Phoenix Crossing

by Cara Carnes

  “Clearly, you two have much to discuss when she wakes.” He smirked. “Don’t give up on her. She’ll push, challenge you at every turn. Her nature resists help. If we didn’t engrain independence in her, I know those evil fucking phoenixes she spent the last ten years with did.”

  “Is it over?”

  “For her, yes. I’m handling Lucian. She won’t appreciate my intervention, but she’s done enough. I don’t know many warriors who could’ve done what she did today. She destroyed every phoenix warrior she’s ever fought alongside, bled with. She killed the whelps she trained. I’m not gonna lie. That’s gonna gut her. If you aren’t man enough to pull her through, tell me now. She doesn’t ever need to know I brought her here. She’ll wake up at my place in the Realm. No harm, no foul.”

  “She’s mine,” I growled.

  “Good, then make it so. Now. Not later. Lots of shit hit the fan prior to her coming here. Until I dethrone Lucian, she’s at risk. Mate her. Your claim is her lone hope of not being forced back to the Realm.”

  “What do you mean?” I demanded. “No one’s taking her anywhere.”

  “You don’t think the king will use today to put her exactly where he’s wanted. She’s been promised to one of the sickest bastards in my realm. She sealed her fate today, unless I manage to dethrone Lucian.”

  “She’s mine.”

  “What you believe doesn’t matter more than what you can prove. Make her yours.”

  I growled to the empty room when the prick vanished before I could pound my thoughts into his face. Jesus. My woman survived hell, and the king was still a threat? My wolf flexed beneath my skin when I stretched to rest fully at her side. I settled her into my hold, resting her head on my chest.

  Make her yours.

  I wasn’t sure she wanted to be mine. We’d spent more time denying our attraction than exploring the bond we’d forged over the past few weeks. Whatever quirks and idiosyncrasies we’d learned the past few weeks were by necessity rather than closeness. I wanted what Macen shared with Riles.

  I wanted to know she preferred the red sprinkles to the green on chocolate ice cream. I yearned for the blind trust they offered one another. Today dealt a blow to the foundation I thought existed. She’d pushed me away in the heat of battle.

  “Lane.” Her hand ran along my chest as she nuzzled her face into my neck. “I thought I’d imagined you earlier, but your scent is all over me. I enjoy waking in your bed.”

  The confession eased me, kept the dark thoughts in the distance long enough to inhale her sweet scent and draw her closer. “Don’t ever shut me out again, babe. Do you have any idea the blow you handed my wolf today? I’d rather die than stare at a wall, wondering if you were still alive or dead.”

  “I needed you safe, and all of you as far from the battle as possible. Worrying about you would’ve weakened my beasts.”

  I grabbed her hair and settled my weight atop hers, pausing long enough to note the soft mewl and rush of her arousal in my nostrils. One of these days, I’d figure out how not to be the dominant son of a bitch with her and give her the soft lover she deserved. Tonight wasn’t that night.

  I pinned her hands above her head and waited for the writhing of her soft curves to halt. She groaned softly when I brought a thigh up between her legs and pressed against the apex of hers. Leaning down, I let our breath mingle as our gazes locked. A silent battle of wills ensued, but I knew who’d win.

  She gasped and looked down. My wolf grumbled his delight. Feathering soft kisses along her cheek, I loosened the leash on my fears long enough to vocalize them for her. “I’m starting to really love your warrior side, Xan, but I need you fighting beside me, not in front. You’re mine to protect.”

  “And you’re mine.” She blinked a few times and looked up at me. “Severin. Are he and his men okay?”

  “Two casualties, several injuries. Severin is fine.” I pushed against her when she moved beneath me. “You aren’t going anywhere.”

  “Lane, please. We aren’t done. Uncle Lucian….”

  “Severin’s handling him. You’re out.” I squeezed her close, allowing my wolf to rumble in my voice. “No more, Xan. Let someone else fight.”

  She settled against me when I shifted off her, silently offering her a choice, though I’d fight to keep her here with me. Her inner warrior deserved a choice, but my beast declared the decision made.

  “H-he said he’d handle Uncle Lucian?” She stroked my chest. The contact eased the agitation rising in me. I didn’t want her to choose whatever war she waged over me. More importantly, I needed her to trust me to keep her safe. “I-I should help. I started this.”

  “No. You didn’t start whatever this is. Severin and his men will handle what’s left. All you need is rest.” I ran my hand down her arm. “He told me about the sleep thing. You should’ve told us.”

  “I know. I’m not used to admitting my weaknesses.”

  “No warrior is. Anything else I should know?”

  “Probably.” She sighed. Her hand cupped my face. “I don’t want to think, Lane. Please. Take today away.”

  ***

  Xandra

  A thousand reasons existed to leave and only one to stay. Lane. Somehow, my makeshift plan had worked. I survived. With Severin handling Uncle Lucian, I found myself at a loss of how to proceed. My entire life unfolded in survival mode.

  Mint and musk assailed my senses when I implored him with my lips to make love to me, give me something beyond the war I’d waged. My tongue delved, brushed along the seam of his lips until he opened his mouth. I seduced, taunted him into a sensuous dance, a mutual exploration. My skin tingled beneath his stroking hands as they glided along my body, removing the clothing someone had put on me.

  Heat radiated from him, and I moved closer, clawing and tugging until the material between us somehow evaporated. Growls and groans surrounded me. Pleasure ignited in my blood, firing a pulsating need between my legs.

  Severing our kiss, I licked and kissed down his neck to his expansive chest. Muscles clenched and flexed beneath my fingers and tongue. I flicked my tongue across his nipple and relished how he responded to my touch.

  Mine.

  My beasts demanded I make a claim. The strong, fierce warrior was the one I could imagine giving myself to. I wanted him to command my body, possess my soul. Complete me.

  “You’re beautiful,” he whispered. He cupped my breast and tweaked my hardened nipple with his thumb and forefinger, rolling it until the sensation spread through me, a wildfire I couldn’t contain. “So responsive.”

  I explored the ridges of his abdomen, admiring how he flexed beneath my hand. His head lowered. Heat engulfed my nipple. I grabbed him, pulling him closer, my hand on his head. My other continued its exploration, grabbing and kneading whatever flesh I could grab.

  Lane continued his ministrations from one breast to another, his hands running along my sides to my thighs. A moan escaped my parted lips when his fingers moved up my inner thigh in small circles. Goose bumps appeared wherever he grazed.

  “Spread your legs for me, sweetness. I want to taste you.”

  I shook my head. No. Too intense. He chuckled knowingly and pinned my arms at my sides.

  “Be a good girl and keep your hands in place, or I’ll make sure this lasts all night.”

  I growled my displeasure at the thought, my arousal already too rampant. No one had ever incited such a voracious response from me. Pleasure beaded beneath my skin where he kissed and licked—a direct path southward.

  Strong hands grasped my hips as he settled his weight between my parted thighs. He blew a stream of warm air along my mound and spread my sensitive folds. Deft fingers grazed me.

  “So wet,” he whispered. His tongue laved my pussy.

  I groaned and writhed against him, the contact so passionate both my beasts purred with need. Determined to please him, I dug my nails into the bedding, forcing my hands to remain where he’d placed them. His eyes sparked with unma
sked desire when he looked up at me.

  My heart thudded in a riotous tempo so strong it boomed in my ears. A whirlwind of pleasure sparked in me. Lane held me down, his fingers and mouth drawing me so near the edge I soared in a glorious cascade of sensations. His name escaped me in a moaned plea.

  “Lane, please. I need you in me.”

  He growled and covered me. His lips seized mine, the kiss so commanding air fled from my lungs. I grabbed his shoulders, digging my nails into his back as he thrust into me.

  “Mine,” he growled.

  “Yes. Yours.”

  His teeth sank into my neck, and my beasts roared their approval as I repeated his action. The taste of him ran along my tongue. Mate. Mine.

  I met each powerful thrust with a hungered need to possess him deeper, feel him buried to the hilt. My pussy clinched his hardened length.

  “Mine,” he growled again.

  Yes. Eternally. Yes.

  As the spiraling pleasure hurled me over the edge I clung to my mate, the man I’d wage any war to protect. Both beasts prowled so close to the surface their angelic and fiery heat surged along my fingertips. Tears pooled in my eyes. I had a reason to exist, something aside from being the weapon of a crown I didn’t respect.

  The future Lane promised in the powerful manner he possessed me eradicated the listless hopelessness that’d tormented me for so long it’d become a fathomless darkness. As I soared in the bliss with my mate, happiness overwhelmed me. Tears tumbled down my cheeks as I surrendered to my release. I clenched him and bit into his skin again, urging him to follow me into the euphoric haze awaiting us.

  “I’ve got you, Xan.” He kissed me tenderly as we collapsed into one another. “Let go. I’m here to catch you. I’ll always be here.”

  I fell in his arms, choking in racking sobs. Each tear mourned the atrocities I’d committed, the decisions I’d been forced into, the lives gone because of a madman who shared the same blood as me. My father. There’d never be enough tears to mend the savage tear his loss created in my heart.

  With enough time, the bond I’d forged with Lane would seal the wound. I kissed him tenderly and embraced the new life unfolding because of him. “Can I share a secret?”

  “Of course,” he whispered in my ear. “You can share everything with me.”

  “Riles is pregnant.”

  He tensed against me.

  “I’m not sure she’s told Macen yet. She didn’t know. I told her.”

  “I’m glad you told me, sweetness. I’ll increase her security. Speak with Macen once she’s told him.” His fingertips traced along my cheek. Molten flecks floated in the depths of his gaze. “She’ll make a good mother. So will you.”

  My stomach fluttered, and I swallowed the nervousness in me. “The thing is, when I was little—before she disappeared—we made a pact of sorts. She didn’t know, of course, but I wanted our kids to be close in age. To be raised alongside one another.”

  He grasped my hip and nibbled my ear. “You ready for little Lanes? ’Cause I am sure as hell down with a few little Xans.”

  “Let’s see what we can do to make it happen, then.”

  ~A Letter From Cara Carnes~

  When I wrote the first book, Phoenix Rising, I’d intended for it to be a standalone. The characters, however, had a very different idea. From the moment Xandra leaped onto the page, I knew Xandra’s story would be one I not only had to write, but wanted to more than anything. I know many of you were hoping Riles’s story would continue, so please be patient because I promise everything will unfold. Thank you for sharing this journey with me. I look forward to hearing from you.

  cara@caracarnes.com

  Sign up for the Decadent Publishing Newsletter here http://eepurl.com/SQ75f and never miss stories like:

  Phoenix Rising by Cara Carnes

  Chapter One

  Where the hell did it go?

  Samira frantically searched the room, tearing clothes from her dresser drawers and ripping the mound of shoes from the bottom her closet, but couldn’t find the damned tablet. She swore she brought it to her room after sentinel training the night before. “Mom.”

  A moment later, her mother’s soft, powder-like rose scent enveloped her, soothing some of the panic. Her mother had a way of calming her by just entering the room. Sam sighed as the tablet appeared in her line of sight, enclosed in its pink leather case. Taking it from her mother’s grasp, Sam hugged her tight. “Thanks.”

  “It was where you left it.” Her mother pulled back and cupped her face, forehead creasing like it did when she worried. The anxiety drifted off her, mingled with Sam’s empathy, and increased her state of nervousness about leaving home. “Are you sure you’re okay? I mean it’s so far away.”

  Sam’s heart warmed even though her tiger within growled in annoyance. Some would think at nineteen, she would have learned how to balance her human side with her tiger. It wasn’t like she didn’t know how to rein in the animal. Sam liked to let the cat rise to the surface. It gave her the edge she needed to be a good soldier. A sense of power she alone controlled. “Yes, Mom. We’ve talked about this. I need to do this. Dev’s been going to Harmony U for four years and is now working on his master’s. The independence will be good for me. And it’s only a five-hour drive.”

  Her mother, Mary Anderson, was an older, wiser version of Sam with the same straight, thick blonde hair and ice-blue eyes. Unlike her mother, Sam was a dominant female with more energy and aggression than most of the males in the pride. She got her dominant nature from her father’s alpha bloodline.

  “That’s five hours too far.”

  Sam groaned, pulled out of her mother’s arms, and shoved her tablet inside her tote bag. She, as well as others in the den, didn’t need to leave the pride to get degrees. Sam already had her AA in Chemistry through online classes, but she wanted the experience of working next to humans, learning their world. “Mom. I’m in more danger staying here and going through Dev’s brutal sentinel training.”

  Sentinels were above the enforcers—soldiers who enforced pride laws—and served as the personal guards of the alpha and his family. Sam would be the first female and the youngest sentinel in the history of the Jasper Springs pride—a duty she didn’t take lightly. She welcomed everything Devon threw at her.

  “Not true, dear. Devon would rather cut his own head off than let anything happen to you.”

  Sam laughed as she led her mother down the hall to the living room. She had a point. Dev might be her cousin, but he loved her like a little sister. He was her mentor and trainer. He was also one of her best friends.

  Even though she wasn’t leaving until the next morning, Sam wanted to be prepared when Dev arrived bright and early. Another reason why she’d packed days before.

  Stopping in the middle of the living room, she scanned the area. Her bags and a single box sat beside the door. That was all she was taking to the university with her. Not that she wasn’t allowed to bring a lot of stuff, she simply didn’t have a need for too many things. Plus Dev had said the dorm rooms were smaller than her bedroom, so she’d decided to pack light.

  Over the gray stone fireplace hung a family portrait. Her sixteen-year-old self sat on a high stool and her parents stood behind her, their hands rested on her shoulders. It was a little outdated, and they’d have to take another picture soon. Right after her sister arrived in a month.

  Glancing over, Sam froze and her heart seemed to stop for a second. Bent at the waist, her very pregnant mother started to lift the suitcase as if to move it. She would give Sam a heart attack one day. “Mom. Put that down. It’s fine where it is. Besides, Dev will get it in the morning. Didn’t Asia put you on bed rest?”

  The stubborn woman always insisted on doing things for herself.

  “Samira, don’t be silly. I feel great.”

  “Listen to your daughter, Mary.”

  The deep voice from the doorway sent a jolt of excitement through her. Spinning, she spied her father ente
ring the small foyer. A burst of giddiness lit her inside. His brown hair was tousled like he’d fallen asleep on the flight, or maybe the car ride from the airport. Maybe both.

  “Dad, you made it!” She rushed over, threw her arms around him, and squeezed.

  He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her. “I wouldn’t have missed your last day home for anything.”

  The anxiety had built up since the day before when he hadn’t shown and made her edgier the closer it got to the time Dev would drive her to Harmony Springs. She considered not going until her father showed. Yes, it was a little childish, but she didn’t care. This was her first time ever leaving the pride. She needed both her parents there to see her go.

  Connor Anderson was the pride’s beta and sometimes assisted his twin brother, Colt, with pride business, such as acting like the alpha when it came to the council. Which was where her father had been for the past week.

  “How was your trip?”

  “Draining. I hate flying.” He released Sam and strode over to his mate. With a swift movement, he lifted her in his arms and bit her ear. Sam blushed and looked away from her parents’ playful display of affection. Their love for one another made her heart swell. They were totally devoted. They could even finish each other’s sentences. It was annoying sometimes.

  Following them to the sofa, she smiled wide. “You two enjoy each other, but not too much. There are still things I don’t want to see.” Her dad waggled his eyebrows, making Sam crinkle her nose up at them. “I’m going to fix dinner. You two behave.”

  Sam sighed. She hoped one day she would find a mate she could be that in love with.

  ***

  “You nervous, kitten?”

  Samira let out a low, playful growl at her cousin’s question. He knew the right buttons to push her impulsive nature. Taking a deep breath, she watched out the car window as he drove through the university campus toward the dorms on the south end. Harmony University wasn’t a large school, but she wouldn’t describe it as small either. It was about four city blocks with three main academic buildings, several smaller buildings in between, and groups of dorms that were either apartments or houses randomly placed throughout the campus.