by Mason Sabre
“This house here?”
Phoenix nodded. “I live with my …” He hesitated, unsure what to say. What exactly was Cade to him? The man tilted his head to one side, still smiling, waiting. He reminded Phoenix of the Cheshire cat in the Alice books. He swallowed hard. “… brother,” he finished.
“Not your parents?”
“My mum is …” He couldn’t stop the tremor in his voice as he spoke, or the way it cracked. The man raised a questioning eyebrow. “She died,” he said quietly. He had never said it out loud before.
“That’s too bad,” the man said. “I was wondering if you could help me with something.”
Phoenix nodded. Maybe they just needed directions.
“I’m a little bit confused.”
Phoenix held his breath, waiting.
“If your brother lives there, in that house, I think I might be a little lost, because last time I was here, my son lived in there. Has he moved out?”
Phoenix’s eyes went wide and his stomach roiled. This was Cade’s father.
“That’s what I thought.” The man grinned and narrowed his eyes. “You’re a hybrid, aren’t you? A half-breed? Tell me, are you the one that ate that poor little Human boy a few days ago?”
The man opened his car door and began to climb out. Phoenix turned and ran. He ran as fast as he could back towards Cade’s house, into the garden and down the side. He ran across the bridge, to the small patch of grass. The man was right behind him—he was fast and he was gaining on him. He shouldn’t be so fast, Phoenix thought. He was old. Panting, he raced through the overgrowth of Cade’s garden to the bottom where it broke away to a field. He scrambled over the wall there. It was easy enough—it wasn’t very high, just stone like the one at the front.
Before he had landed properly on his feet again, something struck Phoenix from behind and knocked the air from his lungs. He tumbled to the ground, landing face down into the dirt. Half crawling, half scrabbling, he tried to get up, but something pushed him down again, forcing him to the ground. He rolled onto his back, his hands coming up instinctively to protect himself. It wasn’t the old man who was on him, he realised, it was the younger man that had been with him in the car. Phoenix pushed against the hands that held him, but the grip was like iron. He brought his fist up and smashed it into the man’s arm—it was like hitting a stone wall. The man lifted Phoenix with ease and then slammed him back down hard his back. He pinned him by the throat and Phoenix clawed desperately to get breath as the man pressed down on his windpipe.
The older man came into view over the younger man’s shoulder. He was rubbing his hands together and smiling down at Phoenix. Phoenix tried to move, tried to fight the man who held him down by digging his heels into the mud and pushing himself backwards, but it was like trying to move a tractor. The other man hadn’t even broken a sweat.
“Who are you?” the older man asked calmly.
Phoenix coughed under the man’s chokehold.
“Aaron, let him breathe.” He looked back at Phoenix. “Aaron here? He can snap your stupid, little neck with just a twist of his hand. It won’t take much, and by the looks of things, I don’t think anyone will miss you. Now I am going to ask you again, and you will answer me. Who are you?”
“Phoenix,” he croaked out, but his throat was burning now.
“And what are you doing here?”
“I’m staying with Cade.”
The old man sighed. “Aaron?”
Aaron grinned, his eyes filled with menacing intent. He backhanded Phoenix across the face, so hard and so fast that Phoenix was powerless to react. The force of the blow made his head spin and his vision blur, the heavy rings the man wore cracking across his cheekbone and nose and fracturing bones. He let out a cry of pain as blood erupted from his nose. “Please,” he choked out, lifting a hand to protect himself.
“Are you going to tell us the truth?”
Phoenix stared up at the man, Aaron, and watched as his eyes started to change. They had been blue like Cade’s, but now they were turning into something deeper, with a rim of white around the edges. “I’m staying with Cade,” Phoenix gasped. “Ask him.” Aaron raised his hand again. “Please ... I am.”
“You're nothing but a half-breed,” the old man said. “My son would not consort with such an abomination as you, let alone allow one into his home. Your kind should be put to death. You are wasting my time with these lies.” He nodded to Aaron.
“No, please.”
“Leave him alone,” a voice boomed from behind them.
Aaron’s head snapped around and Trevor turned cool eyes onto Cade.
“Let him go. Right now,” Cade demanded.
Chapter Twenty-One
Cade stood behind his father and brother, fists clenched and jaw set in a hard line. Trevor turned to face him slowly, his expression an inscrutable mask. Aaron gave Phoenix one final, venomous look before letting go abruptly and standing to face Cade. Phoenix’s hands flew to his throat, Aaron’s chokehold leaving him wheezing and coughing. He sucked in lungfuls of air as he tried to recover from near suffocation.
His father and brother were dressed and matched perfectly in their expensive suits, even at this time in the morning. Another sign of how different he was to them.
“We found this on your property,” Trevor sneered, grabbing Phoenix by the shirt and easily hauling him up to his feet in one fluid motion. Blood poured from Phoenix’s nose and dripped onto the shirt he was wearing. There was a gash at the side of his face where Aaron had struck him and the area around it had already begun to swell. Cade’s fury spiked, and he had to force himself not to lunge at Aaron or Trevor and stay where he was. He knew his father could snap Phoenix’s neck before Cade had managed to take two steps—and he’d do so without losing any sleep over it. He was alpha, and there were severe repercussions to disrespecting one’s alpha—even if he was your father. Phoenix would be dead within seconds.
God damn them.
“Put him down,” Cade ground out. “He didn’t do anything wrong.”
“He is trespassing,” Aaron said coldly. “He claims that he is your brother, and he seems to think that he lives here. Which would mean that he is my brother, too … and I would never be related to such filth.”
Trevor adjusted his hold on Phoenix and grabbed his arm. Phoenix squirmed and yelped as Trevor’s fingers dug painfully into his arm. Cade gritted his teeth. He knew the pain of that grip—had dealt with it more than enough times when he was growing up. He would be dragged in front of everyone when he had displeased his father in some way, and would be forced to stand there and give answers. Phoenix desperately clutched at where Trevor held onto him, trying to pry his arm free, but it was like trying to move iron. “We found him wandering around here. Probably looking for some kind of trouble.”
Cade clamped his jaw down tight and tried to ignore the anguished sounds coming from Phoenix. He was balancing on the edge, desperate to get him out of his father’s dangerous hold but knowing that one wrong move could prove fatal. He inched forward, trying not to let his thoughts or worry filter through to Phoenix down their bond. That would only heighten his fear and make him panic—panic led to rashness, and rashness led to no good. All Trevor needed was the slightest reason to end Phoenix’s life. The Council would believe any excuse he gave them—he was, after all, second-in-command. If he said he was acting in the best interests of Others, that would be good enough for them. His actions would be pardoned. The Humans would probably fucking hail him a hero. He just needed one reason to end a half-breed’s life. Shit, even being half-breed was probably reason enough. He didn’t tolerate mix-breeds or half-breeds. He saw the world as pure and that it should not be infected by any strain of Human infection. Most of the Others would agree with him.
Phoenix struggled under Trevor’s iron grip. The older man now looked down at Phoenix as if he was bored by him, rather than disgusted.
Shit, Cade thought. He needed the boy to stop fighting. He n
eeded him to stop giving Trevor reason to do worse. His efforts against him were fruitless. There was a reason why Trevor had kept his seat as alpha, and this was it. He had strength and power. “Phoenix.” Cade’s tone was stern. The boy looked up at Cade, fear written all over his face. Cade’s heart squeezed painfully—the boy had already been through so much. “It will be okay. I just need you to be strong right now.” He kept his voice even, neutral. He didn’t want Trevor and Aaron knowing how tied he was to the boy.
Trevor gave a short bark of laughter, seemingly amused by Cade’s reassurance to the boy. He looked down at Phoenix, that menacing smile still in place. “You actually think that you can get your arm free, half-breed?” He grabbed hold of Phoenix’s hand and crushed his fingers in his own powerful fist. Phoenix’s eyes went wide with fear and pain. He cried out from the agony of his broken hand, his knees buckling under him from the pain.
“No,” Cade shouted, and lunged forward. Aaron blocked his way and slapped his hand against Cade’s bare chest. “Remember your place.”
Cade shoved his hand away. He didn’t have time for this bullshit from his father or his brother and their idiotic bullying tactics. He certainly didn’t care for them. This was why he didn’t envy Stephen in his position, because one day, Aaron would be Stephen’s second, and god help him when that happened. It would take a lot to control his temper and not take him out. “Remember yours,” he ground through gritted teeth. “You are only beta. The last time I checked, we were brothers, and that makes us equal.”
“You care about this pathetic, little half-breed?” Trevor’s eyes narrowed. He pressed down harder onto Phoenix’s crushed hand and the boy whimpered, his eyes welling up with renewed tears. “Do you see that? He’ll probably piss his pants in a moment.” Aaron guffawed.
“Fucking leave him alone,” Cade growled. “He’s done nothing to you.”
“He is a half-breed. What are you doing with him in your home?”
“Helping him.” Tears spilled from Phoenix’s eyes and Cade swore silently. “Please let him go.”
“He should be executed,” Trevor said coolly. “I would be doing the world a favour.”
“He is just a boy. You will execute a boy?”
“He is Human.”
“He was Human,” Cade corrected. “Now, he is …”
“Don’t you dare say Other,” Aaron interrupted. “He is not one of us, nor will he ever be.”
Cade clenched his jaw, his hands fisting at his sides. His brother and father were no different from any of the shallow minds of Others. They were, perhaps, even worse. Cade mentally chastised himself. Had he really believed he could talk sense to his father? He was such a fool. His father had never once shown an ounce of compassion in his life, unless it was of benefit to him, and Aaron was nothing more than a carbon copy of their father … so this shouldn’t have been a surprise. All Trevor worried about was the law, politics and power—and with that power came callousness—a need to control everything around him. He was a heartless man, uncaring about anything or anyone. Maybe his father would have been better born into the Humans. He certainly seemed to fit in with them.
“Maybe he isn’t, but he is still a guest in my house, and you are manhandling him. I won’t ask you again. Let him go.” Phoenix was nowhere as tall or as big as his father. He was at that stage between boy and man, but he was much too skinny to fight Trevor off if Trevor were to decide that he was going to end him.
Trevor stared at Cade for a moment, and Cade could practically see his mind working. He stepped forward, dragging Phoenix with him and making him howl in pain. He thrust him towards Aaron as if Phoenix were a bag of dirt. “Take this for me.” Aaron grabbed Phoenix by the arms, holding him up so that he was almost on his toes. Cade kept his ground as Trevor came to stand in front of him. He would not submit to his father—not this time.
“Is he the thing that the Humans are looking for?” Trevor’s voice was deceptively calm, but the anger was there. It came off him like steam rolling from a boiling pot.
“He’s just a kid,” Cade said, knowing his father was likely already thinking of handing him right back over to them.
“He is a half-breed. A nothing. He does not belong here.” His eyes bore into Cade’s. “He is, isn’t he? He is the one that the Humans are tearing the whole area up to look for, and you keep him in your house. You know that he killed a child the other day? He ate a Human and attacked four other children.” Though Trevor’s words were meant to be reproachful, Cade knew his father didn’t give a damn about the Human boy that was killed.
Ice-cold fear shot down the bond that tied him to Phoenix, Trevor’s announcement leaving the boy shocked and petrified. Cade swore inwardly, but kept his eyes on Trevor, showing nothing. “I know he did,” he said evenly. “But he was turned, bitten, by someone, and then just left. He doesn’t have control yet.”
“And yet you let him stay with you? In your home. What are you thinking?”
“I was thinking that it wasn’t right to let a young boy get himself slaughtered by the Humans for something that wasn’t his fault.”
“He is wanted by the Humans,” Trevor spat. “Do you realise what you have done? If they catch you, do you know what they will do to you? You sacrifice your life for this … this … thing.” He threw Phoenix a look of utter contempt before continuing. “He was Human before. You know that, right? I taught you that, at least. Do you think that in a few years he would have stopped for you? Would he have helped you? No. He’d have slaughtered you and probably watched and cheered. Do not be fooled by his youth. He just hasn’t learnt yet.”
“Not all Humans are that way,” Cade said, taking small steps closer to Phoenix, hoping that his father would be too engrossed in his haranguing to notice.
“Do you know what will happen to me if you are taken down for this? My position on the Council?”
Cade threw his arms up in the air. “Oh for god’s sake. This is what this is all about? Your stupid fucking political position?”
“That political position is what keeps you safe.”
“No, that political crap is what keeps me caged.”
“You want out, do you? How do you think you’d cope without Society to keep you safe at night?” Trevor stepped closer to Cade, close enough that Cade could feel his breath on his face. Trevor’s mere presence was enough to push the toughest person back, but Cade gritted his teeth and stood his ground.
“Someone bit him,” Cade scowled. “They bit him and left him. They are the ones that the Humans should be looking for, not Phoenix.
“And do you know who they are?” He turned his attention abruptly back to Phoenix, fixing him with a gaze that would make most boys cower. “Who bit you?” he demanded.
Aaron, who still had a steely grip on Phoenix, gave him a violent shake to answer. Phoenix stood there clutching his broken hand to his chest, his distraught expression lancing right through Cade. He opened his mouth to talk, his voice cracking and no words coming.
“He doesn’t know,” Cade cut in angrily.
“Has he even shifted?”
“Not yet.”
“So, not only do you have a half-breed in your home, but you have taken in one that is defective, too? He can't even shift. What use is he to you?”
“You're being unreasonable.”
“No,” Trevor pointed a finger in his face. “I am being practical. You risk your life along with your pack’s and your family’s. You take chances with lives that are not yours to mess with. We should turn him over and be done with it. Give him to the Humans.”
“I won’t ever let you do that.”
Trevor raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh? And how exactly would you stop me?”
Cade glared at his father. “I will tell them that it was me who took him in. I will tell him that I hid him here and they will come to investigate. His scent and his tracer are all over the place.” He pointed at Phoenix. “Even now, he stands wearing my clothes, his blood staining wha
t is mine. They will know that the truth of it.”
Trevor’s jaw clenched, a momentary indication that Cade had got to him. “They will execute you,” he said flatly.
His expression hard, Cade looked his father right in the eyes, a sign of defiance that he would no doubt pay for later. “And you, too. So no, you won’t hand him over.” He turned to Aaron. “And you won’t, either, because then what would you do without our father here? You’d be like a fucking baby tossed from its nest, lying dying on the ground, and waiting for someone to save you.”
Aaron growled and grabbed Phoenix around the throat again, forcing his head back. He dug his fingers in until Phoenix was gasping for breath, and Cade had to force himself not to react. “This is what you put before your pack? We should put you in the cage.”
“Go ahead,” said Cade. “Try it. You fucking make me sick, both of you.” He turned back to Trevor. “This is a boy. He’s nothing more than a child, and yet he is dispensable to both of you, and he is that because you're both so god damn fucking afraid. Of what? What on earth can the Humans do to us?”
“Sometimes you have to sacrifice the few to save the many,” said Trevor.
“Sacrifice him for what? Because the Humans are throwing some kind of tantrum? One of their own got killed? Who the fuck cares? How many of our children have they taken and slain? How many of our women have they beaten, raped and murdered? Maybe it is time that we stood up to them. You know we are stronger—they know it, too. That is why they craft weapons and rule with their fists.”
“He won’t fit in with us,” said Trevor, changing his tactics. “He will never be accepted.”
“How do you know? Have you ever tried? Have you ever taken a half-breed in and seen what would happen?”
“They’re dangerous,” Aaron snarled.
Cade turned to Aaron, his brother and at his father’s stupidity filling him with rage. “You need to let him go now.” The words were spoken in a deadly quiet tone. “I am taking him back into my house, where he is welcome to stay.”
