by Jo Vanz
Mark pulled out his phone and scrolled through it. “He will meet us at a small café down the street from his job in about twenty minutes. So we should leave now. It will be easier to walk there.”
Both Katie and Paul nodded their heads before getting up and placing their dishes in the sink. Paul wrapped his arms around her from behind and pulled her in close. Her head gently fell back onto his shoulder.
“When all of this is done and over with, I will have you under me again, moaning my name as I give you unbelievable pleasure,” Paul whispered into her ear before giving it a little nip. Katie swiveled her hips so that her ass rubbed up against him. He was instantly hard. What he wouldn’t give to just bend her over right here and now. To take her from behind, her hair wrapped around his hand.
Mark cleared his throat. Paul moaned and removed his hands from Katie’s breasts, he hadn’t even realized he had been groping them. Which was a damn shame. He always wanted to remember everything he did to those beautiful mounds.
“Can we go now?” Mark asked in an irritated tone that made Paul want to punch him. Paul couldn’t remember the last time he had been this pissed off at his brother. Everything he did right now just added fuel to the fire.
“Yes,” Paul barked out before clenching his jaw shut. He stepped away from Katie and quickly slipped on his shoes. They were out the door within a few minutes.
The elevator ride was silent. Tension filled the air as they made their descent. Paul rotated his neck until he heard a slight pop before rotating it in the other direction. When that didn’t seem to help, he tried taking a few deep breaths. He was on edge. Nothing seemed to be helping.
Katie threaded her fingers through his as Paul looked down into her eyes. He loved the way the light glinted off of the gold. Even the small purple streak seemed to glitter. He could get lost in her gaze. Everything that had been weighing on his shoulders melted away.
She smiled at him as the elevator dinged and the doors swept open. “Are you okay?” she asked with concern written all over her face.
“I am now,” Paul said with a slight nod of his head. It was so strange to him still, how all it took was one look from his mate for everything to melt away. For him to be okay again. He never wanted to lose this beautiful woman next to him.
Katie pulled his hand as she stepped out of the elevator and into the lobby following Mark. Paul reluctantly went. He hated the idea that his mate and Queen was about to head out to meet some stranger, let alone a Phoenix. Paul had never met one before. They were rare, yet he had heard stories of how ruthless they could be. How cold they were. They never made any lasting connections. The thought made him uneasy. No connections meant they were loyal to no one. This unknown Phoenix could turn his back on them at any moment.
Paul sighed as they made their way out the glass lobby doors. He automatically reached for the knife that he usually carried on his hip with his free hand. He gave himself a mental kick when he realized it wasn’t here. He had been so wrapped up in his own aggression when they left the apartment that he hadn’t grabbed it. Paul had half a mind to turn back for it but the thought died when Mark finally spoke.
“I must warn you. Chiles is bit of a hot head. A short temper and flames don’t mix well.” He glanced over at Katie and Mark with a half smile. “But don’t let that bother you too much. He is a great guy otherwise. Has a lot of respect for any female he meets.”
“Don’t you think that is something that you should have told us sooner?” Paul bit out at him.
“No, because I know you. You have been on edge the last few days as it is. I didn’t need you getting all worked up. You need to stay calm. We need his help.” Mark came to a stop in front of a small coffee shop.
“I hate to agree with Mark right now, but you have been kinda tense lately,” Katie said as her eyes darted away from his. “I’m here for you when you are ready to tell me what is going on. But for now you need to go into this with a clear, stable head.
“I do have a clear head,” Paul grumbled. “It’s my emotions that are playing havoc on me.” He rubbed a hand over his face. He wasn’t sure how to put his feelings into words.
Katie gave him a look of pity. “I know how that feels. We can discuss it later though. Right now we need to talk to this Phoenix.” Paul gave a slight nod in agreement.
They went over and sat down at a table on the sidewalk. With each passing moment the need to protect Katie grew. He could feel the sweat beading on his brow as he gazed upon the crowd of people passing them.
Paul froze as his eyes landed on a small form in the crowd. The sunlight glinted off of her red hair. She turned and stared straight into his eyes. Julie.
Paul stood, never taking his eyes off the traitorous bitch. The woman responsible for the dragon race dying. The one person who had kidnapped innocent babies all because they were females, then left them to the mercy of humans while the parents believed their child dead. Paul shook his head. One day he would have the chance to inflict the same pain on her. To make her wish she was dead. She smirked at him before turning and slipping away through the rush of humans. Paul tried his best to track her movements but lost her when Katie distracted him.
She pulled on his hand, causing him to look down at her. “What’s wrong?” she asked, concern filling her voice.
Paul shook his head. He wasn’t sure if he had actually seen Julie or if it was just his own fear wreaking havoc and making him see her. “It was nothing, love. I promise.” He eased back into his seat, avoiding her eyes. He hated himself for lying to his mate. He knew that if he had told them what he saw then they would either flip out or think he was lying. So for now he would just keep his mouth shut.
“There he is,” Mark said as he stood and looked behind Paul and Katie.
They turned to see a huge man barreling toward them. He was bigger than Paul in just about every aspect. His skin held a slight shimmer. It was as if his flames burned even now. Paul watched as people went out of their way to avoid Chiles. Tattoos covered the skin that wasn’t covered by black leather.
Paul reached for Katie’s hand and held it. That little bit of contact helped to keep him grounded. He was tiptoeing the line already and seeing this behemoth of a man had just about sent him flying over.
“Good to see you, Mark,” Chiles said as he reached out to shake Mark’s hand in greeting. “This must be your brother that I have heard so much about. But who would this pretty little lady be?”
“That would be…” Paul was cut off from saying his wife when Katie spoke up.
“The little lady would be the Queen of the Dragons. So how about you show a little more respect?” she snapped before giving him a nice big toothy grin. Paul couldn’t stop himself from smiling before he leaned in and gave her a quick kiss.
Chiles smirked. “A queen with a no bullshit attitude. I like that.” He took a seat that Mark offered. “So what is so freakin’ important?” he asked in an annoyed tone.
“What can you tell us about the magic your kind possesses?” Katie asked.
“Ahhh, it’s going to be one of those conversations.” Chiles looked over to Mark. “You could have warned me, jackass.”
“If I had, would you have shown up?” Mark smirked at him.
“No,” was all Chiles said before leaning back in his seat.
***
Katie watched Chiles with unwavering mistrust. The man just seemed off to her. He was overly cocky, had a bad attitude, and Katie got the feeling that he had no loyalties to anyone. Which made him a liability. She was starting to wonder if they should move forward with their plan, or if they should walk away now.
Chiles leaned back in his chair, bringing the front two legs off the ground. He swiped a hand over his face. “Look, I can only tell you what I know, which honestly isn’t much.”
“Why is that?” Katie asked. She figured that he would have to know something about his history.
Chiles sighed. “Look, we aren’t like the dragons. I have only
ever met one other Phoenix in my life. He told me just enough for me to go searching for answers. And well, what I have found isn’t much.”
“Well all right then. Tell us what you do know and maybe we can go from there. Help each other out.” Katie gave him a slight smile. She could tell that Chiles wanted more answers, just like they did. So maybe, just maybe they could work together. Find everything they needed and bring Chiles over to their side. Katie got the feeling that he would be a good resource, even if he weirded her out.
“Fine,” Chiles grumbled. “To understand everything, you have to know our origins. Without that everything will confuse you.”
Katie sat there quietly, listening as Chiles explained that a Phoenix was first born from a solar flare that reached Earth. But not just any solar flare, it had to be huge to carry them that far. They were created in the sun’s fire, so therefor they always had the fire burning inside of them. The older they got, their flames started to change just like any star.
This fascinated Katie. She looked at both Mark and Paul to see their faces were hard as stone. She couldn’t read them, yet she thought that maybe they were just as entranced by his story as she was. She wondered what it would be like to have that kind of heat boiling under her skin. To never know what it was like to feel the cold. Then to have that heat grow the older they got. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like.
“So where does the magic come in?” Katie asked when Chiles had been silent for awhile.
“I only started receiving my magic in the last three years. It’s not much but I can feel it building, I just don’t know how to control it.”
“So why not try and find an older Phoenix to explain it to you?”
“Even if I could, there wouldn’t be a point. They wouldn’t tell me shit. There is said to be a tomb where I can find all the answers I need. The issue is I don’t know where to find it.”
Paul sat up straight, his body going stiff. “You mean a tomb forged into stone by fire hotter than the Earth could provide?”
Katie watched as Chiles eyed him with suspicion. “That is exactly what I was told. How do you know about it?”
“Shit,” Paul grumbled.
It looked to Katie as if Paul was having an internal fight. Katie reached over and gave his hand a squeeze. He looked up at her and in that moment, something changed. His whole demeanor relaxed.
“We need the damn book again,” he said with a look of despair. “It talks about this place. How to get to it.”
Chiles stood, knocking over his chair. “Why would the fucking dragons have a book detailing something about my history?” he grumbled. Katie could feel the anger seething out of him. Could feel heat lashing against her skin. The color drained from both Mark and Paul’s faces.
“Rational thought would tell me that we have it for one simple reason,” Katie started. “You admitted yourself that there is very few of you, so there is no way you could make sure that the information was passed on. So someone made the decision to leave it with a race they trusted. That they knew would protect the information. Someone you could count on to help you.”
She watched as her words sank in. The heat still lashed out every now and then but it was slowing. Finally, Chiles nodded his head in agreement. “Fine then. You will take me to see this book.”
“Not until you vow that you will not turn against us at any point.” Katie knew it was risky making him do this but she wasn’t going to put herself or her people in danger.
Katie’s heart sped up. When had she started thinking about them as her people? She wasn’t sure but nothing had ever sound more true in her life. She was where she belonged, no matter how stressful and different it was from her old life. Fate had finally given her everything she had ever asked for. Sure, it was in a very strange way, but strange was better than nothing.
“Fine. I vow my loyalty to the dragons,” Chiles snapped. “Now, can we stop being so fucking loquacious and go get this book?”
Heat started whipping out again, hitting Katie’s skin in lashes. She nodded her head. “Mark, call your father. I want the book out when we get there.”
“Do you think he will simply do it without questions?” Mark asked in a shaky voice.
“He will if he does not wish to piss off his Queen.” Katie stood and turned toward Elder Enterprises. Without looking back to see if anyone was following, she headed that way.
Chapter 6
The elevator made a dinging sound right before the doors slid open to the top floor of the Elder building. Sweat beaded on Paul’s forehead. The last time he was here had been for the reading of the prophecy. The thought of that night still made him cringe. He could still feel the heat. Felt the flames licking his skin. It didn’t help that there was a Phoenix standing right behind him either. With every second that passed, he could feel Chiles’ anger growing.
When they had been at the café, and Paul felt his heat for the first time, he had been thrown right back into that same dark abyss. He had glanced over to see that Mark had felt it, too. Everything was starting to make sense, but it also left so many unanswered questions, too.
After a deep breath, Paul stepped off the elevator and followed Katie into the conference room. She headed straight for the podium, but he fell back and waited by the table. He didn’t want to be anywhere near that damn thing. He watched as Katie climbed the stairs and then stood there staring. After a few moments, she knocked the podium to the ground.
Fabian came running into the room then. “Where is it?” Katie growled at him, sending goosebumps along even his arms.
“It has been put up. I cannot retrieve it without permission from the Elders.” He clasped his hands in front of him, a sign that Paul had learned over the years that showed he was nervous. Good, Paul thought.
“So the queen comes in here wanting the book and you tell her no?” Mark asked.
“I have no choice. It now takes the blood of three Elders to unlock its case. A new protections measure since Paul stole it. Showed us how much we can not trust our own people,” he snapped back.
There was a small part of Paul that felt bad for what he had done. But seeing the irritation on his mate’s face washed it all away. Katie descended the stairs slowly, eyes locked on Fabian. The corners of her lips curved up into a vicious grin. Shoulders back. Head up.
“Blood of three, you say? That shouldn’t be an issue.” She raised her voice then. “You will not tell anyone you told us this information. You will go home and wait for us to call you. Don’t speak to anyone on your way out. Do you understand me?” Fabian’s eyes glazed over and he nodded before turning around and leaving.
Paul couldn’t help but be proud that Katie had called on her Alpha powers willingly. It was a step in the right direction to her controlling them.
“What the fuck was that about?” Chiles asked.
“That would be my mate learning to control her powers. She has many so I would not cross her if I were you.” Paul gave Katie a wink when she blushed.
“Good to know,” he replied with a half laugh.
The tension that had built up in the room started to dissipate so Paul walked over and put his arms around Katie. He just stood there, holding her close, breathing her in. He hated being here right now, but holding her was helping.
“So is anyone going to explain to me what all this mess is over a damn book?” Chiles asked, looking at each of them.
“We will, but not here,” Mark said and started to head for the elevator again. “How about my place?” he asked over his shoulder.
“Yes,” Katie said with enthusiasm. “I want to see your dragon collection.”
Paul laughed as Mark grumbled under his breath but continued to leave. Everyone followed.
***
A few hours later, they all sat around Mark’s dinning room table. They had explained everything to Chiles, from Paul taking the book to the prophecy being read. Paul even divulged what had happened that night. Katie had held his hand and pushed h
im when he needed it. He wasn’t sure why he felt that it needed to be shared now but every instinct he had was screaming it.
“So now we are stuck right back where we started. No book. More questions than answers. And us fighting against the Elders.” Paul shook his head. “Where do we go from here?”
“I have the solution to getting the book,” Katie said as she stood to pace the room. Paul’s eyes were pulled to her round, plump ass as she moved away from him. A slight groan escaped his lips as her ass swayed side to side.
“All we need is to find two more Elders, collect a little blood, and then we have the book. But from there is where you have to take over.” She turned to glare at Paul when he mumbled an agreement.
“Paul, I think she wants you to stop ogling her ass,” Mark said with a slight laugh.
Paul clenched his jaw to keep from snapping at Mark. The irrational anger washed over him, pulling him deeper down the rabbit hole. He felt a need to protect Katie. But from what? He looked around the room, everyone was looking at him. Their lips were moving but he couldn’t hear them. A feeling of being watched had him standing and walking to the windows.
He scanned the area but didn’t see anyone, so he closed the blinds and the curtains before moving to the next one. Once he was sure no one could see into the apartment, he started searching for cameras.
“Paul!” Katie yelled, stopping him in his tracks. “What the hell is going on?”
“Someone is watching us. I can feel them, I just can’t figure out how they are doing it.”
They both gave him a look as if he were crazy, and maybe he was, but that wasn’t a risk he was going to take with his mate. If he was wrong and no one was watching them then oh well. No big deal. But if he was right, he had to figure out how to get Katie out of here.
Paul switched over to using Dragonish, “Do you have an escape route out of here?” He turned to look at Mark, knowing that Katie couldn’t understand what they were saying.
