by Brenda Trim
“Do you see any Phoenixes?” Araton asked, ignoring Abraxos. Araton looked as annoyed as Ayil felt. The difference between him and his brother was that Ayil was jealous he didn’t have a female in his arms while Araton wanted to hit something. “Why are we still sitting here if there aren’t any around?”
Ayil drained the rest of his vodka. “There is no other supernatural bar close to the area I saw the bulk of the clan. They aren’t likely to hang near humans when they want to unwind. They’ve lived isolated from mortals. Their comfort will only go so far. We have to confirm before we investigate further.”
“The fuck we do. Let’s find the leader and make him talk,” Araton snapped. His brother stood there cracking his knuckles and glaring at the supernaturals around them.
Ayil followed his brother’s gaze around the room and was struck by the difference in the atmosphere at Bog’s Place compared to Confetti Too. When they went out to bars on Earth, they usually accompanied the Dark Warriors to Confetti Too where the stainless décor was accented with color. Ayil’s favorite part was the glass blocks filled with colorful lights. No, maybe it was the private rooms in the back. Many sweaty hours were spent between the sheets of those beds.
Bog’s place was distinctly grungy. Like most Angels, Ayil preferred his surroundings clean which was another factor in Confetti Too’s favor. Ayil lifted his boot and grimaced over the way the sole stuck to the floor. From the smell in the place, Ayil wasn’t sure if it was alcohol or vomit. Bog must not have a custodian, he surmised. Despite the filth, Ayil liked the wood bar. It had a living edge and its surface told a story of many adventurous nights.
Ayil turned and was about to head to the bar for another drink but stopped in his tracks when he saw Kennex. She walked into the bar with another Phoenix. His eyes should travel right over the frigid scowl of Kennex’s face and move right onto the female at her side. Her companion had long, silky legs topped by a pert ass. Her blouse allowed him a generous view of her lush bosom, but Ayil’s gaze was drawn back to Kennex. And the bruises on her face.
Ayil’s feet were moving before he realized what he was doing. “What the hell happened to you?”
Kennex’s friend crossed her arms over her chest and got in between them. “Are you the one that attacked her last night? If you harmed her so help me, I will burn you to a crisp.”
Ayil’s anger spiked at the same time his eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Who attacked you? A demon?”
Kennex stepped around her friend and glared at him. “Why the fuck would you assume it was a demon? Many other beings are capable of being jackasses, even Angels. As for what happened to me, it’s none of your business.”
Ayil stepped into Kennex’s space and lifted a hand to touch a yellow-green bruise under her left eye. Kennex didn’t react until his hand was centimeters from her skin. Her flinch was like a slap to his face.
“What happened? Tell me and I will eliminate him with my sword,” Ayil promised.
The fact that she didn’t seem to see his movement until he was nearly touching her coupled with the bruising told him her ocular bone and nerve had been damaged. His suspicion was overwhelmed by concern and a desire to make the asshole pay that harmed Kennex. She was a sexy pain in the ass that didn’t deserve to be hit like that.
Kennex scoffed at him and shook her head. “That’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me. Stop flirting with me. It won’t work.”
She thought he was flirting? For once, his mind hadn’t gone there. He suspected demonic interference. He wouldn’t put it past a demon to torture the Phoenixes to get them to cooperate. It was the only reason Ayil could see Kennex agreeing to work with demons.
The bar was too crowded for him to pick up the traces he had on the beach, so he stepped closer to her. Kennex opened her mouth, no doubt to let him have it, when a loud crash echoed behind him.
Ayil turned and noticed his brother, Abraxos disentangle himself from the shifter before he noticed Araton swinging his fists at an ice demon. Ice demons weren’t common in temperate climates. Their distinctive blue skin was nearly always coated in frost, but in places close to the equator it was impossible for the demons to maintain that power.
Ayil wondered if there was a portal somewhere on the property or if the ice demon had a camouflage charm on him. It was the only way he would be able to walk around humans.
The temperature in the bar dropped twenty degrees as the ice demon blasted Araton with sheets of ice. Ayil instinctively headed to his brother but didn’t see the bar stool flying his way. The metal legs slammed into his temple, making him stagger.
Ayil was momentarily stunned before he grabbed onto the chair and yanked. A pissed off sorcerer growled at him as he called his staff to his hand. Ayil shoved the stool into his chest. “Think twice before you do something to really piss me off,” Ayil warned as he released the enchantment hiding his wings.
The sorcerer’s eyes went wide, and he scrambled away from Ayil. Ayil watched as his brother flared his wings, knocking over several innocent bystanders. A female cried out and Ayil smelled fresh cut grass.
He hadn’t seen the Fae earlier. He rushed to her side and picked her up before ducking under his brother’s wings and getting her out of the way. “Are you okay?”
She touched her bright blue hair and her fingers came away tinged with dark blue liquid. “My head hurts, but it will heal.”
“What the fuck is your problem, angel?” A male growled. Ayil turned his head and saw the ice demon taunting Araton.
Ayil stepped in front of his brother. Araton shoved Ayil and he fell into the ice demon. The male punched Ayil in the head with one hand while placing his other palm against Ayil’s shoulder.
Freezing cold blasted through his flesh. With a startled shout, Ayil glanced down and noticed the skin had crystalized and cracked. The agony was unbelievable. Ayil snarled and shoved the ice demon away.
“Not in my bar,” a male shifter shouted as he racked a gun. “What did you do now, Liam?”
The ice demon scowled as he touched a cut above his eye. It bled red and was flowing freely. The steady flow was another sign of the temperature. Normally, it would’ve looked like a frozen strawberry daiquiri. The pale, nearly translucence of the demon’s eyes was another distinctive feature of his kind. What Ayil didn’t know was that they darkened when pissed.
Araton surged forward and Ayil wrapped his arms around his brother, stopping him. “Not now, dammit. What the fuck are you doing? Two Phoenixes are here. We need to talk to them.”
Araton cursed and shook his head, but subsided. Abraxos joined them a second later and was trying to smooth over things with the bar’s owner and the ice demon. The last thing they needed was to get kicked out of the bar right now. They were close to a break in the case.
But, more importantly, Kennex was in the bar. This was an establishment she frequented, and he didn’t want to be banned. Because Kennex was the key to discovering if her clan was working with demons again. Not because he was attracted to her.
Ayil didn’t even like her. She was angry and caustic and overall unpleasant to be around.
“Where are the Phoenixes?” Araton asked, getting Ayil’s attention.
“Right over here,” he said as he pointed where he left her standing with her friend, but she wasn’t there. His eyes scanned the bar.
Several waitresses were picking up overturned tables while patrons picked up bar stools. There was a small, crowded dance floor, but she wasn’t on it. The short hall to the bedroom was dark, but empty. She could be in the bathroom, but his gut told him she’d left.
Ayil clenched his fists. He wanted to complete this investigation and clear the clan’s name or eliminate them. They were no longer in an isolated area so if they were cooperating with demons then there would be a significant amount of collateral damage.
Humans had no way of protecting themselves. It was his job to ensure demons couldn’t get a foothold on Earth. And, now that Lucifer was freed from
Lake Cocytus, it was even more important. If the Lord of the Underworld managed to leave Hell, countless beings would die. Supernatural and human alike. And, Ayil would never allow that to happen.
“They’re gone, dammit!” he cursed.
Araton shook his head and headed for the exit. Blood dribbled from a cut over his eyebrow and he felt his lip swelling. “They’re guilty. They left the second they saw us because they knew we would know what they are doing.”
“We don’t know that, and we aren’t going to assume that’s the case,” Ayil denied. “I will find Kennex and get more information.”
The problem was he didn’t care to ask her about demonic involvement. He needed to know who attacked her. Ayil was going to find out and make sure whoever was responsible never harmed her again.
* * *
Chapter 6
The sound of the ocean lapping the shore should have calmed Kennex, but it didn’t. She was seething and turned on at the same time. There were few times in her adult life that she had such a reaction to males after suffering at Jared’s hands. Unfortunately, the most memorable of those times was when Ayil and his brothers infiltrated the clan several months ago to investigate demonic activity.
Her body betrayed her when it was first aroused by Ayil’s presence. Her heart raced and her breathing quickened while her nipples pebbled beneath her bra. Kennex admitted Ayil was sexy at the same time the sight of his wings made her fists clench and heightened her anger. It shouldn’t be shocking that she continued to react to the male. Her earlier glimpse of him had proven her body had no shame.
Still, the fact that Jared attacked her shortly after running into him again should have made her stone cold to the angel. It wasn’t a mere coincidence. The obvious conclusion was that Ayil betrayed her location to Jared, but she refused to believe the warrior would side with that piece of shit. She might not know much, but she believed in her heart that Ayil was different.
Thankfully, thoughts of Jared cooled Kennex’s ardor at the same time it sent her mind spinning. Her gaze roamed the beach for a cave or other location that would shelter her from everything.
The promise she made herself over a decade ago battled against the tiny female curled in a ball in the center of her mind. Being attacked again reminded her of the hold Jared had over her. It was infuriating and frightening.
She was nothing more than a victim. It was a fantasy to believe she’d risen above and beyond his reach. Marie Leveau was her only option to stay hidden from Jared. The question was whether Kennex had something Marie wanted. Otherwise, the Queen of Voodoo wouldn’t barter. The trek to her lair was fraught with danger, but nothing was as bad as having her eye socket shattered while she whimpered on the floor of her living room.
Kennex fingered her cheek and hoped the bruising was better. The crashing waves were still blurry, so she doubted it was gone. Not that it mattered. It wasn’t like anyone could see her sitting alone on a beach. She hadn’t thought it through before heading to Bog’s Place, that’s for sure.
The look of fury on Ayil’s face when he saw her injuries surprised her as much as Lexi stepping between her and the angel. She was friends with the female, but not so close she expected Lexi to put her life on the line.
Cold seeped into her bones and unfortunately, she couldn’t blame it on the San Diego weather. Her inner fire diminished the moment Jared’s fist connected with her body, and Kennex was swimming through a quagmire of quickrete to reach the surface. Her entire body shook with nerves and her chest hurt. For the hundredth time, she ran her palm over the area expecting to find a blade lodged there, courtesy of Jared.
It was nearly impossible to recall the promise she made herself over a decade ago. She’d put no real effort into attaining it because she was happy enough to enjoy her anonymity, but now Jared discovered her. Her ability to hide was gone unless she threw herself at Marie Leveau’s feet and begged for help. That was an option, but at her inner fire sparked at merely contemplating angelic homicide.
Before going to the extreme of voodoo, Kennex licked her lips and swallowed past the lump that was stuck in her throat. It took great effort to draw in a breath and insert steel in her spine. Running was no longer her answer. Decision made, she was going to find Jared and kill him.
When she first decided on that plan, she planned on self-immolating and taking him with her. There was poetic justice in being reborn from their combined ashes, but she discovered that her Phoenix flames weren’t enough to kill an angel.
Her next best plan was a magically enhanced grenade. Her issue now was going to be locating such a weapon. They existed, but nowhere she was comfortable visiting. It was not on Black Moon Sabbat’s website or in their store.
In fact, she had no idea where to look for magical supplies in San Diego. That was going to take some research. There was always that private group on T-Rex that might be able to give her an idea of where to find something that fit the bill.
That was honestly a secondary issue. First, she needed to decide how and where she was going to attack. The idea of putting innocent humans or supernaturals in danger didn’t sit well with her. No way would she use a bomb, magical or otherwise, in or around her home. There was no way she would put Lexi in jeopardy like that. Some thanks that would be for helping her like she did.
Kennex’s stomach churned at the idea of luring Jared to a remote location. Not that she was familiar with very many remote locations or had any way to get there if she did. She couldn’t teleport.
There had to be another way to get to Jared. She considered everything she knew about the male, as well as, Angels in general. Her list was pathetically scarce. Jared used his position of power to control and abuse those he deemed beneath him. No doubt it made him feel big and important to instill fear in her like he did.
The asshole thought he was God’s gift to female. Truth was, Jared couldn’t satisfy one to save his blackened soul. The first time he laid hands on Kennex, she wasn’t interested in sex. Because of him, she had little interest for years to come. It wasn’t until she escaped his clutches that she felt arousal for the first time.
Now that was a fact to throw in his face when she saw him again. He couldn’t incite a female’s arousal even if he had Ayil’s sexy smile.
Her mind traveled to far better places the second she thought of Ayil and his smile. Reluctantly, Kennex admitted the warrior Angel was nothing like Jared. He acted against his brother to protect a bar full of supernaturals when she knew all too well that Jared wouldn’t have lifted a finger.
Was there a way she could use Ayil to get to Jared? The Angel showed interest in Kennex at one time, and he was genuinely concerned about her injuries. That didn’t mean he was still interested. And then there was the issue of her revulsion for anything angelic. Was Ayil sexy enough for her to overcome her disgust? She’d have to make him believe she’d done a one-eighty and was now interested in exploring something with him.
With Ayil, Kennex had a chance of getting to Heaven and cornering Jared on his turf safely away from Earth. Like it or not, Ayil was her best shot at gaining access to Heaven and Jared. Too bad she likely ruined any chance she had by threatening him, rejecting him outright, and now blowing him off.
Kennex was going to need to become a consummate actress to convince Ayil she cared enough to be taken to his true home. Somehow, she doubted he took just any female to the clouds to meet his family.
Resolved, Kennex was going to find Ayil and use him to kill Jared. Guilt tried to infiltrate her mind and make her question her plan. One thought about Jared’s fist connecting with her face followed by shard of bone slicing through her ocular nerve was enough to squash any qualms she had.
There was no fucking way she was going to continue being a victim. Disappearing was no longer good enough for her. Not only was it the coward’s way out, it kept her from her family and gave Jared permission to hurt her and others. That she couldn’t allow.
Kennex was unable to develop more beyon
d a loose plan to rope Ayil into her scheme against Jared. Her leg twitched beneath her arms like it was connected to a car battery. Unable to sit still any longer, Kennex jumped to her feet and started walking down the beach. Orange-yellow light from a bonfire flickered not far away. “Shit,” she cursed as soon as she realized how badly Jared injured her eye. The realization fueled her anger and fear.
Holding onto the anger, Kennex approached the flames like a fire demon to volcanoes. The warmth reached out to her, promising to envelop and nurture her inner Phoenix. Her footsteps picked up when she noticed it was her clan surrounding the burning wood rather than humans, and the excuses she’d been fabricating in her mind drifted away.
“Hey, Kennex,” George called out as he lifted a beer bottle in greeting.
“I didn’t realize there was a meeting tonight,” Kennex replied. A quick scan of those around her told Kennex the entire clan council was present. There weren’t clan members outside that core group and Kennex felt a bit out of place.
George glanced over his shoulder and looked at his sister who was bent over, writing something in the sand with a stick. “It wasn’t planned. Join us. The more the merrier.”
Kennex’s gaze followed his and she watched as Gina scrawled unfamiliar images in the ground. Tiny hairs on the back of Kennex’s neck stood on end but she had no idea why. She dismissed it as being the only non-council present.
Gina set her stick aside and crossed to the ice chest. “Want a drink?”
Kennex rolled her shoulders, trying to relax the muscles. There were no humans around and with the glow of the flames in front of her she could loosen some of the hold she had over her inner Phoenix. “Sure. Thanks.”
“So how are you settling in?” Gina asked. Kennex watched the female who was working hard to divert her attention from the images scrolled in the sand.
