*****

Phoenix couldn’t seem to catch a break. Every time she managed to locate Jayden, there were hordes of people around him. She tried to catch his eye and drag him away but the elders were one step ahead of her and always getting to him first. At one point he’d winked at her, then followed her father from the room. The wink had made her want to pick up a chair and throw it at his retreating back. She heard him laugh as he left the room and she glared even more. If he knew her thoughts, he certainly wasn’t upset about them.

“Phoenix, how did it go?” Sadie asked as she snuck up behind her. Phoenix nearly jumped into the air. She’d been so busy watching Jayden she hadn’t noticed anyone else around her.

“I haven’t had a chance to talk to him. My brother took him earlier, and before I could get to him, my father came in next and they went somewhere. I think it’s a conspiracy or something,” Phoenix said with a frustrated sigh.

“You can sneak out after the meeting tonight. Don’t stress about it. Let’s get out of here for a while. Brian isn’t back yet, either, so we’ll make the boys find us,” Sadie said as she placed her arm through Phoenix’s.

They went into the kitchen and helped prepare dinner. Busying herself kept Phoenix’s mind off her troubles, plus she was able to snack on food, so by the time dinner was ready for everyone else, she and Sadie were stuffed and decided to head to the meeting hall early. They were sure to have a nice warm seat in front of the fire. She and Sadie jogged out of the kitchen before someone could ask them to do anything further.

In the meeting hall, Phoenix and Sadie found their favorite spot. They chatted for a while but it wasn’t long before the cave filled to overflowing. It seemed like at least ten more people arrived every day. Phoenix knew they had to be running out of space but she saw nothing but joy in the elders’ faces. They were thrilled as their numbers grew stronger. Even more recon missions were sent out.

It wouldn’t be long until they went out in force and really started taking back parts of the country. She looked around the crowded hall and felt a twinge of sorrow at the thought of leaving. She knew it was a bit absurd to be upset about departing, but she had come to love the caves. The close perimeters forced the people to depend on each other far more than in typical circumstances.

She’d miss the hours picking outside and the nightly meetings. She’d miss people she knew and wouldn’t get to see as much once they got back to their normal lives. She wanted the war to end but she didn’t want things to go back to the way they’d been before it started – at least not completely the same.

She knew when they got out of the caves people would go their separate ways and live their different lives. They might try to stay in touch but it would never work out. They’d remain close for a while, but as families grew and jobs became important, they’d slowly drift apart.

“Are you in your own head again?” Sadie asked, nudging her. Phoenix snapped out of her depressing thoughts. Neither Brian nor Jayden was there. She was growing concerned.

“Where are the guys?” Phoenix asked. John wasn’t even in the room yet.

“Can I have everyone’s attention, please,” one of the elders called from the podium before Sadie could say anything. The room slowly quieted as everyone cast their eyes to the front and gave their full attention. Another thing Phoenix would miss was the total respect the people showed the elders. When they spoke, the crowd listened. They knew their very lives depended on it.

“Thank you. I know you’ve seen the council members running around the last few days and disappearing behind closed doors. There’s a reason for this. We’ve discovered another camp,” said Phoenix’s father, Larry. Soft murmurs went through the crowd.

“This camp is almost as large as ours,” he said. As his words sank in, the crowd started whispering excitedly. Another survivors’ camp as large as theirs would double their numbers, making them huge.

“How far away are they?” someone asked.

“They’re about fifty miles from here. It was out of our perimeter and that’s why we never saw them. They’re in caves as well, not as well-equipped as ours, but still very self-sufficient. One of our new arrivals came from there. He was out gathering when he ran into our troops. When he discovered we were on his side and not a threat, he radioed back to his camp and agreed to come here, to fill us in on their camp,” Larry said with excitement.

“We’ve been in discussions for the last several days to figure out how best to combine the two camps. Their numbers are large, but they’ve got a lot of supplies so we think the best solution would be for them to move here. We are better equipped, with better facilities. We need to combine so we can all train together. With additional people, we can start putting plans in motion for taking back our country,” Larry finished, almost giddy in his excitement.

Phoenix felt her heart pound with dread. They were going to go to full-scale war sooner than she wanted. She knew it was the right thing to do because they couldn’t stand idly by while the rest of the world was destroyed and lives were tortured and taken, but she was scared. There was nothing wrong with feeling that way, she reassured herself. Sadie gripped her hand, having a hard time containing her fear as well.

“We’ll talk more of this tomorrow and let you know of our plans,” Larry said before he adjourned the meeting. Phoenix and Sadie stayed seated as the room began to clear. They both craned their heads around, looking for any sign of Brian or Jayden.

Sadie spotted Brian and jumped to her feet, crossing the space and launching herself into his arms. Phoenix watched them as he twirled her in the air. They looked so happy together. She was glad for her best friend.

“Do you want to go for a walk?” His voice was the sweetest sound to her ears. Phoenix turned to find Jayden kneeling beside her. She wanted to melt into his arms but thought better of it due to their uncomfortable tension.

“I’d like that,” Phoenix replied when she could find her voice. Jayden stood and helped her to her feet like the perfect gentleman that he was. When she was standing, he kept her hand in his and made his way out of the cave and down the long hallway. He was leading her outside, to her surprise. She assumed he’d take her to the car park, as he usually did. Maybe he wanted more privacy. Her stomach tied in knots even thinking about it. She missed their casual kisses and his strong arms around her.

“I’ve tried to give you time to think but it’s destroying me. Have you made any decisions?” he asked, sounding more vulnerable than before. It made her heart squeeze even more.

“I wanted to talk to you yesterday but you were busy,” she answered with a pout.

“I’m sorry. I thought you needed more time and there was a lot going on with the elders. They had us all called in,” he said. They made it out of the cave and she shivered in the cool night air. Jayden immediately pulled her into his arms, his body heat warming her from the outside in. It felt like being home – nestled in his arms. He rubbed his hands along her back and a sigh escaped her mouth. She felt his body relax as she cuddled deeper into his grasp.

“I missed you,” she said, fighting back tears.

“You can’t imagine how good those words are to hear,” he told her. Placing his hand under her chin, he brought her face closer, looking deep into her eyes. She didn’t try to hide how much she loved him.

“You’ve forgiven me.” It wasn’t a question. He could tell by her body language and the look of adoration on her face.

“I was just shocked by everything. I love you. You’re the same Jayden who’s always been so good to me. I don’t understand any of what is happening and it’s hard to keep it from my family…but I trust you,” she told him.

“The world may never know of the greater evil out there, but some things can’t be hidden. You’re incredibly brave and I couldn’t be more proud to be standing right here, with you,” Jayden soothed her.

“Promise me you’ll protect my family,” she begged. She knew she was asking the impossible, but if he told her he’d protect them, she knew he would.

“Phoenix, you’re my first priority. I can’t lie to you and say that I can guarantee the safety of everyone you love. I’ll protect them to my own death, but you’ll always come first.”

“I wouldn’t want to live if it were at the cost of my family,” she said, trying to convince him.

“Phoenix, there’s something else I need to tell you,” he said. By the sound of his tone, she didn’t think she wanted to hear it.

“I don’t want more bad news,” she said almost crying. She knew she couldn’t shut out the world and expect it to go away but she didn’t want to hear anything negative, now that she was back in Jayden’s arms.

“It’s not really bad news. It’s actually great. It happens so rarely that it’s a real honor,” he said, though his voice betrayed his words. She snuggled back into him, trying to block everything else out.

“I’ll tell her, Jayden,” John said. She looked up, startled to find her brother standing next to them with Chastity at his side. They both had solemn looks on their faces. Jayden seemed to let out a breath of relief. Phoenix looked from Jayden to John and back again.

“I didn’t hear you come out here, John,” she said a bit nervously. She was waiting for John to get all brotherly about her being wrapped around Jayden. She tried to pull away, but Jayden kept her close and John didn’t say anything. He finally loosened his grip, but only to turn her so she could more clearly see John in the full moon’s light. He wrapped his arms back around her, her back snuggled against his chest.

She looked up, through the gap in the trees, and saw the full moon shining brighter than she’d ever seen.

“Phoenix, this is important,” John said. She slowly lowered her eyes and faced him. If he told her he had some illness and only had weeks to live, she wouldn’t survive it. She needed John too much.

“Something happened in that last battle we had. I need you to promise not to fall apart. Listen to the whole story before you ask questions,” John said. She was afraid to agree, but she now needed to know what he had to say.

“Okay,” she barely whispered.

“During the last battle, I almost died,” he said. She gasped. She wanted to run to him and check for injuries but she knew he hadn’t had medical treatment after the battle. He’d seemed fine, better than fine, as if he was almost invincible.

“I…” she started to say when he interrupted her.

“You promised,” he said sternly. She closed her mouth and glared at him. She should’ve never promised to be quiet. She wasn’t patient enough.

John told her how he’d died, then about the visit from Josiah, who’d saved him, but as an angel, not a mortal. He was supposed to leave them and learn the ways of the Light but had chosen to stay, casting himself from the Light, which Phoenix didn’t understand at all. Why was staying with his family such a bad thing? Why would he be cast from the Light for choosing love? It didn’t make sense.

By his choice to reject his gift, he was casting himself out to be a dark angel, the same as Jayden. She was angry with Josiah for making them choose one way or the other. It was impossible for her to understand.

She wanted to rip John’s shirt off and look at his back, which was ridiculous, because she’d seen Jayden’s back and there was no sign of the magnificent wings that erupted in his moment of anger. Maybe they had to just be really, really irate for them to appear. Her head was spinning with all the thoughts racing through her mind.

When John finished his story, there was utter silence. She looked from John, to Jayden, to Chastity, and then back to John again. They patiently waited for it all to sink in.

“What does this mean?” she asked. She couldn’t get any further words past her throat.

“It means you don’t have to worry about something happening to me. It means that I’ll never leave you. You’re surrounded by angels who want nothing more than to keep you safe,” John said with the same smile on his face she’d always known and loved. He wasn’t any different, which only confused her more.

“I just…I can’t…this is all too much,” Phoenix finally said. How could they expect her to comprehend everything they were telling her?

First they wanted her to believe in angels and demons, then in good angels and bad angels, and finally in this creator of their world, who wasn’t what everyone thought he was, but was just part of an even bigger picture. It was all too much. John was just John. From what they were telling her, he’d actually died, and now he was immortal. As thought upon thought circulated in her brain, it became too overwhelming. Phoenix sighed in thanks as blackness started overtaking her. There was a smile of relief on her lips as she fainted, Jayden barely having time to catch her.