Chapter Two
A huge ball of fire exploded from the man Cortney had been trying to save only a few minutes before, rushing straight toward her. She had to get the hell out of there, but her legs wouldn’t move. In an instant, the flames engulfed her, slithering like a living, breathing thing along her skin, making her hair fly all around her face in the blast.
Her throat hurt. Not from the pain she was expecting, but because she was screaming so fucking loud. How the hell could she breathe with fire sucking all the oxygen away?
One second she was alone, the next, the rude man from the ER appeared in front of her. His arms came around her, and he held her close. He somehow absorbed the flames, taking them within himself, pulling them from her.
“You’re okay. It’s not hurting you,” Draven whispered into her ear.
She gripped his black T-shirt in her fists as she buried her face in his chest. Her heart pounded, and her knees shook. She had her eyes screwed shut so tight that her brows ached, but she couldn’t open them for fear of what she’d find.
“Shhh, you’re okay,” he repeated. “The fire is gone.”
Cortney shook her head. She didn’t want to open her eyes She wasn’t in any pain, but maybe she was in shock. Maybe her skin was already blistering and peeling. No, she didn’t smell burned flesh, and she was still standing. Surely if her skin had melted off, she’d pass out or something. Cortney pulled away, and whipped her arms in front of her, turning them over to examine them for injury. Her skin was a little pink and tingled like she had a very mild sunburn, but otherwise, she was fine. “I didn’t burn,” she said in a hoarse whisper.
An agonized groan came from behind the man. Cortney tried peering around him, but he moved so that he blocked her gaze.
“No, you didn’t. You know what we are. You know we’re phoenix shifters.”
“That has nothing to do with me.” Her heart was pounding again. She shook her head, hoping to ward off what she knew in her soul was coming.
“But that’s where you’re wrong. The Phoenix Mate Acquisition Contract between our species is very clear about certain things. Like what happens when we find a suitable mate. I’m certain you’ve heard of this. You have signed the PMAC, have you not?”
His gaze bore into her, almost daring her to deny it. She tilted her chin up. How could she not have heard of it? Every single female in the country had to sign on the dotted line agreeing to the PMAC. Well, they didn’t have to, but the government made it very difficult to say no. “There’s no way for you to know that I’m a suitable mate.”
He looked at her, his eyebrows shooting up, then his mouth curved at the corners, revealing a gorgeous smile. “If you weren’t a suitable mate, you would have been turned to ash when Kirk came back to life.” As if on cue, the other man groaned again.
“Cort, are you okay?” Trista rushed over, pausing only long enough to stomp out a small fire in the grass at the edge of the helipad. “Holy shit. I can’t believe you’re still standing after that blast. Let’s get you inside. I’m sure there’s still some of that ice cream cake we had for your birthday yesterday. If any occasion calls for ice cream, this is it.”
“I-I don’t think I can,” she told her friend. Her hand shook as she pushed her hair back from her face.
Trista gave her an odd look then turned her attention to the man. “Listen, I don’t know what your deal is, Mister…”
“Draven,” the man provided as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“Draven. But she’s coming back inside. I may be small, but I will drop kick you.”
Leave it to Trista to come to her defense. Cortney shook her head and grinned at her. “You’re such a nerd. He’s not doing anything. Apparently, I have to go with him. Says I’m ‘mate material’” she enclosed the last two words in air quotes, rolling her eyes.
“What? Wait. You can’t leave for a whole month.” Trista glared at the man.
“What choice do I have? I signed on the dotted line and had all my University expenses paid by the government. Besides, nothing has to happen while I’m there. I’m under no obligation to mate with anyone. I’ll just think of it as a month-long vacation. With pay.” The government may have made the deal too good to pass up with a promise that very few women were even compatible with the phoenixes, but the truth remained, she had a contract to fulfill.
Trista groaned and threw her hands up. “Okay, damn it. I’m coming, too.” She looked at Draven with her chin tilted up, and her shoulders squared.
“You don’t have to do that,” Cortney told her, but deep down, having a familiar face with her would make the whole thing a lot less scary.
“I know I don’t. But I will. And they can’t stop me. It’s part of the PMAC. A mate can have a companion for the duration of her stay.” Trista glared at Draven, the dare shining brightly in her eyes.
“Great, it’s settled, you’ll both come. Let’s go make the appropriate arrangements.” Draven waved them toward the building.
“Shouldn’t we do something to help your friend?” Cortney asked.
Draven looked over his shoulder. “He just needs a few minutes. And some clothes. I’ll have someone bring something out to him. It’s best if he stays out in the open until he’s fully awake.”
“Maybe I should stay with him,” Trista offered.
***
Trista was fierce. He’d give her that. She’d make an amazing phoenix mate. He’d have to keep his eyes on her aura once they got to the Odyssey to see if she’d react to one of the males. If she didn’t, then at least Cortney would have a friend with her to ease her transition.
He held the door to the administration office open and followed her in. Cortney hadn’t said much, but at least she wasn’t scowling. After the way he’d treated her earlier, he wouldn’t have blamed her. They waited while the secretary spoke into her headset and jotted down a message. A quick glance at Cortney confirmed it. Kirk was outside, and her aura was still bright red, so unless there was another phoenix around, which there wasn’t, she was his. He smiled at her, and she averted her gaze.
Of course, she had the option of not mating with him. She was under no obligation to stay with him past the thirty-day contract. Hell, she didn’t have to give him the time of day during that thirty days. All she had to do was live with him. Just the thought of sharing his space, spending time together, breathing the same air had him anxious to get home.
“Can I help you?” The secretary came over and gave him a once over.
Cortney looked at her and rolled her eyes again. “I need to fill out some forms, Gloria. It seems I’ll be on leave for a month.”
“What? No. It’s summer. You can’t just take a month off. The scheduling office will have a fit.”
“She can, and she will. Under the PMAC of 2012, a suitable mate must take residence with her proposed mate for a minimum of one month. She is my mate, and I will bring her home with me. Today,” he clarified.
The woman looked at him again. “Lucky girl. Jeanine won’t be happy about it, but maybe one of the new girls will want the extra hours.”
She went to a filing cabinet behind her desk and rummaged through the files, taking a lot longer than he would have liked, but then she pulled some sheets from the drawer and held them up in the air. “I knew they had to be in there somewhere.”
“Great,” Cortney said, her voice flat. “Just tell me what to sign so I can get out of here.”
The woman pointed to three places and gave Cortney a copy of the PMAC to bring with her, and within minutes, they were free to go.
“Can I go up and let my co-workers know that I’m leaving, or do they just get to work short for the rest of the day and think I’ve deserted my patients?” she asked, her voice sharp.
“Of course. In fact, why don’t we meet back at the helipad in half an hour? I’ll get some clothes for Kirk and make arrangements for Trista,” he agreed.
She gave him a small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, then turned and walked out the door.
Letting her out of his sight went against everything in him. As her mate, he wanted to be wherever she was. They weren’t mated—yet—which meant another male could steal her away from him. But he had a feeling that being too aggressive would push her away. Besides, she’d only just found out he was uprooting her for a month—longer if he had anything to say about it. The least he could do was give her some space. She might not be thrilled with the prospect, but she hadn’t refused to go with him.
“What do you mean arrangements for Trista?” the woman Cortney had named Gloria asked him.
“Trista, the nurse that works with Cortney, she’s coming as well. As per section eight, paragraph three…” he looked at the woman who riffled through a copy of the PMAC.
“Crap. Jeanine is going to flip. Okay, I’ll get the other papers.”