My hand found Clay’s neck, and I shoved him against a wall. “Tell me!” I roared.
“Stop trying to crush his windpipe and he probably will,” Embyr said.
Breathing heavily, I forced my fingers to let go, and I took a step back. I couldn’t even find the good sense to apologize for my actions.
Clay coughed. “The truck is wrecked about a mile down the road. Andra was gone when they got there.”
Several gasps came from behind me and Phoenix began shouting from the closed casket, but I couldn’t be concerned about them. I had to figure out a way to find her and get her back to me safely.
I would not accept that death was her fate.
Chapter 44
Friday, February 6th 2015 3:03 p.m. PST
Las Vegas, Nevada
Phoenix
The inside of the casket walls had certainly taken a beating from all the punching and kicking Phoenix did until someone smartened up and closed the den door, so he could get back out. And now that he was out, he didn’t feel any less claustrophobic, even with how large the den was.
Mena was out there somewhere, and in the hands of people who wished her harm.
“Who are they?” Phoenix demanded as he pinned Ace with a hard glare. Ace didn’t answer him. He’d been pacing the same eight-foot stretch of hardwood by the door for the last five minutes, his fingers curling and uncurling as he marched and snarled, every vein on his neck and arms pressing against the captivity of his flesh. The Alpha appeared ready to take on Heaven and Hell in order to find Mena.
Ace had ordered every member of his pride and the four members of Mena’s pack to go out searching for her, and it was clear the giant of a man was pissed to the core that his impaired vision and his temporarily severed link to her wouldn’t allow him to do the same.
It’s just the bond, Phoenix reminded himself. The guy couldn’t really have true feelings for her. But a cold chill skittered up his spine when he’d overheard Ace telling Heath that when either of them meditated, it blocked out the bond and their connection to each other completely, and that Mena had meditated just before storming out of the room. Ace couldn’t sense her at all. That told Phoenix two things that he didn’t honestly want to believe. One, that they had no way of tracking her, because her bonded male wouldn’t be able to feel her for the length of time it took the meditation to wear off. And two, that maybe their feelings for one another were genuine.
Worrying about the second one wouldn’t help get her back to safety, and that was what was most important. The fact that the two men who cared most for her were stuck in a house, unable to search for her properly, was also a huge problem. Damn the sunlight! They still had a little over two hours before Phoenix could break out of these walls and look for her, and probably closer to three before Ace would start to feel her again. If they didn’t kill each other before then, it would be a miracle.
“I asked you a question,” Phoenix said, his aggravation growing the longer the lion Alpha ignored him. “We need all the facts if we stand a chance of getting her back alive. Clay mentioned that they might be slayers. Are they human? They shouldn’t be that difficult to find and defeat if they are.”
Ace stopped and cocked his head back then let out a weighted sigh as he rubbed his useless eyes with the knuckles of his pointer fingers. It was obvious the guy was physically and mentally exhausted. “She told there is more to our world than we know. She wouldn’t tell me who they are, but they were sent to track Andra because she was a moonrising Alpha. I tried to tell her that she wasn’t a moonrising wolf anymore, but she hung up on me. Slade tracked our phones, but they were found in a dumpster on the other side of the city. That’s all I got, man. I know you’re just as worried about her as I am, but I don’t know what to tell you. We have no way of finding her until the meditation wears off, if they even let her live that long.”
A soft knock came from the door, and both men’s heads shot around to look at it. “It’s me,” Clay said. “Get in your corner, vampire. We’re coming in.”
After Phoenix retreated to the darkest corner of the room, the door opened and Clay walked in with Embyr and three figures, sheets covering their bodies from head to toe. Vampires? As the door clicked shut, the sheets were ripped off and thrown to the floor, revealing a woman with stark raven hair and electric blue eyes, a woman with long wavy brunette hair and sea-glass green eyes and a male of average height and build, his eyes also a vibrant blue. Yes, they are most definitely vampires.
Clay nodded in their direction when he caught Phoenix’s curiosity. “Embyr and Rainey are my sisters. That’s Déus, Rainey’s vampire mate.” The male dipped his head to Phoenix. Clay’s mesmerized eyes fell on the last girl and he gave her a shy smile. “And this one is Katrista. They live on Eternal Island, but they came here to help us.”
Ace snorted. “They came here to blind me. Damn witches and their trickery.”
The dark-haired woman grinned. “You’re not still sore about the hand you got dealt, are you?”
Phoenix blinked. “You’re a witch and a vampire?”
Clay nodded. “My siblings and I are a full circle of mages. Zephyr’s in New York. Rainey’s the only vampire out of us, though.”
Phoenix’s eyebrows drew together as he stepped out of the corner. “There are four of you?”
Clay nodded as his eyes flicked over to look at Ace. Ace was glaring at him, with unfocused eyes. Phoenix’s eyes narrowed on both men. “You know we need to talk about this. Before, it was just a suggestion to make things easier, but now it’s different. Embyr and Rainey agree with me, Ace.” Ace growled. “I won’t watch the bond kill you,” Clay said. “If we stand a chance of getting Zephyr here on time, I need to call him now.”
“No,” Ace growled as he strode over to Clay. He bumped an end table with his leg then kicked it out of the way. As if he could see Clay, he stopped eight inches from him and brought his finger up to poke in the center of the guy’s chest. His voice lowered. “We’ll find her and get her back before the bond takes us out. I know I can find her once the meditation wears off. Don’t say another fucking word about it, Clay. I mean it.”
The wheels and gears in Phoenix’s mind began turning. Was Clay offering to reverse the bond? Was it possible after all? He really hadn’t been delirious earlier when he thought he heard a guy tell Ace that the bond could be reversed. A vampire’s hearing is remarkable, but six hours in a coffin can do a lot to a mind. He thought he’d been dreaming or that his mind made it up, because that was all he had thought about for days. “You can reverse the bond?” Phoenix inquired, and Ace swore under his breath.
Phoenix ignored him as he walked closer to the guy. Clay wouldn’t make eye contact with him. Reaching in his pocket, he took out the vial of pink liquid. Roel and Alex would thank him for it. Pulling out the cork, Phoenix put the rim of the vial to his lips and turned it up. It was bitter on his tongue and burned going down his throat, but he didn’t care. He hadn’t expected Ace to hit him back earlier, for the simple fact that Mena had been in the room watching him. She wasn’t here now, and Phoenix had a feeling that the big cat wouldn’t agree to disagree about this. Stepping in front of Clay, Phoenix’s eyes leveled with the mage’s. “Do it.”
“No!” Ace roared, shoving Phoenix back and getting in Clay’s face again. “Don’t you fucking dare, Clay! You don’t understand—”
Clay’s chest puffed out and he stood his ground with the shifter. “I understand that if you’re wrong about getting her back in time one of you will die!” he shouted back. “That bond is nothing to play with, Ace. Besides, it will take Zephyr at least seven hours to get here. Both of you will be close to collapsing by then, and you will be begging me to do it in order to save her life. I won’t be able to unless Z is here. If two bonded people don’t come back in contact with each other in less than twelve hours after they pass out, one or the other will die.”
“It’s four hours,” Ace said as he pushed his sunglasses to his forehe
ad and rubbed his eyes.
Clay flinched. “What?”
“After we collapse, the people around us have four hours to get us together. I took Justice’s mate from him. She died four hours after she passed out. I wasn’t even clear about what really happened back then, not until now. Now I understand why he wants Andra so much.”
Phoenix’s eyes closed, knowing that if they ever got Andra safely away from the people who had her now, she would still never be safe from the likes of Ace’s cousin. The bonded male wanted revenge.
“If we get Andra safely back to you by the time Zephyr gets here, we won’t do the ritual,” Clay said. “I swear it, Ace.”
Ace shook his head as a breath expelled from his nose. “Sounds like you already made up your mind to call him. Why did you even say anything to me?”
“Because you’re my best friend, asshole. I wanted you to realize the consequences of choosing not to reverse it and make the right decision on your own. If you truly love her, you’ll still love her after the bond is broken.”
“That’s not what he’s worried about,” Phoenix said. “He’s worried that Mena doesn’t truly love him, that it’s always been the bond for her.”
Ace stiffened. “There was no bond present when she gave herself to me last night, vampire. I’m not worried that she doesn’t love me, not anymore.”
Phoenix’s blood heated. “What is it then?”
Ace took a big step forward and lowered his head, so that he was even with Phoenix’s height. His face was so close that Phoenix could feel his hot breath on his face and see his own pissed off expression in the reflection of those aviators. He didn’t back down. “When this all started, you were the one she wanted and I was the one she needed. Now, I have both and you have nothing. I’d just like to keep it that way. Andra and I are the same, vampire. She doesn’t belong in your world.”
Pulling back his arm, Phoenix went in for the punch, but Ace’s hand shot up and gripped the flying fist, stopping it instantly, without much effort on the shifter’s end. Every bone in Phoenix’s hand bent under the strain, nearly breaking.
Ace threw Phoenix’s hand toward the floor and stood to his full height of six-foot-seven. “I’m not fighting you, Phoenix. Your ego is bruised and your heart is broken. I get that. I felt the same feelings through Andra after we bonded. But this isn’t about us right now. This is about her. She needs us both right now. If you love her, stay and help get her back, but don’t pick a fight with me because she finally found her happiness.”
Without a second thought, Phoenix pulled his left arm back and clocked the Alpha in the jaw. Now the ache on the left side of his face matched the one on the right. They might not fight, but he was going to hit the asshole every chance he got. Phoenix rolled his shoulders back and grinned as Ace worked his jaw under his fingers. “That was for Jaxon and, just so you know, I’m far from being done using your head as a punching bag over what your cousin did to him. As far as I’m concerned, it was just as much your fault as it was Justice’s. You knew you would be putting Mena, her pack and my clan in danger before you bonded with her.”
“An Alpha and his or her pack are always in danger of being challenged…” Ace placed his fingers under his chin and pushed up at an angle until a series of cracks filled the empty silence of the room. “…but I won’t deny that I knew Justice wanted vengeance. I will even admit that I deserved those two sucker punches. Don’t expect to get in anymore on me, though.”
Phoenix’s brow rose, unfazed by the warning in Ace’s tone. “What do you suggest we do about Mena? Neither of us can help her right now.”
Ace turned his head toward Clay. “Call your brother and get him on a plane. I mean it, Clay. No hocus pocus unless there’s no other way to save her.”
“Agreed,” Clay said, and then took out his cell phone and turned away.
“Embyr?” Ace said.
“Yeah?” Embyr said.
“I’m sure there is some of Andra’s hair on her pillow on my bed or in her brush that she left on the vanity in my bathroom. Go get it.” I pointed to the door on the East side of the room. “Use that door and the vamps won’t have to hide in the corner. The sun has left that side of the house. We’re going to need your necklace and another location spell done. We have almost two hours before the sun goes down completely. We’ll use that time to plan for battle. These fuckers are going to die a slow, painful death.”
“Finally, something we agree on,” Phoenix said.
Ace’s grin was menacing, but at least he was grinning. “So, you’re going to stay and help find her instead of running back to Montgomery, with your feelings hurt and your tail tucked?”
“I don’t have a tail and I don’t run from my problems,” Phoenix said. “We save her first, and then we will deal with you and me. I agree we won’t fight anymore today but, make no mistake, there will be a fight… and I will win.”
“I am looking forward to you trying,” Ace said grimly, and then his head cocked over. “Rainey?”
“Yep,” Rainey said.
“Isn’t that Queen of yours some sort of miracle worker?” Ace said.
“Uh… yeah, but her very moody vampire husband King won’t let her do any magic until after their child is born. Abe would come over here and kill me slowly just for asking her to help. And he would smile the whole time. I’m not asking her to help. I’m sorry, Ace.”
Ace swore under his breath.
“Hey,” Déus said. “Didn’t they help Ethan and a bunch of angels and ex-demons save the world a few months ago in Las Vegas?”
Rainey shrugged. “Yeah, but after Abe almost lost her during the fight with Ansel, he made her promise she wouldn’t do anymore magic until after the baby is born. You know that, Déus. He’s not going to let her help. Nobody would be able to talk him into it, not even Ariana.”
Déus shook his head. “No, I know, but maybe you could call her and she could call in a favor to those ex-demons. We’re going to need all the help we can get if these guys are as dangerous as Slade says they are.”
Rainey’s face brightened. “Now that is a good idea.” She kissed him on the mouth. “I knew you would be more useful to me than just carrying my purse.”
Phoenix cocked an eyebrow. “Ex-demons?” he said as Rainey took her cell phone from her bag, dialed a number and put it to her ear.
Déus’ mouth pulled to the side in a lopsided grin. “You’ll see.”
For the first time in hours, Phoenix felt a flutter of hope rise in his chest. It was a tiny flutter, but if they could come up with a plan, the situation wouldn’t look so dire.
Chapter 45
Friday, February 6th 2015 3:30 p.m. PST
Las Vegas, Nevada
Andromeda
The first thing Andra thought as she broke back into consciousness was that she hurt. All over. Her shoulder ached, her wrist throbbed, her leg felt like it was on fire, and it was quite possible there was a whole marching band stomping around and banging their drums in her head.
She cracked her eyes open. Double vision. Her stomach lurched and she swallowed back bile as she squeezed them tightly shut again. Ugh. Concussion. What happened?
Ace? There was nothing. She couldn’t even feel him. Panic started to rise in her when she remembered that she had meditated and stolen the truck from the house to get away and think. She hadn’t gotten far before the blond-haired girl who’d escaped from Ace’s basement walked out into the middle of the road.
Andra had swerved to miss her, and then lost control of the truck when it hit gravel off the shoulder on the other side of the road. That was the last thing she remembered.
Slowly, Andra opened her eyes again. Her vision was still out of focus and blurry, but she couldn’t just lay here and sleep it off. She needed to find a way to get back to Ace.
She cried out as a pain shot from her left shoulder when she tried to sit up.
“You’re awake,” a female voice said as a door creaked open, and then shut h
ard behind her, as if it was heavy. “Good.”
Blinking the girl into focus, Andra tried to sit up again, but looked down and hissed when her hurt wrist caught on something. No, not something. Somethings. Each wrist and ankle was bound with thick bands. Heavy-duty chains linked the cuffs to the steel wall behind her, giving her only about six feet to move around.
“Don’t bother trying to shift or escape. The restraints are made of silver. They are just steel-coated, so that they won’t burn your skin. They will keep you weak and incapable of shifting.”
Andra glared at her. “You caused me to have an accident and you kidnapped me, but you’re worried I might burn myself on the shackles you put me in? Oh, the irony.”
The girl shrugged as she sat on the floor and crossed her legs beneath her, just out of Andra’s reach. Smart girl. “We’re not cruel. The accident was necessary, as are the bindings. I knew you wouldn’t come willingly.”
Andra clenched her teeth together. “And why, exactly, am I here at all?”
“I told you,” the girl said. “You’re a monster, even more of a monster than the rest. I would have killed you out there, but Abhor wanted to meet you first. He wanted to hear firsthand how you managed to become a moonrising Alpha wolf. We’re waiting for him to arrive, and then you’ll be executed. Don’t worry. It’ll be a quick death.”
“I’m not a moonrising wolf,” Andra spat. “I never was. I called out my wolf’s name before the full moon.”
“We believe it has to be done within forty-eight hours or it’s too late. You are moonrising to us, and a danger to everyone.”
There was no reasoning with this girl, but she’d talked more in the last five minutes than she had the whole time she was locked in Ace’s basement. “Who are you? Slayers?”
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