by Lynn Hagen
“Fine.” Edward walked away, leaving the door open.
Well, that had been a cheery invitation. It made Phoenyx feel oh so welcomed. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He wasn’t sure where Edward had gone, so Phoenyx dropped onto the sofa and rested his head on the back of the couch. This had been one hell of a day, and he just wanted to go to bed and start over.
A moment later Edward returned with two mugs. He handed one to Phoenyx.
Coffee.
Pure, sweet, much-needed coffee. “Thanks.”
Phoenyx sat up and took a sip, holding back the cough. If Edward had made it any stronger Phoenyx would’ve been wired for weeks. How many grounds had he put in the machine, the entire bag?
What he wouldn’t give for a Starbucks right now.
“I wasn’t trying to be a dick.” Edward sat on the recliner across from the couch. “I really do appreciate what you did for me, both times. I’m still wigging out about Anton and other things I got on my plate. I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”
Edward took a sip of his coffee and coughed then gagged. “Oh my god. That sucks!” He coughed a few more times before setting the mug on the coffee table. “Why didn’t you say something?”
“You were already pissed at me.” Phoenyx set his cup down, hoping it didn’t leap back at him. It was filled with so much caffeine that it might move on its own. “I didn’t want you kicking me out, but I have to say, that’s the worst cup of coffee I’ve ever had.”
Edward burst out laughing, and it was the most amazing sight Phoenyx had ever seen.
“I can make a fresh pot,” he offered.
“I don’t think I want to risk it. That single sip I took is going to have me up for the next twenty-four hours.”
Phoenyx was joking, but he was also wondering if he was wasting his time. What were the odds that Edward was his mate? Astronomical, and Phoenyx had been attracted to others. That was all this was, pure attraction. He wasn’t going to set himself up for disappointment.
He was going to find Anton and put him where he belonged so Golden Eyes could go back to his life and Phoenyx could go back to his. No harm, no foul. And maybe, if he was lucky, they could both scratch a mutual itch before they parted ways.
Phoenyx cocked his head when he heard a distant voice calling his name. It was Drake, one of Panahasi’s mates. He shot from the sofa and looked around for a shadow.
“What’s wrong?” Edward asked.
“I gotta go.” Fuck it. Phoenyx would use the front closet to get back to the demon realm. He opened the door and headed inside, and at the last second, Edward grabbed his arm.
“What are you doing in my closet?” Edward demanded a moment before he started to scream.
Chapter Three
Edward lay on his back, staring up at the night sky. He wasn’t sure what the heck just happened and wondered how he’d gotten into his backyard. There was grass underneath him and a soft breeze, only…
He jackknifed and looked around. This was not his backyard. He was on a hilly mound, a lake right behind him. In front of him were buildings he didn’t recognize.
Phoenyx reached down and grabbed Edward’s upper arm, pulling him to his feet. “We have to get going.”
“Going where?” Edward had no idea where he was. How had he gotten from his living room to… “Where are we?”
“Serenity City. I have to get home.” Phoenyx started walking, and although Edward had no clue what the heck was going on, he ran to catch up, trying his best to keep pace with Phoenyx’s long strides.
One thing he noticed right away was that there were no cars, no trucks, no kind of vehicles whatsoever. He was used to living in his sleepy little town, and at night, hardly a soul was out.
But not here. There were a lot of people walking down the street, playing basketball in some sort of park, and…Edward blinked several times when he saw a guy walking a two-headed dog.
Two-headed dog.
He was unconscious. That was the only explanation. He’d hit his head and was dreaming all this. Or he’d died, and this was some strange purgatory.
The guy walking the dog…dogs? Was it considered one or two? The guy walking them smiled at him, and Edward gasped. He had fangs! Okay, there was no need to panic. Edward had been around vampires, had partied with them, and had even let one or two feed from him.
No big deal. Right? Nothing to freak out about. There was a perfectly logical explanation for all of this.
They passed an apartment building that had no front door. Edward stopped and stared at where it should’ve been, but there was nothing but brick.
“We don’t have time to waste.” Phoenyx grabbed Edward’s hand and pulled him to the side of the building, where there was nothing but complete darkness.
“Oh, no. You’re not doing that to me again.” He tried to pull his hand free, dig his feet in, anything to stop Phoenyx from dragging him forward, but the guy was too large for Edward to fight against. They stepped forward, and then… God, Edward was going to have a nervous breakdown. They were now standing in a hallway. Things just kept stranger and stranger, and he wasn’t sure how much more he could take before his brain exploded.
Phoenyx knocked, and the door flew open. On the other side stood a sprite-like guy with blue eyes and chestnut-brown hair. Behind him was another guy with dark eyes and a long fall of dark hair.
“About time,” the one with the dark eyes said. “What took you so long?”
“Tell me what’s going on, Drake.” Phoenyx walked into the apartment, pulling Edward with him.
Edward noticed a bar on the other side of the room, floor-to-ceiling windows that showed off the city, and a fireplace was crackling. The apartment was modern, sleek, and Edward was envious of it.
“I can’t get ahold of Panny,” Drake said. “Casey has been calling out to him, but he won’t respond.”
Edward assumed the blue-eyed guy was Casey. They were both handsome men, but there was something about Drake that said he knew how to get into trouble.
“When was the last time you saw him?” Phoenyx asked.
“When he went to the fight earlier,” Casey said. “He told us he would be right back, but that was hours ago.”
“He was taking the creature we battled to Hell,” Phoenyx said. “Let me try and call him.”
“You don’t think we’ve tried that?” Drake said. “At least fifty times, and we’ve left over a dozen messages. It’s not like him to ignore our calls.”
Casey looked beside himself, tears brimming his eyes while Drake looked downright pissed. Edward’s head spun as he stared at them, trying to process the fact that Phoenyx had just said “Panny” was taking a creature they’d battled to Hell.
A creature they’d battled.
Hell.
His knees felt weak, and oh god, he was going to pass out. What kind of madness had he fallen into? What strange place was this, or were they even on earth anymore? His closet had been some sort of portal to this city where two-headed dogs existed, Phoenyx and others had battled a creature, and some guy named Panny had taken him to Hell.
“Who’s your friend?” Casey looked Edward over.
“Edward,” Phoenyx said. “I’m going to leave him here with you while I search for Panahasi.”
“You’re going to do what?” Edward stared wide-eyed at the handsome guy. “I don’t even know how I got here, where here is, and I’m flipping the hell out. You’re not leaving me anywhere but my house. Take me back!”
Edward was having an anxiety attack. They weren’t uncommon for him, not when he was drowning in debt, had an elderly grandmother who needed his care, owed a freaking fairy ten grand, and now had to dodge Anton because the bastard had gotten away.
He was surprised he wasn’t in a straitjacket by now.
“Trust me, I know the feeling,” Casey said. “When I first got here, I was afraid.”
“You were not,” Drake argued. “You wanted to explore everything.”
/>
“That was you,” Casey argued. “And you nearly died disobeying Panny’s orders. If Phoenyx hadn’t saved you, you’d be dead.”
The skin under Edward’s eye began to twitch.
Drake turned to Edward. “You’re in the demon realm. We’re in a place called Serenity City. It’s a really nice place, but it does have its dangers. You just have to know what parts to stay out of.”
Demon realm. Had Drake just said demon realm? Edward yanked his hand from Phoenyx’s and raced for the door. Phoenyx was faster and blocked his escape.
“You don’t want to go running around the city by yourself, and without knowing how to use the Black River, you won’t be able to get home.”
Edward sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm his racing heart. The soft way Phoenyx had just spoken to him and the concern in his emerald-green eyes helped Edward to finally compose himself.
“Do you want a drink, Eddie? We’ve got a fully stocked bar,” Drake said.
“Edward,” he corrected the guy. “And no thank you. I don’t need to be drunk while dealing with this.”
“I think you need to be tipsy,” Drake argued. “It’ll help you deal with this better.”
“Stop trying to turn him into a lush,” Casey argued. “I’ll make him some herbal tea.”
“Are they always like that?” Edward whispered to Phoenyx.
Phoenyx’s eyes sparkled with humor as he nodded. “Yeah, always. But you can’t find two guys more in love with each other or with their third mate.”
Edward wasn’t going to touch that. Not right now. He already had too many things to process. A threesome? Nope, he was going to ignore that.
“They’re wolf shifters,” Phoenyx said. “I just wanted you to know that while I’m gone.”
Edward could deal with shifters. He liked them. And knowing that did help ease his worries. “What are you?”
Phoenyx had dodged the question the last time Edward had asked. He was in the demon realm, wherever that was, and wondered if Phoenyx was a demon.
Which would freak him out since Anton was a demon.
Phoenyx brushed his knuckles over Edward’s cheek. Why did Edward’s insides flutter? Why did he have an urge to lean into Phoenyx’s hand and nuzzle it or beg for a kiss? “I promise not to be gone too long.”
Before Edward could say another word, Phoenyx turned and walked out, closing the door behind him.
“So, do you want that drink?” Drake asked.
Edward turned and stared at the two men. “Give me the goddamn bottle.”
* * * *
“Nobody’s heard from him,” Wayland said. “Not since he took Surkath to Hell.”
Phoenyx knew for a fact that Panahasi wouldn’t ignore his mates’ calls. But what could’ve happened? He dropped down onto Wayland’s couch and scrubbed a hand over his hair. “He said he needed to talk to Jaden. Do you think his brother could’ve done something to him?”
Wayland shook his head. “They’ve buried the hatchet. Jaden has something to live for, so he’s no longer trying to kill Panahasi. What if he didn’t make it out of Hell?”
That was a grim thought. Panahasi was a strong being, an ancient creature with immense power, but there were certain things that could test him. Like millions upon millions of hellish things trying to escape. What if Surkath had done something to him while he was being taken back?
Hell played with the mind, showed you things that weren’t real, tried to trick you and trap you for all eternity. Phoenyx’s stomach soured thinking of Panahasi getting stuck there.
“No, no way.” Wayland crossed his arms. “We’re not going to Hell, and that’s final. You better come up with another plan.”
Phoenyx heard a keyboard clattering in the other room and knew it was Wayland’s mate, Gilmore. He designed websites, or some shit, and pretty much kept to himself.
He once again thought about Edward, and Phoenyx honestly wanted to get back to the male. But Panahasi was their leader, and Phoenyx would die to protect him.
He just hoped it didn’t come to that.
Still, Phoenyx was worried about leaving Edward with Drake and Casey. Those two knew how to get into trouble, and Edward was still absorbing everything that had happened to him. Phoenyx didn’t need the human running into some unsavory characters because Panahasi’s mates decided they wanted to go have some fun.
“Hey, where the hell are you? You got a lot of people worried about you, including your mates.”
Phoenyx’s head snapped up when he heard Wayland talking. He was on his phone, and clearly he’d gotten in touch with Panahasi.
“Well, you need to call Casey and Drake. They’re out of their minds with worry. They even called Phoenyx to find you.” Wayland listened as a smile formed. “Yeah, I know they worry if you’re gone five seconds, but please do us all a favor and call them.” More listening. “Okay.”
Wayland hung up. “See, I told you everything was fine.”
“Where is he?” Phoenyx got up and crossed the room.
“He wouldn’t say, but he said he isn’t in any trouble and thanks for coming when his mates called you, but it was unnecessary and you can take off if you’ve got other things to do.”
Phoenyx was relieved. Hell was the last place he wanted to go. Though he’d never been, he’d heard plenty of horror stories about it. He’d gladly pass on the experience.
“So who’s the human?”
“What?”
Wayland waved his hand toward the ceiling. “The one you stashed in Panahasi’s apartment.”
“How the hell do you know about him?” Phoenyx hadn’t made any pit stops, and he’d come downstairs right after leaving the penthouse. How did Wayland know about Edward?
“Dude, you know nothing gets past us. I knew about him as soon as you entered the demon realm.”
“Honestly, I don’t know,” Phoenyx admitted. “Hondo and I were chasing Anton and came across him trying to suck the human’s soul out. I got this weird feeling and followed him.”
“Is that why you ditched the cleanup earlier?”
“Yeah.” Phoenyx crossed his arms and chewed on the right side of his bottom lip. “I can’t get him off my brain.”
Phoenyx had an itching to go upstairs and check on him, to make sure the three hadn’t taken off. To make sure Edward hadn’t had a complete meltdown. Phoenyx just wanted to lay eyes on him again, to be close, and fuck if he didn’t want to kiss him.
“Think he’s your mate?” Wayland looked toward the front door, as if Edward would be able to hear him from two floors down.
That was the question that was burning in Phoenyx’s mind. If Edward was his mate, then what? He’d seen a few warriors mate humans, and they made it work, even with the warriors’ fucked-up backgrounds. Phoenyx’s wasn’t shiny, either. He’d been raised in Remtin, had struggled for whatever he needed. It was a violent, bloody, brutal past that hadn’t quite faded from his memories.
“Don’t.” Wayland grabbed Phoenyx’s shoulder. “Don’t even think that. You’re good enough for him. I thought the same thing when I found Gilmore, that I was a piece of shit and he deserved better. That ain’t true, Phoenyx.”
“Even if he keeps trying to shake me?” Phoenyx took a step back so Wayland’s hand would fall. “He was brought here by accident. Right before that he wanted me to leave. I used his closet when I heard Drake calling me, and Edward grabbed my arm.”
“He’s scared. This is all new to him, right?”
Phoenyx nodded.
“He had a demon trying to suck his soul out. I’d be shaken up after that.”
From what Phoenyx had heard, it was a painful experience that left the victim in a zombie-like state. He shuddered thinking that could’ve been Edward’s fate if Phoenyx and Hondo hadn’t tracked Anton down.
“I’m gonna head upstairs.” Phoenyx was glad Panahasi was fine, but now he had to face Edward, and truth be told, Phoenyx was a bit anxious to see what mood the guy w
as in.
He made his way to the penthouse and stopped just outside the door. Loud laughter could be heard in the hallway. Something inside him stirred at hearing the noise, some part of him that truly wanted Edward happy.
Shit. Maybe the male was his mate. There was only one way to find out, but right now, sex was the last thing Edward wanted with him. Phoenyx would just have to change his mind.
He walked in and found all three in the living room, a half-empty bottle of booze on the coffee table. Drake was lying on the couch, smiling at Edward. Casey was sprawled out on the chair, and neither of them was drunk. They were wolf shifters, and they couldn’t get wasted off of human alcohol.
Edward was a different story. His eyes were shining, his cheeks rosy, and he was lying on his back on the carpet in front of the fireplace, staring at the ceiling, his glass still clutched in his hand.
“What did you guys do?” Phoenyx walked over to the coffee table and stared past it at Edward. “Did you get him drunk?”
“It was his idea,” Drake argued. “Your mate asked for the bottle.”
Phoenyx didn’t bother correcting Drake. He liked the way that sounded. He also wanted to get Edward back to the human realm. Phoenyx had thought it would be safer to stay here, but he didn’t want to push his luck with Edward.
“Come on.” Phoenyx helped Golden Eyes to his feet. “Let’s get you out of here.”
“Wait.” Drake jumped up. “Did you find Panny?”
“Wayland was able to get ahold of him. He’s fine.” Phoenyx slid his arm around Edward’s waist, and damn if it didn’t feel natural, as if the human was right where he belonged. “He’ll call you two later.”
Phoenyx helped Edward to the door. They were in the hallway when Edward burped and pressed a hand to his stomach. “I don’t feel so well. Can we stop walking?”
If Phoenyx took Edward through the shadows, the guy would empty his guts. He decided to let Edward sleep it off in his apartment. Once he felt better, then they could travel back to the human realm.
He walked one floor down and got Edward inside. Instead of taking Edward to his room, he settled him on the couch. “Just relax and try and get some sleep.”