As I watched her and longed to get closer, Dad’s words of warning rang in my ears. She was dangerous. Not only was she responsible for my sister being imprisoned in a fae court and my brother turning his back on us, she was also to blame for my current situation. It was her fault I could see parts of the world not intended for human sight and that I had to lose my memory.
She has to pay for what she did to me, to my family.
I sank a little deeper in my seat so she wouldn’t see me and followed her car as she twisted down what had to be familiar streets for her. Not too far down the road, she pulled into the parking lot of a small store. Not wanting to rouse her suspicions, not if I could help it, I kept my truck on the road and drove past the store.
I didn’t drive far before I stopped and watched as she climbed from the SUV. The first thing I noticed took me aback. The swell of her abdomen proved she was expecting a child. It didn’t make sense with what Dad’s books had said—that she’d only be able to bare an offspring when she died—but I wondered whether maybe that was why she was building her army. Was the death a sacrificial thing that would see her child rise up to be more powerful than her? It certainly seemed that way based on the few things Dad had told me about the situation.
When she opened the door to the store, I doubled back and found a spot away from hers. Taking care to not warn her, or anyone else who might be lurking, of my presence, I followed her toward the store. I opened the door just a crack, shoving a rock into the gap so it wouldn’t completely close. It left me able to hear the conversations inside the store—at least if I concentrated hard enough.
The phoenix seemed on edge as she moved around the store. What was she planning?
Her eyes darted around with regularity. Each time she even started to pivot in my direction, I ducked out of the way. I was probably hidden enough by the signs partially covering the window, but I didn’t want to take any chances, not with Dad’s warning in my ears. If she caught me watching her, if she managed to get me near, I had little doubt she would do what she could to ensnare me again.
In one corner of the store was a man with the same golden glow Kieran had displayed when I met him. His back was to me, and I couldn’t worry about what that might mean—not until I’d dealt with the more urgent task. Still, I didn’t trust him. Keeping the man in my field of vision, I studied the phoenix. Despite being cured by the water—at the cost of every memory I’d ever had—I could still feel the power she had over me. It was like a tug deep in my bones, as if every part of me reached for her. How strong must it have been when I was completely under her control? The thought was terrifying.
The phoenix gave up looking around the store and took her few purchases to the cashier. Remaining outside, and daring to glance in the window from time to time, I listened to her conversation with the cashier through the open door as she revealed information about herself. She was pregnant—that much had already been obvious to me—and that pregnancy had special needs. She’d stated it was a family condition, and I knew she was talking about the phoenix line. It confirmed my assessment that she was preparing to sacrifice herself when the time came. I needed to ensure I got to her first. However, if it was necessary, I would wait and then destroy the child as well. That way no one would have to face her menace in another twenty years.
Having heard enough, I kicked the rock out of the door and let it close. With one more glance at her through the shop window, I stepped forward to move back to my car. I didn’t want her to catch me in the parking lot or raise her suspicions.
I’d barely made it a few steps when a hand grabbed my arm.
“What’re ya doin’ here?” Kieran asked. His eyes were wide and darted to look inside the store on a regular basis.
I yanked free of his hold. “I could ask you the same thing.”
“Ya haven’t come to hurt her, have ya?”
His gaze fell on the phoenix and the cashier inside the store.
I’d thought he would understand, having helped me in Alaska. “I’ve come to do my job.”
His hand grabbed for me again. “Y-ya can’t. Ya can’t hurt her.”
“She is a monster who has killed and who will kill again.”
“She ain’t no monster. She’s me wife. She’s innocent.”
I followed his gaze again and saw it fell closer to the cashier than the phoenix. “I’m not interested in hurting anyone but that . . . creature in there.”
“But . . . don’t ya love her?”
“What?”
“When ya moved here, ya told me ya wanted her safe.”
“She tricked me.” My fists curled at my side. “She’s a seductress who made me her personal slave, and I will destroy her for that.”
His gaze was fixed on me again. “Are ya—”
My arm snapped out and my fingers curled around his throat. I drew him closer to me. “She is a threat to me and my family, and I will destroy her. If you try to stop me or get in my way, I will destroy you too. You and your wife.”
He held his hands up. “I jus’ wanna be left in peace.”
“Good.” I shoved him away. “I really don’t want to hurt anyone else, but I will if I have to.”
The time he’d taken to distract me had been enough for the phoenix to finish her transaction and make it halfway to the door.
“Shit.”
I ran back to my truck and threw the door open. The worst thing I could do is be caught by the phoenix and rouse her suspicions. Before I’d even secured my seat belt, I was reversing from the spot. I raced to leave the parking lot, hoping she didn’t catch my car, or if she did that she wouldn’t see the license plate. It was possible she would assume it was a coincidence if she saw the same colored car. If she understood it was the exact same car, it might make her more cautious.
When I’d driven far enough down the road—in the direction she wasn’t likely to take—I turned the car around and waited. Only a few minutes later, her car slid from the parking lot and back onto the road. I put my truck into drive and slipped in place behind the car that followed her. It was a shame that the roads were as quiet as they were; it would’ve been much easier to tail her undetected with more than one car between us.
About halfway to her house, the car serving as a buffer between us turned off, but I didn’t slip into the space left by them. Instead, I hung back and let even more distance come between us. I didn’t want her to become suspicious.
When she turned off to her property, I stayed my course and kept on driving. I went a few miles up the road and pulled over to call Dad.
“I just saw her,” I said after we’d exchanged greetings. “She went to the store.”
As the words came out, it sounded odd. It was such a normal thing to do.
Monsters have to eat as well I guess.
“And?”
“And nothing. She went to the store and came home.”
“Who was she with?”
“No one.” My stomach twisted as it dawned on me what he was getting at.
“You didn’t take advantage of the fact that she was alone and unprotected to put a bullet in her brain?”
“No. I-I—”
“You what?”
“I didn’t think.” I’d had plenty of opportunities. The houses in the area were spaced apart. The roads reasonably quiet. It would’ve been easy to set up an ambush along the side of the road. Or to shoot her tires out and then take one last shot at her.
“Obviously.” The ire in his tone made me swallow the rising disappointment. “It might’ve been your best opportunity.”
“I’m sorry. I won’t screw up again.”
“You might not get another chance at her before your brother arrives. Once he’s there, things will get . . . complicated.”
“They might already be complicated. She’s preparing for the next generation already.”
“What do you mean?”
I wished I could see the expression on Dad’s face so that I could discern the mea
ning behind his strange tone. “She’s pregnant.”
“What?” I didn’t need to see him to hear the genuine surprise in his voice this time.
“And by the looks of it, ready to give birth any day.”
“Give birth?” He pulled the phone away from his mouth and swore a few times. “You’re sure it was her that you saw?”
“Positive.”
“Kill her. Today. Before that abomination has a chance to be born.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Just be careful. And once it’s done, bring the baby home with you. We’ll destroy it once and for all.”
“I’ll do it when the guard changes over this afternoon.”
“See that you do.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
AFTER I HUNG up the call, I reached for the gun I’d had with me since Alaska. Even though I was certain it was, I double-checked that it was loaded and ready to go. There would be a danger in using the gun; the noise would draw the attention of even the most inattentive fae guards. It was worth the risk though, especially when the alternative was finding my way back to Dad’s and grabbing another weapon. It meant that I would only have one or two shots, and then I would have to go. I probably wouldn’t even get a chance to check if she was actually dead or collect the child like I should.
I tucked my gun into my holster and slipped the keys to the truck behind the sun visor. As soon as I’d shut the door, I stopped and wondered why I’d left the keys where I had. Like so much of everything I’d done, it had been an instinctual move. Before I could question myself too much, I shook off the thought and headed back to the phoenix’s house.
Taking my time, I picked through the forest that stood between where I’d parked and my goal. I figured the guards would be more likely to expect an attack from the front of the house. When I was close enough that I would be able to make a run for the house, I dropped to the ground and crept forward through the bracken until I found a place I could watch the guards while I lay in wait.
Nearly two hours passed with me lying almost stationary. I moved just enough to ensure my limbs didn’t go numb.
When the guards changed over, I made my break, rushing for a window on the opposite side of the house to the glowing ring that seemed to be the origin where the guards came and went. I hadn’t investigated how they came or where they came from. That was an issue for Dad and the rest of his team once the phoenix was out of the way.
Taking care to look around to ensure I hadn’t been spotted, I slid the window open. It creaked a little as it moved along the frame, but I didn’t hear any shouts to indicate I’d been spotted.
I climbed through the window into the room beyond. The place was painted in various shades of pink and white, filled with small wooden furniture, and on one wall letters spelled out the name Ava. It was clear the phoenix was almost prepared for the birth of the child. I wondered how it worked. Would her body spontaneously combust? The lore I’d read seemed to indicate a baby was born from a violent and unexpected end, but her preparations seemed almost methodical. Planned.
Almost as if the baby was . . . loved.
It was the exact opposite of what Dad had described.
It could have also been a trick.
Rather than lingering in the room, I darted into the hallway.
From a room to my right, I heard murmured voices, so I trailed to my left and found myself in a kitchen. As the voices, and the footfalls that accompanied them, moved around the house—no doubt in response to the sounds I’d made earlier—I padded around the area. When the phoenix and her blue-lighted companion disappeared into the room opposite what was obviously the nursery, I made my way from the kitchen to the living room.
With each step I took, I planned my attack and my escape. It would be harder to get out than it had been to get in, but I didn’t need to run in any particular direction once I left. All I needed to do was get the heck away from anyone with a weapon. I could circle back to the car later if I needed to, or ditch it and call Dad if it got really bad.
The fae who was guarding the phoenix entered into the nursery, but she remained in the hallway, watching from behind him.
It was my moment.
Before I could act, she turned to me. The full force of her lilac irises was turned on me. For a fraction of a second, it froze me in place. Every wall and barrier I’d built came crashing down. Every ounce of hatred rushed from my body. My arms longed to hold her. My lips tingled as if they needed to press against hers.
I clenched my fist and doubled up on the rage that I needed to fight her. Every reaction I had to her was proof of what Dad had told me. She was using her spells—whatever power of compulsion she had—to call me back into the fold.
It wouldn’t work.
“You’re the phoenix.” My voice was deadly as I reminded myself of the reasons I couldn’t succumb to her will. I slid my gun from its holster and lined up my shot.
“Oh, God!” Her hand came to rest against the lips I needed to taste. Her eyes half closed, as though she was ready to accept her fate.
It was an easy shot. I had the gun lined up. In all of my practice at Abe’s house, I’d have already fired off at least three bullets by now. Why couldn’t I pull the trigger?
“Lynnie, are you—”
My gaze cut to the fae with her as he spoke.
I was missing my goddamned opportunity. As the fae charged at me, I squeezed the trigger, hoping the aim was still true.
His shoulders struck across my abdomen, sending the air from my body in a rush.
“Get off me, fairy!” I grunted when I could breathe again.
Using every part of my body, I struggled with the creature. We were about evenly matched for strength, but he had his wings. They flittered and fluttered in every direction, blowing wind across my face and leaving me unable to see where I grabbed.
He wrestled the gun from my hand and shoved it across the floor, out of reach.
“This can’t be happening,” the phoenix murmured.
I couldn’t help my gaze being drawn to her. Goddamned seductress. Obviously the remnant of her spell still lingered in my body. That certainty grew with every second I spent in her vicinity, with every tugging sensation in the pit of my stomach calling me to her.
Before I could even get back in the fight, the fae grabbed my hair and shoved my face against the carpet. I twisted to break free, but he anticipated my movements.
“I’m going to kill you,” I cried. The words were aimed at both the phoenix and the fae. The rest of the guards outside had obviously been alerted, but none were charging in. I assumed it was the seductresses influence. She probably thought she could get me under her spell again in a heartbeat. “And I’m going to enjoy every second.”
In response to my words, the fae dropped his knee against my back.
“Fucking fairy!” I shouted in return. “I’m going to enjoy tearing your wings off.”
Instead of continuing to fight—it wasn’t getting me anywhere anyway—I relaxed into the ground. I inched my hands up closer to my head, hoping to get them in a position where I could get them under me and buck the fae off. Clearly noticing the movement, the fae shifted his knee from my back to my forearm.
“You motherfucker!” I bucked against him, hoping to catch him off balance.
“Lynnie, snap out of it and help me!”
Without taking her eyes off me, the phoenix opened a cupboard on the other side of the hall and threw some ropes to the fae on top of me. In response to her movement, the fae used his position to twist me around. His hands enclosed my wrists, and I let him believe he had the upper hand while I climbed to my feet. All I had to do was wait until I was a little closer to my gun.
Unfortunately, the fae shoved me in the opposite direction, back toward the kitchen. We’d barely entered the room when he forced me into a chair, kicking my legs out from under me at the last second, sending me crashing down. Almost as soon as I was sitting, he drew my hands behind my back. The ass
hole twisted my wrist and pinched at my skin, showing no kindness despite believing he had the upper hand. It proved all the words about their legendary cruelty.
“Don’t hurt him.” My gaze found the phoenix again. She stood just feet away holding a length of rope.
Her words might have been charitable, but I saw them for what they were. Damaged, I was probably no good to her. Strong and unharmed, she could use me to whatever nefarious purpose she had.
The thought sent my blood racing through me.
My gaze trailed her body. As it reached her full breasts, I wondered if giving in to a seductress would be such a bad thing after all. At least, if it wasn’t for the apparent lack of control that came with it. Would she let me hold her if I gave up? Would she let me taste her and bring her to a breathless climax?
Parts of my body stirred in response and it was as if the light surrounding me bent toward her, calling her closer to me.
“Just tie his arms. I will feel exponentially better when he is unable to attempt to shoot at you again.”
I shook my head to clear my thoughts, ignoring the words of the fae because they stole my fantasy away.
“I don’t think—” Whatever the phoenix was going to say died on her lips before she could voice it. Before she could say more, her hands traced my arm and she twisted the rope around my skin.
It didn’t worry me that she was tying me up. It would make it harder to escape after they’d tied me up, but not impossible. The one advantage it would give me was that it could lull them into a false sense of security. They’d only need to drop their guard for a few minutes and I could be out the door. It would be without my weapon, which would make it harder to break through any line with the fae guard, but I would have to just figure that out as I went. All I needed was a minute alone away from the seductress first.
“Lynnie, I think you should head outside and leave me alone with our guest for a few moments.” The fae’s eyes were dark with menace as he stared me down, leaving me no doubt that he intended harm. “I need to gather some information from him.”
Living with Embers: (Son of Rain #4) Page 12