by Bianca D’Arc
“Great. I’ll see you in a few minutes. Promise me you won’t go outside before I get there.”
“I won’t,” he agreed, wondering why she’d sounded so adamant about.
She hung up, and Lance spent the next few minutes cleaning up a little. He wasn’t a slob, but he had left a few things lying around, and the place looked a little sloppy. Five minutes of putting things where they belonged, and the house was presentable enough.
He put the coffee maker on and sat at the kitchen island, waiting for it to perk.
Surprisingly, the doorbell rang before the coffee finished, and he went to answer it. Sure enough, Tina was standing on his doorstep in the dark before dawn.
“You made good time,” he observed.
“I don’t live far,” she told him as he opened the screen door for her. She entered, sliding under his outstretched arm and moving into the house. Damn, she smelled good.
“The coffee should be about ready by now. Come on into the kitchen,” he invited, leading the way after he closed the door.
Tina followed quietly, and he resisted turning to catch her expression. He wondered what she made of his home. He hadn’t had too many women here, so he wasn’t sure what the female of the species would think of his decorating style. He liked it. It was all clean lines and metallic or stone surfaces. Sleek and easy to keep clean.
He motioned her to sit at the kitchen island as he took down two mugs and filled them with coffee. “Milk? Sugar?” he asked politely. She declined both, and he joined her at the counter with his own mug of black coffee. “So, what have you got to tell me?”
“It’s a theory,” she told him. “An incredible theory.” She sipped her coffee before going on. “My contact says you might be a… And this is hard for me to believe, but they insist it’s possible. You might be a…phoenix.”
He took that in for a moment, considering. “Like a bird that flies into the sun, burning up and being reborn from the ashes? That kind of thing?”
“Yeah, strange as it sounds.” She sipped more coffee.
“Doesn’t sound like it ends well for me,” Lance observed, stalling for time. He didn’t know what to make of her words, but somewhere deep inside, the idea seemed to resonate. What the hell?
“Yeah, well. It could be bad if you shift, fly up toward the sun and don’t come back. The theory goes that you’d die and reincarnate to a new life, new body, et cetera. My contact says most phoenixes don’t make it past their first shift unless they have someone or something to ground them and call them back from their headlong flight toward the sun.”
“Is that why you asked me if I had a wife or girlfriend?” he asked, putting two and two together. He’d hoped maybe she’d asked for personal reasons, but he didn’t want to make a fool of himself, assuming things.
“Yes,” she said quietly. “I also didn’t want to barge in on you and any companion you might’ve had here,” she admitted, smiling shyly, in the way he remembered from high school. She’d been such a sweet kid, and so totally out of his league. “But my friend insisted that I come before dawn, in case you…”
“In case I went crazy and flew into the sun,” he supplied the rest of her sentence, shaking his head. “The thing is, the sun…” He had a hard time admitting it out loud, but Tina deserved to know. “It’s calling me. I hear it, even now, singing to me, luring me out. It’s very compelling, and it’s getting stronger every day. I’m afraid, one day, I’m just going to go out there and never come back.”
She reached over and placed her hand on his, surprising him into looking at her. Those pretty green eyes of hers were filled with concern.
“I’m going to try not to let that happen, Lance. I want to help you. I want to be here for you, just in case.” She looked so earnest. So pretty. So caring.
He let the moment stretch, and then, he leaned closer, fitting his lips to hers in the first kiss they’d ever shared. Not that he hadn’t thought about it a million times before. When he’d caught her watching him in high school—pretty much every time he’d caught her watching him—he’d thought about what it would be like to hold her and kiss her. And make love to her.
Whoa. He was probably thinking way too fast for such a new re-acquaintance. But she kissed like a dream. Like she’d been waiting as long as he had to learn what it would be like—the two of them, together.
The kiss ended, and he backed off. When he opened his eyes, she was still poised close, a dreamy expression on her lovely face. He wanted to kiss her again, but he didn’t want to push. She was special. He had to treat her that way.
Maybe it was his imagination, but the call of the sun was quieter now. It was still there, in the back of his mind, but it was much less urgent. Had kissing Tina done that?
He raised his hand and stroked a strand of hair away from the side of her face. “I’ve wanted to do that for a very long time,” he whispered, not sure why he was speaking. Maybe it was easier to reveal truths in the dark before dawn. Whatever it was, he felt like he had to say some things to her now that he had her here, in his house. “I always thought you were the prettiest girl in our graduating class, but that I’d never be good enough for you.”
Her eyes widened. “You were a rogue back then. The loveable bad boy all the girls wanted to date.”
“None of them could hold a candle to you, Tina. You were, and still are, a class act.” His gaze held hers, a magnetic pull between them that he was finding hard to ignore.
“And you’re still a rogue, riding motorcycles and fast cars,” she whispered, coming in for another kiss. Yeah. Maybe she was feeling it, too.
Lance moved closer, this time, taking her in his arms. He stood from his stool, and she followed him, moving into his embrace as if she’d been made to fit there. The kiss deepened into something even more serious and profound. Dipping low to cup her butt, he lifted her up onto the granite slab that covered the kitchen island. Then, he made a place for himself between her thighs, all while keeping the kiss going.
It was a smoldering fire that was quenched only by her lips. She soothed his raging inferno of desire into something altogether sublime. She was his equal and his opposite, and she seemed to be enjoying this as much as he was.
She scooted closer to him on the countertop, pressing her body into his. He was going to take things to the next level when the early morning silence was broken—for the second time that day—by the loud ring of his phone.
Lance broke the kiss and just stood there for a moment, resting his forehead against hers. “Damn.” He was breathing hard, but so was she. They’d been lost to the world, but the phone had brought them both crashing back to reality. “I have to answer that. It could be something important. Nobody calls this early, except when they really need something.”
“I understand,” she whispered, reaching for the phone, which was on the counter behind her. She handed it to him as he moved away.
Chapter Five
Tina couldn’t believe she’d just been kissing sexy Lance Fiori as if her life depended on it. Damn. He was a good kisser. And she might’ve learned a whole lot more about his lovemaking had the phone not brought them both to their senses. Saved by the bell. Or not. She wasn’t sure if she was upset by the interruption or relieved by it.
Lance was taking notes while still on the phone. It sounded like some sort of automotive crisis that only he could handle. She wasn’t thrilled by the idea that he had to leave—not after they’d just been kissing like there was no tomorrow—but she also understood that he had his own business, and he had to keep that going, not only for himself, but for all those he employed.
When he finally ended the call, she was already on her feet, her pocketbook in hand. She was planning to make a hasty exit, trying to keep what little dignity she still had intact, but he stopped her, putting one muscular arm around her waist.
“Where are you going?” he asked, his voice gentler than she’d ever heard it.
She couldn’t quite meet his eyes. �
��You’ve got work to do. I don’t want to get in your way.”
He turned her so that they were standing face to face, but she didn’t know where to look. Lance was completely outside her limited experience with men. He was something greater than any man she’d ever been with. He was Lance. Her high school crush. Possibly a freaking phoenix shifter. It was all just a little bit too much.
But Lance wasn’t letting her get away that easily. He lifted her head with one calloused finger under her chin. He didn’t force her, but he also would not be denied. She met his gaze, cringing a little inside at what might be going through his mind.
“Will you come back later this afternoon?” His question took her by complete surprise.
“Why?” The word escaped without her conscious control.
“A lot of reasons. First, I seem to like having you around.” His lopsided grin warmed her heart. “Second, I really want to talk to you more about this phoenix thing. And third…” He caressed her hair with one gentle hand as he looked deep into her eyes. “The call of the desert is less when you’re around. It was driving me crazy before you called and all while I was waiting for you to arrive, but now… Now, it’s much more manageable, for the first time in weeks. It’s been driving me a little crazy, if I’m honest, and I didn’t realize how bad it had gotten until now. You muted it. I mean, it’s still there, but it’s way less. You did that, Tina. I have no other explanation. If you hadn’t already told me you were a witch, I’d start thinking it now.”
His smile invited her to do the same. “All right,” she agreed quietly.
“Will you go to dinner with me? I’ll make reservations,” he offered.
“Reservations? Should I get dressed up?”
He liked the playful light in her eyes. “Yeah, why don’t we? Let’s do this up right. I haven’t been out to a nice place in too long, and I definitely owe you a special dinner for all the help you’ve been so far.”
“I’d like that,” she told him. He felt like he’d just won the lottery. “Now, I just have one more question before I go. Do you have a right-hand man? Some employee or partner in your business that you trust more than the others?”
“Yeah, I guess. Why?” he asked, surprised and a bit concerned by her question.
“Because I think we need to have a contact among your shifters. Somebody needs to know what you’re up against, just in case I’m not here and you have a crisis. You need allies, right now, Lance. Is there someone you trust enough that you’ll let him or her in on your secret?” Her gaze was serious, her words troubling.
“There’s Stone. He runs the mechanics. He’s a good man,” Lance told her, confident in his friend and employee, but would Stone think they were completely nuts? “Are you absolutely positive they’re shifters?”
“Oh, yeah, I’m positive,” she assured him. “And don’t worry. You don’t have to do this part on your own. I’m going to come back before closing time. Maybe you could set up a meeting with this Stone guy in your office for like an hour before quitting time? I’ll be glad to break the news and see if he’s willing to help. I can also probably tell if he’s on the level or not, which is something else we need to establish before we know exactly who you can trust.”
“On the level?” This was getting complicated.
“Lance, the kind of power you have inside you is very tempting to magic users with evil intent. If you survive your first shift, you’re not completely out of the woods. There may be people out there plotting against you. Like I said, you’re going to need allies. The people who’ve gathered around you have done so for a reason. My contacts seem to think they would be a good place to start in the search for those allies.”
“All right,” he caved, willing to trust Tina in this crazy business, where he probably wouldn’t trust anyone else so easily. “I’ll set up the meeting.”
“Then, I’ll be here around four in the afternoon. Does that work?” she asked, smiling up at him so beautifully he had to bend down and buss her on the lips.
*
At four o’clock, Lexi announced Tina’s arrival, and Stone showed up, a rag in his hands that he was using to clean the grease out from under his fingernails. His hands were clean, but he was a little fussy about removing all the traces of his labors before he headed home. Some of the guys teased him about it, but most followed his example. Lance privately thought he must have the cleanest garage in the history of garages, but maybe that was because shifters were more sensitive about things like odors and sounds.
Lance had been thinking about it all day. If a person could turn into an animal at will, wouldn’t they have more acute senses than regular folk? He thought that was what the legends said, so maybe there was some truth to it all. He wasn’t sure. Yet another question for Tina, or maybe for Stone…if he didn’t laugh his way out of Lance’s office first.
Lance hoped like hell that he wasn’t about to make a fool of himself. All he really had was Tina’s word for the fact that there were supposedly a bunch of shapeshifters all around him every day. What if she was wrong? What if he was losing his ever-loving mind? What if this was all a big mistake?
But then, he thought about the kisses he’d shared with Tina. Something that felt that right could never be a mistake.
He’d felt so good all day. Better than he’d felt in a long time. The call of the sun had been so much less. It had been a blessed relief not to have that itchy feeling in his mind, driving him to go out to the desert and…what? He still wasn’t sure about this phoenix stuff.
What was he going to do? Sprout wings and fly? Yeah, right. Lance still didn’t really believe that sort of thing was possible for him. Maybe werewolves were real. He was almost ready to accept that because there had been so many myths and legends throughout the ages about such things. There had to be some element of truth in there somewhere, right?
But people turning into birds? Flaming birds that fly into the sun? Fat chance.
Although… There were plenty of legends about the phoenix out there. He’d done a little web surfing at odd moments throughout the day and had read some of them. It was the stuff of fantasy. Mythology. Ancient lore that really didn’t seem to have a bearing on the world today.
He just didn’t know. It felt like maybe… Maybe there might be some truth to it, but he couldn’t be sure. Not yet, anyway.
Still, he was troubled enough by the rising and setting of the sun, that he was willing to explore the possibilities. He sort of dreaded the meeting to come, though. What if Tina was wrong about Stone and the guys in the shop? Lance didn’t want his employees thinking he was crazy.
“You wanted to see me, boss?” Stone took a chair in front of Lance’s desk, still working on his fingers with the clean rag.
“Yeah. Just hang on for a minute. I have another friend coming,” Lance told him, going to the doorway to meet Tina on the way in.
He kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear. “Are you sure about this?”
When he stepped back, she nodded. “Quite sure,” and strode into the office to look at Stone, seated in one of the guest chairs. “Hello, Alpha.”
Stone sat up straight in his chair and narrowed his gaze on Tina. He didn’t look friendly. In fact, Lance didn’t like the way his employee was looking at Tina at all.
“Do I know you?” Stone said, sounding more than a bit unfriendly.
Lance stepped between them. “Tina is an old friend of mine. We went to high school together. Tina, this is Stone. Now, play nice,” Lance ordered them, only half joking.
Tina looked at the open door and waved her hand at it. Lance’s jaw dropped as the door slammed shut.
“I’m a witch. I serve the Light,” Tina said rather boldly. “And I want to help Lance. He’s in trouble, and he needs allies.”
Stone seemed to weigh her words before he answered. “What sort of trouble?”
“Do you know what he is?” Tina countered the question with another.
“Not really,” Stone admitte
d, looking uncomfortably at Lance then moving his gaze back to Tina.
“He doesn’t know for certain either, but I’ve been in touch with the priestess of the Redstone Clan and her mate. They think they recognize the signs,” Tina spoke more softly. “They think he’s a phoenix.”
Stone looked at Lance again, as if measuring him. He paused so long that Lance began to feel uncomfortable, but he refused to fidget.
“Well, hell. That would explain a lot of things,” Stone finally said.
Holy shit. Had Stone just admitted to believing in the crazy world of shapeshifters and magic? Son of a gun, but Lance believed he had.
“Like why you and your Pack members were drawn here? Why you feel compelled to watch out for him?” Tina asked quietly. “If we’re right, he’s nearing the crisis point. If he shifts, he’ll need something to come back for…or he won’t come back at all.”
“Sweet Mother of All,” Stone breathed.
Chapter Six
Lance was nervous as the sun started its descent. He was out in the desert behind his house. He’d built his shop on the outskirts of town and put his house behind that, so he’d have a vantage on the sandy scrub land that stretched for miles. It had called to him—like the sun was calling to him now—taunting him. Begging him to chase it as it sank below the horizon.
Once Tina had established the mind-blowing fact that he was, indeed, working with a bunch of shapeshifters, things had happened rather quickly. Stone had identified himself as the Alpha of the group of mechanic-slash-werewolves who were on Lance’s payroll. Apparently, that meant he was their leader and could make decisions for the group.
Stone had gone on to identify the other kinds of shifters—the bear in the paint shop and Lexi the lynx up front among them. It turned out there was quite a wide range of Others working for Lance in one form or another, and a lot of their suppliers were also shifter businesses. That was something Lance hadn’t even considered.
