by Claire Luana
But if he was honest, he knew it wasn’t just that. It was the fact that Zariya had known loss and had pushed through. That was a special kind of strength.
But on the other hand, she was half-human. And he was undeniably attracted to her. Adding a woman to his team would add a layer of complication. They had enough complications already. Maybe he should insist that she join one of the other teams.
“What are you staring at, boss?” Konstantin looked up to find his second-in-command, Galu, leaning against the door frame, his tattooed arms crossed over his chest. The nereid, a form of water elemental, glided in and took the picture from him, examining it with glowing blue eyes. “Now she’s a pretty fish.”
“See, that. There. That’s what I don’t want,” Konstantin said. “I don’t want anyone distracted.” Least of all himself.
Galu rolled his eyes, giving Konstantin a gentle punch with his webbed hand. “If you think the lot of us can’t tell our ass from our elbow with a pretty face around, we’ve got bigger problems, right? And didn’t she pass the Director’s little test with flying colors? As I heard it, she got the drop on all of them.”
Konstantin grunted his assent. He’d learned long ago to trust the little voice that whispered deep within him; it had never steered him wrong. But right now his inner guidance was going haywire. That voice wanted Zariya close. Needed her near. Which was exactly why he should refuse to let her join Phoenix Team, if she decided she wanted in on Veil Force. He was struggling to be rational when it came to her. “She’s not even a full supe.”
“I know you, boss. It’s not because she’s half-human and it certainly isn’t because she’s a woman.” Galu waited calmly.
Konstantin pressed his lips together, the only sign of his displeasure. There was no hiding things from Galu. The supe navigated the waters of emotion like he’d sailed them all his life. He had to give him something. So a half-truth. “She’s Vizol’s daughter.”
“And that’s bad how? Means she’s got some badass blood running in those veins.”
“What if something happens to her? If I can’t keep her safe…”
“From where I sit, there’s no one better to look out for her than you and Phoenix. At least if she’s close, you can protect her.” The voice snarled within him at Galu’s words. Yes. Protect her.
“I can’t favor one of my team over the others. I need a sixth who can pull their weight equally.”
Galu knocked his shoulder playfully. “We all know you favor me over the others anyway, so what’s one more, am I right?”
Konstantin snorted softly.
“You already know what you’ll choose, boss, so stop second-guessing. It’ll make the boys nervous. They might start thinking you’re not infallible.”
“I’m immortal, not infallible.”
“Don’t let them hear you say that,” Galu said with a chuckle.
Konstantin shook his head as Galu left, picking up the photo once again. There was so much of Vizol in her. “The fish is right,” he muttered. “You’d want me to take care of her, wouldn’t you, old friend? So that’s what I’ll do.” The voice he could shove aside. Yes, Zariya was beautiful and there was something strangely compelling about her. But he was a professional. He could be her commander. A mentor. Nothing more.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. A text message from an unknown number. I’m in. But you’re all still on my shit list. Z.
Konstantin couldn’t stop the grin from stretching across his face.
“Look at you, all sunshine and roses. Good news?”
Konstantin looked up to find Signe striding into the room, her blonde hair streaming behind her. He struggled to check his emotions. “Chanji is in. Looks like Broussard didn’t fuck it up irrevocably after all.”
Signe gave him a smug little smile.
Konstantin shook his head. “You knew.”
“I would be a pretty shitty demi-goddess of fate and fortune if I didn’t. Timing is perfect.”
“Why do you say that? You have something for us?”
“Sure do. You remember those unicorn poachers we’ve been tracking down? The Collectors? Well, we’ve got a lead. Orkney Islands. Scotland.”
“Good work. When do we move out?”
“Under-secretary is still approving the mission package. Should be tomorrow.”
“Good.” Konstantin cocked his head. “Why are you grinning like the cat that ate the canary?”
“Satellite picked up something else on the island. A round circle, with symbols raised out of the stone.”
“You’re kidding. Like the circle we found where Vizol died?”
“Identical.”
Now it was Konstantin’s turn to smile, baring his fangs. “Looks like Zariya might get her revenge after all.”
The adventure continues in PHOENIX TEAM TWO: PROTECTED…
Enjoy this Sneak Peek of Phoenix Team Two: Protected
Prologue
Warrick Mason hated unicorns.
He stood just outside the pen, peering at the three shimmering white beasts. The stallion tossed its pristine head with a scream of displeasure. He stepped in closer and it shied back, its black eyes rolling wildly.
His presence made the beasts nervous—the bony stretch of his antlers, his tall, thin form. They could sense he was a predator.
He hung his hands over the railing, his long thin talons clicking together.
One of the mares reared away, her pearlescent spiral horn hitting the low ceiling.
He gave a tight smile. “You’re afraid. Well, you have every right to be. This isn’t going to end well for you.” Unicorns were beloved by the fool humans—some of the only supes that they cherished. Never mind that the creatures were no better than beasts, lacking in intelligence or true power. Perhaps that’s why the humans liked them so much. They represented a type of magic that was safe. Controllable. Unicorns were recognized as Class H-NV. Herbivore, Non-verbal. Just the way the humans liked it.
Well, unicorns were also worth a fucking fortune. And that was the way he liked it.
“Boss, I’ve got something on our back channel.” Finn came up beside him, a laptop in his webbed hands.
“What’s the word?”
“Looks like MASC is on to us. They’re getting ready to spin up a mission. Contact confirmed they’ll be headed our way in less than 6 hours,” the merman said.
Warrick frowned. “Any word from the buyers for these nags?”
Finn grinned, revealing a row of shark-like teeth. “Affirmative. We have confirmation, and the wire transfer.”
“What did they end up buying?”
“Only the horns. They said we can do what we want with the rest.”
Warrick turned back to the pen with a grim smile, his cavernous stomach letting out a low growl. Looks like he’d be eating well this afternoon. “Let’s leave a surprise for MASC.”
“What kind of surprise?”
“The exploding kind.” Then he launched himself over the fence, his talons outstretched.
From the Author
Thank you so much for taking the time to read Phoenix Team One: Selected! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about Zariya’s adventures as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them!
Reader reviews are incredibly important to indie authors like me, and so it would mean the world to me if you took a few minutes to leave an honest review wherever you buy books online. It doesn’t have to be much; a few words can make the difference in helping a future reader decide to give the book a chance.
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About the Author
Claire Luana grew up in Seattle reading everything she could get her hands on and writing every chance she could. Eventually, adulthood won out, and she turned her writing talents to more scholarly pursuits,
going to work as a commercial litigation attorney.
While continuing to practice law, Claire decided to return to her roots and try her hand once again at creative writing. She has written and published four fantasy series: The Moonburner Cycle, The Confectioner Chronicles, The Knights of Caerleon, co-written with Jesikah Sundin, and The Faerie Race, co-written with J.A. Armitage.
She lives in Seattle, Washington with her husband and two dogs. In her (little) remaining spare time, she loves to hike, travel, binge-watch CW shows, and of course, fall into a good book.
Connect with Claire Luana online at: http://claireluana.com
Other Books by Claire Luana
Moonburner Cycle
Moonburner, Book One
Sunburner, Book Two
Starburner, Book Three
Burning Fate, Prequel Novella
Moonburner Cycle, Box Set
Confectioner Chronicles
The Confectioner’s Guild, Book One
The Confectioner’s Coup, Book Two
The Confectioner’s Truth, Book Three
The Confectioner’s Exile, Prequel Novella
Confectioner Chronicles, Box Set
The Knights of Caerleon, with Jesikah Sundin
The Fifth Knight, Book One
The Third Curse, Book Two
The First Gwenevere, Book Three
Gwenevere’s Knights, Box Set
The Faerie Race, with J.A. Armitage
The Sorcery Trial, Book One
The Elemental Trial, Book Two
The Doomsday Trial, Book Three
The Faerie Race, Box Set
Orion’s Kiss