Phoenix found, p.1
Phoenix Found, page 1
Phoenix Found
Jade Alters
© Copyright 2020 Untamed Love Romance LLC - All rights reserved.
It is not legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locations is purely coincidental.
Contents
1. Prologue
2. Destiny
3. Dane
4. Destiny
5. Dane
6. Destiny
7. Dane
8. Destiny
9. Dane
10. Destiny
11. Dane
12. Destiny
13. Dane
14. Destiny
15. Dane
16. Destiny
17. Dane
18. Destiny
19. Dane
Phoenix Rejected
Prologue
1. Samantha
Also by Jade Alters
Prologue
One hundred years ago
“Dane? I haven’t seen you in what… Three centuries?”
“Pity we didn’t make it to four,” I mutter to the vaguely familiar man as I plop myself down on a chair.
My brother Warwick nudges me in the ribs. “Try to be civilized,” he admonishes under his breath. “We’re surrounded by the only creatures that can actually kill us.”
Phoenixes. We’re the one species on Earth that’s closest to immortality – our fatal flaw is the poison from our own talons. Personally, I think that’s good enough a reason to stay the hell away from our kind.
But Warwick insisted we join today’s gathering. Something about not being able to stand me as sole company for another quarter of a millennium. Don’t ask me why.
The clatter of chairs resounds as a dozen people take their seats. Most faces I recognize, though some are more distant than others. Even back when supernatural beings roamed, I already kept to myself. Not Warwick. There wasn’t a mythical Kingdom where my brother didn’t have a friend, and judging by the warmth with which members greet him, he made a lasting impression.
“It’s an honor to finally have you all around one table,” a voice announces, deep yet laced with emotion. “I thought I’d never locate these two recluses.”
Attention shifts to my brother and me. I growl at Aleixo Pyrrhos, the mastermind behind this whole damned event, but Warwick lifts an apologetic hand.
“It was bloody out there for a couple hundred of years,” he explains. “We figured we were safer laying low.”
True, that was a reason. Last time I saw Sōwilō, the Kingdom where we were born so long ago, it was swallowed by flames.
But there’s more to our centuries of isolation. Something that still twists my guts at the mere thought. One decade to step out of my own house. Twenty, maybe thirty years to so much as smile again…
Aleixo nods somberly. “You were right. The Hunters were barbarous in their attacks. There used to be so many of us.”
There’s a grim murmur of agreement. I stay quiet. I can’t share their grief – I’m too busy mourning one person for eternity.
And yet I know better than anyone how the extermination of phoenixes, merpeople, gorgons and so many other preternatural species started. It was my uncle who first delivered the sword sheathed in poison to the Hunters, a group of rebellious mortals who killed my father, the King. My mother too.
“Sōwilō was only the first of many to fall,” Aleixo remarks, “Little by little the Hunters infiltrated all the surrounding Kingdoms, and fueled rivalries in courts before sweeping in and wiping away both parties.”
“I guess the only ones of us left are the outcasts,” a woman I think is named Yelena says ruefully. “The unmated ones, the ones who left their Kingdoms in the first place.”
“But that doesn’t mean we need to stay alone forever,” Aleixo points out vehemently. “Not anymore. Hunters eradicated us to such a point that humans of today believe we’re little more than myths. The time for us has come to stand together again. And that, my friends, is the purpose of the Phoenix Guild of Reinsertion and Resurrection!”
Some punch their fists in their air, others clap. A deep sense of unease runs through me, because I feel none of their enthusiasm. Though in theory I can always re-emerge from my cinders, it’s like something within me was perpetually burned to ashes. The part of me that could connect with others, that could feel excitement or irritation or curiosity – anything but this numb indifference to all but my own pain.
I clear my throat and begin to rise. A sharp sting in my foot prevents me from escaping altogether. Unsavory words escape my lips as I swivel towards my brother in indignation.
“We’re already outcasts among humans,” Warwick murmurs for my ears only, undaunted. “Don’t make us outcasts among our own kind as well.”
My legs yield of their own accord and I let myself fall back to my seat. Just because I share an evolutionary quirk with these dozen people doesn’t mean I want anything to do with them. Power hungry, cruel, proud to the point of insanity… That’s how I knew phoenixes when they were in their prime. I fled before I became that way too.
But I owe Warwick. I’ll owe Warwick for a lifetime, or whatever that represents for immortal creatures like us. When I was just nineteen, I chose to leave my world behind – all for a few short years with a woman who could give me everything but eternity.
Nothing obligated my brother to come with us. And yet he did. Forsaking friends, the crowds that adored him, epic battles.
So yes, I suppose that the least I can do is stay at this ridiculous meetup, if that’s what he wants. Not that I have to put up with this ordeal gracefully. I let out an audible groan and scoot my chair until I’m hidden behind an imposing globe propped on the table.
“...though highly unlikely, nothing rules out the possibility of another phoenix emerging,” Aleixo is droning on. “And that’s where the reinsertion part of our mission comes in. I want to make sure that in the case of such a lucky event, a proper structure exists to accompany the new phoenix, both in the acclimation of supernatural powers but also in terms of adaptation to human society.”
I tune out the rest of his speech and let my gaze wander – which can’t go much further than the map at the very tip of my nose. I travelled to so many of these countries, I think to myself as I make out the tiny portion of land that was once Sōwilō. I trail south, towards the Dead Sea region where I spent the three happiest decades of my existence.
Then Isobel died.
My heart never really mended, yet each time I so much as think of her name, it tears open again. Not over the injustice of it all which I raged over for so long, nor out of bitterness for the woman who dared leave me behind forever. There isn’t one angle of my resentment I haven’t mulled over, not one person I haven’t blamed. Yet one thing always remains the same: I miss Isobel. Terribly.
She was vital to me. The day she died, I thought I did too. But my heart made a fool out of me, because here I am today. Breathing and healthy as ever, even if I’ve become a stranger to myself.
My eyes dart across the map, but the names are little more than a blur, much like the time I spent in those places. I don’t exactly remember where we went after Isobel’s death. I know we stayed in Persia for a while, and then we went somewhere cold – Russia, maybe? Over and over again, Warwick and I moved in search of a better home where we would go unnoticed.
We flew over oceans, crossed deserts of sand and ice. Eventually we traversed our largest stretch of water to date and landed on the American continent. Honestly, we’ll probably leave this place soon as well. The country is getting too crowded already.
“He’s not gone!” My brother’s bright voice suddenly pulls me from my brooding thoughts. He jerks my arm into the air. “He’s right here.”
I peer grumpily above the globe at Aleixo, who holds a clipboard and pen. He meets my glare with a wide smile.
“I thought you had left us for a moment there, Dane.” The blond doctor looks at me expectantly. “So? Where will you volunteer?”
I frown in confusion, only to remember that Isobel used to say I frown too much. I can almost feel her finger, smoothening the creases between my brows. The memory makes me frown more.
“We’re supposed to choose an area where it’ll be our responsibility if a new phoenix arises,” Warwick whispers helpfully.
I roll my eyes. “That’s never going to happen. Didn’t happen in three hundred years.”
Aleixo’s grin grows almost threateningly large. “There’s a chance, Dane.”
The rest of the phoenixes parrot his words with vigorous nods and overeager smiles. “Yeah, there’s a chance, Dane.”
These people are desperate. Strange, when I remember how wickedly strong our lot used to be. A few seconds pass, yet they all continue to stare at me intently.
With a sigh, I give the globe one great twirl. I listlessly watch until the world stops spinning. Everyone waits for my answer.
“There,” I mumble as I let my finger fall on whatever godforsaken place chance chose for me. It’s a fact that I’ve always had rotten luck – how can you love a woman with every fiber of your being and not be her mate? – so I’m expecting a pretty sorry spot.
Aleixo squints.
“Take your fat fingers off,” Warwick mutters as he nudges me away. Then a smirk spreads across his eternally handsome face. “Look at that. Phoenix!”
A few people guffaw. I’m not one of them. Fate’s jokes have grown old by now.
Aleixo nods. “I’ll write down Arizona, then. Yelena, where do you –”
“I picked Phoenix,” I interrupt gruffly. “Actually, to be exact, I chose a place called...” My gaze narrows as I make out the miniscule letters, “Catalina Foothills. I never talked about the whole damned state, Aleixo.”
The man’s black eyes flash a deep and fiery brown. For all his civility, I remember that Aleixo was a fierce one. I roll my shoulders, ready for a battle.
“For goodness sake Dane… Palden volunteered for the whole Asian continent.”
Warwick silences me yet again by crushing my foot the second I open my mouth to argue.
“Don’t turn us into a pair of pariahs. Please.”
Something about the flicker of despair in my brother’s gaze makes me falter. It’s been a lonely few centuries. Even I have to admit it.
“Whatever,” I relinquish with a grunt.
Because after all, what are the odds that a phoenix suddenly crops up in the middle of Arizona?
Destiny
“Caleb,” I beg. “Honestly, I’m sorry.”
My boyfriend of one year – also colleague of ten and crush of seven – turns his back to me. It’s a mighty fine back, especially without a shirt like right now. But still, conversation is limited from such an angle.
I finish buttoning my shirt and crawl over the bed so I can meet his hazel gaze. I flinch. Totally annoyed.
“Caleb,” I start again as firmly as possible, though humiliation already makes my cheeks burn. “I apologize. I’ve been having a hard time getting my mind off the job these days. Maybe when I finally wrap up this project next month–”
“What the hell does aircraft design have to do with what happens between us in bed?”
I gulp at the absurdity of what I’m about to say. Even I can tell my behavior is pure madness. But I just can’t help myself. I can’t get my brain to shut up, even when the guy I’ve been infatuated with for years is getting all hot and heavy. Weirdly enough, it’s precisely at those moments that my mind is the chattiest.
“Actually,” I squeak sheepishly, “more than you can imagine. I couldn’t help but wonder if the mattress would float–”
“Float?” Caleb barks sharply. Not one ounce of something friendly, not even wry amusement, shines in his tawny eyes.
Yet I find myself nodding. “Like in case of a water landing. I’ve been trying to figure out the optimal density for the foam of the seats so that almost all passengers can use them to float if there’s an accident.” I let a few icy seconds tick by. “Um, what do you think?”
Caleb passes an exasperated hand over his face. “That this isn’t going to work.” My heart sinks as he rises and tugs on a pair of jeans. “Destiny, I like you. You’re nice, you’re pretty, you’re smart…”
I shoot to my feet and rush to my bedroom door before he can escape. “Don’t do this. We can work this out, I–”
“Probably too smart,” Caleb speaks over me relentlessly. “When we’re together, it feels like we’ve never stepped out of the office. Flight hazards. That’s all you ever talk about.”
I bite my lip, knowing this is the moment to bare my soul. “It’s because I’m nervous,” I confess with difficulty. “When I freak out my brain snaps into auto mode and I’m just inundated with all these prevention plans.” I pop my fingers. “Some of them are quite good, actually.”
“But Destiny,” he sighs wearily. “Not everything in life requires a full security check before taking off. And that definitely includes sex.”
Shame twist my insides as Caleb singles out the very crux of my problem – letting loose. I can’t. I’ve always been high-strung, though when I was younger I had my own methods to silence my thoughts. That’s impossible for me now.
And while I’ve found a way to turn my fretfulness into a lucrative career, there are some things that just don’t pair well with an overactive mind. The first time I made love, I was twenty-two. It wasn’t great. I chalked it up to a selfish partner and the discomfort of losing my virginity.
But the second time was pretty mediocre as well. All my experiences thereafter were nothing to write home about either – even when I finally snagged the man of my dreams. Caleb is sharp as a tack and so hot he could melt a glacier.
I guess I’m the problem. I’m more frigid than an iceberg, the little voice in my head nags. I’ve been suspecting it for a while, but the realization nearly makes me break down in tears. There’s no way Caleb will stay by my side if I can’t give him something this fundamental in a relationship.
“But I…” Neither one of us has ever ventured so far as to unveil our feelings, and biting insecurity sweeps over me. “I’m sure I can improve. Because I love you.”
To my horror, Caleb’s face remains impassive. “I’m not so sure about that. When we’re together, it feels like you’re only physically present at best.”
I open my mouth to argue, yet nothing comes out. How can I deny that I don’t zone out at times I should be emotionally present, when even I’m frustrated at myself?
“I can work on that,” I refute weakly.
I’ve always been able to keep my nose to the grindstone when it matters, graduating top of my class year after year until I landed a job in safety engineering for Infinite Airlines at only twenty-four. Efforts don’t daunt me. But what if this is something not even hard work can fix?
Caleb studies me grimly. “The thing is, the physical aspect of our relationship never really improved either.”
My throat bobs as my vision goes blurry. He’s dumping me. And the worst part is that I can’t blame him.
“Don’t look at me like that,” he rasps, and for the first time a hint of emotion drips into his voice. “It’ll be alright. Let’s just give each other some time, and then… Maybe we can stay friends?”
Tears threaten to fall, but some strange sense of pride prevents me from breaking down in front of him. I shrug, carefully holding in the blubbering, sobbing version of myself that’s threatening to emerge.
“We’ll see.”
Caleb waits a few moments, but I can’t look at him anymore. All I want is for him to leave so I can throw myself under the sheets and hide from the world.
To my great relief Caleb walks past me after what feels like an eternity. He sends me one last glum look.
“I’ll be back when we've both cooled down a little.”
I nod and he’s gone.
I don’t waste a second to curl up on the bed and let the waterworks flow. Wetness soaks the mattress. Will it float? I repeat to myself dejectedly, aghast at my own weirdness. Maybe it’ll float in a sea of tears, yeah.
I bury my head in my pillows, wishing tomorrow would come a little sooner. Piles of data and blueprints await me on my desk at the office. Right now there’s nothing I’d welcome more than pouring myself into complicated problems so that my head aches rather than my heart.
Unfortunately, when I wake up the following morning, I’m not feeling better. If anything, I’m even worse off.
My back is killing me, and there isn’t an inch of my body that isn’t sore in one way or the other. Is it because we made love last night? I frown in consternation. Judging by Caleb’s reaction, things were so dreadfully tame he felt compelled to break up with me. But it’s not like I’ve had too many torrid affairs to compare. For all I know, we were way too rough.
I shake my head. You’re letting your anxiety carry you away again. But just as I sermon myself, a sharp pang in my back makes me double over. Beads of sweat trickle down my temple as I wait for the worst of the pain to die down.
