The Phoenix Prophecy: Nova

I’ve been in town less than three days, and I’ve already left a trail of chaos in my wake. I’m terrified by what happened with Kole, but I’m also exhilarated. And the mashup of jarring sensations is making it hard to speak.

Tanner allows me to sit in silence for the drive. When we pull up in front of Mack’s mansion, it’s sitting prettily in the midafternoon glow.

All I’m wearing is the blanket I pulled off the back of the couch when I went to let Tanner into the apartment. It feels strange to be naked in broad daylight. And stranger still when I remember that half an hour ago, Kole was the one removing my clothes.

Until now, I hadn’t realized that my hand was hurting. Even when I pulled out the shard of glass, it felt numb. But, as we ascend the steps to the big oak door, it starts to throb.

Tanner shows me into a room I haven’t seen before. It has a big gray couch, a large bay window, and a fireplace. He pulls the shutters open so that light streams in.

He sits me down and places my clothes next to me. “Get dressed, I’ll fetch the first aid kit.”

“You can’t just…” I wave my uninjured hand. “Do a spell?”

Tanner wrinkles his nose and smiles at me. “Not quite.”

When he disappears, I stand and pull on my pajama bottoms—because my jeans are still on the floor of Kole’s red room—and a black t-shirt. He didn’t bring underwear.

I walk to the window, still holding my hand up to stop the bleeding. It’s slowed, but I’m lightheaded. I’m not sure how deep the cut is. I pulled the shard of glass from it with little resistance, but that doesn’t mean it’s shallow.

Tanner returns with a small metal box. He sets it down on the coffee table and pats the couch cushion. “Come sit,” he says.

He’s brought me a glass of water too, and I drink it down in a few thirsty gulps. When I set it down, he looks at it, and suddenly, it’s full again.

I raise my eyebrows at him and he shrugs. “Party trick,” he says, smiling.

Turning to my hand, Tanner unwinds the dishcloth he wrapped around it and examines my wound. “How did it happen?” he asks. It’s a perfectly reasonable question. He’d ask the same if I was a patient who turned up in his E.R. But a slow heat creeps up my throat as I try to answer.

“Don’t be embarrassed.” Tanner meets my eyes. Of course, he knows what I’m feeling.

“To explain this,” I say, wincing as I wiggle my fingers. “I need to explain everything.”

He tilts his head, reaching for a swab to clean the congealing blood from my skin. “I’m listening.”

I inhale deeply and rub my thigh, trying to conjure the right words.

“Luther was right about Johnny. He was with the A.M.A. But I wasn’t.”

Tanner’s eyes flick up to meet mine, then return to my hand as he gently examines it. “Keep still. You need stitches.”

“When you and Luther started fighting, you got me with your water display.”

Tanner chuckles a little, but it’s an apologetic chuckle.

“I was changing when Kole came to find me. He walked in and saw me…” I breathe out heavily. “He saw a scar Johnny gave me. An A.M.A. crest.” I press my hand to my chest. “Right here.”

Tanner had been reaching for a needle but stops.

“Johnny and his friend held me down and burned it into me. At first, when Kole saw it, he was mad, but when I explained he believed me.”

Tanner’s jaw twitches. He believes me too. I can see it in his face.

“He asked me about the fire in the apartment and I told him I’d explain if he helped me cover the scar.”

“Cover it?”

“Tattoo over it. Rev told me Kole did her tattoos.”

Tanner closes his eyes. The pieces are starting to slot together. “And he said yes?”

I nod and look down, concentrating on the delicate yellow flowers on my pajamas. “He took me down to the room behind the bar. He did what he promised. He covered it.” I pull the neck of my tee to one side and bend forward so that Tanner can glimpse the fresh black ink. “He used magick, so it didn’t hurt. So he didn’t pierce the skin.”

Tanner presses his lips together and frowns, but there’s no use stopping now. I have to tell him all of it.

“I kept my end of the bargain. I told him I started the fire. With my bare hands.”

“You started it?” Tanner is sitting opposite me on the coffee table and leans forward onto his knees to stare at me. “How?”

I shake my head. “I have no idea. Johnny attacked me and the flames just… happened. They came from me, and I left him to burn.”

Tanner mutters something that sounds like, “Phoenix.” He breathes out heavily and scrapes his fingers through his hair. So, there really is something they aren’t telling me.

“I asked Kole to explain how it’s possible that a human can make fire, and why you told him it’s not a good idea to be around me.” As Tanner looks up, I fix my gaze on his face. “I told him I was in the room when he fucked you.”

Tanner’s mouth drops open a little, then a smile dimples his cheek. He shakes his head. “I knew it.”

“You did?”

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” His voice has changed tempo. He touches my knee, and the contact sends a jolt of electricity up my thigh. “I thought I was just… fantasizing. But it was because you were there. In the room?”

I nod.

“And you told Kole?”

“Mm hmm.”

“What did he say?” Tanner doesn’t look worried. Just curious.

“He asked if I liked what I saw.”

Tanner’s eyebrows tweak upward.

“I told him I did and… one thing led to another.”

“What kind of other?” I expect to see jealousy in Tanner’s face, but instead, I see a flash of excitement.

“The kind that led to me having my legs wrapped around his head, coming so hard I slammed my hand into the glass barrel of the tattoo gun.” I bite my lower lip, images of Kole’s huge, bulky frame between my legs make me want to run to him. Find him. Even though I know I’m the last person who should be around him right now.

Tanner studies my face for a moment. “Did he taste you?”

My clit twitches.

Tanner fixes his eyes on mine and strokes my hand. “Your blood. Did he taste your blood?”

I shake my head. “No. When I started bleeding, he chased me, but he didn’t catch me. I threw fire at him. I don’t know how.”

Tanner stares at me for a moment, then takes my hand and returns to stitching it. “Good. That’s good.”

“Do you mind?” I ask gently, although I’m not sure whether I’m asking if he minds because of his feelings for me or his feelings for Kole.

For several long seconds, Tanner doesn’t reply. He finishes his work, then smooths a strange blue cream over my hand. It smells heavenly. When he raises his eyes to look at me, he’s smiling. “I mind that you didn’t invite me to join you.” A little more seriously, he adds, “And I’m mad that Kole put you in that situation. But…”

He’s about to say something else when there’s movement outside. A car appears in the drive and Mack climbs out of it. He sees us through the window, and when he’s inside, he heads straight for us.

As he enters the room, something about him is different. His energy, it’s shifted to something bigger and more… aggressive. He’s the same, but somehow it’s like he’s taking up more space. More air.

“How’s Kole?” Tanner doesn’t waste a beat and walks over to meet Mack by the fireplace.

“It’s bad. Luther’s with him. He’s coming down, but it’s going to be a hard fall.”

Tanner closes his eyes and turns to brace his hands on the fireplace. “Fuck. Nova says he didn’t taste her.”

“Maybe not, but whatever happened…” Mack pauses to look purposefully at me. “It’s driving him wild. I haven’t seen him like this since he came back to the Falls.”

As Tanner punches the mantlepiece and curses, I stand and wrap my arms around my waist. “I’m sorry.” I turn to Mack because Tanner’s staring into the empty fireplace. “I’m so sorry. It was the blood, wasn’t it?”

Before Mack can answer, Tanner straightens up and gives Mack a PG rundown of what happened between Kole and I. As he repeats the story to Mack, albeit in a delicate way, my cheeks burn red.

Mack turns to stare at me, but then the hardness in his eyes softens and in just a few moves he’s across the room, putting his arm around me. “You couldn’t have known.”

“Why is he…? I mean, I thought it was only vampires who drank blood?”

Tanner and Mack exchange a purposeful glance. “You can take this one, Prof. I’ll make coffee.” Tanner brushes my hand with the tips of his fingers as he passes me and heads for the kitchen.

Sitting back down, I watch as Mack paces a little in front of the fireplace. He really does look like a professor. About to give me a lecture. I feel like I should have a notebook ready.

But when he speaks, the explanation he gives me is brief. “When Kole was undercover with the Human Extinction League, he became addicted to a substance called F.H.B. Fermented Human Blood. It’s rare for mages to dabble, and when they do, the effects are… potent.”

“Fermented blood?”

Mack rubs his thumb and forefinger over his goatee. His hair looks lighter than it did earlier. Not white, but not gray either.

“The League wanted a seer to access a prophecy they believed held the key to the destruction of humanity. They believed the F.H.B. would amplify his power enough to make that happen.”

“A prophecy?” A shiver runs down my spine.

“It worked. Kole channeled it. After that, he went dark. We lost contact with him. Eventually, we discovered he’d left the League. He fled to Europe. Spent four years living on a different plane. High. Strung out.” Mack’s gaze moves to the door as Tanner re-enters the room. “We found him and brought him back here three years ago. Got him clean.”

“He hasn’t lapsed once, not in three years.” Tanner puts three mugs of coffee down on the table and we each take one.

Mack goes to sit on the window seat. Tanner sits next to me.

“But when you came into town, things changed.” Tanner puts his cup back down and rests his hand on my thigh. He opens his mouth to speak, then looks at Mack. “I think we should tell her.”

Mack narrows his eyes.

“Mack, she started the fire in her ex’s apartment. With her bare hands.” Tanner’s index finger moves to my palm and traces a gentle line across it.

“Not just that.” I interrupt him, looking directly at Mack. “When Kole chased me, I threw a ball of fire at him, and when he was trying to get into the apartment… I set the door on fire. I don’t know how. But I did.”

Slowly, Mack stands up. He’s silhouetted by the light from the window, so it’s hard to see his expression. But I know from the strength in his shoulders that he’s about to say something important.

He nods at Tanner, then says to me, “Nova, it’s time we told you about the Prophecy.”