Once Scorched Always Safe

Hope and Darkness

Rayne

Rayne watched as Arabella examined d Cyta. The phoenix was getting weaker by the hour. The look that Arabella gave Rayne spoke volumes. Cyma needed Tyson to recharge her life force. Devon and his team had been unreachable all day. It worried Rayne that they would not reach their destination in time. If Cyra was this weak, was Tyson in any better shape? Tyson had been in the hands of a Collector for years. What was that doing to his mental state?

Would Cyra die if they could not rescue her mate? That thought made Rayne angry. She was angry that there were humans out there that used creatures of the paranormal world for their gain. Money. They charged exorbitant prices for their super–elite clients to see creatures most humans believed to be myths. They hunted paranormals to extremes, sometimes killing them. If it was just one person, they could solve the problem, but The Collectors are all over the world.

Rayne had a feeling that this was going to be an epic battle that they all would fight for some time to come. Maybe it was time for the human world to know of their existence? For all of them to have rights as equals? Maybe one day, but for now Rayne would join the fight to free those in captivity. She would use Shadows Retreat as a haven until those rescued can be safely relocated

Arabella and Jazmine had come up with a plan for the buildings on both sides of the har. It seems there is a very large expansion of Rayne’s har soon. The bar was a fully operational business, but they hid the real purpose below. Rayne just hoped that with the expansion, more of her allies would jump in to help with the operation. She and Parker could only do so much. Parker suggested bringing Devon and his crew in full time after they rescued

Dominic’s mate.

That would give them eleven more people to help with rescues and relocations. Arabella had fined tuned her protection spell and was preparing to make jewelry that held the spell within it. Plans were being made that could give them an upper hand against The Collectors. A step in fighting back that could give all paranormals a chance at normal lives while staying in the shadows of the human world.

“Is there anything more that you can do for her?” Rayne asked Arabella.

“No. All I can do is make her comfortable. Her wounds are healing, but her life force is fading. That is something I can not stop. Only her mate can help her now.” Arabella looked at Cyra when she replied to Rayne.

“She is safe here with you. So when they find Tyson, will they bring him here?” Rayne asked,

“No, I will go to them. Bring him back alone. There have been enough people in my home than I like.”

“What about Jazmine and Lynn?” Rayne countered.

Arabella looked at Rayne with an arched brow, “That doesn’t count. This is their home now too.”

“Then why did you allow Parker and me to be here?” Rayne asked. She wanted to know the answer to that question the most.

“Because you are not people, you are my family,”

Rayne frowned at that, “What do you mean?”

*Not al

tall family is blood, Rayne. You know this. Some family is those you chose as your family.”

“Thank you for choosing us then,” Rayne said with a smile.

“I did that long ago before I ever met you, my dear, but that is a story for another day,” Arabella turned back to Cyra.

“Parker and I will leave tonight. I want to go to Redwood to see what happened to Sebastion. He is no longer my mate, something which I am happy for, but I am very curious about what happened. Parker is calling it a need for closure.”

“That is probably wise. I am happy for the two of you. Any fool with eyes can see the love that man has for you. I know you would have let him go when be found his mate. That would have broken your heart, but it would be the right thing. Now, neither of you will have to think about anyone else coming hetween you again. I know not everything in life ends how we plan. The Moon Goddess works in mysterious ways, but sometimes even she gets things wrong.

“I am going to go find Lynn, I want to spend a bit of time with her before we head out.”

Arabella nods before turning her attention back to the fading phoenix. Rayne spent the next several hours with Lynn. She got an in depth tour of the

Hope and Darkness

massive kitchen. Then they sat with Parker in the den as they all talked of plans for the future. Lynn was ecstatic to learn more about magic, to tap what was always within her with proper guidance. It overjoyed her when they told her of their mate bond.

Lynn believed that the Moon Goddess had rewarded Parker for his loyalty to Rayne, for how he loved her before there was a bond to bind them. Rayne hadn’t thought of it like that before, though it was all still new for them. Their love was not, it was years in the making, which made the love they felt for each other now more intense than ever.

Leaving Lynn behind would be hard to do, but she promised to call Rayne weekly. A few dozen hugs later, Rayne and Parker waved goodbye as they headed to the airport. Rayne told Arabella that she would check in once they arrived in Oregon. Arabella promised to inform them when Devon and his crew made it back, or if there other developments.

Now all that was left to do was find out what happened to Sebastion. Would Arianna let them into Redwood territory, or would she send Rayne away? There was no way to call ahead, the card that Arianna gave her years ago had long been thrown away. Arabella used magic to contact Arianna when Sebastion was knocked out by the protective wards on the bar. So they would drive to Redwood and hope that if Rayne asked for Arianna, they would let

her and Parker in.

Parker was being very supportive of Rayne’s choice to go to Redwood. Ile too was curious about what happened to Sebastion to have the mate bond break. Two ideas had come to their minds on the drive to the airport. One was that with the pain Rayne had experienced, something horrible had happened to Sebastion, and he died. The other was that Sebastion had accepted Rayne’s rejection. That would not explain how Parker ended up her second chance mate. With those questions in mind, Rayne and Parker made their way to Redwood.

Somewhere outside Portland

Vicktor Treadstone

Vicktor’s eyes hardened as he listened to Isaac explain how he lost the phoenix. They had been trying to capture Cyra for the last two years, but never sure that she was what they thought. A week ago, she finally showed Isaac her true nature. Too much time and money had gone into the ruse that

were Isaac came up with. To lure Cyra into complacency by befriending her with the idea that he knew where her mate was.

It was disgusting to watch Isaac befriend that creature like it was an actual person. She was a freak of nature and did not deserve to live a life as humans did. They all belonged in cages or behind thick glass and used as sideshow attractions. Rich people in the upper elite status paid his extreme fees to see the animals in his collection. That is exactly what they are, animals, despite being able to take a human form.

Some of them blended so well with humans it was hard to tell what they were. Yet Vicktor always caught them when they let their guard down. He was counting on that phoenix to bring him a big payload. He had her mate, and a matching pair would bring in all the wealthy older ladies. Those bitches would pay anything just to see two live phoenixes,

Now they had lost all trace of her. The little wolf Vicktor used as his tracker had lost all scent of her when she lost him in the woods. It was like she just vanished from the face of the earth. He would make Eric pay for losing his prey. Breaking that werewolf had been very satisfying. Eric was his first capture, the first addition to his collection.

However, Eric was too spirited and resisted at every chance he could, so he never earned his place in the collection. Instead, he was treated like the dog he was. The day he finally submitted was sweet and from that day on he was used to hunt his own kind and other creatures. It was funny that he was the reason so many of his supernatural brethren went into captivity.

Vicktor turned his head as he heard his name being called. Ahh, another one of his broken pets, Irina. She looked like a goddess on the outside, but inside was a snarling she–wolf. He found her in Russia while searching for something more exotic. He kept her in check by using her child as leverage. Irina did anything that Vicktor asked. He learned that she was a special werewolf that could mask her scent to appear as human. Knowing that some of them could do that had thrown him off his game for a bit, but that was why he tracked her down to add her to his collection. He used her like he did Eric to hunt those filthy creatures down.

It made him smile with malice, knowing he used them in that way.

“You know what the plan is, my pet?” Vickt vanished in an instance

Vicktor asked as Irina walked forward. A split second of defiance in her eyes causes him to arch a brow. It

*I am to get the job as Sebastion Drakos’s assistant. Watch him, then lure him verbatim

“Good girl, now get going. This will be your first deep cover watched hier pale at the mention of her

daughter.

“I will do as you ask,” Irina spoke without hesitation.

out so you can see what he really is.” She repeated his words back to him

cover mission, a lengthy one too. Your daughter’s life depends on how well you behave.“Vicktor

Hope and Darkness.

“Oh, use that little body of yours to get him on the hook. The little shit I have seen him with in the past worked him like a puppet.” Vicktor grinned.

“Yes, sir!” trina responded with anger in her eyes,

“Now go,” Vicktor pointed to the door, then turned his attention back to the window of his penthouse apartment.

It was only a matter of time now before he had confirmation that Drakos and his sister were werewolves. Twins would make an amazing addition to his collection. Vicktor smiled at the thought and all the money he knew that they would make him. They would never see it coming either. That was the beautiful part

“Isacc.” He spoke back to the call he had put on hold when Irina came in. “You are to spare no expense to find that little bitch Cyra. I want her in a cage next to her mate soon.”

Vicktor disconnected the call and laughed. He would make money off those filthy animals, then he would have anything he ever wanted. Money, power, and those willing to pay for what he had in stock. Life was going just fine. Two werewolves and a phoenix were all he needed now.

Author’s Note

I am introducing one of the main villains now as he will play into Sebastion’s story His Redemption