“Sami, I’m trying to tell you. She took off,” Goldy said, touching his arm.
No. She couldn’t have! Why?
He pulled away from Goldy as Tierney, Jax and Brimstone hurried over. Chloe sat watching from the couch where the kids played.
“Where is she?” he asked again, panic tingeing his voice.
Tierney and Jax glanced at each other before turning to Brimstone with a frown.
“She said she was going to the bathroom,” Brimstone said with a worried look on his face.
Goldy shook her head and nodded to the balcony outside. “No, she left, she flew away.”
“What? Why?” Sami asked, stunned. His heart was going crazy inside of his chest.
“I don’t know. I asked her, but she only said she couldn’t tell me and that she had to go. That it was the only way to keep everyone safe.”
“What does that mean? What happened, why would she say that?” Sami asked.
Brimstone frowned. “I didn’t think she’d leave, though she was upset,” he said in an accusatory tone as he eyed Sami.
Sami frowned at him. “I know she wanted to go home, but you saw the Walkers and Ilyium there, it wasn’t safe—”
“No,” Brimstone cut him off and angry eyes flicked to the balcony for a moment before settling back on Sami. “She saw you and her.” He motioned to Goldy. “Out there—hugging.”
“What? We, ah shit.” Realizing how it must’ve looked, Sami ran a hand through his hair. Then he started for the balcony only to stop, unsure of what to do or where Hellfire went. “She could be anywhere.” He said, turning back to everyone. “I need to find her.”
Feeling incomplete, his heart was racing with worry as the pain in his chest continued to grow. He rubbed his chest again and Tierney touched his arm. Her touch was enough to calm him a slight bit but not much, not like Hellfire could.
“Tiern,” he whispered, staring down at her.
“I know sweetie, I know,” she squeezed his arm and Sami knew she understood.
With a deep hard swallow, he glanced at Brimstone. “Where would she go?”
Brimstone shook his head. “Other than home, I have no idea. We’ve lived in hundreds of places, but none of them special.”
Sami closed his eyes and took a deep breath as the dark guilt began to surface once more. Trying to fight it, he ground his teeth together, and clenched his fists.
No. Not now. Not in front of everyone.
Then he felt Tierney wrap her arms around him.
“Sami, it’s okay. Just breathe. You’ll find her, I know it. You need to concentrate, you are connected to her, right?”
Sami looked down at his friend and moisture prickled the backs of his eyes. “Yeah, yes, I am. That’s how I knew something was wrong.”
“Use that connection. You can draw on your power, feel her,” she said, staring up at him.
“You can do it, bro, I know you can,” Jax said while Brimstone stared wide-eyed at him.
Chloe was also staring at them and he could feel Goldy standing beside him, but he couldn’t worry about her right now. Praying that it would work, Sami closed his eyes and ignored everyone as he drew on his power. He let it fill him and while it felt good, the feeling that something was wrong was distracting. Added to that was his dragon, while not roaring, it was pining for his mate, like another agony of the soul so that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to concentrate.
“I can feel that she’s upset, hurting. But I can’t …” Sami’s voice trailed off and the thought that he couldn’t find her, help her when she needed him tore him up.
“I can help,” Goldy said quietly. Sami opened his eyes and looked at her. Goldy nodded. “Give me your hands,” she said, holding hers to him.
Sami stared into Goldy’s golden glowing eyes and reaching out, took her hands.
“Concentrate on her,” she said and Sami, knowing how painful this must be for her, nodded gratefully.
Then he closed his eyes and thought about Hellfire. He pictured her exotic beauty—the adorable pink stripe in her hair that she hated. How stubborn, yet loyal and strong, she was. He jumped as a jolt of power joined his and his eyes flew open. He could almost see the power swirling around them it was so intense.
Closing his eyes again, he let his soul search for its other half. He could feel her, as if she were a part of him and now, with Goldy’s power added to his, that tether grew stronger.
Hellfire, where are you? He called mentally and suddenly, he knew where she was.
“I got her,” he said at the same time that Tierney breathed his name.
Opening his eyes, he glanced at her to see her staring at the choker around his neck. Then he noticed everyone staring at the same spot. “What?”
“You, your choker, Goldy must’ve overloaded you, a few of the stones are glowing really bright. I’ve never seen them glow like that before,” Tierney said with a touch of awe in her voice.
Sami shrugged. “I gotta go. I can feel her pulling me.”
He closed his eyes once more and committed Hellfire’s mental signature to his soul, then opening them, he looked at Goldy. “Thank you.”
Goldy smiled, though her eyes were shiny with unshed tears. “Go get her. Tell her what she means to you and don’t let her go.”
Leaning down, he kissed her on the cheek. “I will, and I’m sorry,” he said and he truly was. The woman in front of him shone with such a sweet soul and he hated that he was hurting her.
“I’ll be fine, who knows maybe there is a soul mate out there for me too.”
“I know there is,” he said then turned away.
“I’m going with you,” Brimstone said.
Sami shook his head. “No, I need to go alone. I need to tell your sister what she means to me, convince her to come back. I’ll let Tierney know when I’ve found her and she can let you know.”
Brimstone started to object, but Sami stopped him. “Please, I need to talk to her alone.”
Brimstone opened his mouth to speak.
“Alone,” Sami repeated and Brimstone bristled.
“You had better not hurt her.”
Sami shook his head. “Why would I hurt her? I love her.”
Brimstone blinked and then his shoulders sagged. “Okay, fine. But, keep in touch. I’m worried about her too.”
“I will,” Sami said.
“Sami, be careful,” Tierney called behind him.
“Call me if you need me, bro,” Jax added.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Hostage to the Past
SAMI FLEW OVER THE Phoenix family home once, and then again. He knew Hellfire was inside. He could feel her. Why would she come here? Brimstone had told her it wasn’t safe. Though their enemies’ vehicles were now gone, they could come back at any time. Just the thought of them catching Hellfire set his blood boiling.
Maybe she just didn’t care.
Shit.
The second time around, he landed gently on the slope of the roof at the back of the house, careful not to make any noise or attract any attention, just in case someone still watched the place. When he was sure it was safe, he shifted back into human form and made his way to one of the back balconies, glad that all the upper bedrooms had them.
It wasn’t hard to get the door lock open and he quickly slipped inside. Sami looked around and figured he was in one of Hellfire’s brothers’ rooms judging by the glimpse he got of the dark blue paint, sci-fi, and scantily clad girly wall posters. He had just turned around when his senses told him to hit the floor.
Sami ducked as something swung at his head.
“Hellfire, stop,” he hissed as he straightened up.
Even though Hellfire was one with the dark shadows of the room, Sami could see her easily. A baseball bat hung from her hand as she stilled at the sight of him.
“Sami?”
“Yeah, it’s me,” he said and heard a deep aggravated sigh.
“Fuck. What are you doing here Sami?�
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“I came to find you,” he said and rose to his feet.
Hellfire moved away from him.
“Why would you come back here, do you have a death wish?” he asked.
Hellfire shook her head. “No, I just … I wanted to come home.”
“Didn’t Brimstone tell you the Walkers and Ilyium were here?” Sami asked, trying not to let his anger show. His worry on the flight over here had now turned to anger that she would put herself in such danger.
“Yeah, he mentioned something but they’re gone. Anyway, you shouldn’t be here,” she said, and glanced nervously behind her.
Not sensing anyone else in the house, Sami frowned at her actions. Then his anger melted as he thought of Brimstone’s comment—about her being upset and why she likely took off.
“I know you saw me hugging Goldy,” he said.
Hellfire scowled at him, then shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. You need to go. Now.” She pointed at the balcony door behind him.
Sami ignored her and moved closer. “It does matter. I was telling Goldy that I can’t be with her. That I love someone else,” he said, watching Hellfire’s eyes widen at his admission. Then a mask of indifference settled over her features. She shrugged and nodded at the window.
“Sami, please. I can’t. Just go.”
Feeling like she’d slapped him in the face, Sami sucked in a breath at the pain that pierced his heart. He began to turn away when he caught the momentary glimpse of despair that she couldn’t hide. No. There was more to this. He could feel her guilt and her something more.”
“No. I’m not doing this again,” he said and turning back, studied her.
“What are you doing? Go,” she said, looking truly scared now.
Scared? Scared of what? Or who? Sami tapped into his senses, wanting to make sure he wasn’t imagining it. No, her despair and pain were all still there. But even more so—she was terrified. What the hell?
“I know something’s wrong. I can feel it here,” he said putting his hand on his chest. He watched the alarm cross her face as the pulse in her neck sped up.
“No, Sami—” She started to say something but stopped.
“Hellfire, talk to me. Tell me what has you so scared, so upset, please?” he begged and watched her shoulders slump.
“I can’t tell you,” she whispered.
Sami didn’t say anything, but instead waited for her to continue.
Hellfire sighed. “I just, he’s coming and I just wanted to protect everyone,” she said, averting her eyes.
He? He who? Now he was even more confused. “Who is coming, what are you talking about?” he asked, feeling a tingle of dread shiver through him.
Hellfire shook her head.
“Hellfire, please, tell me what is going on.”
“I can’t,” she said again, still not looking at him.
What was this? “After all we’ve been through, you still don’t trust me enough to tell me what has you so upset?” he asked, a tinge of anger in his voice.
Guiltily, she glanced up at him. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just, not something I like to even think about, never mind talk about.” She swallowed hard and he caught the glint of tears in her eyes. Heart thumping, Sami moved into her space. He ached to pull her into his arms, but didn’t. Instinctively, he knew she’d pull away.
“Hellfire, you can tell me anything,” he said softly.
Tears trickled down the smooth pale skin of her cheeks as silver eyes met his green. “That’s just it. I can’t tell anyone. It’s all my fault,” she whispered and sniffled.
Sami frowned. “Does it have anything to do with your scars?”
Hellfire stiffened for a moment then her shoulders slumped. Finally, she nodded and glanced away.
“Yes, but I deserve every one of them,” she said with such self-loathing that Sami wanted to deny it. He was pretty sure she didn’t, but he also knew there would be no telling her that, at least not right now.
“I killed my parents,” she finally admitted as a sob slipped out.
Sami sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. “I thought the Ilyium …?”
Hellfire squared her shoulders and wiped the tears away. “Well, they did, but it was my fault. My selfishness got them murdered.” She looked up at him as if waiting for the disgust she knew would follow at such a horrible admission.
While Sami had no idea if any of it was her fault or not, he did understand guilt, and just how all-consuming it could become so he expressed no disgust.
Filled with defeat, Hellfire turned and went to sit on her brother’s bed. Now, slowly, the puzzle pieces were starting to come together. He just couldn’t see the whole picture yet. Although, some of Hellfire’s rejection of him was starting to make a little more sense and he knew what guilt could do. Look what it had done to him, and to his brother who literally ran from Tierney’s love.
“Whatever happened, I know for a fact that you didn’t deliberately do anything to harm them,” he said, sitting down beside her.
Hellfire stared at her hands which lay clasped together in her lap. She was silent for so long he thought she’d quit talking. Finally, she spoke. “His name was Deacon. He was ten years older than me, drove a fancy car. He was good looking, a real charmer,” Hellfire shook her head. “God, I was such a fucking idiot!”
“Is he the one who did that to you?” Sami asked, indicating the scars.
Hellfire squirmed self-consciously, and nodded. “He runs an exclusive club downtown for Supes. Damnation had gone there one evening and later, I heard my parents warning him to stay away from the place. A few days after that, I overheard my parents arguing. Apparently, Deacon wanted our family to become members. They weren’t interested but he began pressuring them. One day, my curiosity got the better of me and I went to check it out. I planned to tell Deacon to leave us alone. That was until I actually met him. Within minutes, I was like a tongue-tied two-year-old. It wasn’t long before he sucked me into his world. I fell head over heels in love.” She gave a disgusted snort.
A ferocious need to tear the fucker to pieces consumed Sami. He stifled it and sat still, his fists clenched so hard he could feel the blood from his nails cutting into his palms.
Hellfire didn’t notice. “I was nineteen, and foolishly thought this was it. I believed I was in love, and we were meant to be together, forever. I believed the lies he hand fed me, that he loved me, wanted to marry me, take care of me, yada, yada.”
Hellfire, hands clenched so tightly that they were turning white, sucked in a deep breath and let it out before continuing. “My parents however knew the truth. They told me he wasn’t a good man.”
She shook her head as she remembered. “We all got along so well. That was the only time we ever fought. I refused to let it go. I wanted what I wanted and nothing else would do. Finally, they forbade me to see him. Of course, I didn’t listen. I thought I knew better, that they were jealous of his money, his power in our Phoenix community.”
Another sob escaped her. Hating where he knew this was going Sami put an arm around her shoulders. He wanted to tell her it was over, that the guy couldn’t hurt her anymore but he knew for Hellfire that it wasn’t.
A moment later, she continued in a quieter voice. “I knew that Deacon could have any girl he wanted, but he said he wanted me. Me! I was nothing special—plain and uninteresting, but he picked me. My parents refused to understand how badly I wanted to be with him. I was so angry with them. They didn’t care how I felt and refused to even listen anymore.”
She shook her head as if to rid herself of it all. “I began sneaking out. I was so fucking wrong and they were so right, and in the end, it got them killed.”
“What happened?” Sami asked softly, dreading the answer.
Hellfire wiped away more of her tears. “Deacon said he’d talk to them for me. Make them understand that we were meant to be together. He asked for our address. I gave it to him—like an idiot.”
&n
bsp; “He was the one who …?” Sami asked, his heart in his throat, even though he’d already figured it out.
“Yeah, he brought the Ilyium with him. Said if my parents wouldn’t join him, then they would die. He may not have been the one to pull the triggers, but he had them killed for refusing him.”
Sami ached for what she had gone through. “I’m sorry that happened to you. But you were nineteen and in love. You had no way of knowing what would happen.”
Hellfire pursed her lips, unwilling to hear any reason why she wasn’t the one responsible. Sami sighed. Now he knew how Jax must’ve felt with him.
“Look Sami, I appreciate you coming here, but now you need to go. You can’t be here when—”
“It’s him, Deacon, isn’t it?” he asked then shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. I’m not going anywhere, so you might as well tell me what’s going on now.”
Hellfire took a deep breath and pulled her phone from her pocket. “I got a call while at your place. It was him. He’s been watching everyone.”
A chill raced down his spine as she showed him the pictures. “What does he want?”
Hellfire swallowed deeply. “He gave me two hours to meet him here or he’d send his kill squad to take out your family.”
“Hellfire, I’m a dragon. Tierney and Jax are dragons,” he said, though he didn’t mention that Tierney had yet to go through her awakening. That didn’t matter. She was still lethal with any weapon. “We have the wolves protecting the place. We can protect ourselves and everyone there.”
Hellfire shook her head. “Deacon’s kill squad is made up of a group of fierce ninja Phoenix fighters. The fight would be half-over before you even saw them coming,” she said and the fear in her eyes told him she really believed it.
“Let me contact Tierney and Jax. I’ll let them know, and then we are going to take care of this asshole once and for all,” he said, holding up a hand when she started to object.
Sami contacted Tierney and Jax telepathically and explained what and who was coming after them and why.
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