Phoenix

by Rhonda L. Print

  “I will give you the boy once you are safely beside me.”

  I peered at Phoenix and tried to assess his strengths. If you didn’t know he was a vampire the word that would come to mind to describe him would be geek. He looked like the scientist that he was. He was somewhat tall, a little too thin for his height, depicting a man who exercised his brain more than his body. His brown hair was cut in a style that looked like his last trip to the barber had been in the nineteen forties.

  “Give her the boy and I’ll come calmly.”

  He raised one shaggy eyebrow. “I will meet you halfway.”

  I thrust the note I’d written to Ian at Ozzie and started walking toward Phoenix. When there was about two feet left between us I stopped again. “Put him down and let him walk the rest of the way. When Jess has him, I finish walking to you.”

  He did as I said—as a vampire, he knew he could catch me if I tried to run—and set Oscar on his feet.

  Oscar was running before his sneakers hit the ground. He paused for a moment and threw his tiny arms around my leg in a hug. I choked back a tear and smiled at him.

  “Go see Mommy, Oscar.” He toddled on toward Jess and Ozzie and I heard her sob as she lifted him into her arms. Before I could turn back around, a blur of movement caught my attention. and I was lifted off my feet to a chorus of Jess and Ozzie screaming “No!” as their arms uselessly lifted toward me.

  “Run!” I screamed and saw Ozzie pick up both Jess and Oscar and head toward my car. It was the part of the plan that Ozzie and I hadn’t told Jess. I twisted and rammed my elbow into Phoenix. With a grunt his hold loosened just enough for me to push off of his body and stumble to the ground. I scrambled to my feet and took off.

  “Leah!” Ian roared through my mind. Ozzie had contacted him after all.

  “I’m at the south side of the house,” I called back through our mental link as I kept running. The dust thickened as the storm progressed. Lightning struck the ground so close that I could feel every hair on my body rise. Visibility was down to an arm’s length in any direction and sand filled my eyes, covering me in grit. I skirted past cacti and small brush as I made my way toward the main road. If Ozzie had gotten a message to Ian then there should be a car waiting for me, or at least some backup.

  Rain came down harder and faster, pelting me with bits of hail. I could see a white van ahead and, assuming it was Ian, pushed my legs faster, ignoring my burning lungs as I inhaled both water and dust. I ran full out toward the van when a shadow entered into the corner of my eye. There lay Bear, unconscious and bleeding into a puddle of mud and rain. I skidded to a stop, but not fast enough. I wheeled and started to veer to my left, away from the van, when an arm around my waist lifted me from my feet. As my body swung around I saw Ian, still yards away but running with a blur of speed.

  Phoenix pivoted and leaped into the open van door. He backhanded me with enough force to make my head spin, sending me to the fringe of consciousness. I reached for the door handle as the van sped off. I didn’t see who was driving and I didn’t really care.

  I pressed my face against the glass of the small side window and could see Ian’s face contort in rage and horror as he chased the van, narrowly missing the door as we left him in a spray of debris then heard the crack of a shotgun from outside of the van. I screamed out a warning to Ian and scrambled to the back window as my view of him disappeared. A hand gripped my shoulder and spun me around. Phoenix looked at me; his black eyes shining with a sinister twist that made my blood run cold. He gave me a look that told me he was about to do something I wouldn’t like very much. I tried to scramble away but couldn’t get very far in the confines of the van. I watched as he reached into his pocket and produced a syringe. I ducked his first few attempts to stick me with it before I felt the needle make contact, and my neck burned as he pushed the plunger home and everything dimmed to nothingness.

  Chapter 7

  I awoke with a bitch of a headache. My shirt was untucked, weapons gone, but at least I was still wearing my boots.

  “Ian?” I dropped my mental shields and reached out to Ian. “Ian!” I winced as a sharp pain pierced my skull. What good was a mental connection with him if I couldn’t use it when I needed to, dammit! A bubble of panic rose in my throat. Is he dead? Is that why he’s not answering me?

  I thrust the thought from my mind and surveyed my surroundings. I was in a room that looked like any standard hotel room, minus a window. I sat on an ugly chair planted next to a cheap wooden table. A queen-size bed with a coverlet and a couple of pillows dominated the center of the room. Next to it sat a nightstand, no alarm clock or lamp. A television was attached to the wall and it looked much like the one Oscar was watching in the photo his kidnapper had sent me. I sat up a little too quickly and vomited into a garbage can on the floor, a concrete floor. Shit!

  “The sedative I gave you induces nausea. Someone will be in to clean that up shortly,” a disembodied voice informed me.

  I refused to acknowledge whoever had spoken and instead looked around and found a door on the far side of the room. I stumbled toward it, still nauseated and weak, and tried to pull it open. When it didn’t budge I put all the strength I had into it, which was pretty considerable thanks to my bond with Ian. It still didn’t open.

  “Everything in this facility is reinforced,” Phoenix announced. “It will do no good to try and escape.”

  I ignored him and twisted harder. Still nothing. I vented my rage on the wall beside the door but it didn’t so much as crack. A light came on behind it and I saw that it wasn’t a wall at all. It was a clear glass window, and Phoenix was standing on the other side.

  I said I’d go calmly with him if he brought Oscar back. I didn’t say a damn thing about remaining calm. I reared back and punched the glass. Had it broken I would have plowed my fist straight into his face. He didn’t even flinch.

  There was doorway in one corner. I found it was a bathroom. I turned on the water, splashed some on my face and rinsed out my mouth.

  “Such anger, Leah.” Phoenix tsked. “It would be beneficial for both of us if you cooperate.”

  “Fuck you.” I splashed some more cool water on my face then hit the light switch on the wall outside the bathroom door. I walked to the nightstand, picked it up and thrust it at the window, smiled when Phoenix flinched on the other side and grinned outright when I noticed the small fissure in the glass.

  Next was the chair. It splintered and the crack spread just a little bit farther.

  As I picked up the table and prepared to heave it at the glass, a hissing sound drew my attention to the ceiling. I looked up and saw small silver faucets protruded from the ceiling. At first glance you would think they were part of the fire sprinkler system, but there were at least a dozen of them around the room and they were emitting a light fog. Shit!

  “Good night, Miss Wolfe.”

  I crumpled to the floor.

  * * * *

  I don’t know how long I was out; it was hard to tell when there was no window and no clock. There was also no longer a nightstand, chair, or bed frame—and the glass had been repaired. Damn.

  I sat up and stretched the kinks out of my back.

  “Welcome back,” Phoenix crooned through the intercom system. “I’m sure you have some questions?”

  I ignored him.

  “I see, hmm. Perhaps you would you be more willing to talk if I showed you around?”

  That caught my attention.

  “I thought so.” He laughed.

  A slot in the bottom of the door opened and he slid in a tray holding a small plastic cup.

  I ignored it. No way in hell was I trusting anything that was served to me here. No matter how much my stomach disagreed.

  “Perhaps when you’re feeling more agreeable.” Phoenix smirked, and then I heard his footsteps retreating.

  I paced the room like a caged animal, taking stock of what I had. The guns were gone but I still had the two knives hidden in the heels of
my boots. I didn’t know where I was or even how long it took me to get here so I couldn’t gauge my distance from home. I was sure that by now Ian would be searching for me, so I refused to think that he actually got shot, or worse. For now, I’d wait. Wait and learn.

  Phoenix said he’d show me around and, while I was sure I wouldn’t get the full tour, I’d memorize anything I did see and search for escape routes. Had I been dealing with just a human body, overpowering him wouldn’t be a problem. I would only have one chance to use my knives, though. When my captors knew I had them, Phoenix would take those too. So I would wait.

  I went into the bathroom and shut the door, but I still wasn’t sure about privacy. The sink and mirror were on the inside wall so if it was two-way glass, that would only mean I could be viewed by someone sitting inside my room. I knew no one was in there. I knocked on the outside walls but nothing sounded like glass. I could have started punching the walls but I didn’t want poor behavior to deprive me of my “look around.”

  I settled for scanning the room and ceiling, looking for hidden cameras, but didn’t find anything, not even the faucets that spewed the gas that knocked me out before. It seemed I had a little privacy.

  I splashed more water on my face and rolled the kinks out of my neck and then went back and settled on the bed.

  I flipped on the television via the remote that was embedded in the wall, hoping to find something that might indicate the time or day, or hell, even the date. All I got was three channels that seemed to be on some closed-circuit system. The cartoon that Oscar was watching was on a network that televises cartoons twenty-four hours a day with no distinction on time or date. Unless I knew what day and time “Harry the Happy Hippo” aired, that wasn’t going to be much help. Besides, I suspected that this cartoon and all the others aired every day.

  The next channel showed a ten-year-old movie and the final one was simply a looped recording of ocean surf. I guess it was supposed to be calming, but it really just made me want to throw the remote through the screen. That is, if I could have picked up the remote. It, too, was encased in steel and secured into the wall. Damn.

  I left the TV on the beach scene and rubbed my throbbing temples. My stomach had settled, but it felt like my head was filled with tiny pickaxes carving a path through my brain.

  The door clicked. I dropped my hands and assumed a look of bored impatience.

  Phoenix entered and smiled. “I’m glad you’ve decided to follow the rules.”

  I arched a brow. Rules?

  “Whenever someone enters this room you are to stay on the bed until further instructed.”

  I stood and glared at him.

  Phoenix laughed.

  * * * *

  He didn’t shackle me. Either he didn’t have restraints strong enough for Supernaturals, or he was so cocky he thought he didn’t need them.

  I didn’t care. I was free to walk on my own two legs with both hands free. If I saw an opportunity to escape, I’d take it.

  My room was just a small wing off an octagon-shaped central room. Two doors were across the hall and another to my right. Phoenix described them as additional suites like we were in the fucking Hilton. I ignored him but wondered how many “guests” were here.

  Seven other corridors led to the central room. Ahead, in the center was a massive circular desk. Behind it, a small woman with mousy brown hair sat busily watching several monitors. He introduced her as Mattie.

  “Hector, Ajax,” Phoenix bellowed and two guards turned to face him. I stifled a gasp. Both men were human, yet not entirely. They wore oddly fitting black cargo pants and T-shirts, each armed with an AK-47 automatic rifle and a sidearm. They were also both partially shifted into animal forms.

  “Hector, escort us while I give Miss Wolfe a brief tour of the facilities.”

  Hector stepped forward with military precision and control. His legs looked human beneath the cargo pants he wore; only his hands and head were partially shifted to reveal his wolf form. His fingers were longer than human, bent with sharp, dark-colored nails. His chin was slightly jutted out, his face elongated with dark eyebrows slashed over black eyes. His cheeks weren’t hairy; hell, he didn’t even have a beard, another Hollywood myth shot to hell. He did have shoulder-length black hair that fell over his face, adding to his sexy-mystique look.

  Ajax was golden. Honey-colored skin and deep catlike honey eyes topped with a mop of tawny hair giving away his inner mountain lion. Well, that and his broad face, slanted eyes and claws that he extended and retracted like a nervous tic. His eyes followed me as I moved toward the desk to get a better view of the monitors.

  Mattie jumped, startling me and sending her desk chair skittering across the floor. She took one last look at the monitor closest to her and rushed down one of the corridors. Quad Three according to the sign posted above the entryway.

  Phoenix moved in, eyes going to the monitor. My gaze followed just in time to catch something whip past the screen. My first thought was that something was thrown, albeit very, very fast, until I saw it make a second pass. It was followed by a nightstand similar to the one in the room I’d woken up in.

  Phoenix sighed loudly then said, “Ajax, go get her.”

  A movement caught my attention and my eyes widened as something whipped across the screen. I spun my head around toward Phoenix.

  “She is throwing a tantrum again,” he said with a casual shrug. “She’ll settle soon. Shall we continue?”

  He turned and started to walk away. Hector waited for me.

  “Who exactly is throwing a tantrum?” I demanded.

  He answered without turning, “Just another resident.”

  I took two long strides and grabbed his arm. Hector moved to restrain me, but Phoenix stopped him with a wave of his hand. “How many hostages are there?” I asked with barely controlled rage.

  Phoenix turned his head and looked at my hand where it gripped his arm as if it was something dirty. “Not hostages, Miss Wolfe, residents.”

  “How many more are there?” I spoke through gritted teeth.

  He brushed my hand off his arm. I let him. “How many people have you captured?”

  His eyes pierced mine and I could see the pure evil in them. “I have not stolen them. I have reinvented them.”

  I felt my own heart pounding in my ears. Phoenix created them. I shuddered to think of how he created them.

  “I can see the repulsion in your eyes Miss Wolfe.” He cocked his head and studied me. “Hatred too.” He smiled but it held no humor, no friendly greeting. “Don’t trouble yourself. It is merely a tweak of the DNA.” His lips gnarled in an ugly smile. “Come, I’ll show you.”

  Hector moved in, stance tight and ready for a fight. He stood just in my line of sight, showing me he was there and that I had no choice.

  Phoenix continued walking, veering down another quad. I gave one last look at the corridor, sighed, and followed.

  “I am not the monster you think I am. The subjects were created in a lab, using the DNA from various beings. Vampire, shifters…” He stopped and placed his finger over a screen. The door next to it slid open. “Even a Therian.” Hector ushered me into a laboratory.

  “How do you get the DNA?”

  A corner of his lip twisted. “I must admit, I’ve had to do quite a bit of convincing on that part. It can be very easy,” he paused at a massive stainless steel refrigerator, “or very messy. It depends on how much DNA I require.” He pulled open the door to reveal bags and vials of blood.

  Convincing. Hmm, like kidnapping people and holding them hostage? Or killing them and taking samples? “You use Supernatural DNA to experiment on humans.” I let my disgust ooze out with my words.

  “DNA from blood, specifically. And I can obtain it either through a simple blood draw, much like a donor at a medical facility, or…”

  “By just killing your victim and bleeding them out.” Venom dripped from me with every word.

  “I believe you have met a couple of
my human failures.”

  “Arthur Walden and Gertrude Rothchild.” I didn’t realize I’d spoken aloud until Phoenix confirmed it with a nod and a grin.

  “We had been rather unsuccessful. I’ve had to alter the formula several times now. With the exception of Ajax, Hector, and the female subject, most have gone mad then died shortly after or during the first shift.”

  “Jess?” Alarm was clear in my voice.

  “I only took a sample of her blood to see what species her child was.” Phoenix waved a hand dismissively. “She was, quite sadly, human.”

  I felt relief loosen my chest. “How did the three survive?”

  His eyes lit with excitement. “That is the question, Miss Wolfe.” He swept his hands wide. “Even with all of the modern scientific advances we have at our disposal, there have been far too many failures.”

  “Why tell me?” I guessed it was because he was going to kill me anyway but, hey, what did I have to lose?

  “Aha!” His voice rose with anticipation.

  I stepped back, putting as much distance as I could between us.

  “Think about the possibilities,” he continued. “An entire army of people with vampire immortality and shifter strength, the ability to cast spells better than any witch in existence!”

  “An army for you to control.” My words dripped with contempt.

  His lips twisted into a warped smile, eyes glazed over with glee. “I’ll be able to show the world that Supernaturals are the true leaders, and no one will be able to stop me.”

  “You’re crazy!”

  Phoenix clenched his fists at his sides. “Watch your tongue. I do not need you alive, Miss Wolfe.”

  A portly man in a lab coat walked in. What little hair he had was completely gray. Thin glasses hung from the end of his bulbous nose.

  “Ah, Dr. Z.” Phoenix turned to him. “This is our newest subject, Miss Wolfe. I’ll leave you two to get acquainted.” He guided me onto an exam table with final warning, and then left the room.Dr. Z said nothing. Not a damn thing. My exam consisted of a standard blood pressure, temperature, and look in the eyes, nose, throat, and ears. He didn’t even grunt, just went about his work with all the compassion of an auto mechanic giving a car a tune-up. I seethed, refusing to flinch away from him as he prodded me silently.