House of Phoenyx: House of Phoenyx book 1

by T. John Greene

  Chapter 8

  Josephine

  Josephine and Landon didn’t follow the others aboveground. Josephine wanted to use her new sight to practice Underworld magic and Landon just wanted to spend some time in his human body. Josephine needed to learn how to create doors from the Underworld to aboveground. This was important to her; after all, she didn’t want to get stuck in the Underworld.

  She felt like there was more to her involvement in the prophecy than just being the prophet, so she wanted to emphasize her worth. Right now that meant learning about doors. Don seemed to be under the impression that creating a door was just something Josephine could do, but Josephine didn’t share the same confidence. She needed to be taught how and she needed to practice.

  Magic was something you should never mess with. Her mom had taught her that a long time ago. She always said, “The minute you stop treating magic with respect, it will stop treating you with respect.” Of course her mom just practiced small spells like burying a potato to get rid of warts, but nothing like the magic in the Underworld. Everything here was amplified except for time, because time seemed to move more slowly in the Underworld. That came in handy because she wanted to get all the practice she could get before returning aboveground for Don’s lecture. Admittedly, she didn’t want to go to class, but Don was going and he was an academic above all else and expected her to be an academic as well. He kept asking her if she was going to go to class and around the fourth time he asked her if she was going, she finally gave in and told him yes. She wasn’t sure what would win in a competition between his academia and his desire to protect Percaline. Fortunately, later today she wouldn’t have to find out because both scores would be satisfied.

  But for now she needed sleep. She and Landon went upstairs to their rooms. At first she thought it was weird that they shared a door between their rooms, but as she lay down to sleep, she realized that it was the first time in many months that she was alone. She had always thought of herself as independent but she had also always had Landon beside her. Landon must have been experiencing the same thing because he knocked on the door.

  “Josephine? Are you awake?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” she replied.

  “I can’t sleep,” he told her.

  “Me neither. Want to come in and talk for a while? There’s so much I want to know about you,” she asked and he entered her room wearing pair of pajama bottoms with pictures she couldn’t quite make out.

  They lay in bed talking for what seemed like hours. Landon’s life so far had been very interesting, maybe even more interesting than Percaline’s. He had been born in the Underworld, and when he became a familiar for the first time, presumably when he was still quite young, his family dropped him off on the porch of a werewolf. Apparently dog familiars are frowned upon in the familiar world. Most are cats and rats. The werewolf family took him in and cared for him like he was one of their own.

  Frank Easton, the werewolf who was his father for all intents and purposes, taught him the family business of running an apothecary. There Landon learned how to do natural magic, which included medicating illness with herbal remedies and dressing wounds with plants and other medicinal florae. He was always using these methods to cure his werewolf siblings, who often came home scratched up from playing rough.

  There are two types of werewolves: those who are born and those who are created. Without families like the Eastons, made werewolves wouldn’t survive. Landon spoke very highly of his biological parents for having the foresight to leave him with a loving werewolf family. Not all werewolves are compassionate and he had gotten lucky by finding a family that was.

  From Olivia, his adoptive mother, he learned compassion and chivalry. “All of my sons will show courage, honor, loyalty, and consideration for others, especially women,” she would tell him. She was actually the reason Landon had quit the apothecary to look for Josephine.

  “And when word spread that the descendant of Enoch had gone blind, I believed in my heart that I was intended to be your familiar,” Landon said, grabbing and holding Josephine’s hand.

  They had been laying in Josephine’s bed talking and gazing at the canopy above. Josephine was happy to have her eyesight back, but her senses were overwhelmed. “Yeah, and a seeing-eye cat would have just been silly,” Josephine said and they laughed. She had only known the human Landon for a couple of hours, but already she could tell that they were two peas from the same pod. He was her soul mate, not in a romantic way but in a souls traveling together type of way.

  “Eww. Imagine a seeing-eye rat,” Landon teased back and they laughed some more.

  “So how did you find me?” Josephine asked.

  “In the Underworld the Enoch family is legendary.” Landon paused. “You are well known in many circles, so finding you was just a matter of asking the right people.”

  “And who are the right people?” Josephine questioned, intrigued. Aboveground her family was pretty normal, and with the exception of practicing magic, they blended into mainstream suburbia. So Josephine found it very interesting that in the Underworld they were regarded as celebrities.

  Landon turned his head to look and her and smiled a devilish grin. This was going to be something scandalous. “Geraldine Laveau.”

  Geraldine Laveau was the reigning queen of voodoo in New Orleans from the end of the eighteenth century to the end of the nineteenth century. She was also one of those people you called by their full name to avoid anything that could be interpreted as disrespect. She practiced voodoo before its time and was the founding mother of New Orleans’ Bayou magic. She was a celebrity in the world of magic. She died in New Orleans in 1881, so the fact that Landon had found out Josephine’s whereabouts from her was from her was noteworthy.

  “Really?” Josephine asked. She wanted to know to all about how Landon had been talking to a dead woman about her in the Underworld.

  “There’s a place in the Underworld we call the underbelly of New Orleans. Most people don’t go there unless they’re suicidal because it’s rough. I wasn’t suicidal but I was very persuasive,” he said. “Turns out Geraldine Laveau is a necromancer, so she faked her death and moved her residence, if you want to call swamp waters and a house boat a residence, into the Underworld.” Landon paused for a minute, gazing at Josephine’s astonished expression. “And from the look on your face I should probably tell you that she is just as scary, just as strong, and just as powerful as all of the stories aboveground would lead you to believe.”

  “And Geraldine Laveau knew where I was?” Josephine was amazed.

  “She did. She’d been keeping tabs on your family for a couple of centuries by then,” Landon replied. “After I spoke with her I found your residence, made sure I had a loud collar so you would hear me, and waited for you to show up so I could stalk you into loving me.”

  “And is that how you persuaded Geraldine Laveau into meeting with you?” Josephine wanted to know.

  “That is another story for another day,” Landon said with a yawn.

  Josephine was tired too, and even the most interesting story she’d heard all day couldn’t keep her eyes from closing, so she forgave Landon for his intriguing omission and fell asleep.

  What felt like a lifetime of peaceful dreams had in reality only been about six hours, Josephine realized when she woke. Landon was curdled up in a ball on her feet, not unlike how he slept when he was a dog aboveground. She guessed some habits die hard. She slowly moved her feet, trying not to disturb him, but as soon as she slipped her feet out from under his head he opened his eyes. “Oh, sorry. I was trying not to wake you,” she said.

  Landon sat up and stretched, revealing his two piece pajama outfit. It was comprised of a blue T-shirt and a pair of blue flannel bottoms with pictures of Australian Shepherds on them. Josephine laughed at the irony. “What? My mom got them for me for Christmas,” he said, smiling. Josephine appreciated Landon. He didn’t judge and he seemed to be a real easy-going guy. He was the male
version of her.

  “I was going to spend some time grooming myself since it’s been a while since I’ve been able to see what I’m doing, so how about if I meet you in your room in a half an hour?” she asked, opening the door to her private bathroom.

  “Sounds good,” Landon said as he walked to the door that led to his semi-private quarters. “I want to call my mom now that I can talk to her. It’s been a while.”

  Josephine hadn’t been kidding about grooming herself. It was one of the things she had missed most after losing her sight. She hated having to rely on other people but she’d had to in order to keep from waxing off one of her eyebrows or growing a unibrow. She kept a monthly appointment scheduled with one of her sisters who lived in New York, which wasn’t too far away.

  She looked in the mirror above the sink and then looked in the little mirror on the counter to her right. The little mirror magnified every pore and hair on her face, and after critical scrutiny she decided that she would send her sister a gift card for Dean and Deluca because she had done such an amazing job. Then she took a bath.

  Josephine and Landon arrived in the library, Don was there waiting for them.

  “How was your first night in the Underworld?” he asked Josephine.

  Josephine played with the hair she’d actually been able to style with the help of a mirror and smiled. “It was great,” she said, then continued, “But I don’t know if I’m ready to make a door. I feel like I might disappoint you.”

  “Nonsense,” Don was quick to reply, and brought her to a table covered with various things. On it laid a piece of chalk wrapped in a blue multi-threaded cloth. The chalk was thick like something you would use on a sidewalk but instead of having a chalky texture, it was smooth and it started to glow as soon as Josephine touched it.

  “See,” Don said as Josephine ripped her hand away from the glowing chalk. “It only glows for the person who can use it.”

  She hesitated but she reached back for the chalk, picking it up and feeling its weight like it was the weapon of her trade. “What do I do with it?” she asked.

  “First you will need to figure out where you want the door to be,” Don said.

  This was Josephine’s first door so she wasn’t in the mood to be adventurous. She saw a painting on the far side of the room of the woman who was pictured all over the House, flanked on one side by a phoenix and on the other side a large white werewolf. A ribbon came from the woman’s garments and spanned the bottom. It read ‘House of Phoenyx.’ Josephine pointed to the painting and Don followed both her and Landon to it.

  “Now you will need to think of the place you would like the door to exit aboveground. It should never be a public place and it should always be as inconspicuous as this painting is,” Don told her in a soothing voice as she closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on anything that was aboveground. It was difficult because she hadn’t been aboveground for some time, so she didn’t know if what she was seeing in her head was accurate.

  Don seemed to sense this. “Landon, take her hand. As I describe something in Truthaven, I want you to think about the image I’m talking about.” He motioned to Landon. “And as Landon envisions it I want you to trust that the description of what you are seeing in your mind is accurate.” He motioned to Josephine. “In Truthaven there is a picture of a man with his back to the room and he is walking down a staircase. The picture is in dark blues and grays. The bottom of the staircase blends into the shadow.”

  “I know the painting you’re talking about,” Landon said, smiling. “It’s the one you have to the right of the fireplace.”

  “That is correct,” Don said, smiling with praise.

  Josephine listened to Don’s description and as it started to form in her mind, she gripped Landon’s hand with more strength, expecting strength from him in return. “You’ve got this,” he said, returning her vise grip.

  “Now with the picture in your mind, draw a door with the chalk around the painting in front of you,” Don said.

  Josephine started at the floor and drew upwards, standing on her tiptoes to get to the top of the painting. The chalk didn’t leave a line behind but instead left more of a magical impression or residue in bright green.

  “Now say these words: Vincula mae manifesta sunt cogitations,” Don said and Josephine repeated them as she placed her hand in the center of the painting. The painting lit up around the line she had drawn with the glowing chalk and she could feel the connection that she’d made. She had created her first door. “Shall we?” Don asked, leading them through the painting. It was now time to draw the door that would lead from Truthaven back to the House.

 

  Lucas

  Lucas had seen some strange things over the last couple of days, but at the top of his list was Percaline not being in the kitchen at four that morning. They hadn’t gotten much sleep, despite the time difference between the Underworld and aboveground, but Lucas made sure that he was in the kitchen at four to see Percaline. He wanted some one-on-one time with her. She didn’t show. She didn’t come out of her room until it was time to get to class.

  They drove to school in silence, walked to class in silence, and sat through the lectures silently. Lucas blended in with the rest of the first week students in the large classes and by her last class of the day, Don’s class, Percaline had made it very clear that she didn’t want Lucas sitting anywhere near her. She didn’t want people knowing that he was with her, let alone that he was protecting her from some unknown evil, so he tried to be the ex-best friend and the current dutiful bodyguard and he sat away from her during Don’s lecture. The error of his decision was apparent almost immediately as Douchy-mcyoungons from the party sat next to Percaline.

  Percaline was surrounded by a Gargoyle, a witch, her familiar, and a God, so Lucas wasn’t worried so much for her safety as he was for his sanity. This guy was the bane of his existence, first at the frat party where he had groped Percaline incessantly and now in class where he was asking her for study help. Lucas was within earshot of her and he could hear everything. The guy, whose name was Alejandro, was acting like he didn’t have a brain in his head and needed desperately to have Percaline tutor him. They had been in class for all of a week by now, so Lucas highly doubted that the amount of information provided was enough to warrant a study buddy.

  “I think I’ve seen you studying at Not My Dog’s Brewery before?” Alejandro asked as a way to confirm the possibility of him “accidentally” running into her there. Twenty bucks said that Alejandro would be at the brewery every day after school this week just hoping that Percaline would be there too.

  “Yeah, I go there a lot,” Percaline responded. She seemed either really uninterested or completely oblivious to Alejandro’s charm.

  “Well, what if some time when I’m there studying, and you’re there studying, we study together?” Alejandro asked. Lucas sat forward in anticipation. This would either be the moment Percaline rejected Alejandro or it would be the moment she made plans for a date with someone who wasn’t Lucas. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the moment for either of these. Instead, Percaline simply replied, “Sure,” absentmindedly as she scrambled to find her pen. Class was about to begin.

  Lucas leaned forward and stretched over a couple of seats so that his arm reached Percaline’s shoulder. He held her pen in his hand and he tapped her on the shoulder with it. She looked back at him and accepted the pen. “Thanks.”

  “Sure,” Lucas replied.

  The unspoken tension between them wasn’t lost on Alejandro, who was still sitting next to Percaline. “Oh, you already have a study partner,” he said, acknowledging Lucas.

  It took Percaline a minute to fully realize what Alejandro was saying, but by then it was too late. The lecture had begun. Percaline sneered back at Lucas like he had done something wrong, which he technically had, but not in the last twenty-four hours. She whispered to Alejandro, “Meet me there after class today.”

  So that was how it was goin
g to be. Lucas was going to chaperone Percaline on a date. Under normal circumstances, he would have been hurt but by this but it was clear that Percaline was just agreeing to the study date to get back at him. That meant she still cared enough to try to hurt him. This was a tell that Percaline had. If she didn’t want anything to do with a guy she would just ignore him, but if she still cared about him she would try to make him jealous. This was Percaline trying to make Lucas jealous and showing that she still cared.

  Despite this realization, Lucas knew that this was going to be a tough night. Percaline didn’t do anything half-assed, and flirting with another guy in front of him wouldn’t be any different. It would be just like the frat party, except this time Lucas knew she was baiting him.

   

  Lucas followed Percaline as she met up with Josephine and Landon. They all headed to Not My Dog’s Brewery. Lucas wasn’t sure if he was allowed to be within acquaintance distance from Percaline, so he stayed back and let them walk in front of him. Lucas had texted Savannah to let her know that they would be at the bar and to meet them there. He didn’t want her going to the house by herself. Technically she wouldn’t be by herself because Mason was with her, but he was as dainty as a fly. Savannah would just have to meet them at the bar after she finished doing whatever it was that high schoolers did between the end of class and getting home. After a couple of back and forth texts about how silly Lucas was being, Savannah finally gave in once he bribed her with a coffee. The girl very rarely said no to coffee and Not My Dog’s Brewery had some of the best there was.

  The bar was pretty busy when they arrived. Josephine and Landon had decided to stay outside so that Landon could people-watch. Inside, the pool tables were all being used, the shuffleboard table was in use, and most of the pub tables were full. It was Friday night in a college town. Percaline sat down at one of the pub tables that had only two seats, so Lucas took the hint and stood at the bar. He ordered himself a beer, mostly for show since he was standing there.

  Percaline moved to go to the ladies room and where Percaline went, Lucas went. Before they had left the House of Phoenyx Don had made sure that Lucas knew exactly what his job description was and how much danger Percaline would be in when people realized who she was. Don had anticipated that they had a couple of days until the severity of it set in, but in the meantime Lucas was to use his SEAL training to protect her, which meant he had to clear spaces before she entered them alone.

  He followed Percaline, opening the restroom door first and checking for any signs of bad guys. Once the coast was clear he let her through and stood outside the door waiting. Percaline gave him a dirty look as she went past him and asked, “Is all of this really necessary?”

  Lucas stood outside the restroom waiting for her. He smiled because she had spoken to him. A couple more days and she would have to forgive him if for no other reason than the fact that now they had to work together. Lucas knew that his smile could melt hearts so he usually only put effort into it when Percaline was watching. Sometimes the fact that she was completely immune to it was the gut-punch he needed. This was one of those times.

  Percaline came out of the bathroom. She asked, “What’s your problem?” then walked off. Lucas continued to smile to her back and he carried that smile past the pool tables to his bar stool. In hindsight that was probably not the smartest thing to do. It seemed like every lady in the place ran out of alcohol at the same time and all of them chose to stand where Lucas was sitting to order their drinks from the bartender. Lucas dodged question after question while trying to keep an eye on Percaline. All of the ladies were attractive in their own way, but all of them drank mixed drinks and Lucas was more of a beer-girl kind of guy. He liked it when girls ordered Jack too, but he didn’t see any of the ladies ordering that either. Besides, he was only into one lady there and that was Percaline.

  Percaline

  Percaline couldn’t believe it. Lucas was hitting on every girl in the place. He had been wearing that same damn smile since she had come out the bathroom, that same smile that made her buckle at the knees every time she saw it. Most of the time it was everything she could do to keep from acting like a googly-eyed giggling schoolgirl when he smiled. Even now when she was mad at him, the effect of that smile made it harder for her to breathe.

  Alejandro showed up not ten minutes after Percaline returned from the bathroom. He was a really good looking guy, tall with big muscles and a toned butt. If he wasn’t a football player already then he had missed his calling. He had dark brown hair, brilliant blue eyes, and really nice teeth. Percaline was a teeth person. Lucas also had very nice teeth and at the moment he was using those teeth to laugh at something the bartender said. Percaline had gotten a good look at the bartender when she had taken their drink order. She looked like a hooker.

  Percaline knew that she didn’t have any right to question who Lucas did and didn’t flirt with, but it was still a sore subject for her. After all, she had confessed that she was in love with him and he didn’t return the sentiment. Her heart was broken because she had fallen for her best friend and her best friend didn’t feel the same way about her. It sucked and it was something she was going to have to get over, but for right now she just wanted to flirt with a guy that found her attractive without having to watch the love of her life try to mate with someone else. At the moment she was having self-esteem problems but what girl wouldn’t in the same situation? She had taken a risk and put her heart out there and what did she get in return? She got it smashed into a million little pieces.

  And to top it off Lucas was supposed to be protecting her. That was going to be difficult for him to do mid-lap dance. Percaline focused on what Alejandro was saying and nodded. Then she excused herself and got up.

  Percaline didn’t know what she was going to do when she left her seat. She’d figure it out when she got to the bar. She pulled her tank top down so it was just above her bra line, ruffled her hair, and licked her lips.

  “Hey babe,” she said to Lucas. He was in the middle of a conversation with the bartender and just nodded and took a drink of his beer. Then he continued talking. Percaline moved so that she was only inches away from him. “Sorry to interrupt,” she said as she put her hand on his back. Lucas immediately stopped talking and steeled himself. She bent over and whispered in his ear, “Bathroom break.” This was more for the bartender’s benefit than it was for Lucas’s. Percaline was marking her territory.

  Lucas dutifully followed her to the restroom and checked it before giving her the go ahead to go in. Percaline pushed him into the restroom with her. “What do you think you’re doing?” she yelled at him. Lucas seemed confused so Percaline kept talking. “You’re flirting with the bartender.”

  The color returned to Lucas’s face and he smiled. “And?”

  “And what? You’re flirting with the bartender!” Percaline said and pushed him in the chest. “Stop smiling. It’s not funny!” she pouted.

  Lucas continued to smile, laughter falling into his words. “Are you jealous?” he asked.

  “No.” She crossed her arms across her chest. “Yes.” She uncrossed her arms. “I don’t know! Just stop.”

  “Why would I do that? What if the bartender and I are soul mates?” He smirked. He was enjoying this. “Besides, aren’t you busy with Alejandro?”

  She didn’t know how he had done it, but he had moved her so that she was pushed up against the tile wall and he was leaning over her on one hand. She didn’t react well to being pinned in and Lucas should know that.

  “Alejandro’s a nice guy and I happen to be in need of a new best friend.” Percaline hit him where it hurt. She didn’t like feeling weak or caged.

  The look on Lucas’s face changed and he removed his arm from the wall. “Then why are you in here with me instead of being out there with him?” he asked coldly.

  “That’s a good question,” Percaline said as she moved past Lucas and out of the bathroom. Lucas tried to follow but was caught in the rest
room by a couple of girls.

  Percaline returned to her seat. “Sorry about that,” she said. “I had to use the restroom.”

  “No problem,” Alejandro remarked.

  Percaline couldn’t think about what had just happened. If she did she would probably be so mad that she would start crying and then Lucas would think she was crying over him and she definitely didn’t want or need that. Instead she focused in on Alejandro. He was a really attractive guy and Percaline could see how they could get along. What she needed right now was anti-Lucas and Alejandro was perfect for that part.

  Percaline ordered a couple more beers from Lucas’s hooker girlfriend the bartender and asked Alejandro if he would teach her how to play pool.

  One of the pool tables had just emptied. They picked out some sticks and racked the balls. Alejandro broke the rack, but didn’t make any in so it was Percaline’s turn. She bent over the table holding the stick between her hands. “Like this?” she asked.

  Lucas watched as Alejandro adjusted her posture from behind. She hit the cue ball and one of the striped balls went into the corner pocket. She moved to the side of the table where if she bent over, Lucas would get a really good view of her butt. She bent one leg and straightened the other as she lined up her next striped ball. She shot and it went into the hole. She looked over her shoulder just to make sure Lucas had caught that. He had.

  “I think you’ve played before,” Alejandro told her as she walked by.

  “Nope. It must be beginner’s luck,” she flirted. She was lying. She had played before. She and Lucas played all the time. She set the next ball up at the end of the table. This was going to require her sitting on the table and shooting behind her back. “This is how they do it in the movies, right?” she asked Alejandro as she swung her hair over her shoulder so he was only inches away from her cleavage. He took the opportunity of her sitting on the table to let her straddle him. Surprisingly, he felt good.

  Before now, Percaline hadn’t actually paid much attention to their chemistry but being this close to Alejandro made it clear that they had a lot of it. Percaline kept her arms behind her as Alejandro massaged her hips and kissed her neck. It was electric.

  Percaline snuck a peek at Lucas. He wasn’t paying attention to her. Instead he was enamored with the bartender, who had apparently just finished her shift because she was sitting on the stool next to him. Their legs were touching, Lucas’s hand was on the back of her stool, and they were gazing into each other’s eyes. Lucas laughed at something the bartender said and looked over at Percaline. Percaline adjusted her gaze so it didn’t look like she had been staring at Lucas and she cooed at Alejandro. He was doing amazing things with his lips on her neck.

  Alejandro slowly made his way up her neck with his lips. He cupped her head with his hand and moved to kiss her on the lips. Percaline had a moment to decide whether she was going to let him kiss her or not. It was one thing to playfully kiss someone on the neck but it was something entirely different to kiss them on the mouth. She was at a crossroads. Her body said yes to Alejandro but her brain said no. Her brain and her heart were on team Lucas. She moved her head to avoid a kiss on the lips but it was too late. Alejandro had invited himself into her mouth. She kissed him back and it had just as much chemistry and passion as everything else about him.

  Something wasn’t right. Percaline broke away from the kiss. She was bleeding. He had bitten her. “What the hell?” she asked as she wiped blood from her mouth.

  Alejandro stepped back and smiled maniacally. The skin around his mouth was burning. “So you are the phoenix,” he said as he wiped his scorched mouth, with an evil grin still on what was left of his face.

  Under her breath Percaline said, “Scott Baio.”

  Out of nowhere Lucas was there. He had Alejandro’s arm behind his back and he bent over the pool table.

  “Who are you?” Lucas asked. Percaline was still trying to figure out what had just happened. Alejandro had kissed her, bitten her, and as a result his mouth was burning.

  “You should know, you’ve been banging my girlfriend,” Alejandro choked out. “Well, actually I’ve been banging my girlfriend, but you’ve been there.” He laughed and coughed.

  Lucas hesitated for a moment and in that moment Alejandro was out of the hold and standing opposite them. Percaline snapped out of shock and broke her pool cue over her knee and threw one half to Lucas. Lucas seemed to be in shock now but he caught the broken stick.

  “What are you going to do, Percaline?” Alejandro spat out her name. “Kill this poor college boy?” He motioned down at his body. “Make a scene in front of all these people?”

  Percaline looked around the room. No one seemed to notice them. A couple of college guys were getting into a disagreement over a girl. She quickly lowered the pool cue so as to not call more attention to them. It was difficult because her instincts were contradicting themselves. The phoenix side of her wanted to fight Alejandro, to kill him. The human side of her couldn’t do it. She wasn’t sure what he was talking about but she was pretty sure that whoever was in his body wasn’t the real Alejandro and she couldn’t kill someone who was innocent. And killing someone in a bar full of people was never a good idea.

  Lucas didn’t seem to have the same conflict. He was on top of Alejandro again in the blink of an eye, hitting him with his half of the pool stick as Alejandro defended himself. Percaline wondered if Lucas had always been that fast or if it was a result of his being a Gargoyle, but she shrugged it off to think about at a less crucial time.

  She knew better than to touch Lucas. He was a hunter who had just cornered his prey.

  “Lucas? He’s human. You can’t kill him,” she said in a soothing tone.

  Alejandro smiled again. “You should listen to your phoenix, Gargoyle,” he spat.

  Percaline threw a punch. She couldn’t kill him but that wouldn’t stop her from beating the crap out of him. Alejandro’s nose started to bleed and Percaline’s hand instantly swelled up. “Is that all you’ve got?” Alejandro asked. Lucas threw the next punch. Alejandro didn’t get up from that.

  It was time to get everybody and get the hell out of there. Percaline headed outside to grab Josephine and Landon. She pulled Lucas with her.

  Savannah

  Savannah had so much to tell Mason, but she started with what was most important.

  “So there’s this guy named Landon that I think would be perfect for you,” she said.

  Mason was trying to concentrate on parallel parking but he perked up. “How do you know him? What’s he look like?”

  Every once in a while Savannah would allow Mason to drive Phoebe, her Beetle. Mason was super feminine but he hated musicals and loved cars. Savannah always teased him, telling him she wanted a refund because her gay BFF was defective.

  “He’s a friend of Josephine’s,” she said. There wasn’t any reason to start with the part about him being a dog. “He’s a little taller than you with reddish brown hair and one blue eye and one brown eye. And he has an Australian accent.”

  “Ooo, I like accents,” Mason replied as he put the car in park.

  Savannah and Mason got out and started walking towards Not My Dog’s Brewery. Lucas had texted Savannah and told her to meet them there after school. She didn’t understand why she couldn’t just go back to the house. She thought he was being a bit over protective, but she finally gave in. Besides, he had offered to pay for her coffee and Not My Dog’s Brewery had great coffee. She was planning on filling Mason in on everything that happened.

  “What kind of car does he drive?” Mason asked. He judged a person based on their car, their phone, and their material status.

  “I don’t think he has a car,” Savannah replied. She elaborated before Mason could ask her how old he was and which high school he went to. “He’s different like me.”

  “What kind of different?” Mason asked. Leave it to him to also judge a person based on the type of creature they were.

&
nbsp; “Well, he’s a dog.” She paused for a minute, waiting for Mason to stop walking which he did. “He’s Josephine’s familiar,” she went on. “Josephine is a witch, which you know, and her seeing-eye dog Landon is her familiar.”

  Mason laughed. “And you want to set me up with a dog? Do you hate me?”

  It was a legitimate question. “No, last night Percaline became a phoenix and we found out that Lucas was a Gargoyle. Don took us down into the Underworld and in the Underworld Landon is a human. A really cute human boy who’s totally into dudes.” That was one way to make a really long story very short.

  “Really? That’s exciting!” Mason said. Savannah loved the fact that he was so trusting of her. “So when are you next going to the Underworld? I wanna come.”

  “You can’t,” Savannah told him. This was part of her life that Mason wouldn’t be allowed in and it sucked. “It’s like Truthaven. It’s only for supernatural folks.”

  Mason tried to make his peace with the fact that he couldn’t follow Savannah into her new existence. She could tell that this was hard for him and he was trying his best. “So we’ll have to go on a double up here,” Mason said.

  Savannah finally figured out the error of this particular scenario. “We can’t. He can only take the form of a dog up here,” she replied, devastated. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think that through. I just thought you guys were so perfect for each other.” She hugged Mason with one arm. She hated feeling like she was bragging about her new life.

  They were getting ready to turn the corner to the street Not My Dog’s Brewery was on and as they did they passed an alley. A group of men came out and blocked their way. “Excuse us,” Mason said as he tried to move past them. They didn’t move. Savannah tried her Siren powers. “Excuse us boys,” she said.

  “That won’t work on them.” Mischelle came out the alley behind the men. “They know you’re a Siren.”

  “And do they know you’re one?” Mason asked. He had a lot of animosity towards Mischelle. She was the reason he and Savannah were being forced apart.

  “They do,” Mischelle snapped back. She clearly didn’t care for Mason either.

  The men surrounded them. Savannah grabbed Mason’s hand. “Mischelle, what brings you here?” Savannah asked trying to buy time so she could get Mason out of harm’s way. It didn’t work.

  Mischelle signaled to the men and they moved to grab Mason. Savannah let go of his hand and pushed him out of the way. “Run!” she told him, using her body to shield him. “Get Percaline.”

  Mason didn’t hesitate. He started to run, but the only place for him to go was down the alley. There was a back entrance to Not My Dog’s Brewery and he ran towards it. Mischelle just laughed and gave a nod to one of her henchmen.

  Savannah watched as the henchman transformed into a very large dog and raced after Mason. It took her a minute to realize that he wasn’t a dog, he was a werewolf. “Werewolf!” she shouted after Mason as the other men held her back.

  The werewolf attacked Mason.

  Savannah watched, helpless to do anything. She struggled with her captors, throwing elbows and biting any skin that came into contact with her mouth. She had to get to Mason. He was not going to die.

  Landon suddenly came around the corner, barking. He didn’t stop. He lunged onto the werewolf, biting and snarling and clawing at it. For a dog that was a fourth the werewolf’s size he was remarkable. This clearly wasn’t his first werewolf fight.

  “Let’s go,” Mischelle told the other guys. Apparently she had decided to leave the werewolf for dead. Now that Landon was fighting Mason’s battle, it gave Savannah time to think of a plan. She covertly reached into her bag, feeling for something.

  On Mischelle’s orders the other henchmen grabbed hold of her. They had the intention of taking her with them. That was not going to happen. Savannah pulled out her hairspray and squirted it into the eyes of her captors. Always the fashion girl scout.

  She ran into the alley and pulled Mason to safety, away from the dog/werewolf fight. He was bloody and he wasn’t breathing normally. She covered his body with hers. If they wanted him they would have to go through her.

  Savannah heard Mischelle say, “Hi Lucas,” and she knew that they were going to be okay. Percaline and Lucas were there to help.

  Josephine

  Josephine and Landon sat outside of Not My Dog’s Brewery. Josephine listened and Landon people-watched. She hadn’t really wanted to be there in the first place, and the fact that Percaline and Lucas were in another one of their lover’s quarrels wasn’t helping. She just wanted to go back to the Underworld, but they were waiting for Savannah to join them before they could do that.

  It had been a pleasant enough evening to begin with, but they had been there for at least an hour already. Josephine could tell by the number of iced teas she’d consumed. This was taking longer than she had expected. What always took high school kids so long?

  Josephine sat back in her chair and thought about the things she had learned this morning. Drawing doors was the most relevant. From this world or the Underworld, you could access the opposite world using a door. Percaline had proven that last night when she had used the door from her memory. Doors were a funny business, though. They only opened one way, so the door Percaline opened last night only went from the House of Phoenyx to her aboveground home. Josephine thought they could use the door she’d created in Truthaven that transported them to the House of Phoenyx, but that seemed like more effort than it was worth. Percaline would either find the door that led to the House of Phoenyx or Josephine would draw it.

  Josephine felt an electric current in the air. Someone powerful was here. Landon’s ears perked up. “Landon?” Josephine said as she moved to hold his leash. Before she could grab it, Landon took off down the street. Josephine stood up and felt her surroundings using the senses she had aboveground. She needed to find Percaline and Lucas. She bumped into a table and almost tripped over a step but she made it to the door of the tavern. She followed the energy. She moved fast, wanting to find Percaline and Lucas so that they would help her track Landon. She could feel that he was in trouble.

  Someone grabbed Josephine’s hand. It was Percaline. “We have to go!” she said as she pulled Josephine back out of the brewery. Josephine knew that Percaline’s urgency had something to do with the energy, but right now all she cared about was finding Landon.

  “Where’s Landon?” Lucas asked.

  “I don’t know. He heard something and he took off running,” Josephine quickly replied. “We need to find him. Now!”

  Josephine held Percaline’s hand and walked forward, following the link that connected witch and familiar. She hoped that Percaline would warn her if she was going to run into or trip over something.

  They rounded the corner. Josephine could hear normal noises; people talking, cars driving by, crickets chirping. She also heard out-of-place noises; panicked voices, hurried whispers, scuffling. Josephine followed the scuffling.

  “Hi Lucas,” she heard a woman say. Her ears tingled. The woman was a Siren.

  “We’re down here,” she heard Savannah yell. “Mason’s hurt bad!”

  She didn’t pay much attention to Lucas and Percaline, as they began making noises that suggested they were engaging in hand-to-hand against Mischelle and her men. Instead she followed Savannah’s voice and the sounds of dog fighting. “Savannah, tell me what’s going on?”

  “Mason was attacked by a werewolf and Landon saved him. He’s fighting with it right in front of you,” Savannah screamed.

  Josephine could hear the fight. Landon was thrown into a wall in front of her. Josephine felt it. The werewolf was winning.

  Savannah was still screaming. “The werewolf’s killing him! Do something!”

  Josephine didn’t know what she was supposed to do. She was in a strange place, she couldn’t see what was happening, and she was unable to defend herself, her familiar, or her friends against a werewolf.

&nbs
p; She didn’t have the ability to see what was going on but her other senses had amplified. She could hear, she could feel, and she could taste her surroundings. Like a bat using sonar she zeroed in on the werewolf. He was up and moving towards her. He was going to kill her.

  Josephine felt the energy course through her body. She was a direct descendant of Enoch, the right hand man of God. She was the prophet. She was Josephine King. She put out her hand, creating an invisible force field between her and the werewolf and then she flung him into the brick wall.

  Josephine ran to Landon, who was up and moving very slowly. She put her hand on him and he led her to Mason and Savannah. Her sudden sonar capabilities had disappeared.

  “He’s bad,” Savannah said through tears. “I don’t know if he’s going to make it.”

  Josephine could hear running footsteps approaching them and since Savannah didn’t cry out, she assumed it was Percaline and Lucas, “Mischelle’s gone. She ran away,” Lucas said.

  Percaline was over Mason assessing the damage. “It’s his leg. We need to call 911.”

  Landon poked Josephine with his nose. She didn’t know what he was trying to tell her. “I don’t know what you want,” she said mostly out of fear and frustration. He nosed her again and scratched her pocket. She felt in it, remembering that she had a piece of chalk. “Landon wants me to draw a door,” she said. She felt for the wall that Savannah was leaning up against, and started to draw. The trick to creating a door was to design it in a place that no one would think to look. You could use a normal door as an entry, but it had to be something special like a cellar door. A brick wall in the middle of an alley outside of a brewery was perfect. The door wouldn’t be noticeable to the average human and if done properly, would lead straight into the House of Phoenyx. The House would seal the door to anyone who was an enemy of the phoenix.

  “But we can’t take Mason into the Underworld,” Savannah said.

  Josephine thought quickly as she drew. “There are two types of werewolves, those that are born and those that are created. The ones that are created were bitten. Was Mason bitten?” Landon rubbed his nose on her. Apparently that was his point.

  “I think so but I don’t know. There’s just so much blood,” Savannah said, panicked.

  Percaline answered. “Yes. He was bitten in his leg.”

  “Okay. Then if he survives, he will be a werewolf and werewolves are allowed in the Underworld,” Josephine said. She finished the makeshift door. She focused her energy to where she wanted the door to lead to in House of Phoenyx. She had to be specific. She thought about where the best place to take a sick person would be. They had seen the grand staircase, the dining hall, the movie theater, their rooms, the kitchen and the library. The library had bookshelves. She recalled the picture of a specific bookshelf in her mind and placed her hand on the door she had drawn. A bright light burst from behind the door and a couple of seconds later the bricks shifted back and the door appeared. Landon led Josephine through the doorway. Lucas picked up Mason and followed. Percaline and a distraught Savannah entered last.

  Josephine pushed the bookshelf open in front of her and walked into the library. Reaves and other familiar faces from the House were waiting for them. Landon pushed through the crowd and started giving orders. “I need towels, bandages, water, and morphine if you’ve got it. He’ll need it when he wakes up.”

  “Everything is set up for you in the infirmary,” Reaves replied pointing to a doorway on the other side of the library.

  Lucas came through the door into the library with Mason in his arms and set him on a gurney Reaves and the House had prepared for him. Mason didn’t look good. Blood covered every inch of his body. “Let’s get him to infirmary quickly,” someone said and they rolled him through the library with Reaves and the other staff following.

  Percaline and Savannah came through the door and closed it behind them. Savannah was a mess. She had make-up and snot all down her face, blood all over her body, and bruises already appearing on her arms. They ran after Mason. Percaline stopped her when they got to the infirmary.

  “Are you hurt?” she asked, feeling around Savannah’s body.

  Savannah shoved her off. “I’m fine. Just some bumps and bruises. Landon saved us.”

  While the staff moved Mason from the gurney and onto a bed and cut off what was left of his clothing, Landon assessed his own injuries. He was barely able to stand. His leg was torn up and something was wrong with his left arm. Josephine could feel his pain in her own arm. Landon moved to one of the cabinets of the infirmary. He aligned his injured arm with the cabinet and took a deep breath, then slammed his shoulder into the cabinet. Josephine cried out in pain. “Sorry,” Landon said. “It was dislocated. I need both arms for this.” Josephine just nodded. The pain in her arm was gone. She had just been caught off guard.

  Landon went over to Mason. The staff had cleaned the blood off of him so Landon could see his injuries better. The bite to his leg was life threatening. It had punctured his femoral artery. “The change has already begun so sutures won’t work,” Landon observed.

  Savannah was beside him. “What do you need me to do?” she asked. Her color had returned and she looked like she was running on pure adrenaline.

  “I need you to be here with him. He needs a reason to stay with the living.” Landon applied salve from a bottle to a bandage and applied it to one of Mason’s bite wounds. “If he survives this and lives to become a werewolf, he’ll wish he was dead. It’s not a fun experience.”

  Josephine read the word “Aconitum” on the side of the bottle “What is this?” she asked.

  “Wolfsbane,” Landon said. “It is poisonous to humans but it is like Miracle Grow for werewolves. It should help to speed up his recovery. The faster his cells transform, the faster he will be able to heal himself.” He put another wolfsbane dressing on another wound.

  “Will he wake up as a werewolf?” Savannah asked. “Because I don’t know if he’ll be able to handle that.”

  “No, he won’t change into a werewolf until the first full moon. After that he’ll be able to change at will,” Landon answered.

  “Is there anything else we can do?” Percaline asked. Mason was like the little brother she never had and never wanted, but she still loved him. He was part of their family.

  “Just wait. Be here for him,” Landon replied as he continued to dress Mason’s wounds. Everyone waited. Savannah held onto Mason’s hand.

  As Landon finished, Don walked into the room. “What happened?”