Chapter 16

“I hear you, mate,” Zenon said from a few feet away, his voice soft.

Nickie gasped, her eyes popping open and her heart pounding. “You scared the crap out of me. You were listening in on my thoughts again, weren’t you? Even before I yelled at you?” she asked as she scrambled to her feet.

He shrugged his shoulders. “You think very loudly. It could not be helped.”

Good. That meant she wouldn’t have to explain. If he guessed at what she was about to do, he didn’t show it. Nor did he back away when she stalked toward him. She wasn’t running from it, either.

She closed the gap between them, letting her gaze drift over his naked body, enjoying every hard line, every groove. She’d never jumped into bed with someone so soon after meeting them, but circumstances between them were anything but normal. Even if she had a lifetime with someone else, she’d never know them the way she did Zenon after only a day.

“Nickie,” he groaned as she rested her palms on his chest. The heat of his skin warmed as the muscles beneath her hands bunched at her touch.

Rather than go for his lips right away, she pressed hers to the skin above his heart, giving him a little lick, savoring his taste.

He brought his hands to her shoulders. For a second, she thought he might push her away, but his fingers dug into her flesh as he pulled her closer. “As much as I desire it, this is no reason to join yourself to me so fully, sweet angel.”

She kissed him again, bringing her lips to his nipple before flicking it with the tip of her tongue. He trembled at the touch. “I would choose to deepen our connection and join myself to you regardless. Look into my mind and see the truth.”

The intimate touch invaded her, growing with each passing second. Trailing kisses to the base of his neck, she breathed him in, absorbed his warmth into herself, a symbolic gesture to prepare for what was coming.

The rightness of it flooded her. If she’d had a doubt before, she had none now.

Nickie nibbled the length of Zenon’s chin before claiming his lips. He brought his hands up, cupping her face, holding her still as he commandeered their kiss. Her nipples pebbled beneath her bra, and she wished she’d had the foresight to take the damned thing off. Now she was going to have to pull away from him to undress.

He moaned as he delved deeper, sweeping his tongue against hers, devouring her. The hard ridge of his shaft branded itself into her belly.

“I have to get out of my clothes,” she whispered into his mind, needing more contact with his bare skin, yet dreading putting any space between them.

He moaned again, this time, the sound more pained than pleasured. “We cannot. Not here,” he said as he pulled his lips from hers.

She whimpered at the loss. “Why? You want it as much as I do, which is a lot.”

He smiled and then buried his face in the crook of her neck, taking long, deep breaths. “That, I cannot deny, but I have no bed for you. No soft surface upon which to lay your body. I do not wish for our full mating to be rushed or uncomfortable,” he said, his voice strained.

His body trembled against hers, and she was tempted to rub herself all over him to see if she could change his mind. But he was right. Their lovemaking shouldn’t be up against a tree for the first time. “You’re killing me,” she groaned as she stepped back, putting an inch of space between them.

His grin erased the earlier harshness of his face, transforming his rugged features and stealing her breath. “We have two days before we reconvene with your friends,” he assured her before leaning forward and kissing the tip of her nose.

“Maybe three,” she added. “So, what now?”

He stroked the back of his fingers along her jaw. “Now we find a more comfortable place to rest for the night.”

“A place with a real bed,” she said, filling in the blank he’d left before tugging her lip between her teeth. “I guess the question is where?”

Zenon stepped back and stared at the ground at her feet. “I saw a place by a lake that looked lovely several miles from here. It advertised vacancy on a wooden sign.”

If it had indoor plumbing and a shower, she’d be in heaven. “Sounds great. Let’s go.”

“We could walk, but the terrain is rough through the forest. If we follow the road, it will take several hours.”

Although he didn’t voice it, guilt teased at her consciousness. “I trust you, even if you don’t trust yourself. I’d prefer to fly,” she said without hesitation. The enemy wasn’t her mate, it was the bastards who had cast those spells.

He caught her gaze again, nodding. “If you can hold on, I will grasp around your hips this time, and you can take a more seated position. I suspect it would be more comfortable for you.”

“Yeah, I can do that.”

Nickie watched his seamless transformation. Unlike anything she’d seen in movies or read in books, the shift took him with ease. The blissful look that crossed his features as the phoenix emerged left her with a longing so deep she wanted to spread her arms and let it take her, too.

“I wish you could, my Nickie. It is unlike anything this world has to offer. I may not be able to give you the gift of shifting, but flight is not out of reach…” Zenon let the words fade as an image stroked into her mind.

Leather straps, strong and wide, wrapped around the phoenix’s body, wings unhindered. Beneath him, a human sized harness of sorts dangled. “Are you for real? We could do that?” she asked, her breath coming in fast with the excitement strumming through her.

“We could. It will not be the same, but are you ready to greet the heavens once more?”

Nickie only paused long enough to secure her backpack over her shoulders. “Ready.”

When Zenon wrapped his talons around her hips, she hugged herself to his leg in a hold meant to keep her upright, not from falling. She had zero doubts about her safety where her mate was concerned. Even if they were caught in another spell, she would find a way to get through to him. They’d both be okay.

The ground melted away beneath her as he took her into the sky. “The world is beautiful from up here. So peaceful.”

To her left, an eagle soared. As fierce as the bird of prey was, it was no match for the phoenix in size or in power. She half expected it to hurry to its nest or find a place to hide from one so strong, but the majestic bird flew closer, flanking them as they soared.

“It’s not afraid of you,” she whispered, awestruck by the display.

Zenon gave her the mental equivalent of a shrug. “Why should it be? It is not my enemy. I wish it no harm.”

The eagle dipped low, and Zenon followed. The same hollowed out feeling she’d had when they’d crested the hill in the SUV filled her belly, making her laugh. After a short, playful chase, the eagle descended, landing at the top of the tallest tree for miles. They had entered his domain, yet he shared it with Zenon as though they were long lost friends.

“That was amazing.”

“We have arrived at our destination, my Nickie.” Zenon said as he circled a lake to their right.

When she looked down, she could see small cottages dotting the lakefront. Trees separated each little cabin, giving an air of privacy even if they were somewhat close together. A larger building sat a little farther back.

“Will this do?” he asked as he descended, bringing them to the back of the larger structure and out of sight.

“It’s perfect.” As soon as they landed, she pulled out the sweats and T-shirt she’d shoved into her bag before they’d ditched the SUV and handed them to him. She glanced down at his naked feet. “I should have thought to grab some shoes.”

He pulled the clothes on and smiled as he took her hand. “Wearing shoes will take some getting used to. I have never had the need for them.”

They stepped out from behind the building as though they had every right. To an onlooker, they might assume she and Zenon had snuck back there for a little forest fun. “Well, you’ll need them to blend in. Maybe we can get some shopping done tomorrow.”

“Not today?” he asked, smirking down at her as they reached for the door to the front office and campsite store.

She shook her head and winked at him. “I’ve already got plans for today.”

“Welcome to Pine Valley Camping and Fishing,” a frail voice said, coming from the direction of the check in counter.

Nickie looked over but didn’t see anyone. A gray mop of tight curls popped up from behind the desk, though popping was a bit of an exaggeration. With a grunt, the elderly woman hoisted herself up so she could see over the counter. Was she standing on a crate? Her pink cheeks plumped some more as she smiled at them. “How can I help you?”

“We had some car trouble and the man who rescued us said we might be able to rent a place here for a day or two,” Nickie said, hating to lie to the woman, but what was she supposed to do? She couldn’t very well tell her that they’d flown into her backyard.

“Oh, isn’t that nice. Who recommended us? I’ll be sure to send them a Christmas card this year,” the woman continued as she began flipping through an old-fashioned paper ledger.

Nickie drew a blank. Crap. I can’t lie for shit.

“His name was Paul. I do not believe he told us his last name,” Zenon said, coming to her rescue.

“I don’t think I know a Paul.” The woman’s brows furrowed at the center as she rubbed a finger over the edge of her ledger in an odd kind of caress. “Unless of course it’s one of James MacNeil’s boys. Did he drive a green truck?”

“Yes, that was it,” Nickie said, heat creeping up her cheeks.

The woman’s eyes narrowed as she stretched and peered down. “That must have been quite some car trouble for you to have forgotten your shoes, young man.”

“Uh, well, he’s got sandals, but we left them outside. He stepped in something nasty and we didn’t want to track it in here. I hope that’s okay,” she said, ignoring Zenon’s choked sound.

The woman blinked slowly, her eyebrows rising close to her tightly curled hairline before she threw her head back, laughing. The booming sound filled the room. “When Magdalena said you were coming she never said you’d be such a hoot,” she said between fits of laughter.

“Excuse me?”

The woman, still chuckling, hopped off the crate, grabbed a key from the wall, and came to join them. “Maggie, the one who started you on your journey, told me to expect you. Said you’d need a safe place to stay.”

Nickie forced her gaping mouth shut. Her expression must have shown her surprise, because the woman leaned forward. “I’m a witch, dearie,” she mock whispered.

Before she could process what happened, Nickie was staring at Zenon’s broad back instead of standing next to him as she had been a second before. Burgundy flames licked at his shoulders. If possible, he looked bigger than he had, too.

“Oh, don’t be like that. I’m here to help. Those who hunt you will not be able to find you here. The campsite is heavily warded. Powerful witches have come together on this quest to release those who have been captured.”

“Witches are not to be trusted. We must go,” Zenon said, venom dripping from his voice.

Nickie pressed her palm to his back. “It’s a witch who led me to you. Without her help, you would still be in that field.”

“Listen to your mate, phoenix. For centuries, we’ve worked to find the right women to free you from your prisons. Each time we did, the Council for Human Supremacy found a way to eliminate them before they reached maturity. We’ve bound these women to you so that they could live and fulfil their purpose, otherwise they would have died in childhood. Bleak days are coming. We had hoped for a few more years to train and prepare them, but there is no time. The others of your kind must be found now, or we will all perish.”

“What makes you think the phoenixes would do anything to help mankind after what was done to us?” Zenon asked with a snarl.

“Don’t presume to know what’s in the hearts of all when all you’ve seen is the wickedness of a few. We’ve undertaken this endless task, passing it from mother to daughter for more centuries than most can dream of. We’ve devoted many lifetimes to this. But you can imagine it, can’t you, phoenix?” the woman asked, her voice stronger than it had been since they’d arrived.

“Everything she’s said fits with what the other witch told me when she first approached me,” Nickie said. “I think we need to trust them. They haven’t steered us wrong yet.”

Zenon was quiet for a moment. “I do not like this.”

“I know. But she’s right. We’d never have found you without their help.”

He shifted so that she could see past him while still standing between her and the witch. “I shall whisk you away at the first sign of trouble.”

“Good, now that that’s settled, I’m putting you in cabin seven. I’m Hazel, by the way. If you need anything to make smores, my shelves are fully stocked,” she said as though their previous conversation hadn’t happened. “What size are your feet? I will have someone drop some shoes off at your door.”

Zenon glanced at his feet, dumbstruck.

Hazel waved her hand and shooed them toward the door. “Never mind, I’ll figure it out. There’s food and toiletries in the cabin. Take a left at the lake and keep walking. I’d show you where it is, but it’s too damned far for an old bird like me.”

Hazel laughed. “I don’t suppose I’m the old bird here, though, now am I?”

“I don’t suppose you are,” Zenon agreed as he reached for the door.

Nickie paused to look back at the woman. “Thank you, Hazel. We appreciate the help.”

“It’s my pleasure, child. I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for the man next to you. Now get. I’m not getting any younger, and I’ve got some online bingo to get back to.”

“What an odd, little woman,” Zenon said as they stepped away from the building toward the lake.

“Odd, but I kind of like her.”

Up above, the eagle soared. “I still do not trust her, but I sense no malice. We can stay.”