Chapter 13

Rather than lead her deeper into the forest, Zenon took her back to the road. The uneasy feeling churning in her gut grew. “We have to keep out of sight.”

“If I shift here, the forest will burn.”

As soon as they hit the gravel, Zenon stripped out of his T-shirt and sweats, handing both to her. In the seconds it took her to shove them into her pack, a humming sound cut through the silence. It was there, yet not. She strained to hear it, going so far as to turn to peer down the road toward where she thought it might be coming from.

“Stop. Focus on me,” Zenon commanded, his voice harsher—more desperate—than she’d ever heard it, but as though they had a mind of their own, her feet took a step away from him, then another.

Fear skittered down her spine. How well did she know Zenon? She’d seen his memories, witnessed his fury and the violence that lived within him. Her heart slammed against her ribs. No one suffered the way he had and didn’t seek vengeance. And he expected her to just give herself up to him and let him fly away with her. The memory of him grabbing that poor man from the ground and taking him so high into the sky before dropping the man like a hot stone blasted into her mind. The screams of terror that had filled the night… He hadn’t batted an eye. Hadn’t been sorry for doing it in the least.

“Nickie, no. Don’t believe what you’re seeing.” His words sounded muffled and far away. Still, it wasn’t far enough.

The urge to run slammed into her. She had to get away from him. It was the only way she’d survive. Not wasting a second to glance behind her, she bolted. But Zenon was too fast. She managed to get a few feet of distance between them before strong arms pulled her against a hard chest. Zenon’s scent engulfed her, and she sucked it in. Her mind whirled in an almost manic spiral that left her dizzy.

“They are using dark magic against you. You don’t want to get away from me. Listen to my voice. Focus on me. I would never hurt you.”

Breathing deep, she managed to shove the humming to the side, though ignoring it was impossible. Fear and doubt ebbed away, leaving her shaking. Darker tones replaced the softer ones that had tempted her to follow moments before. Even as she fought against them, they drew her once more. A small whimper slipped past her lips. “Please, take me away,” she begged as the humming grew louder, more insistent.

“I only need a moment to shift. Do not run, mate,” he warned. “I will not let you go.”

Nickie covered her ears with her hands, attempting to block the sound, but it was in her mind, not outside. Her lungs burned as she struggled to take enough air in. Faster than ever before, her heart jackhammered at a speed that couldn’t sustain life for an extended period of time. “Do it quick. It’s getting stronger. I’m scared.”

Warmth seeped into her, easing some of the tension coiling her insides tight. Zenon’s presence amplified, blocking an unknown path. It was like a wall being erected at record speed, making the insidious whisper of sound fade until she could take a deep breath again.

“I will never let you go,” he repeated, both a warning and reassurance.

The certainty in his voice was enough to fix her attention once more. As soon as she took a step forward, he whirled her around, capturing her gaze. “Focus on me. Only on me.”

When he shoved her backpack in her arms, she hoisted it up and secured it, nodding her agreement. She didn’t look away, not even to blink. She needed Zenon to keep her grounded. Otherwise, she might fly apart and never find all her pieces again with the encroaching madness.

“Count to three, and I will have you in the air. You will be safe,” he ordered, softer now that some of the haze had lifted from her mind.

“One,” he counted along with her.

A shimmery light exploded from his skin, giving him an ethereal glow that was both beautiful and frightening. The hum surged into her mind once more, demanding she run, but she couldn’t turn her gaze from the sight before her. His body expanded. Arms spread wide, he threw his head back, and a deep, warbling sound came from him. Had rapture not transformed his features into one of serenity, she might have thought something was wrong.

“Two,” came his voice, deeper than before, more menacing even, but with his warmth still inside her, she wasn’t afraid.

In a blast of light and color, his phoenix emerged. The dangerous animal eyed her warily as though afraid of her somehow. He came closer, his mighty wings flapping. Flames licked the feathers in a display of power and might as he shook them out. He stepped closer, his intent—and his determination—shining in his eyes.

“Three,” she whispered onto the mental link that led to Zenon. Maybe he could still hear her while in his bird’s body.

“I can hear you. I am the phoenix. We are one being, not two.”

“Won’t your fire burn me?” she asked, a sliver of fear snaking its way inside her. She didn’t want to delay their leaving, but she didn’t want to burn to a crisp, either.

“You withstood my transition—my rising—you will not burn. Face away from me, mate, and I will take you to the heavens, and far from this danger,” he promised.

This time, when she turned, even though the hum remained stronger than ever, she had no desire to run. If anything, she wanted to lean back and absorb some of the power thickening the air behind her. The wind at her back whipped her hair around her face. One second, she stood there, her back to the phoenix, and the next, talons wrapped themselves around her waist. The sharp claws gripped her tightly, but not uncomfortably so.

A soft jerk was all the warning she had before air replaced the ground at her feet. Strong flaps of his wings brought them higher until she could see the tops of the trees, and still, they kept going. Down on the ground, not a quarter of a mile from where they’d stood, the glint of metal drew her attention. Had the puffy cloud covering the sun not moved at that moment, and the sun not hit that spot, she’d have missed it. A soldier dressed in army fatigues lay on the ground. He didn’t budge, his eye glued to his scope as he waited. Had Zenon not stopped her from running, she would have been the first thing in the path of his cross hairs. For some reason, she didn’t think he’d have thought twice to shoot and eliminate her in his quest to recapture the phoenix.

“I would have destroyed him long before he would have had the opportunity to harm you, mate,” Zenon said as he lifted her higher.

“How can he not see us? You’re huge.”

“The same way I descended into your camp unnoticed. I can hide amongst the sky and the clouds if I choose to do so.”

Needing to know more, she searched her mind for the information. Although it was there, she couldn’t figure it out. It had to do with the phoenix’s flames, the heat, and the air around them. Not that it mattered in the end, as long as they were safe.

Now that the enemy wasn’t close, the nervous energy strumming through her turned to excitement. Hers? His? She couldn’t be sure. She’d never felt so free. Maybe she ought to be scared, but without having to examine it, the certainty that Zenon had her and wouldn’t let her fall filled her.

Zenon dipped to the left, catching a warm current of air, which lifted them higher still. “Being stuck in your human form for so long must have been hell after soaring through the skies like this,” she whispered, awed at the view of the countryside.

Silence stretched between them for so long, she thought he wouldn’t answer.

“In some ways, being detached from my phoenix was more painful than death.”

This time, there was no doubt where the pain suffusing her was coming from. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to you sooner.”

***

Zenon flew over a canyon, spotting game far below. Though he wasn’t hungry, he yearned to hunt. He needed to prove to his mate that he could and would provide for her always, but with the enemy giving chase, he didn’t dare stop. Even with their helicopters, they would never catch a phoenix in flight, but that didn’t mean there were no other traps—magical ones that could take him down in an instant if they knew where to spring them. Luckily for him, the minds of men hadn’t changed so drastically over the centuries that he couldn’t subvert their attempts. He was wiser and had learned from his mistakes.

A tickle of dark energy to his left had him leaving the jet stream and dipping into cooler air once more. With his body heat to warm her, Nickie would not get cold. Even if they flew into frigid climates, he would ensure her comfort. His only regret was that he hadn’t had the opportunity to position her better before taking off.

Once he was certain of her safety, he would set down and grasp her so that she was seated rather than dangling.

“You got me out of a dangerous situation. That’s what matters most,” Nickie said, surprising him. Joy burst through him at the unexpectedness of her touch. Was she even aware that she’d merged with him on her own? He hadn’t spoken the words to her, she’d nabbed them from his mind as though she’d been born to it.

Her body tensed in his grasp. “I don’t even know how I did it,” she said, then gasped as she caught his thoughts again.

Her wonder filled him, painting the world in a brighter light. “You released your fears and let our bond lead you where your mind had not yet allowed. You honor me with your trust.”

Her soft energy, tentative, shy almost, trickled into him. Now that he felt her mental caress, he’d recognize it anywhere. He would long for it every moment of every day.

“Won’t you get tired of having someone with you all the time? Inside your head, I mean?” she asked.

Zenon smiled. Though it would not show on the phoenix’s form, the joy behind it would resonate inside her. “Do you ever get tired of a beautiful sunset? Or a long, cool drink after a period under the hot sun? No, sweet angel, I will not tire of our bond or your voice inside me.”

“How did you do that back there? When the humming got loud, you did something and muffled it for me so I could think again.”

Dark, oily energy slithered across Zenon’s back. His feathers ruffled at the contact. Damn and damn again. He should have known their pursuers would not give up so easily. He dipped lower, flying beneath the tainted atmosphere.

“It is a matter of isolating the source and erecting a barrier at the entry point. If you focus your attention on me, on my voice, you should be able to find me in your mind. It’s where we connect. Try it now,” he instructed.

“Okay, I think I have you,” Nickie said after several moments.

“Now, I’m going to keep talking. Using your thoughts, cover that opening with something strong and solid. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as you believe it to be impenetrable. Keep trying until my voice fades or even disappears. Once you’ve accomplished it, all you need do to hear me again will be to remove that wall. Much to my mother’s dismay, I learned this skill at quite a young age. From that moment on, scolding me became a noisy affair—”

“Okay, I think I’ve blocked you. Are you still talking?” she asked, filling him with pride. His Nickie had strong mental capabilities. Some phoenixes struggled with blocking themselves, leaving them vulnerable, yet his little mate accomplished it with ease.

“I shall keep talking now so that you will know when you’ve released your barrier and opened yourself to me once more. You amaze me, Nickie. With your fearless courage, and your willingness to learn, you amaze me. I could not have chosen a mate better suited to me.”

“Aw, that’s super sweet. Thank you.”

“It is nothing but truth,” he told her as he veered right, avoiding yet another magical trap.

Nickie sighed. “I’m not sure we’re avoiding anything. It feels like they’ve been pushing you in the direction they want you to go. I think the real trap is ahead.”

Changing his trajectory once more, he tested her theory. In a matter of seconds, the dark magic licked at his feathers, making him recoil. He did the same to the air above and to his other side. Unwilling to frighten his mate, he swallowed the phoenix’s outraged shriek. “You’re right. They’ve cast a spell above and to either side of us.”

Nickie gasped. “So, what can we do?”

Zenon considered the possibilities, but none were good. “The safest course is to find a secure place for you down below while I eliminate the threat.”

“No, we can’t do that,” she immediately protested. “For one thing, how do we know that’s not what they’re waiting for? It’s not like they were subtle with their spells. You found them easily. Can we get past them?”

“Flying through the dark magic is just as dangerous. I cannot risk you.”

“I don’t see that you have much of a choice. If they did plan for you to land and are waiting, then I’m no safer down there than I am up here.”

Fury heated his core, making his feathers glow brighter with the power strumming through him. She was right. They wouldn’t think twice about killing her, or worse, capturing her to lure him to them. And he would go, damn them. He would surrender himself for her freedom.

“You most certainly would not! I’d refuse to allow it,” Nickie snapped at him, more ferocious than he’d ever heard her. “Now, let’s get out of this mess before they figure out a way to keep us trapped.”