. “Oh, my God. That was,” she swallowed audibly, “real?”
“Every. Last. Moment.”
“Everything we did—”
“Aye. As real as my feelings for you. Hold out your hand. I have another gift for you.” He waited for her to comply, then dropped the thumb drive into her hand.
“What’s this?”
“If I promise to answer all your questions, will you humor me for a moment?”
“I…fine. Okay. I suppose I should plug this into the computer?”
“Please.” He moved around her desk as she inserted the thumb drive. “And open the file named Future.”
“It’s a Silverstar application.” She looked up at him, a frown marring her features. “Your application.”
“So it is.”
He reached past her, reveling in the ever-present scent of roses that surrounded her, and gave the screen a series of taps as Raven had instructed. A message popped up:
Application accepted. Please access bio-app on your communication device.
A chirp from his phone filled the silence as Nixy watched him, her lips slightly parted. He curved one wing forward, pinched a feather between his fingers, and gave it a sharp tug. His wing made an involuntary jerk at the sharp sting, but soon, if all went well, the pain would be inconsequential.
He moved the feather over the phone’s 5-senses reader.
Bio-app reading accepted. The Silverstar Agency thanks you for your application. You will be contacted by an agent for an interview. Your agent’s name is Nixy Vogel.
“Well, that’s lucky,” she murmured. “You got me.”
He tucked the feather into the pocket of his leggings. “I requested you on the application.”
Could not afford anyone else picking it up.
“So, do I get an expla—”
Ping.
Surprise flashed in Nixy’s eyes at the confirmation signal from her computer. “That was fast.”
“Aye.” He turned his head in unison with hers.
Match for Firewing, Kia located. Display match’s bio? Y N
Suspicion and anticipation radiated from Nixy, and he opened himself to it. To her feelings. She tapped her finger over the Y and another application appeared next to his, along with Nixy’s photograph.
Relief and joy radiated through him. He had been right, and Silverstar had concurred. Nixy was his match and his soul mate. But, would she recognize it?
He turned her chair to face him, leaning close, and braced his hands on the armrests. “Phoenix Vogel; it is so appropriate that Phoenix is your first name.”
A shaky laugh bubbled out of her, and she nodded.
He suppressed his own chuckle at the delight of watching her make the connections he had already made. “I love you, Phoenix. You are my soul mate, my life. I burn for you in all ways, and will do so forever.”
She drew in a ragged breath as tears rolled free of her eyes and over her cheeks. “This is the weirdest thing, Kai, but I lo—”
“Stop.” His command was sharp enough to startle her, but he must warn her. “Remember what I told you happens when a soul mate commits to a phoen
ix?”
“Are you about to burn up?”
“I hope so.”
She shook her head. “Oh, my God, Kai, I can’t do that to you.”
“But, you can, my love. You must, or I cannot rejuvenate.”
Tears gathered in her eyes. “I’m so scared.”
“Follow Fyad’s instructions when he gets here, and there will be nothing to fear. I promise.” He dipped his head and brushed his lips over hers. “Say it, Phoenix. Say the words now.”
“I love you, Kai.” She whispered back.
Victory!
Hot coals swirled to life in his belly. He took a step back, and another, holding her soft brown gaze with his. “I promise.”
He stretched his arms out, tipped his head back, and welcomed the consuming flames.
Nixy shook her head in denial as her stomach roiled. Until this moment, the most terrifying thing to happen to her was being cornered by a group of reporters on her way home from school when she was nine. And the most soul-crushing moment had been sitting next to Efrem’s hospital bed as he died.
But, this—watching Kai being consumed by bright red and purple flames, feeling the flash of heat over her skin and being helpless to stop it—was far worse.
Get the fire extinguisher, idiot.
She scrambled out of her chair and rushed toward the closet. But she was too late. The flames were flickering out, licking over the smooth surface of a huge gray-black egg. The thing was the size of three footballs, and was all that was left of Kai.
A whimper rose in her throat as she lowered herself to her knees next to the egg. “What the ever-loving hell, Kai?”
What was she going to do now? A high-pitched laugh escaped her, then another. She covered her face with her hands and sobbed, her tears flowing hot between her fingers.
Swoosh.
“Ms. Vogel?”
The male voice brought her back to awareness. Somehow, she had moved to sit with her back against her desk. No idea when that’d happened, but it’d been long enough for her butt to go numb.
She stroked her hand over the smooth, warm surface of the egg now in her lap. It was gorgeous, like a piece of polished obsidian. Purple and red flames danced under its surface, following her fingertips.
Purple, like his eyes.
“Ms. Vogel?”
She leaned her head back against the desk and stared at the black-winged Bezchian kneeling next to her. Fyad. The bodyguard. What was he doing here?
She ran her tongue over her parched lips. “I’m sorry. I guess I should’ve called you, but….”
Her voice was rough, as though she had been screaming. Had she screamed?
Fyad shook his head. “Raven and I are here to help you now. Do not worry.”
“I…I guess I’m just one of those people destined to love and lose.” God, that sounded so fatalistic.
“No.” His firm grip on her shoulder snapped her back from sinking into depths of self-pity. “This is just a temporary situation for Elder Kai. We will get him back as soon as we can.”
She sniffled. “He did promise.”
“That he would come back?”
“Yes.”
“And he will.” Fyad seemed so sure.
“Because—” she smoothed her hand over the egg’s surface again. “—he’s a phoenix, right?”
“Exactly. This is his rebirth.”
A familiar young, black-haired woman peered at her from between Fyad’s wing and head. Must be the Raven Fyad had mentioned.
Raven smiled kindly. “It’s okay, Ms. Vogel. We’re gonna fix this, trust me.”
Hope blossomed in Nixy’s heart. She wasn’t alone. “What do we have to do?”
“First,” Fyad glanced at the egg, “we need a fire pit or wood-burning oven.”
“I have a brick barbeque in my backyard. Will that work.”
“As long as we can light a fire in it.” Fyad turned partway around. “Raven, would you grab the cinnamon?”
Nixy frowned. “What’s that for anyway?”
“Phoenixes nest with spices. Your cinnamon is identical to cinbin, a rebirth nesting spice on Bezchi.” Fyad rested his hands on each end of the egg. “Ready to go?”
She shooed his hands away. “Yes, but I’m not letting go of him. Raven…?”
“Here.” The young woman stepped into view again.
“My keys are in my purse in the bottom drawer. You’re driving.”
It took twenty minutes to get loaded and back to her place. Fyad flew because he didn’t fit into her compact car. Once they’d reconvened, she led the way around to her backyard.
Fyad removed the grills and fussed with the cinnamon for the longest time, spreading it in a thick layer across the bottom of the barbeque. The entire patio smelled like Christmas.
Nixy sat on the end of the chaise lounge with Raven, running her hand over the egg. “I swear the flames follow my fingers.”
Raven frowned. “What flames?”
“The ones just under the surface, see?” She raised her hand.
Raven leaned close, then shook her head. “Looks like a giant polished egg made out of glass to me.”
Fyad stood up and brushed his hands together. “It could be that only the soul mate of a phoenix can see flames.” He gestured toward the barbeque. “It is ready, Ms. Vogel. Set the egg down gently on top of the cinnamon pile.”
But I don’t want to let him go.
But Fyad was the expert here, the one who’d received a crash course on phoenix rejuvenation just hours before Kai had come to her office.
She leaned forward and pressed her lips to the egg’s warm surface. “Here we go, Kai.”
Because that’s how she now identified the egg: as Kai.
Once the egg was settled, she took a step back. “Now what?”
“What time did he combust?”
“I…don’t know.” She shot an uncertain look at Fyad. “I found him sitting in the lobby around seven.”
Fyad looked at Raven and she pulled out her phone. “It’s just after ten now, so we should light him up on…Sunday.”
“Wait.” Nixy moved her gaze from one to the other. “What do you mean by light him up? And why Sunday?”
That is six days away, for crying out loud.
“Normally,” Fyad said. “they age backward at a rate of roughly three sun migrations per day, which would take about twenty-four days. However, Elder Kai does not wish to rejuvenate to infancy this time, so we will light the egg early.”
She should get this, but her brain had taken a self-imposed timeout. “I still don’t get it.”
Raven reached for her hand. “It means, the elder wants to rejuvenate to be the same age as you. In six days from the time he became an egg, he’ll be fifty-five. Your age.”
Wonder filled her. “He told you this?”
Raven and Fyad nodded.
Tears rose in her eyes. “That’s…that’s….”
“…the most romantic damn thing I’ve ever heard.” Raven nudged Fyad in the ribs with her elbow.
Yes. Yes, it was. As long as she didn’t miss ignition time.
Chapter 14
Sunday.
“Six days is a lot longer than I thought.” Nixy ran her hand over the phoenix egg sitting on her outdoor barbeque. “But, if everything goes as planned, we’ll see each other this evening.”
What she need was a solid night’s sleep—preferably with Kai next to her, in her bed. The chaise lounge was not comfortable by any stretch of the imagination. But it was close to Kai, and for that reason alone, she’d keep sleeping on it no matter how long it took him to, um, hatch.
“Fyad and Raven have been so sweet to me since you morphed.” Because that was an easier word to wrap her head around than exploded, or combusted. “They bring me food and sit with you so I can nap. They’re back at the suite making lunch right now. Fyad did a good job explaining what was happening to you. Includin
g the part that you will be mortal.”
She’d damn near lost it when it’d occurred to her that eventually she’d die, and he’d rebirth. But Fyad swore Kai would come back mortal.
“Let’s see, what else? Did I tell you that Adam convinced Jordan, my supervisor that I had worked myself to exhaustion? He got her to reschedule our meeting and give me the rest of the week off.”
Adam deserved a damn bonus and a pay raise, which she’d discuss with Jordan at their meeting in a couple of days.
“I have been working on my resume, though. May as well have that together. Also, Fyad contacted your clan. He told them everything except where you are, and your most esteemed elder flipped his lid. Fyad’s been super-protective of you.” Thank God the trade negotiations had been put on hiatus until Prime Advisor Rol returned from Bezchi. Everyone was too distracted by that scandal to even notice the phoenix egg chillin’ on her barbeque. “Oh, and he told me there’s a new baby phoenix in your colony.”
“Who in the world are you talking to over there, Nixy?”
Nixy jerked her head up at the unexpected voice. Her gaze landed on the tiny elderly woman standing on the other side of her backyard friendship gate. “Myself, as usual, Mrs. Lentz.”
Yeah, crazy lady talking to an egg, here.
Not that her cute little neighbor could see it inside the barbeque, but still.
Mrs. Lentz laughed, her thinning white hair bright under the autumn sun. “The story of my life, dear. Do you need any eggs? My girls have been working overtime and I have more than I can use.”
“Sure.” Kai might be hungry after he hatched. If he ate eggs. That was another question to ask Fyad when he got back. She should write them down so she didn’t forget.
“I’ll put them by the gate.” Mrs. Lentz waved and made her way back into her garden.
“I think you’ll like Mrs. Lentz, Kai. She’s a sweet neighbor, always looking out for me, and all. We’re both widows, so it’s been nice to have her company.” A sympathetic ear, and someone who really understood.