Phaze

by S. C. Mitchell

  “How did you know Carlos was in a coma?” Joel just found that out from the hospital a few hours ago.

  Kayla shrugged. “He told me.”

  And somehow Joel wasn’t the least bit surprised.

  Chapter 30

  Jason “Yoda” Pike was laid to rest with a number of his fallen men, in Arlington National Cemetery on an overcast, snowy day. A small service, as he’d wanted. Just his men and Xi Force.

  Kayla went through two handkerchiefs and a wad of tissues that Joel managed to miraculously produce from his suit jacket pockets.

  Paul Tompkins took command of Pike’s Rangers and started recruiting to fill the lost positions. Between deaths and injuries, only eight of the original rangers would be returning to Xi Force. They were keeping the name, Pike’s Rangers, in honor of their fallen leader.

  Carlos recovered fully, and was in the process of getting his green card so he could work in the United States. Whether he’d be a full part of the team was yet to be considered, but he’d be hanging around until all the legal work was done on his sister.

  And it was his sister, in another woman’s body, that they’d brought back. Carlos confirmed the other woman’s soul had been taken by a demon called Og shortly after Kayla passed back into the real world. It had not been pretty.

  Plus Olivia more than confirmed her identity when she whined about moving to the new headquarters. “But Mason’s was so close to the old place. There’s nothing out here, I don’t have a driver’s license, I never learned how to drive a car, and I can’t get to my nexus anymore.”

  Then she discovered she could stream Magic Mike right to her room’s monitor, and she settled down.

  The body she now inhabited had not yet been identified. The men captured at the castle were not part of the peacekeeping force, and all of them managed suicide before talking. Carlos suspected they belonged to a sorcerer cult, and had snuck onto the island to use the castle. He said there were many mysterious magical communities around the world, most were benign, but occasionally a group would use dark arts to excess.

  He had some contacts among some of the more radical groups, and was actively investigating the incident and individuals involved.

  Olivia didn’t seem to care whose body she happened to be inhabiting. She considered it hers now.

  Aaron was still working out all the legalities of Olivia’s status, but Chris and Joel coming back from the dead paved the way for a ghost to return, even after almost two decades on the other side.

  It took another month of turmoil, packing, and moving, before they finally started to settle into their new headquarters, but Kayla’s new lab more than made up for the inconvenience. The huge room featured an array of new toys to play with that included a sewing machine with a needle so fine it was measured in nanometers.

  For some reason, nobody else thought that was cool.

  But for Kayla, it was magical.

  ~ ~ ~

  With a warm winter jacket and Joel’s arms wrapped around her, Kayla didn’t feel the cold. Just the satisfying warmth of peace and love.

  Snowflakes tumbled through the sky, whisked slightly by the light breeze that trickled through the pines. The thwip, thwip of helicopter blades reverberated off the mountain side as the aircraft lowered a pre-built structure into place near the mountain’s peak.

  “Do you think Wylde will like his new cabin?” It did seem the perfect compromise.

  Joel chuckled. “It’s a far cry better than that cave he and his pack have been living in the past week.”

  Wylde hadn’t taken well to living under a mountain. Just one day after moving in to the newly renovated, secret Xi Force Headquarters, Wylde packed his things (they fit in a backpack), and took the wolves out into the wilderness.

  “I can’t breathe down here,” he’d said as he left.

  The structure settled, and the copter took off, as a ground crew set about hooking up the utilities to Wylde’s new cabin.

  “At least he’ll have electricity to charge his phone so we can contact him, and a shower, so he doesn’t stink when we have to call him in for meetings.”

  Wylde was a character, but for the most part he’d accepted being a full member of Xi Force, and as the pups grew, it was probably a good thing to keep them out of the compound. Wylde wanted them kept wild, though he’d given up all claim to Jimmy.

  Mary and Jimmy were inseparable. And a runt no more, Jimmy had grown bigger than his siblings.

  Heather was still trying to figure out what happened to merge the two, at least they were settled, and Heather had someone else to run tests on.

  Kayla sighed, her breath a frosty steam in the chill air.

  This did feel like a fresh start.

  She and Joel were good.

  No, better than good. He was the one. She knew that deep in her heart and with every fiber of her being.

  They were taking thing slow. Getting to know each other better. Going out on dates. Talking.

  Loving.

  There they were in complete sync. Though they kept separate apartments, her bedroom was only a thin wall away from his, and Kayla spent most nights with him.

  As they watched Wylde’s new cabin come into being on the mountaintop above, he sidled behind her, then wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close and resting his head against hers. “So, have you thought about it?”

  Her heart warmed.

  Aaron had given her an option. She could go back to her lab full time, only suiting up as Phaze occasionally, when the job called for it. Or she could stay on the team full time, head into the field at every call with the rest of them, and still use that wonderful lab space to design costumes and research in her off hours. It was really just where she wanted to put her emphasis.

  Joel hadn’t pushed, but he had made it clear he preferred the lab option. “I’d worry less if I knew you were safe back here.”

  But, of course, she’d worry more, every time he headed out on a mission without her.

  Still, it wasn’t even that. She was unique in all the world. She had powers granted her for a reason. She truly believed that.

  This superhero thing wasn’t just a phase she was going through. Phaze was what she was, and what she would remain, as long as she could help Xi Force.

  “Don’t hate me.”

  He spun her then, gazing deep in her eyes. “I could never hate you. I love you. And I figured that was what you would choose anyway. It’s who you are.”

  Then he kissed her, hard and long. A passionate fire ignited deep in her core. God, she loved him.

  Then he broke the kiss, released her and took a step back. His expression serious. “So now that I know, I need you to make another choice.”

  He went down on one knee and pulled a small box from his pocket. “Marry me?”

  Jimmy

  A Xi Force short story

  Dove Locklear ran her fingers through Jimmy’s thick pelt, scratching him behind the ears, the way he liked it. Playful as ever, the wolf pup rolled onto his back, whining for a belly rub.

  “Scamp.” It was so hard not to accommodate the little rascal.

  Little? Not so much anymore.

  Mary Cullen got there first, scratching and rolling the pup from side to side. He was just so adorable.

  Dove captured Mary’s gaze as she surrendered the belly to scratch the pup’s head instead. “I can’t explain it.”

  Jimmy’s growth spurt was off the charts. Once the runt of Wylde’s pack, he was easily a six inches taller than either Clark or Bruce, and they’d been the largest of the pups up until about a week ago.

  He was approaching adult size, yet still a pup at heart. Scampering about as ungainly as ever, he often executed a nose dive into the floor, his big paws splaying out when he trie
d to plant them. His coordination hadn’t caught up with his new size.

  “I haven’t been over feeding him. I promise.” Mary continued to rub his stomach. The love and affection for the not-so-little guy shown clear in her eyes.

  “You’ve taken good care of him. I can’t fault you there.” John Wylde leaned against the door frame, looking sexy as hell in jeans and a too-tight T-shirt. His big arm muscles bulged in just the right places to attract Dove’s attention and send her mind whirling.

  This was not the string-bean she’d known as a kid.

  And yet, he was.

  Tortured, moody, and stoic, his eyes did occasionally light up, and if she dug hard enough she could even unearth a smile. Just like when they’d been kids together playing in their fathers’ lab.

  “So, are you okay with Mary keeping him?” Dove might just as well jump into this. Aaron put her in charge of sorting out this mess.

  Most thought keeping Jimmy and Mary together made sense, but Jimmy was part of Wylde’s pack, and he needed to have a say in any decision.

  Wylde pushed off the door frame, entering the room. “He’s big enough to vie for pack Alpha. I know it should be far too soon, but I have to ask, is he sexually mature? I need a breeding alpha before Natasha and Wando go into heat again.”

  “I’m not letting him mate with his mother, and Natasha will never give up being the alpha female, at least not to Wanda.” Yes, there had been some documented cases of wolf incest, but it was rare. Wolf packs tended to be closed societies, but there was usually a large enough gene pool and studies showed wolves did not tend to mate with close relatives.

  And she hated the thought of putting Jimmy in the middle of the pack’s current dynamics. Dove had a soft spot for him in her heart.

  She certainly wasn’t going to try and force the issue just to save John some embarrassment in a few months. There were other ways to handle his situation.

  But all that probably didn’t really matter anyway. It certainly looked like, even with his growth spurt, that Jimmy would not be sexually mature enough to mate this season.

  Jimmy jumped up as Wylde approached him. His hackles raised, he growled and snarled. This was a wolf alpha challenge. What the hell was the pup doing?

  This was so out of character for the usually placid pup.

  But John raised his hands and backed a step. “Okay, I get it. But you know Bruce or Clark wouldn’t stand a chance against you. You could be the pack alpha.”

  Jimmy snorted and lay down, tucking his chin into his paws.

  John bowed slightly. “Yours was the only opinion that mattered to me in this discussion anyway. I will respect your wishes, but know this. You are now a lone wolf.”

  Then he caught Mary’s gaze. “Good luck with him.”

  Tears ran down Mary’s cheeks. “He chose me over his pack.”

  John turned and left the room.

  It was only after he left that Dove realized her gaze had been locked on his sexy ass all the way.

  So not the string-bean she’d known as a kid.

  ~ ~ ~

  Clark met Wylde at the doorway to his new cabin. Is the runt coming back to the pack?

  “No.” Wylde closed the door. “And you, at least, are better off without him. He is no longer the runt. He’s larger and stronger than you.”

  Natasha’s ears perked up. Really?

  None of the pack had seen Jimmy since the battle. At some point, no doubt, they would encounter the lone wolf. That would be an interesting meeting.

  His pack lay about the cabin, warm, safe . . . domesticated?

  No. Not yet, and he’d have to work his ass off to keep them wild. They were his family, not his pets. The whole mating season thing was coming up far faster than he’d like. Dove was checking on some zoos that had wolves, but Wylde doubted Natasha would find a caged wolf acceptable.

  Maybe there was another pack in the area, or maybe a stray lone wolf. They hadn’t ranged very far from the new Xi Force base yet. That at least would be a way to keep his pack engaged.

  “Up, everyone. We hunt.”

  No more bags of dog food for his pack. The lands around held plenty of wildlife.

  Winter’s first snowfall lay on the ground. Only an inch or so, but the air was crisp, and there was a host of interesting scents to follow.

  Natasha, Wanda, and the cubs loped out of the cabin, following Wylde down the mountainside and into the dense forest.

  Winter was here. Mating season was coming. But Wylde’s thoughts kept being drawn to Dove’s face.

  Okay, also her willowy, sexy body.

  She was not the little girl he’d known as a child. And she was one of his few true friends. He wasn’t about to screw that up.

  Or was he?

  Mating season was coming, and he was part wolf.

  Wylde huffed. “This is such a mistake. A book about me will never sell.”*

  *Author’s note: We will see.

  Also by S.C. Mitchell and Soul Mate Publishing:

  THE BLARMLING DILEMMA

  (HEARTS IN ORBIT BOOK 1)

  “They’re not animals. They’re people!”

  Phoebe Callista’s pleas fall on deaf ears and she’s forced to rescue two helpless Blarmlings from certain death. Fleeing across a backwater sector of the galaxy, with Galactic Marshals in hot pursuit, Phoebe falls into the hands of a handsome but determined bounty hunter.

  Rigel Antares has captured wanted criminals throughout the galaxy rim, but he’s never come across anything like Phoebe Callista. The gorgeous blonde is playing the innocent, and something deep inside wants to believe her, but Rigel has problems of his own—a ship that’s falling apart and an unscrupulous Galactic Marshal looking for any excuse to send him back to the prison planets of the Theiler System.

  An intergalactic circus, vicious space pirates, and a planet full of backtechers cross their paths as two hearts go into orbit to save a pair of adorable Blarmlings.

  HEARTS IN ORBIT BOOK 1: THE BLARMLING DILEMMA is a science fiction romance set in the far-flung space traveling future, and sets a new course across the galaxy that leads to love and adventure.

  Available now on Amazon: THE BLARMLING DILEMMA

  SON OF THUNDER

  (HEAVENLY WAR SERIES BOOK 1)

  The man looked like a god. Then again, he was one . . .

  Jord Thorson was a god–the son of Thor, the Norse God of Thunder. In his search to find his missing father, Jord seeks out the mortal, Meghan Larson, who is in possession of his only clue–Megingjörð, Thor’s magical belt of power.

  But when the belt decides to take matters into its own hands, locking itself around Meghan’s waist, Jord and Meghan are plunged into the middle of a massive conflict that rages across the heavens.

  Giants, magical artifacts, and a golden city in the clouds weren’t exactly what Meghan Larson expected when that amazing belt arrived at her museum. Now Megingjörð is stuck around her waist and talking to her in her head. She’s got to be dreaming, but with the wonders around her and hunky Jord Thorson at her side, Meghan’s not sure she wants to wake up.

  Available now on Amazon: SON OF THUNDER

  PIRATES OF THE DARK NEBULA

  (HEARTS IN ORBIT BOOK 2)

  It can’t fall into the wrong hands.

  Luna Callista holds the key to a galaxy-changing new technology. Captured by a ruthless band of deep-space pirates, she’s rescued by a man filled with dark secrets of his own. Who is Rik Mazar?

  Galactic protector or rogue pirate?

  After three years undercover among the Brotherhood of the Dark Nebula, Rik Mazar isn’t sure what side of the law he’s walking. In a world of murder and betrayal, his life goes on the line every day. But, protecting Luna Callista means putting hi
s heart in as much danger as his hide.

  A rusting service droid, a Ferang fortuneteller, and a ship full of back-water refugees are their only allies, as two hearts go into orbit to save a galaxy in peril.

  HEARTS IN ORBIT: VOLUME 2 – PIRATES OF THE DARK NEBULA is a science fiction romance set in the far-flung space-traveling future, continuing the series’ course across a galaxy filled with love and adventure.

  Available now on Amazon: PIRATES OF THE DARK NEBULA

  DAUGHTER OF DARKNESS

  (HEAVENLY WAR SERIES BOOK 2)

  “It wouldn’t be the first time I’d been kicked out of heaven.”

  After a thousand years in exile, the goddess Nott learned to live without interaction with the other Norse Gods. Hidden away amidst the devastation of a dead heaven, and working to aid the besieged mortals of Midgaard, Nott found peace. The night is her realm, and darkness her best friend. But war finds her. And her grandfather, Loki, wants her at his side, when he conquers Asgaard.

  And then there’s Tyr . . .

  Visions of the Night Goddess have haunted Tyr’s dreams for a millennium. Unjustly accused, she’d fled Asgaard before he could stop her. Now, circumstances offer him an opportunity to reconnect with the woman who’d walked away from the Golden Realm—the woman who’d eluded him for a thousand years, yet always haunted his dreams. But Nott’s family ties threaten to put the goddess on the other side, in a war that’s blazing across the heavens.

  Available now on Amazon: DAUGHTER OF DARKNESS

  BETWEEN VENUS AND MARS

  (THE SOUL MATE TREE BOOK 3)

  Once Upon a Galaxy . . .

  Zana Starchild is on a mission to restore her tribe’s livestock and save herself from one more meal of kelp. Sure, it’s technically illegal to visit Old Earth, but to a rim rat like Zana, galactic laws are really just guidelines. Her wrecked starship just means she’ll need to use her backup plan to get off the abandoned world, an old Earth legend her uncle passed down to her.