Chapter 22

The rising sun behind them cast the Rockies in a pink glow. The snowy peaks kissed the sky. If she weren’t so dead tired, Nickie might have admired the view more.

She took a deep breath and shifted in her seat again. Her butt had gone numb long before their gas station pit stop a few hours before. Even though Zenon had said he would not sleep, he’d eventually drifted off. At first, his eyes had been closed, but his thoughts had kept him awake. At some point, though, between four and five, his mind had quieted. Soft snores filled the cab of the truck, making her smile. He needed the rest—he deserved it.

The caress of his mind to hers told her he was awake, but he didn’t speak. Warmth came into her, filling a part of her with his presence she hadn’t known had hollowed without his constant touch.

“That’s nice,” she said, easing into his mind, as well.

“It is wonderful,” he agreed as he stretched and looked ahead. “Is it very far still?”

“According to the map, we should reach the river in about an hour.”

Try as she might, she couldn’t keep from tapping her fingers on the steering wheel or nibbling on the inside of her cheek. They were so close.

“Should I try contacting him again?” Zenon asked.

As much as doing so would appease some of her fears, it wasn’t a good idea. “No. If they haven’t figured out how close we are, we don’t want to give it away.”

Zenon nodded and took a deep breath. A thought zipped through his mind. “Perhaps I should continue on my own and return once I have freed Zandar.”

“Are you kidding me right now?” she asked, snapping the words at him out loud. “You want to drive into the mountains and go after your brother alone? You want me to sit by and wait while you face our enemy?”

“It would be safer, my Nickie.”

“No, it wouldn’t. For one thing, you can’t drive. For another, you don’t know where you’re going. And worse still, you’d be walking into a potential trap without any backup. You said so yourself—together, we’re stronger.”

He looked up into the cloudless sky. “I could fly.”

She huffed and slowed down for a vehicle exiting the road ahead. “Right, and make sure they can see your approach, so they can really be ready for you when you get there,” she said, glaring at him.

His fear for her well being warred with her annoyance at knowing he wanted to ditch her.

“I wish no such thing. I want you with me, always. But I need your safety more.”

She sighed and rubbed her tired eyes. “I know. But we need to do this together. It’s the only way. Why else would the witches have paired us with phoenixes? Besides, I can’t die, right? So even if something bad happens, I’ll be okay. We both will.”

Zenon stared at her for a second, only breaking her gaze once the car pulled off, and she had to focus on the road.

“You are right. Still, I do not like it.”

Eyes burning, when she spotted a sign for a rest stop up ahead, she put her blinker on. “Let’s grab some coffee for the road,” she suggested. Neither of them wanted to delay getting to Zandar, but she needed the caffeine boost almost as much as she needed to pee.

“Perhaps a bite to eat would be good, as well,” he added, but his focus was on the mountain peak in the distance once more.

She pulled up to the first available gas pump, but before she could gas up, Zenon was there, doing it for her. “Go. Stretch your weary muscles and get what you need. I will take care of this.”

Giving him a small kiss that was more a brushing of lips than anything intimate, she headed inside. The line up for the coffee was long, so rather than wait, she headed to the bathrooms. Her tired reflection stared back at her as she rinsed her hands under the cold water. Why did these places never have any hot water?

She splashed some onto her face, only then noticing how silent Zenon had become. His thoughts were usually a hum in the background of her mind, waiting for her to listen in on if she chose. She was getting good at that.

“Is everything okay out there?” she asked as she paid for the gas at the first counter before standing in the still too long line for their breakfast.

His slight hesitation made her pause. “All is well,” he finally said.

“I’ll bring you a breakfast sandwich. I think you’ll like them,” she replied as she stood in line for the coffee and food.

Nickie shuffled her feet, groaning at how long it took. Come on, it’s coffee, not rocket science!

She half expected Zenon to say something about her outburst, but he was as quiet as could be again. She twisted to look out where she’d left the truck but didn’t see him. He was probably sitting and waiting for her to come out.

Every couple of minutes, she peeked outside. “I’m almost done in here,” she said as she reached the counter—finally—but all she got back was silence.

“What can I get you?” the girl who couldn’t have been older than seventeen asked.

“Two sausage and egg sandwiches on biscuits, and two large coffee. One double double, and can I get the cream and sugar on the side for the other one?” She didn’t know if Zenon liked coffee, or what he took in it, but she’d bring one just in case.

She turned to look at the truck again as she waited for her order. Maybe he’d fallen asleep? He’d been tired even after the nap he’d had. That had to be it. Because he wouldn’t just leave her all alone in a strange country with bad guys around. Okay, so it was Canada, not Russia, but still. Not after they’d just discussed it and he’d said they would go on together. He wouldn’t. He was her mate. One who had promised to honor and protect her.

“Zenon?” she called out, hating the doubt accompanying his name. Once more, their connection remained silent. With a sinking feeling, she turned her gaze toward the tallest mountain peak.

“Here you go. Have a great day,” the girl behind the counter said in a cheery tone, but Nickie didn’t respond. She couldn’t. Her mate, in all his fiery glory, soared high in the sky, leaving her behind.

Choking back the sob that bubbled up from her chest, she headed out of the store. She couldn’t remember picking up the food or the coffee, but she must have, because when she got to the truck, she set the bag on the seat and two coffees into the cup holders. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she watched as her phoenix disappeared behind the mountain.

What the hell was she supposed to do? Wait for him? She stared at the sky, hoping to see him flying back to her, but he didn’t. Throat raw, she sniffled and blew her nose. Sitting there feeling sorry for herself wasn’t getting her anywhere. She was about to put the truck into drive when a soft buzzing sound came from somewhere behind the seat. Scrambling onto her knees, she reached back. Winter coats and boots and a bag that looked to have clothing in it sat there. The buzzing noise stopped, then started again. She pulled out a cheap-looking cell, and almost started crying all over again.

With trembling fingers, she pressed the answer button. “Hello?”

“Thank fuck,” Jasmine said into the receiver. “Where are you guys?”

Nickie swiped a tear from her cheek as she stared at the spot where Zenon had been moments before. “We’re about an hour out from the Athabasca River.”

“No, no, no. You have to get the hell out of there. It’s a trap. They moved the phoenix during the night. We have new coordinates.”

Of course, they did. Nickie swallowed hard, her fear woven so tightly with the pain of his betrayal that she couldn’t figure out which was worse. “I can’t go yet. Zenon’s gone up to the mountain by himself. I’ll go get him and then we’ll find you.”

“Are you okay? You sound like you’re crying. Tell me where you are. I’m going to get Jackie to turn around and we’ll come to you.”

“No. We’ll be fine. You guys go ahead. Send me the coordinates when you can.” The last thing she needed was to have Jasmine in the middle of whatever was going to happen on the mountain.

“I swear, if you go up that damned mountain after what I’ve just told you, I’m going to be so pissed,” Jasmine shouted.

She took a steadying breath. “What choice do I have? He’s up there. I’m not leaving him. We’ll talk soon,” she said, then disconnected before Jasmine could try and change her mind.

She thought she heard the echo of Zenon’s protest at the edges of her mind. With a quick search into the information stored in her head, she found the way he’d used to block her from his thoughts, then slammed the door shut. If she was going into a dangerous situation alone, she needed to focus.