Heart of the Phoenix

by A. C. Arthur

  Tayla scrunched up her face. “Um, you can keep some of the graphics to yourself.”

  Thaddeus chuckled. “I’m sorry. I guess what I’m getting at is, the ultimate punishment for Medusa was death. I’ve already figured that your husband definitely has your death in mind, if you don’t cooperate with him, that is.”

  Tayla shivered. “You think Jerome wants to kill me?” She hadn’t really considered that, but knew instantly that’s what he’d meant when he said she would always belong to him. Jerome was very obsessive. When he believed something belonged to him, he would stop at nothing to make it so.

  Thaddeus heard the fear in her voice, saw her bottom lip quiver, and instantly felt guilty. He pulled her to him, rubbing her back. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I won’t let him hurt you. I won’t let him get anywhere near you.”

  They were still embraced when Mr. Parsons came through her office door. “Ms. Hampton?” The wiry man paused in the middle of the office when he noticed her in Thaddeus’ arms. He frowned a bit, then looked at Thaddeus. “I’m sorry. I thought you were alone.”

  Something in the man’s eyes had Thaddeus standing quickly, trying to probe deeper into his mind. But there was no connection there, so he came up blank. “You should have knocked,” Thaddeus said in an ominous tone.

  Tayla stood as well, a little embarrassed at having been caught wrapped in the arms of one of her teachers. She didn’t want to have to explain their relationship to any of the students or the staff and decided that she wouldn’t until it became absolutely necessary. “Mr. Parsons, what can I do for you?”

  Usef Parsons looked from Thaddeus to Tayla and back to Thaddeus again. “I uh, um…I just wanted to let you know that all the snakes are gone but we’ll need to do a lot of repair work to the cafeteria. We should figure out where the kids are going to eat tomorrow.”

  Thaddeus hadn’t had to tell her he’d done away with the snakes; she’d figured that out on her own. That was why he’d wanted her and the other women far away from the cafeteria. Tayla wanted to see the damage, wanted to know exactly how much of the school’s budget she’d have to spend to get it repaired, but didn’t want to do so with Mr. Parsons staring down her throat. “That’s fine, Mr. Parsons. I’ll notify Ms. Dudley that we’ll be using the hall in the children’s dorm until the cafeteria can be repaired. I’ll call the repairman in the morning. If you’d just keep anyone from going in there, I would appreciate it.” Her tone was dismissive, yet Mr. Parsons still stood there.

  “Ah, ma’am, are you going to be in the building much longer?”

  Thaddeus moved to stand closer behind Tayla. “Why?” He eyed the man suspiciously.

  Usef carefully kept his gaze away from Thaddeus. “I wanted to start cleaning the rooms,” he told Tayla.

  “Yes, Mr. Parsons, I understand. We’ll be leaving momentarily.” She smiled at him because she could feel the intense heat radiating from behind her. She knew that Thaddeus had taken a protective stance against Mr. Parsons but she hadn’t any idea why. Mr. Parsons barely kept from shaking, he was so nervous beneath Thaddeus’ potent glare.

  “Oh…okay, ma’am. I’ll see you in the morning.” Usef turned and walked out the door.

  Tayla spun around to face Thaddeus. “What was that all about? You about scared the man to death.”

  “I did not. He’s always so nervous and twitchy, like an old maid.” Thaddeus tried to lighten the mood, but he’d felt something from the man, something dark.

  Tayla’s lips upturned as she tried to suppress a grin. “He’s not twitchy. He just has a special way about him.”

  “Yeah, a special, twitchy kind of way. Get your stuff so we can get out of here.”

  Chapter 9

  Tayla was quiet on the walk to her cottage. She thought of the snakes, of what Thaddeus had told her, and wondered again if Jerome were capable of killing her. She’d seen him extremely angry plenty of times. Their arguments had elevated to the point where he was either throwing furniture or ripping something of hers to shreds to show her he meant business. Looking back now, she figured she should have taken that as a sign, should have realized how unstable he was then. But she’d been in love and she’d wanted her marriage to work, wanted so badly for it to be different from the relationship her parents had.

  Thaddeus, however, made her feel different. With him she felt cherished without gifts or monetary prestige. She felt protected and respected.

  How that was possible, she didn’t quite know. What she was going to do about it was another enigma. He was not like her. He was not like anyone in her world. And those differences would forever be between them. Wouldn’t they?

  He held her hand and his warmth transferred from his body to hers, his strength and purpose washing over her, building her up while convincing her that things would be alright. It was then that she admitted to herself that his differences weren’t that important. At least to her they weren’t. He was a Greek god combined with some sort of magnificent bird, but he was still Thaddeus. All those things made him the man she had fallen in love with. All of those things made him hers.

  But what was she to him? Was she just an assignment? He’d told her she was different to him as well, that she was not what he’d expected. She could only believe that was a good thing since they’d ended up making love. And if he was sincere about one thing, it was the gentleness in which he’d taken her time and time again the previous night. There had been no pretenses then, no secret revelations, no dangers to be aware of. It was just she and Thaddeus joining bodies, hearts and souls.

  Thaddeus remained quiet as well, giving her the only comfort he could truly offer. He was drawn to her, seriously taken by this intelligent and beautiful woman. She was passionate and giving and caring and strong. And if he could…No, he could not afford to think that way. Futile thoughts gave way to helplessness and he would not allow that feeling to engulf him. He’d accepted his fate a long time ago. But Tayla had not.

  She had no idea what lay in store for him or how that would change what had happened between them.

  She had no idea that he would eventually leave her.

  Forever.

  Finally Thaddeus resigned himself to the situation. He had to remain with her to protect her, and remaining with her surely entailed touching her, kissing her, loving her. He was made for women, his father had told him that once before. What the great Poseidon had neglected to mention was that he was made for this woman.

  They walked along that same path they’d traveled before in total silence. He rubbed his thumb over her hand just to assure himself that she was real, that she was with him, touching him of her own free will even after she’d seen what he was. Their night together had encompassed feelings beyond this menial universe and he knew that they would forever be bound to each other. She belonged to him and he to her, for now, for forever.

  It slithered up his neck, resting momentarily at the base of his skull then spreading out to his shoulders, tensing them. It was a warning, one he had felt before. He slowed his pace when the cottage became visible.

  Tayla felt the shift in his demeanor, the tightening of his hand around hers. “What is it?”

  “I want you to wait here,” he told her without looking at her. His eyes were focused on the cottage, on the dark haze floating at the base of the building.

  Tayla looked at what had been her home for the last two years. It looked exactly the same as it had this morning when they’d left it, but the way Thaddeus was staring at it had her worried. “Thaddeus, tell me what it is. What are you feeling?” She knew he was feeling something, getting a sense of something, something a mere mortal like herself couldn’t see or feel.

  Thaddeus released her hand, walked forward as if he were in a trance. Tayla didn’t hesitate walking directly behind him, heading for the cottage as well.

  Thaddeus lifted his hand to the knob, felt the chill and gritted his teeth before trying to open it. To Tayla’s dismay, the door opened. She was sure she’d lo
cked it. She hadn’t wanted a repeat of the mess in her office. But then she distinctly remembered locking her office as well.

  He entered and stopped cold when he saw the disarray. From behind Tayla gasped loudly and he turned to face her. “I told you to stay outside,” he roared.

  “It’s my house. I don’t have to stay outside if I don’t want to.” She moved from behind him, circling the living room, then moving to the kitchen. “What is going on? It can’t be Jerome. He would just come for me. If he knew where I was he’d simply knock on the door and get me. This is ridiculous.” She rubbed shaky hands up and down her arms, suddenly feeling really cold. Her house was a mess, like her office but to the third power.

  Thaddeus walked to the windows, checked the closets, then returned to her. “He is very close. He will try tonight or perhaps tomorrow, but he will come soon.”

  Tayla slid open a drawer, pulled out a long, jagged-edged knife. “Good, I’m ready for him. I’m tired of playing these cat-and-mouse games.”

  Thaddeus looked at the knife, then back at her determined face. He grabbed her wrist, lowered her arm and squeezed gently until she let the blade go. “I will do the protecting. You would probably do more harm than anything else.”

  Tayla sucked her teeth. “Hmph, please. I grew up on the streets, I can swing a blade with the best of them.”

  Thaddeus didn’t doubt her, but he didn’t dismiss the vision of her being hurt or killed. “Just the same, I don’t want you with a weapon. I said I’d handle it.”

  “Whatever.” Tayla waved a hand at him and moved toward her bedroom to assess the damage there. If he wanted to play the superhero, then let him, but in the end she would face Jerome Ranier, and whatever weapon she had at her disposal at that time she would use, without hesitation.

  Suppressing a grin, Thaddeus watched her walk away. She was one feisty woman. He thought of the women back home, the ones with powers and mythical attributes, but they all paled in comparison to Tayla. He sensed that was because of the personal connection he had with her, the one that was growing with every second they spent together.

  She screamed, jerking him free of his thoughts. He was in the bedroom beside her before his feet could actually touch the floor. She stood at the foot of the bed staring down. In the center of the bed was a music box. A black one this time, with a white horse spinning in circles in the middle.

  Tayla jerked her hand away from her mouth, disgusted at the sound that had just come from her. The box itself hadn’t frightened her, she’d seen it before. What had thrown her was the fact that the moment she got closer it started to move and sing on its own. Now she was pissed all over again. Jerome was purposely trying to frighten her. He knew that she would guess he was behind it and was using that knowledge to push her to the edge. He wanted her to know that he’d come for her but he’d catch her off guard.

  Thaddeus had come into the room. She hadn’t heard him, just looked up and he was there. He stared at the box and at her and she knew he didn’t understand. “It’s playing ‘Unforgettable,’ the Nat King Cole version. We danced to this at our wedding. He’s reminding me that we’re married. That we were married.” She corrected herself.

  “Did you love him?” His question was quick, quiet in the silence of the room. Something black and suffocating filled his body, and he dismissed it as the beast within.

  Tayla looked from Thaddeus to the box and back to Thaddeus before she sat on the edge of the bed. “I think at first I did. Then things changed. He changed, and I couldn’t stay any longer.” She didn’t want to talk about her past, didn’t want to share her shame with him for fear he’d think less of her. So she managed to smile up at him, to put on the façade that everything was alright. “So, I guess this means you’re helping me clean up another mess.”

  Thaddeus saw the painful shadows in her eyes and did not wish to make her relive the hurt of the past. He reached for her hands and took them, rubbing the backs with his thumbs. He found himself doing that a lot, as a way of reminding her that he was there for her…always. “No. Neither of us is going to clean up. You are going to get some things and we are leaving here.”

  Tayla stood, loving his touch, but not really sure she understood. “Leaving? Just where do you think I’m going? I have a job and so do you, even if you’ve had someone taking over your classes while you babysit me.”

  But Thaddeus was already moving to her closet, grabbing a bag he knew was sitting empty at the bottom of it. He went to her dresser, started taking the things he saw her using in the morning and dropping them inside. “You cannot stay here. It is not safe. Before he wasn’t bold enough to come to your home, where you sleep. But now it appears he’s ready to make himself seen. You must leave.”

  She watched him packing stuff, noticed he picked up the very same perfumes, lotions and soaps she used each day. When he opened the first drawer which contained her underwear she hurried to his side. “I am not running again,” she told him adamantly, then put her hand over his to stop him from picking up her personal things. He’d seen her as naked as the day she was born, but she wasn’t all that thrilled with him riffling through her panties and bras.

  “It is not running. It is being cautious.” Thaddeus turned to her, knowing that she felt the urge to defend herself. But he had the advantage; he had an idea of what they were truly dealing with, so he knew that her defense would be futile, no matter how strong she thought she was. He dropped the bag to the floor, clasped her shoulders in his large hands. “Listen to me. I understand your need to face him, to make a stand for your life, but he is very dangerous, more dangerous than you realize, and I will not let you deal with that alone.”

  “Fine. I won’t confront him alone. You’ve been staying with me night and day. If and when he comes, you’ll likely be by my side.”

  “Tayla, you must trust me. When he comes, we need to be on my turf where I am free to do whatever is necessary to protect you.”

  Her eyes narrowed. He looked dead serious, intense even. “What do you mean ‘whatever is necessary’? What is it you plan to do to him?” Now, she hated Jerome Ranier and was dangerously close to loving Thaddeus Delos, but she wasn’t sure she wanted Thaddeus to handle Jerome. She’d seen how he handled that thing in the forest. She’d seen his fierceness when he thought that snake would harm her. She’d even seen his complete transformation. And while she wasn’t one hundred percent sure of the powers Thaddeus had, she was certain that Jerome was no match for them.

  “My job is to protect you. And that is what I plan to do.” He let her go then, his arms falling to his sides. “Now either you pack this frilly stuff you love to wear or I will do it for you. But we must leave now!” The black mist he’d seen around the base of the house had now floated to window level. Danger was now more than imminent; it was here, encircling them, forming its predatory dance before coming in for the kill. It was imperative that he move her to safety as quickly as possible, and he knew just where she’d be safest.

  His tone was no-nonsense, and Tayla decided that he obviously knew things that she didn’t. He was right, she had to trust him. He’d done nothing but protect her all this time. She had to trust that what he said was in her best interest—even if it did feel as if she were running scared again.

  * * *

  They walked for what seemed like an hour through the trees, up the side of the mountain, down past the stream. Tayla was tired and hungry, yet Thaddeus trudged on as if he weren’t bothered in the least. “I’m hungry,” she complained to his back, which was the only part of him she’d seen on this impromptu hike into the wilderness.

  She figured he had to be as well. In the time she’d known him she’d noticed that he had a healthy appetite. Not really sure what the gods/birds ate, she had been a bit hesitant at first when she’d offered to prepare a meal for him. But he’d eaten—all the meat, that is—and complimented her on her cooking skills. So, besides muffins and coffee, she had assumed that Thaddeus preferred protein and had made
a point to prepare any type of meat she had in her freezer for him.

  He’d left her in her bedroom to finish gathering her personal stuff, telling her that jeans and t-shirts were preferable for where they were going. Then he’d gone into the kitchen himself and packed up there. She wasn’t sure what he’d packed but she knew he carried a bag with food items in it, and she wanted it badly.

  “We’re just a short distance away. Once we are under cover we can eat.”

  They were walking beside a cascading river now, her booted feet twisting on rocks that jutted up from the ground, the hem of her pants wet from the water that occasionally splashed. Above, the sun was just beginning to set. Tayla took in her surroundings and figured that another couple of miles in the direction they were currently heading would land them right smack in the middle of the rain forest.

  She didn’t bother to ask Thaddeus if that was where they were headed. She’d made the mistake of asking questions about their destination about fifteen minutes into their trip only to have him basically ignore her. She’d taken his silence to mean that he wasn’t in the mood for talking or that he simply didn’t wish to tell her where they were going, so she’d closed her mouth and let her own thoughts entertain her.

  They walked further and just as she had suspected, they stepped into a haven of lush greenery. They were in the temperate rain forest. She’d read about it after first arriving at Grayson Moore and had always wanted to visit it but never had the chance. Now she put aside the state of danger she was in and let her eyes take in the marvelous sight.

  It was different from what she’d thought it would be. She’d envisioned a rain forest with tropical plants and rare birds. But this was vastly different. The trees were huge; she couldn’t even see their tops. The intense greenness that surrounded her was breathtaking. She heard sounds she’d never heard before, and knew it was the wildlife that resided either in the rain forest or around the mountain base. Strangely, she wasn’t really afraid of what she heard. She actually felt protected in the cover of these trees, as if they were her guardians, keeping the enemy at bay.