Phoenix's Fate (RARE Series, #2) (16 page)

For now, Jade was safe at Chase’s house resting.  When Angel had left a couple of hours ago, she had not told Jade what her plan was.  No one else needed to be put in danger.  Grabbing the punching bag, Angel wrapped her arms around it and leaned into it.  No use putting it off any longer.  Waiting was not going to change the outcome.

Taking a deep breath, she turned and left the barn heading to the house.  Time to shower and gear up.  If she could find her balls of steel by the time the shower was done, that would be good, too.

When Angel felt like she was as prepared as she was going to be, she went to sit on the comfortable white wicker chair on the screened in back porch.  Closing her eyes, she slowly drifted attempting to follow the path Serenity had taken to find Malcolm.  Finally!  She found him.  Immediately, she noticed the dark hatred he was harboring for Phoenix.  In Malcolm’s mind, Phoenix had stolen his mate and that meant Phoenix must die.  With Phoenix eliminated he was going to show Serenity what being Malcolm’s mate was all about.  She had left him and disobeyed him, but she would not make that mistake again.  He would beat her into submission.

Looking out Malcolm’s eyes, Angel tried to figure out where he was hiding.  He was in wolf form, which she had expected, and was lying on the ground in the middle of a large wooded area.  It was one she did not recognize.  That night there would be a full moon.  All packs like to run on the full moon, and Malcolm was planning to use it to his advantage to get him access into the compound.  Once he was in the compound, he would quietly take out Phoenix.  Then he was going to grab Serenity and run.  Finally, he would be reunited with his mate.

Silently, Angel slipped back out of Malcolm’s mind, not once noticing the other presence also lingering in Malcolm’s mind.  Looking out at the darkening sky, she glanced at her watch.  She estimated she had no more than two hours tops before Malcolm made his move.  Running outside and jumping in her jeep, Angel took off for the compound.  She needed to share this information with Chase.  They needed a plan and Angel needed to convince Chase not to let his pack out running tonight.  One way or another, this ended with Malcolm tonight.

~

J
inx waited silently in a grouping of trees a couple of miles from the homes on the acres of land inside the compound of the White River wolf pack.  He was well hidden and had taken a drug the General’s scientists had invented to mask his scent, so he knew he would not be detected.  It had been a simple task to infiltrate the compound for a soldier like himself.  Now he just had to wait patiently for the sun to go down and the rogue wolf to make his appearance.  Jinx had been born and raised for situations like this.  It was child’s play for someone like him.  As Jinx waited, he let his mind wander, wondering about the woman he had sensed in the other wolf’s mind earlier.  She had seemed familiar, but not.  Who was she?   

H
unter was spending the night at Nico and Jenna’s house so that Serenity could have some peace and quiet as she recovered.  She told Phoenix she was fine, but he insisted she rest because that was what Doc Josie ordered.  Serenity was reclining on a wicker settee on the back porch watching the sun go down.  Phoenix was sitting across from her sketching the beautiful scene.  Nothing was more beautiful to him than Serenity.

As Phoenix was putting the finishing touches on his masterpiece, suddenly he cried out, dropping on the porch to all fours.  He let out a loud groan as the pain intensified.  “The full moon!” Serenity exclaimed.  “We forgot about the full moon!”  Running over to Phoenix, she grabbed his cell phone out of his back pocket and called Chase.  “I’m already on my way,” Chase said as he answered the phone.  “Angel and I will be there in five minutes.” 

Hanging up the phone, Serenity knelt beside Phoenix.  “Chase is on his way, Phoenix.  Just a couple more minutes.”  Phoenix’s back bowed and claws sprang from his fingertips.  Throwing his head back he howled as fangs emerged from his gums.  Breathing through the pain, he reached down and started undoing his jeans to strip them off.  His shirt followed, then his socks.  Serenity cringed as his muscles contracted painfully.  Sobbing, she cried, “I’m so sorry, Phoenix.”

“Not your fault,” he growled, panting heavily.  “Gonna be fine.  Worth it to have you.”  Sweat covered his entire body and he was shaking with pain.  “Love you so much, mate.”  Growling, he dug his nails into the porch, throwing his head back and howling as fur start to cover his body.

Suddenly Serenity heard a voice she had prayed she would never hear again.  Malcolm stood at the edge of the porch, a cruel grin on his face.  “Serenity, it is time to come home.”  No, this could not be happening!  Before she could slam her shields back into place, Malcolm slammed into her head and ordered her to follow him. 

“No, I won’t do it.  I won’t,” she moaned, grabbing her head in agony.  “I am stronger now.  I will not listen to you!”  Squeezing her eyes shut in concentration, she threw Malcolm out of her head, quickly building the walls back up in her mind. 

Suddenly there was a loud roar and Serenity was knocked to the ground as a huge dark grey wolf flew past her attacking an already shifting Malcolm.  Turning to Phoenix, Serenity froze.  Phoenix was gone.  She quickly snapped her head back around to the battling wolves.  Her Phoenix was a huge, beautiful dark grey wolf, and he was in the middle of kicking Malcolm’s furry ass.  The fight was a fast and bloody one, and she knew for Phoenix it was a fight to the death.  Malcolm got Phoenix down on his back, but Phoenix raised his legs and dug his claws into Malcolm’s soft belly, ripping it open, before throwing him off.  Malcolm howled in pain, and laid there panting in misery. 

At that moment, Chase and Angel ran up the stairs on the edge of the porch.  Serenity felt the change in Phoenix instantly.  Turning on them, he growled low and deadly, stalking towards them.  “No, Phoenix,” she cried out.  “Stop!  Malcolm is controlling you.  You do not want to do this!” 

Answering Phoenix’s challenge with a growl of his own, Chase stripped and quickly turned into his wolf.  Serenity screamed in fear as the two wolves clashed.  Chase was an Alpha, Phoenix was newly turned.  She had no idea how Phoenix had taken on Malcolm and won, but there was no way he would win this fight.  He was already weakening.  And if you made the mistake of challenging an Alpha, it was almost always to the death.  The fight was quick, brutal and ended with Phoenix on the ground and Chase’s teeth around his throat. 

Chase quickly changed back to his human form.  Serenity ran to Phoenix, his body limp.  Serenity ran to him as Chase quickly changed back to his human form.  Phoenix slowly shifted back to human form, but remained unconscious.  “What happened?” Serenity asked Chase.  “Is he going to be okay?”

“Yeah,” Chase answered.  “He’s fine.  Just drained.  Most wolves don’t get into two different fights immediately following their first change.  He just needs rest.  Where’s Malcolm?”

Serenity looked around in surprise.  Not only was Malcolm gone, so was Angel.  Her gaze swinging back to Chase’s in terror she whispered, “Angel’s gone after him.”

Chase nodded, sighing deeply in resignation as he pulled on his clothes.  “My money is on her.  Let’s get Phoenix into bed.  I will stay here until I know for sure you are safe from Malcolm.”   

A
ngel chased after Malcolm, a throwing star in each hand.  He had shifted quickly back to his human form while Chase and Phoenix were fighting, before taking off into the woods, his arms wrapped around his mutilated stomach.  Angel had her mental shields in place and had to concentrate on keeping them there.  She could feel Malcolm trying to break through her walls, but that was not going to happen.  Malcolm was slowly pulling away from her, but Angel did not want to take the time to shift.  The son of a bitch was strong and fast. 

Surprising the hell out of Angel, a man dropped from the trees in front of Malcolm.  Angel skidded to a stop, and as she watched, Malcolm tripped and fell on his knees in front of the stranger.  “You made a big mistake when you hurt my sister,” she heard the stranger tell Malcolm as he slid a long sword from a scabbard on his back.  Chuckling he said, “Don’t bother trying the mind games with me.  I am stronger than you will ever dream of being.”  Holding the sword up, the man let his fangs drop as he growled, “This is for Jade.” With one clean swipe Malcolm’s head was severed from his shoulders.

Angel stood there in shock, afraid to believe what she was seeing.  As the man looked up at her through eyes identical to Jade’s, Angel let out a gasp.  “They told me you were dead.”  Slowly she walked towards him as tears streamed down her face.  “All these years, I thought you were dead.”

Narrowing his eyes he asked, “Who are you?”  On a sob, Angel stopped right before him, slowly reaching out a hand and touching his face.  She pulled back quickly when he flinched and growled lowly.  “I’m Jade’s mother,” she told him.  “Your mother.”

Ignoring her claim, he kneeled down, used Malcolm’s clothes to clean the blood off his sword, and sheathed it in the scabbard on his back.  “I have to go.  Take care of Jade for me.  I won’t be able to for a while.”  Turning, he moved swiftly into the darkness.

“Wait,” Angel called out.  She could hear the enforcers moving towards them quickly, but she did not want to let her son go.  “What’s your name?  How can I find you?” 

Sobbing she ran in the direction he had gone.  “Please, don’t leave me.  Please, my son.”  Stopping, she fell to her knees and howled in pain. She had found out after twenty-four years of thinking her son was dead, he was really alive.  That someone had taken him from her.  And now he was gone again.  She did not know anything about him; had no idea how to find him.  The pain in her heart was almost unbearable. 

She felt soft words enter her mind. 
I have to go before the General realizes I’m gone.  I go by Jinx.  When it is safe, I will find you.  Take care of Jade. 
He was gone as swiftly as he had appeared. 

The General.  That crazy motherfucker had not only stolen her daughter, but also her son.  She was going to kill him slowly and painfully.  Angel rose to her feet and turned back in the direction of Malcolm’s body.  She had to make things right in the compound first, then she was going to find the General and make him wish to hell he had never met her or her children.

When she reached where they had left Malcolm’s body, several enforcers were looking from the body to his head lying on the ground several feet away.  “Take both the body and the head back and burn them,” she ordered.  “Get the fire as hot as you can.  I want to know for a fact that he is gone.”

Quickly, the enforcers gathered up the remains and moved out, Angel following.  She went straight to Phoenix and Serenity’s home to check on them, sighing in relief when she found Chase had kept Phoenix alive.  She did not think he would kill Phoenix, but sometimes Alphas could not control their wolf, especially when they were challenged.  Alpha’s had to prove their dominance, and in the heat of the moment, fighting to the death seemed like the only way.  Standing in Phoenix and Serenity’s bedroom, Angel listened as Chase and Serenity recapped what had happened after she went after Malcolm. 

“What happened out there?” Chase asked her.  “I was told Malcolm was decapitated.”  Serenity’s head swung around in surprise. 

It was Angel’s turn to share what had happened on her end.  “It wasn’t me,” Angel informed them.  “It was my son, Jinx.  God, for twenty-four years I thought he was dead.  They told me he was born dead.  But he was here tonight.”  Angel’s eyes filled with tears as she collapsed in the chair by Phoenix’s bed.  “He had this magnificent sword.  Malcolm tried to control his mind, but Jinx was so strong.  He laughed at Malcolm.  Told him that he shouldn’t have hurt his sister, and then struck him with his sword.”

Lifting her head, she looked to Chase and Serenity.  “He looks just like his father except he has Jade’s eyes.  They are twins, but look so different.  He said he had to get back before the General found out he was missing.”  Slamming her fist on the side of the bed, Angel snarled,  “The General stole both of my children from me.  I’m going to gut the bastard.”

“And we are going to help you,” Phoenix croaked.  Serenity was at Phoenix’s side in an instant.  He laughed softly, holding out a hand to her.  “I’m ok, Beauty.  Just some minor bruises that you can kiss away later.”  Grinning, he turned back to Angel.  “Congratulations on finding your son, Angel.”

“Oh my God,” Serenity exclaimed as she realized what had been escaping her consciousness since awaking after healing Jade.  “It was Jinx.  He is the reason I recovered so quickly when Jade was hurt.  I remember a strong presence held her to us and lent me his strength when I was healing her.  I didn’t have to use all of my own.  He was so strong.  I forgot all about that until now.  How could I forget that?  It had to have been Jinx.”

Smiling through her tears, Angel whispered, “Probably because he wanted you to.”  Standing up she told them, “I need to get home to my girls.  I need to tell Jade about her brother.  I will see all of you tomorrow.  Take care Phoenix.”  Chase said his goodbyes and quietly followed her out of the house.

Hope and Faith were asleep when they returned back to Chase’s house, but Jade was waiting up for them.  Tears filled her eyes as she watched them walking up the sidewalk.  Rushing forward, she threw herself into Angel’s arms.  “I was afraid Malcolm would hurt you.”  Angel pulled back smiling at her.  Aware that Chase had moved on into the house to give them privacy, she responded, “He didn’t get a chance.  Your brother took care of him first.”

“Jinx was here?” Jade asked, then slammed her hand over her mouth, her eyes widening.  Stepping back she turned and quickly walked up the stairs and into the house.  Angel followed slowly trying to get her thoughts in order.  Jade had known about Jinx and hadn’t told her?  Why would she do that?  A part of Angel felt betrayed by her own daughter. 

Angel found Jade in the living room sitting on the sofa, her head hung down in shame.  Sitting beside her, Angel clutched her hands together in her lap, took a deep breath and asked, “You knew about Jinx?”