by Jade White
Her wings? His beast growled. Who’s brave enough to clip a phoenix’s wings? Mason wanted to know too.
“How can she grow them back?”
“She can’t,” the rainbow-eyed Erik interjected. “Once they’ve lost them, they won’t grow back. Not even when she dies and is reborn from her ashes.” He hit a pool ball with his stick, and the spherical object bounced off of other balls, eventually falling into a pocket. Erik looked over at Mason. “You might as well go and get a refund for that one, before everyone finds out and tries to kill her―if they don’t already know.”
“So what does a phoenix have to do anyways to get their wings cut off?” Kane asked jokingly.
“Treason,” a soft feminine voice intervened. Mason’s head shot up. At the top of the stairs was a glowing Katherine. Her skin was dewy, and her short hair stuck to her head.
She looked down at them all. They were pondering her, and her people. One suggested that Mason return her from where he got her. He had given no refusal to the idea, like he was contemplating it.
Katherine took slow, measured steps down the stairs, her eyes scanning the men on the lowest floor. If she was a fighter, she’d probably slit their throats. That was what her sisters would have done at least. She wasn’t her sisters though.
Weak, little, good for nothing brat. Katherine swallowed the harsh words like a bitter drink. She didn’t like the names, but she still dealt with them. Katherine loved her sister after all.
“Kat,” Mason said, turning fully to him. He gave her a half smile.
She ignored him, walking past him with as much dignity as she could bring up. “I released a prisoner I saw suffering. I felt pity for him, and helped him escape. As punishment, I was strung up, molested and raped, then sent to that damn auction.” She almost choked on her own words, remembering every single action. “That’s how a phoenix gets their wings clipped.”
The men looked at her, their expressions cold and unwavering.
“Your people did that to you?” Mason asked.
“I told you they did. Did you honestly think I was lying?” Katherine was insulted by him. She didn’t lie, she couldn’t lie. There was something inside of her that hurt every time she uttered a false truth.
“You see. Brutes,” Torrent said.
Katherine felt it all coming up. She felt her emotions threatening to tip over the edge of a wall she spent too long putting up. She felt her blood running cold, and hot tears welling in her eyes. She numbed herself.
Just as before, Katherine tried her hardest to block everything out. She walked back upstairs, never stopping when Mason called her name. She wandered about the halls for what felt like hours. His home was far too big for just five men. Obviously, Mason was expecting more to come.
She had run into his kind before. A man with an agenda. A man hiding who he really was. She had loved a man like him once, but she’d never be stupid enough to do that again. He had hurt her more than what should have been, and left her scarred with a piece of him still rotting inside of her. He was why she was the way she was.
The Phoenix weren’t supposed to love angels. The Phoenix weren’t supposed to love at all. She did, though. Katherine did everything in her power to see him. Her sisters tried to stop her, they tried to warn her. Katherine didn’t listen. In the end, she had gotten burned.
She forced the memories out of her mind, continuing to wander about. At this point, Katherine had no clue where she was. She didn’t care. Anywhere was better than with him and his stupid friends. Stupid phoenix for getting comfortable.
Once upon a time, Katherine dreamt about getting married. Of course, the circumstances were different. It wouldn’t be a forced marriage, and she wouldn’t be stuck with someone that reminded her of a bittersweet romance. Now, she was.
She found herself at the end of a long hall. It was a dead end, and she had no clue how to get back to where she came from. Katherine wasn’t paying attention, and when she finally de-numbed herself, she was lost. What the hell.
Katherine shook her head, trying to remember her steps. She couldn’t. “Come on, remember,” she said under her breath.
“Kat!” Mason said. She felt his hand touch her shoulder, and there was a moment of weakness.
She spun around on the balls of her feet, barely able to concentrate on him. He was panting, and practically sweating. “What?”
“Didn’t you hear me?” He put both hands on her shoulders, holding her in place. “It’s very big here, and easy for you to get lost. You can’t just wander about on your own.” Mason’s voice was soft.
“I’m sorry.” She shook out of his grasp. “Sometimes I zone out, and I forget where I am,” Katherine was babbling. “I don’t mean to do it, it just happens. I’m sorry.” She didn’t know why she was apologizing, but she was.
He sighed, cupping her cheek. “It’s okay. Just don’t let it happen again.”
*
He watched her chest rise and fall with deep breaths and slow exhalations. Her dark hair was a contrast against her sun-kissed skin, and those pale freckles mesmerized him with their color. She was a... Well Katherine was something else.
Mason put aside his duties for her, making sure that she wasn’t disturbed by Kane. He had a promiscuous nature, and was the only one who showed any sexual interest in her. Mason wouldn’t allow the man to come anywhere near his bride.
She shifted in her sleep, pulling the blanket up over her shoulders. Her faint little moans had Mason glued to his seat, waiting to hear more of the magical sound.
Though he was not given the bride that he was looking for―strong, bold, and without a smart mouth―he was still okay with the one that he got. What she lacked in, she made up for in measly courage, beauty, and kindness.
There was a gentleness to Katherine. There was an astronomical amount of heat and passion that surrounded her. There was a ferocity to the way she talked to him, and dared to say what was on her mind. Mason couldn’t imagine her being a disgrace to anyone. Still she was.
Katherine rolled over to her side, her sweet, pixie face facing him. Her lush lips were chapped from her chewing on them, and her cheeks were heated with a rosy tint. Her brows were scrunched together in frustration, her eyes shutting even tighter.
Mason reached out for her, but his hand shot back. Her skin was hotter than fire, blistering his skin almost instantly. He looked at her, and saw sweat beading her brow. “Kat,” Mason whispered.
Her moans turned into whimpers as she thrashed about. The temperature of the room increased, starting to steam up. Her whimpers became screams, and the blankets keeping her warm caught on fire.
It took him a moment to react, but when he did, he was quick. Mason pulled the sheets off of her, carrying them into the bathroom. He ran them under cold water, turning back to look at Katherine. Her pretty flesh was doused in flames, but she didn’t seem to mind them.
She screamed a little louder and the flames grew hotter, changing from a red tint to a blue. Just as fast as they grew, they sunk into her body, jolting Katherine awake.
Mason turned the faucet off. He watched her sit up. He watched her eye trail across the room with confusion, until finally landing on him. She looked ready to kill him, yet ready to cry.
“Mason?” she called out to him. Her voice was sleepy, long and exhausted.
He took a few steps towards her, but stopped in his tracks. Mason didn’t realize the extent of the damage she did. The walls surrounding his bed were ash grey, his bed sheets gone completely. The bed was on its last legs, and didn’t look like it would ever hold another person on it. That was his favorite bed.
“What happened?” She started to look around again, her expression falling sullen.
“You were on fire,” he mumbled looking at her, dumbfounded. “I thought you said you were a disgrace.”
“I am!” She looked down at her hands. He knew this was overwhelming for her. “Are you sure you didn’t just light me on fire?”
Mas
on wanted to laugh, but he knew she was being serious. “Yes, I’m sure.” He took a few more steps towards her, but Katherine signaled him to stay back.
She fidgeted on the bed, looking down at her body. Her eyes grew big, and she covered herself with her hands. “Why is it every time I’m around you, I’m naked?”
He couldn’t answer that, but it sure as hell made him satisfied. She was a beauty in the nude. Each deadly curve made his mouth water. He yearned to taste her flesh. Her lips. Mason wanted to know just how she would feel against him.
She had plum dark nipples that topped a pair of breasts that looked barely a handful big. A darker, but faint patch of hair that guarded all that made her womanly. She was perfect, though thinly built. He could only imagine how beautiful she would look with a long fall of hair going down her back. Mason wanted to kiss every inch of her. He couldn’t though. He knew that.
“Don’t just stand there. Can you get me some clothes, please?” Katherine looked at him enduringly.
Mason could feel her eyes on the back of his neck as he searched through his closet for something for her to wear. Whatever he had, most of it had been destroyed by haywire flames. All that was left over couldn’t possibly cover her sufficiently. Mason wanted to know that she could be comfortable while still shielding her lovely flesh from prying eyes. It was bad enough his friends got to see her when they came home, he didn’t need them all over her.
Mason turned from his closet, tossing a t-shirt at her. She failed to catch it, letting the cloth hit her. Her reflexes were not where they should have been.
He had plans to rule over the shifters, and even greater plans to achieve his goal. Mason needed a mate that could protect herself, and him in battle. He didn’t need her getting hurt. He didn’t need to be worrying about her at every instance danger threatened them. He needed Katherine to be able to be what her kind was. Brutish.
Mason looked her up and down, watching her put the shirt over her head, and tug it down the slimness of her stomach. Each movement was rushed.
“I know that look.” Katherine shook her head. “You want me to do something I’m not going to like.”
Mason sighed. “How do you know you won’t like it if you don’t try it?” He leaned against the wall.
“Well, what is it?” She cocked a dark brow at him, folding her arms over her breasts.
“I want to train you.”
Katherine shook her head. “Hell no! I am too clumsy to train. That’s why I never did it in the first place. Plus, killing and hurting people is not in my nature.” She scooted off the bed, her breasts bouncing with every simple and uncoordinated movement.
“It could be,” he said oh, so smoothly.
“I’d have a better chance at learning how to shift like you, than to learn how to fight.”
“You underestimate yourself.” Mason stalked towards her. “Besides, we’ll start with the basics.”
“No. I’m perfectly happy not knowing any of that stuff.” She took two steps away from him for every step he took towards her.
CHAPTER FIVE
She couldn’t believe he was making her do this. Kathrine had repeatedly told him no, and still he persisted. He gave her two days to change her mind, and at the end of the two days, she was still holding firm. He clearly didn’t care though.
Now, she was being thrown back on her ass, over and over again. She was getting sore and tired. Katherine wanted a break, but Mason refused that.
She appreciated his efforts in trying to teach her, but even he grew exhausted of showing her techniques. Some of the other men offered to help, but he refused to let them. He ended up hiring someone else to do the job for him. Now someone was getting paid to beat the shit out of Katherine, and she hated it.
Every move she made was either too slow, or too clumsy. Every attempted jab, or kick that she set out on wasn’t coordinated enough. By the twelfth or thirteenth time Katherine had been thrown back by the brute of a woman, she had enough anger in her to actually want to kill her. She must have seen it, because she told Katherine to channel it.
This was the last straw though. She didn’t want to do any more training. Katherine went through this enough with her family and village. At least her beloved husband and his friends weren’t snickering in their corner. They only watched on.
She formed her hands in a “T” shape. “I need some water,” Katherine said panting. She got up off the ground, and walked to the bench. She grabbed her water bottle, and quickly downed the contents.
“You don’t get timeouts when you’re in a battle!” her trainer yelled, pulling Katherine back into the fight. She slapped her across the face before pushing her onto the ground.
“What the hell! I’m thirsty!” Katherine reached up with her leg, kicking her in the gut. She heaved over, gasping for breath.
“I think things are finally starting to rub off,” Mason said from the sidelines. He was clapping his hands, smiling and nodding at Katherine with approval.
She couldn’t help her overwhelming joy. She had finally landed a kick on the brawny woman. Katherine wanted to do it again.
She jumped back onto her feet, and waited for her trainer to gather herself. Unlike the woman, Katherine wanted to fight fair. When she was finally standing up straight, Katherine led in with a right hook, that was efficiently blocked. She was kicked back. Katherine stumbled for a moment or two, but she was back at it again.
She led in with a quick kick to her trainer’s leg, but that was blocked as well. Katherine threw a wild haymaker, and her fist was caught. Her trainer pulled her in, putting Katherine in a headlock.
It didn’t take long for her to run low on her supply of oxygen. As much as she wanted to tap out and breathe again, something inside her told Katherine to continue on. She did, struggling and bucking against the woman.
“Give up,” she whispered into Katherine’s ear.
“No!” She continued to buck and fight for release. Cobwebs started to blink in and out of her vision, crimson stealing the colors from her eyes.
“Tap out.” She tightened her grip.
“No!” A fire started raging inside of her, too hot for Katherine to handle. It scratched for release, and she was more than happy to give it just that.
“Tap out,” she said again.
“NO!” Katherine released the fire in an explosion of energy. She felt the release of the choke hold, and felt a release of spirit. Katherine watched as it crept out a wave, seeking out any enemies.
She turned around to look at her trainer. The woman was pinned against the wall, her hazel eyes never leaving Katherine. There were burns covering her flesh, but they healed too fast to fester.
The sight brought both awe and horror to Katherine, and she didn’t like the feeling. She was weakened by the sight, and appalled by what she had done. Katherine looked back at Mason, but his shock held him still. He didn’t even blink. None of them did.
She rushed to her trainer, trying to help her, but whatever kept her in place would not budge. “I’m going to get you out of this.” How could she though? She wasn’t strong enough.
“Don’t use you power,” she mumbled to Katherine. Her flesh started to burn and blister again, and she screamed out in pain.
Katherine felt a hand on her shoulder. She quickly turned around, only to see the silver-haired Torrent looking down at her in disapproval. “I didn’t mean it.”
“She’s as good as dead,” he calmly said, pulling Katherine away. “As are you if you do that again.”
Katherine didn’t know if that was a threat, but something inside of her told her it was. Something told her to fight back. She wouldn’t though. She couldn’t. “Wh-what was that?” Her eyes shot back at Mason. He still wasn’t moving, and the other men were trying their best to get any bit of reaction out of him. Katherine hoped he didn’t get hit by whatever it was that came out of her.
“I don’t know, but it took a piece of you.” He ushered her up the stairs. “Soak yourself in a
cold bath, and don’t use your powers to heat the water.” Torrent was a strange man, though oddly handsome in his thin, muscular physique. Katherine didn’t know why she had to be stuck with Mason instead of him. She would have enjoyed him more. “You might blow the house up,” Torrent added on. Scratch that, she didn’t like his dark sarcasm.
Mason wasn’t expecting her to do that. Mason wasn’t expecting Katherine to be able to use her powers so viciously. He had never seen anything like it, and was just utterly shocked by it.
He wanted to try and coax Katherine at the first chance he got, but he was paralyzed. It wasn’t by fear, but just his caution. His beast didn’t even want to go near her after what she’d done. It was silent the moment Katherine was put in a choke hold.
Mason tried to screw his head back on. He wanted to get to her, and help her through the recent events. Mason knew she didn’t like hurting people, and this was straight up murder. She was going to be a nervous wreck.
It had taken hours before Katherine’s trainer―and his longtime friend―had finally stopped healing. By the time the fire truly started to burn away her flesh, the smell of death had filled the air, and Natalia had passed.
They were left with the tedious task of scraping her remains off the wall, and floor. It wasn’t fun, and Mason was beginning to get tired of hearing his friends groan about cleaning up Katherine’s mess. They wanted her to do it, but he couldn’t let that happen. She’d been through one traumatic event, the last thing he needed was for her to suffer more nightmares. Katherine already burned down his room once, he didn’t want it to happen again.
When they finally finished the cleanup, and deep clean of the training hall, his friends did everything in their power to keep him from returning to Katherine. He wasn’t very tolerable of it.
“She needs some time to cool down,” Kane jokingly said, nudging Mason with his arm.
