Angel raised an eyebrow at his little girl. She had always been a spitfire. He had already known about the mating as soon as he saw her. The mark on her neck was a dead giveaway. But she wasn’t a little girl anymore, was she? No, his daughter had grown into a lovely woman who was strong and powerful, level headed and determined. He knew without a doubt that she would fight, and fight fiercely, for what she believed was right or for those she loved. She had grown into someone he not only loved, but respected. She was afraid of no one, not even him. His questioning look turned into acceptance as he stood and approached them. He shoved his right hand forward at Michael.
Michael looked at Angel’s outstretched hand for only a second, and then grasped it in his own. His hand was slightly larger than the Clan Leader’s, but the strength that poured off the man was unmatched. “I want to welcome you into our family,” Angel was saying. “You have fought for and protected her as a mate should. You gave her life when she was in danger. You have given me back my daughter, and for that, I am forever in your debt.”
Michael could hardly believe his ears. Jade’s father was giving them his blessing. He had at least expected a lecture on how to take care of her, or how he better not hurt her, or something. Instead, Angel welcomed him with open arms. Literally. While Michael was contemplating the situation at hand, Angel pulled him into a full hug. “Thank you,” Michael whispered, knowing he would hear it.
Angel stepped back from him and looked them both over again. “Well,” he finally said, “Let’s go spread the good news.” He turned his back and started for the door. He walked as if he knew they would follow, as if he expected it. As a leader should. Michael couldn’t wait to work for the man. He was the most respected vampire on the West Coast, if not the U.S. And he was now a part of the family. Michael’s chest filled with pride as he took Jade’s arm in his own and followed Angel out of the office. Jade looked up at him and her smile filled his heart with joy. He couldn’t be happier than he was right at that moment.
They entered the main living room where everyone had gathered to talk. Leigh was sitting on the couch with Rebel at her side, Jacque and Frankie across from them, Gage and Serena were piled into a recliner together, Sebastian and Jessica were sitting on the floor in front of Gage, and Azerial and Samuel were standing at the edge of the room. Everyone stopped talking as they entered and looked at Michael expectantly.
“We have news,” Angel announced. Brea was beaming at her daughter and her mate. She had already known what was to come when she visited earlier. “Jade and Michael are now mated. We will welcome him into our family and he will start work for us immediately.”
They were bombarded with hugs and happy wishes, kisses and congratulations.
***
Michael was high on life. He was taking another trip around the perimeter of the estate to watch for any and everything that could be amiss. He was happy to finally be on the job. Angel had granted him and Jade a few days just to be alone together, and that was wonderful, but he was anxious to get to work. He wanted to protect his mate in any way he could. He would start by doing perimeter checks.
Since the sun was no obstacle for Michael, Sebastian had put him on the day shift. He took his job seriously and there was no way he was going to let his new family down. Especially not Jade.
Speaking of Jade, he thought as he rounded the south corner of the property, what was she doing outside? She was standing under a tree on the edge of the property line, all alone and watching him. He knew he should keep flying, but the desire to go to her was too strong and he began his descent.
Stephan had wrung himself in knots trying to figure out how in the hell he was going to get to the firebird and his mate. That family of vampires was getting in the way. They too, deserved his vengeance for spoiling a perfectly good plan.
But he knew with all that magic surrounding them, there was no way. He needed a way in. He considered taking out the family, one at a time, until there was no one left to interfere, but he wasn’t a patient man and he wanted the shock and awe effect.
He was never going to get that if he couldn’t get close enough to do any damage.
He paced and paced, determined to find a way. What he needed was a distraction. But what would distract the family so badly that their attention wouldn’t be on him? He knew even as he was thinking it that the goddess and the witch were working together to fortify the spells surrounding the house.
But there was someone who was vulnerable, wasn’t there. The firebird himself. Stephan knew he could never get close enough to kill him at this point, but he still had a few tricks up his sleeve that the vampires didn’t know about.
He closed his eyes and drew on the ancient power he received from his father. He willed his spirit outside his body and forced it to take another form. Astral projection wasn’t easy, but he could do it. All he had to do was hold on to it long enough for the plan that was quickly forming in his mind to be set into motion.
***
Michael landed on the ground with silent feet. He took two long strides toward Jade and then she was right in front of him. “What are you doing out here?” he asked her.
“I had to see you,” she said coyly. Michael had never known Jade to be coy, but the smile on her face erased all doubts in his mind. “I hate being away from you.”
Michael grinned. “Well, you are going to get me in trouble,” he whispered, gaining precious distance to her lips. He was nearly there. Just another inch or so and his lips would be touching hers. He knew that if he kissed her, he would be lost and his job would be forgotten. He couldn’t seem to round up the urge to care, though.
Jade reached for his face. He thought she was going to hold his cheek while she kissed him, but instead, she laid her hand on his forehead. He thought he saw something strange in her eyes just before she commanded him to sleep. Then there was nothing more.
***
Stephan watched with glee as the firebird went down like the Twin Towers. His plan had worked. He knew that the firebird would have no fear of his mate. He also knew that he was the worst at shielding his mind. It had been harder to hold the projection than Stephan anticipated and his victory dance was short lived as his spirit snapped back to his own body. He would have no choice but to leave the man’s body where it lay and wait for his precious mate to find him.
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
Where was that man of hers? Jade wondered as she walked through the house yet again. His shift ended almost an hour earlier and still he had not shown.
“What troubles you, child?” Azerial asked her, sneaking up on her and scaring the shit out of her.
“I can’t find Michael,” Jade answered. “And before you ask, yes I tried speaking directly to his mind. He isn’t answering. At first, I thought maybe he was practicing blocking me, but now I’m not so sure. I’m starting to get worried.”
Azerial thought for a moment then said, “Let’s call Shane. Maybe he went out for drinks with the guys.” Jade nodded her agreement and followed the goddess through the house to one of the speakers that were directly connected with the front gates where Shane was stationed.
“Shane,” Jade said into the microphone, “Have you seen Michael?”
“No,” was the vampire’s abrupt response. “He didn’t check in for shift change. I bet he flew the coop.”
Jade stamped down her irritation with the vamp. He was a jackass and that made him good at his job, but it didn’t allow him to insult her mate. “Look here, vampire,” she snarled into the device, “First of all, you will never speak ill of him again. Second of all, watch your tone with me. I am in no mood for your attitude. Now tell me, when is the last time anyone saw him?”
There was a moment of silence before Shane came back with an answer. “About four o’clock this afternoon,” he said. “One of the guys saw him flying around and then he just dipped out of the sky toward the edge of the property. No one has seen him since.”
Jade muttered her thanks before
severing the connection. “I’m going out to look for him,” she announced.
“Want me to come with you?” Azerial asked.
Jade shook her head. “No thank you, I’m good. But I’ll call you if I need you.” What she wasn’t saying was that there was a sinking feeling in her chest that something was wrong. What if Shane was right? Lord knew Jade wasn’t getting any vibes from her mate. Hell, she hardly got anything from him. With everyone and everything, Jade just knew things. But not her mate. With him, she had to do everything the hard way.
She tossed a sweater over her shoulders and stepped out into the cool evening air. She set out in the direction Michael was last seen. She didn’t know what she expected to find, if anything, but she kept all of her senses on high alert just in case. The further she traveled from the house, the darker and heavier the air felt. A sense of foreboding wrapped itself around her and made her shiver from the inside out.
By the time she reached the tree line, Jade was sure that Michael hadn’t just run off. He was mated to her. He would never just abandon her. That only left one other possibility–foul play. But who could even get onto the property? It was heavily protected around the clock. On top of the security team, there were magical wards protecting the entire estate from outsiders.
Jade pushed through the thick growth of trees and foliage. That was when she smelled it. It was unmistakable and as familiar to her as her own heartbeat. It was Michael’s scent and he was close by. She followed her nose until she reached the very edge of the property line. She could feel the edge of the magic surrounding her home as she pushed forward. As soon as she pushed through the barrier that the wards created, she was overwhelmed by Michael. His scent. His presence. She wasn’t able to feel him as well inside the wards, but now that she was out of them she could feel him, and she knew he needed her. Her feet raced in the direction her heart knew he would be.
She came across a lump on the forest floor and was shocked to realize it was her mate. He was lying on the ground on his side, his wing bent at an unnatural angle. It looked as if he just fell and did nothing to break his fall. He was covered with leaves that had fallen from the trees and blown over him, making him hard to see.
She rushed to his side and brushed the leaves from his face. His eyes were closed, but his heart was beating and his breathing was even and strong. She shook his shoulder gently in an attempt to wake him. “Michael, are you ok?” she asked. When he didn’t respond, she asked louder. “Michael!” she finally screamed, realizing that he couldn’t hear her. She tried to reach for him with her mind, but again she found nothing. Not even a blip on her radar. It was as if he wasn’t there at all.
Jade sent a mental shout to her father to have Samuel come out and check the place over. Samuel was an ex-cop and if anyone could put the pieces of the puzzle together, it was him. She didn’t wait for him to arrive though. Using her considerable vampire strength, she lifted her mate from the ground as carefully as she could.
“Good lord, you’re heavy,” she grunted as she maneuvered him over her shoulder. “Come on big boy, let’s go inside.”
Jade ran as fast as she could with her cargo, but it was nowhere near as fast as she could travel on her own. As she approached the house, Frankie and Serena were waiting at the door for her. Frankie ran out to meet her, taking part of Michael’s weight from her. Serena held the door open wide as the pair of women brought Michael’s body into the house.
Jade shuddered uncontrollably. Michael’s body. He was dead weight and she already felt like he wasn’t there. That thought led to other thoughts that she just was not ready to process at the moment. The women took him upstairs and laid him gently on the bed. They started to lay him on his back, but Jade stopped it. “His wing is broken,” she announced breathlessly, and she and Frankie did their best to turn him to his side without causing further damage.
“Why isn’t he healing himself?” Frankie asked after getting a look at the wing.
Jade shook her head. “I don’t fucking know!”
“Hey, easy there Vampira. I was just asking. I thought he could do that kind of thing,” Frankie said carefully with both hands out in front of her. “This just doesn’t make sense. Phoenixes can heal themselves.”
“It doesn’t make any sense,” Jade conceded. “He isn’t dead. If he were, he would be a pile of ash right now. His heart is beating and he is breathing, but he isn’t healing. I can’t reach his mind either. It’s like he isn’t even there.”
“Sounds magical if you ask me,” Frankie offered.
Jade nodded. “I was thinking the same thing. But who and how? No one should have been able to get close enough to pull this kind of magic off.” Jade had studied with Frankie for years, learning everything there was to know about magic. Jade had an affinity for spells, but no more than any other human who was willing to learn the craft. She would never be a witch like Frankie. The witch vampire was born with the ability to manipulate the world around her with magic. It was in her blood. After she was turned, Frankie’s magic only grew stronger. Jade could feel the magic surrounding her mate, and she was happy that Frankie was there to help.
As if she knew she was needed, Serena peeked into the room. “Can I help?”
“We are going to have to figure out what kind of magic this is,” Frankie told her without looking away from Michael’s body. “But first, we need Jacque. He’s on his way up here now.” Jacque was Frankie’s mate and the closest thing they had to a doctor. He had started out as a physicist, but since the women starting moving in and having babies, Jacque took to the medical books and was probably a better doctor than anyone the human race had to offer. Frankie had mentally relayed the condition of Michael’s wing to him and he was gathering his supplies.
“I can’t believe this,” Jade muttered as she gently brushed an errant strand of hair out of her mate’s face. “I had no clue,” she continued.
“That’s because he is your mate,” Frankie told her. “We already told you, with your own heart, you have to do things the hard way. True love is never an easy road and vampire mates are even harder. I have every faith that we will find a way through this.”
“I should have been able to protect him,” Jade said solemnly. “I should have been able to protect my mate. What vampire can’t protect her own mate?”
Frankie chuckled. “Lots. You can’t protect him from everything all the time. Besides, Michael is no slouch. He can take care of himself. Whoever did this was really powerful and I bet tricked Michael in some way. He was not the best at shielding his mind.”
“True,” Jade agreed. Hell, the whole house would hear every thought the man ever had if she hadn’t put a wall around it herself. Oh, she thought, “Did I make him vulnerable? I put a shield around his mind so everyone wouldn’t hear his thoughts. Did I do this?”
“Not a chance,” Serena said, coming to stand next to Jade. She gently rubbed small circles on her back and did her best to comfort the young vampire. “You were protecting him and his dignity and we are all grateful. I know exactly how newly mated couples think, but I swear if I heard one more of his more passionate thoughts I was ready to put a spell on him myself.”
Jade snorted. “I can understand that.”
“Ok ladies,” Jacque cooed as he entered the room, “What do we have here?” He dropped his armload of supplies on the dresser by the bed and sat gently on the edge. His hair was spiked all around his head and the metal in his face from all the piercings gleamed under the harsh lights. “Broke a wing, huh?” he said to no one in particular. “I thought you could heal,” he whispered to Michael. One look from Frankie and Jacque knew better than to push it.
He visually examined the broken wing before gently running his fingers over the ridge. “Yeah, it’s definitely broken. I have never set a wing before, but I’m assuming it’s just like a broken wrist or leg.” He pulled a syringe out of his pile and plunged the needle into a bottle.
“What’s that?” Jade demanded.
“Can he even feel pain?” Jade asked. “It’s like he isn’t even in there.”
Jacque shrugged his shoulder. “I don’t know. It’s almost as if he is in a coma. It is widely speculated whether or not a coma patient can feel pain, but I’m not willing to take that chance. Are you?”
Jade shook her head. “No. I’m sorry Uncle Jacque. I’m just worried.” She watched as Jacque forced the needle into her mate’s hip and depressed the plunger. The meds worked their way into his body and his heart rate slowed ever so slightly.
Jacque heard it too and knew Jade would be concerned. “Do not worry,” he told her. “It’s normal. I would never give him enough to do any damage.” Jacque then moved his attention to the wing in question. He moved his hands over their structure, feeling for any other breaks. “It looks like it’s just this one break,” he said. Then he positioned his hands on either side of the fracture. “I’m sorry my friend,” he said just before he moved his hands and snapped the broken bone back into place. Michael did not respond. He didn’t move, he didn’t jerk, his heart rate never increased. He hadn’t felt it at all.
Jacque worked quickly to bandage the wing in quick setting casting, carefully wrapping the injured area the best he could. Feathers fell from his wings and Jacque scooped them up carefully, laying them on the table beside the bed. “He needs rest,” Jacque told Jade. “I don’t know what’s going on inside his head, but his body isn’t healing on its own so we have to do what we can for him. I’m going to hook him up on some IV fluids and an antibiotic, but to be honest, I don’t know how much good it will do, if any.” He wasted no time stuffing extra pillows behind Michael’s back to keep him in position and setting up the IV drip.
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