Once Scorched Always Safe

The Phoenix

man, with Kade Turner stood next to a small beat up sedan as they pulled into the parking lot of the small general store. He was a very commanding aura around him. He stood at about six foot right indies tall. His hair was cut down in a military style buzz cut. The outfit he wore black, and he was armed with a pistol at his hip, a knife in a sheath on his left leg. His dark chocolate brown eyes stared at them as they got out of the all moder

i was would His scent was something that Rayne had never smelled before. That piqued her curiosity. He wasn’t human, that was a fact, hut whatever he was interest her to find out. Devon and his crew pulled in behind them, parking a little further away to give the illusion that they were not traveling together. Devon was the only one to approach them as the others stayed near their RV.

“Ah, you must be Devon Sawyer, I have heard about you,” Kade said as Devon stopped next to Parker.

“Turner,” Devon said with a nod to Kade, “So who are we here to extract?”

Kade looks to the three of them before he reached into his pocket to pull out his phone. He looked towards the others milling about the RV, “They are a part of your group Sawyer?”

“You got a ty in that rig?”

“Flatscreen”

“Then let’s all go in there.”

“We are not shoving thirteen people in that cramped ass RV,

Turner.”

“Then my laptop will have to do, bring everyone over to those picnic tables,” He nodded to the small circle of tables off to the side of the store.

Devon let out a whistle to get their attention, then pointed to the tables.

Once everyone gathered loosely around Kade, he set his laptop on the table. He pulled up a video, hit the play button, then stepped back. On the screen, a large majestic bird stood in a grassy courtyard. The bird’s feathers were shades of orange, yellow, and red, almost like the feathers were flames. Then the bird looked directly at the camera with eyes like a living fire. They could hear off–screen someone telling the bird to show its true form.

Each person watching the video let out a breath as they saw on the screen a living phoenix. With its fiery wings extended, she was an amazing sight to behold. They believed phoenixes to have been wiped out long ago. Seeing one now was something none of them thought they would ever get to see in real life. The same voice that they heard earlier spoke her name, Cyra.

Kade turned the video off, closed the laptop, then looked at all of them as they stood stunned by what they saw. “Cyra is one half of a mated pair. Her other half has been missing for years. She was following a lead to find him with someone that she thought she could trust. That person was part of The Collectors. Isaac befriended her, knowing what she was to lure her to France. He kept this ruse up for two years, eaming her trust.”

Kade looks at the faces of all those around him. Rayne understood what he was looking for. Their knowledge of The Collectors and the determination to set those that have been captured free

“Once they arrived, he led her on what we now know was false leads, all over France. Cyra made a mistake when the showed Isaac what they were looking for. She showed him her phoenix form. The moment Cyra did that, she instantly regretted it. The look in Isaac’s eyes gave away his true nature instantly.” Kade finished his speech, looking at each member of the group as the silence continues after he was finished telling them what had happened.

Rayne could hardly believe that there was not one but two phoenixes alive in the world. Were there mure out there hiding from The Collectors, or were they just hiding from the world? Given the history that she knew about phoenixes, they are coveted for their feathers, and their continuous rebirth. From what Rayne read, there was a way to kill a phoenix, but that part of her book had gotten ruined, so she never learned what it was. Most believed that they were all dead, since no one had any actual confirmation that there was any left.

Until now

“How did you find her? More so, how did she know to teach out to us?” Rayne asked Kade

The Phoenix

“I was looking for something that I lost, but I found Cyra instead. She was hiding deep in a cave. How she got that far into the cave in her weakened state, I don’t know. When I found her she was half dead, weak from hunger, and needing to recharge. The only way she can recharge her life energy is with her mate.”

*So you want us to get her to safety while you find her mate?” Parker asked.

“I know where he is,” Kade’s eyes darkened with anger.

“Then what is the plan?” Devon asked.

Rayne could tell that his crew was getting antsy. There was that look on all of their faces that spoke volumes on how they were feeling. They wanted to find and kill Isaac, Would they hunt for his collection? Was Cyra’s mate in Isaac’s collection, or had another collector captured him?

“I will tell Rayne and Parker where Cyra is. I will tell the rest of you were her mate is. I have one request though,” Kade looked directly at Dominic as he mentioned the request

Dominic’s golden eyes looked at Kade with hate, “What could a leopard want from me?”

A leopard? Kade was a wereleopard? Rayne had heard of them but had never met one before now. They usually stuck to their leaps, not venturing far from their home turf. Today was full of surprises.

“I know where your mate is too. I will tell you where she is if you help me retrieve Tyson, Cyra’s mate. They are both being held in the same man’s collection.”

“How do you know this?” Dominic demanded.

“Because I escaped from t that very collection, but 1 left someone behind that I need to get back.”

“You mate was there too, wasn’t she?” Sophie speaks up as she moves to stand next to Dominic.

Kade lowered his eyes, took a deep breath, then looked back up. “Yes, her name is Tamar”

“Then we will all help you,” Edgar said from behind Rayne.

“Good, then let’s get Cyra to safety. She requested you two because she knew your mother, Parker.”

Parker looked surprised at the mention of his mother, “How?”

“That Cyra will tell you once she is safe.”

Rayne took out her phone to make a call for some magical help. Arabella could shield Cyra from sight until they were back in California. That wouldn’t keep her safe forever, but it would give the others a chance to rescue Tyson. A few minutes later Arabella arrived with Jazmine and Lynn. They made introductions, then they discussed action plans. After everything was settled, the groups when their separate ways.

cave

Devon’s group, along with Kade, left to go storm a large compound in the northern part of Italy, Rayne’s small group was transported into the where Cyra was hiding. It shocked Arabella to see the state that the phoenix was in. Cyra had wounds that came from a whip, a bullet wound in her left thigh urgently needed medical intervention.

Arabella, Jazmine, and Lynn huddled together for a few minutes as they thought of how to get Cyra to a safe location to treat her wounds. They decided that they would transport her straight to Paris, where Arabella had her base. It was as heavily warded as Shadows Retreat. No human would find Cyra there.

Parker covered Cyra with a blanket from his backpack, then stood back as the three witches performed the transportation spell, When the spell was complete, they were all standing in a large garden in the center of Arabella’s mansion. As soon as Rayne knew that they were safe she let out a sigh of

Pain quickly replaced that relief as Rayne’s heart started beating erratically. It knocked the breath from her lungs as it forced her to her knees as agony consumed her body. What was going on? It felt like her body was being torn in two, like something was being ripped from her chest. Then the darkness was all she knew.

Her Returned Mate Gathering Shadows Series, Book