CHAPTER EIGHT
Gabriella didn’t like this town. It was too fucking hot. Too dry. But she had a job to do, and going back home without something to show for her trouble was not a good idea. A lot of people had been disappearing lately, and rumors were flying about bodies piling up as the task of feeding the Mater Priori’s hunger for magical power became harder and harder to fill. Gabby didn’t want to become one of the missing, though she didn’t want to give up the position of power she’d wormed her way into over the years. She’d have to tread carefully.
Either that or give up her goals for the Venifucus completely and just stick to the drug, prostitution, and human trafficking empire she was building. There was a lot of money to be made, and in the human world, money could buy almost anything. Then again, if Elspeth had her way, the human world would be changing soon, and Gabby’s plan all along was to make sure she had a place in the new order
So, here she was, in the fucking desert, with her skin crying out for moisturizer and her eyes dry as sandpaper. She did not do deserts.
But she had her bully boys with her, and they were eager to kick some ass. She liked watching them beat the crap out of people, and she loved it when there was bloodshed to make her a little bit stronger. Blood magic was seductive, and she knew she was just as much of an addict as any junkie her network sold drugs to, only her drug of choice was blood and the magic derived from hurting people. Mmm. Nothing like it.
Gabby licked her lips, just thinking about it. She would bag the shifter and head home. If she managed to bleed him a bit before they got there, then so be it.
*
Lance felt better than he ever had after the night spent with Tina. The day before had changed him in so many ways. He felt more balanced now. More grounded. Less haunted by the call of the sun that had been hounding him for years now. Everything had come to a head, and he now felt better able to deal with it all.
The guys in the shop had been great. They’d accepted him as one of their own in a way they hadn’t been able to do before. They all deferred to him even more than usual, but they also seemed to see him as a kindred spirit now, where before he’d just been the boss.
Tina had left in the morning when Lance went to work. She had things to do, she’d said, but she’d come have lunch with him at the shop. He was looking forward to it. He’d arranged a catered buffet for everybody, to thank them for their help yesterday.
In fact, the catering had just arrived, and Lexi had taken charge of setting everything up in the big room they kept for client conferences. It had been designed so that they could pull the client’s car right into the room from the lot, but it was empty at the moment, and folding tables had been set up to hold the buffet.
Knowing what he knew now about shifters, he’d opted for meat, meat and more meat, and plenty of it. He’d ordered in from a local steak place that was known for their quality. It was a splurge the crew richly deserved, and as lunchtime drew near, he could tell everyone was eager to chow down.
Lance saw Tina’s car pull into the yard, and he felt the smile stretching his face. He’d missed her in the few hours she’d been gone. He had so much to be thankful for in his life. Running into her again had to rank right up there with the many blessings he’d received in the past couple of days. Not only did he have a great crew who were slowly teaching him the ropes of this shifter thing, but he had a mate…if only she would agree to it.
He could be patient, though. He’d convince her one way or another.
Lance opened the front door, greeting her with a kiss as she made her way into the office area. He heard a few wolf whistles but was mostly oblivious to it while he enjoyed the kiss of his mate. Nothing and no one could compare to Tina. Only one night together, and he was already an addict.
Tina heard the wolf whistles coming from the werewolves and knew she was blushing, but she was powerless to resist Lance’s kiss. So much had happened in such a short time, she still couldn’t quite believe it all. Not only had he made his first flight as a phoenix, but he seemed convinced that she was his mate.
She’d spoken to Kate earlier this morning, and she was halfway to believing it was true, but Tina was going to bide her time. She wanted to make it special when she agreed to be his mate. The doorway of his office space wasn’t exactly romantic. She’d save her acknowledgment for a more appropriate moment.
Lance ended the kiss but kept his arm around her shoulders as he escorted her to the big room where the wolves and other assorted shifter employees had gathered. They were all looking at Lance expectantly, as if they needed his permission to start in on the buffet. He paused just inside the door and let her go, turning to face his people.
“I can’t thank you all enough for what you did for me yesterday,” Lance began. “This celebratory lunch is just one small way for me to say thanks. You guys were always a great team, but now, I’m learning why and how. I assume I’m going to make a few mistakes as I learn about being…what I am…” He seemed to hesitate to name his animal side. “I hope you’ll all be patient with me and let me know when I screw up.” Laughter and cheers greeted his humble words, but still, nobody moved until finally Lance said, “Dig in!”
At that point, it was like someone had set off a starter’s pistol as everyone made a grab for their favorites off the buffet. Stone was overseeing his wolves, but Lexi and the other shifters were in there, doing their best to get the prime bits they wanted before the wolves ate it all.
Lance had ordered way more than he thought they’d need, so he wasn’t too concerned about anyone going away hungry. He was content to stand back and watch his people, making sure they were all taken care of before he waded in to get his own plate.
But Lexi, apparently, had other ideas. She hadn’t been collecting her own food, as he’d thought. No, she came up to him and Tina, holding two heaping plates, which she offered to them.
“You two are the Alpha pair here,” Lexi said with a shy smile. “Consider this my way of currying favor in hopes of a raise.”
Tina took the plate Lexi gave her, and Lance followed suit, unsure what to say. He finally coughed up a rough thank you, which made Lexi grin wider as she turned back to the buffet to hopefully get something for herself, this time.
“I think you’re going to have to get used to a few changes around here, now that you’ve taken your place among your fellow shifters,” Tina observed.
“I’m not really sure what to make of it all,” Lance said honestly, heading for a pair of chairs.
There were places to sit all around the large room. He’d had tables and chairs brought in for everyone, and they were all beginning to find spots where they could sit in small groups and enjoy the free meal.
*
“They’re all inside, boss,” Gabby’s favorite stud said, cracking his knuckles. “Some kind of party in what looks like a conference room.”
“They didn’t see you?” Gabby asked sharply. It wouldn’t do to alert the phoenix that she was coming for him.
“Nah. They’re all chowing down like nothing could possibly hurt them. They didn’t even leave a lookout,” he assured her. “And I was careful to stay downwind. Even if there’s more than the one shifter, they won’t have spotted me.”
Gabby wasn’t sure she liked her henchman’s overconfidence, but there’d be time to cut him down to size later. First, she had to get the phoenix and get her ass out of this hellhole and back to civilization. It was so hard to get good help. Gabby had a habit of running through them, but she couldn’t help it if men were so unreliable.
They were good for a few things, though. Kicking ass was right there at the top of the list. She loved watching her boys make other men bleed. She got off on it and recharged her energies with it. There was nothing like a little blood to give her a boost.
It was time she made this miserable trip worthwhile. It was time to hurt or even kill someone or—if she was lucky—more than one. She’d drink in the power from the fight, which would help her subdue the phoenix. If the boys could catch him by surprise and beat the ever-loving shit out of him first, maybe her job of holding his power in check until they got back home wouldn’t be so difficult, after all. If he was unconscious, he couldn’t fight back.
“All right, then,” she told her right-hand man. “Do what you do best. Take them out as quickly and quietly as possible. I don’t mind if you kill the bystanders, just leave the boss man to me. He’s the one I came for.”
*
When the big door from the yard burst open into the room, everyone was shocked into stillness for one frozen moment. Then, all hell broke loose as a team of big men came in, fists swinging, some armed with big knives, brass knuckles, or even chains.
What the actual fuck?
Lance sprang to his feet, as did all his people. He was at the back of the room, but Stone was up near the door with his Packmates. They sprang into action, fighting back with a speed and fury Lance had never seen. Within moments, the fight had rolled out of the room and into the yard where they’d have more room to brawl.
“Lance! Look out!” Tina shoved him to the side, just as a blood-red firebolt would have struck him.
He didn’t know what the hell was going on, but now, he was getting pissed off. The newly awakened firebird inside him pushed for freedom. He wasn’t sure what he could do as a bird against a veritable army of brawlers, but he was having a hard time fighting the new instincts riding him.
He looked over at Tina—the bolt of what could only be magical energy had split them up. She’d pushed him right, and she’d gone left. He’d have to thank her for that later…if they made it out of this—whatever this was—alive.
“Do it!” she shouted at him above the noise of battle.
All the while, she was scanning their opponents, probably looking for where the mage energy had come from. He saw her gaze zero in on a target a moment before a highly-concentrated ball of icy energy formed between her palms.
She was going on the offensive. That stirred his ire again. Why should his people, and his mate, have to fight for their lives? There had to be something he could do to stop this.
Between one thought and another, the new presence inside him made itself known. The bird burst from him in a flash of orange, destroying his clothing, but he didn’t care. All the phoenix wanted to do was protect those who were important to him. Lance let go of his conscious thoughts and let his instincts take over.
Tina was shocked by the attack, but she should have expected it. Lance’s magic was a big, fat, juicy target for evil magic users who would try to capture him and steal his power. Tina had been a fool to let her guard down, but maybe they could fight their way out of this.
She spotted at least one mage—a scary looking woman with dead black eyes and curly dark hair. She was positioned behind the fighters, taking careful aim with her destructive energies. The moment Tina identified the other mage, she called her powers to her. That black-haired witch was about to be taught a lesson. But first, Tina would shield the shifters. No sense letting them get in the middle of a magic battle that would be fought between Tina and the other woman.
Tina let loose her concentrated ball of protection, encasing the shifters and their opponents in her own special magic. A glowing dome formed over the fighters, and little by little, they froze in place. That was one of Tina’s special gifts. Her magic could totally stop people and things around her—at least for a short period of time. And the dome of protective ice energy wouldn’t allow the other mage to harm anyone under it while it lasted.
Good. Tina nodded to herself. Now that the shifters were protected a bit, it was time to take out the trash. Tina called more of her magic to her, forming her next volley. This one would go straight at the woman aiming for Lance. No way that bitch was going to hurt him. Not on Tina’s watch.
Tina walked farther out into the yard, through the bubble of her own magic and the fighters who were all frozen in place. They were aware of what was happening and could move their eyes…slowly…to follow the action, but they couldn’t really move. Not while her magic lasted. She saw dismay on the faces of the men who’d attacked them as she made a beeline through the frozen fight scene, headed for the witch on the other side.
“If you thought it would be easy to take us down, think again,” Tina said, holding her own special brand of icy energy aloft in both hands as she stepped out of the dome on the other side, a few yards from the other mage.
“You think you’re going to stop me, little girl?” the other woman taunted.
Tina jerk her chin toward the bubble of frozen energy behind her. “I think I already have. I just missed one.”
Ooh. That one had pissed the other woman off. Tina braced for the attack she was sure would be coming after her taunt, but she was prepared. The energy in her palms was ready. She could protect herself with one hand and lob the other ball of ice at her prey. It was a trick she’d used before.
And, just like clockwork, the blood energy shot forth from the other woman’s hands. Tina blocked as best she could, but the other woman was strong. She must’ve been on the blood path for a very long time. Her aura was completely corrupt, and the feel of her magic was oily. Unclean. Tina tried hard not to retch.
After the bolt of blood energy was over, Tina launched her own power at the other woman, but it didn’t even make a dent. Tina knew, then, this was going to be a long battle. She only hoped she was mage enough to win.
Lance flew above, looking down on his yard as the woman he wanted like no other faced the interloper. The phoenix shrieked its outrage as he saw the dirty magic through the phoenix’s eyes. It looked different now than it had when Lance had been in human form. He could see magic in a whole new way now. He could easily tell good from bad. Light from dark. And the woman with the black hair reeked of evil.
The phoenix flapped its wings, watching as the volley after volley of energy went between the invader and Tina. Tina had protected Lance’s flock, but she was fighting a very even battle with the dark woman. Lance had to do something, but he wasn’t sure what.
Being a phoenix had to be good for something other than flying around, chasing after the sun. He had to have some kind of power of his own, right? Some way to defend his home and his people…and his mate.