Blood of the Phoenix: Book 17 of The Witch Fairy Series Read online

  Kallen scowls. “The Angels have lost track of the Phoenix? That is unprecedented.”

  “So I gathered,” I grumble. “Which is part of why we need to enlist Eliana’s help. Ra might have a clue somewhere in his temple, or whatever he built for the Phoenix, as to where she is currently hiding.”

  Turning to Isla, Kallen asks, “Is there anything else we should know before we depart for the Cowan realm?”

  “I suggest you bring your friend here once you have enlisted her help. We can formulate a plan together,” Isla says.

  Surprised, I ask incredulously, “You want us to bring Cowans here?” I use the plural because there is no way Eliana is coming without Josh.

  Isla gives me a wry smile. “It is the Witches who keep magic from the Cowans, not other supernatural beings. While that may be a good idea considering the current state of that realm, your friend is fairly well-versed in the existence of magic and in our existence.”

  “Good point,” I agree sheepishly.

  “We can be ready to leave in a few minutes,” Kallen tells Isla. He glances down at himself. “We should at least be presentable when we go to them.”

  I suspect that he means me more than him. His sleep tossed black hair and wrinkled t-shirt only make him look more gorgeous. He also put jeans on over his boxers before getting out of bed. My long hair needs a serious brushing to get out the sleep induced snarls, and my pajamas are not exactly what I want to wear when traveling from realm to realm. “Give us five minutes,” I say, heading back into our bedroom.

  “Do hurry,” Isla insists.

  Kallen follows me, closing our bedroom door behind him. Before I can reach the dresser where I keep my brush, he wraps his arms around my waist and nuzzles my neck. Leaning into him, I groan, “I don’t think we have time for this.”

  “Probably not,” he agrees. Still, he turns me in his arms and kisses me passionately. When we finally come up for air, he says with a sexy grin, “I have no idea when we can do that again. I was not going to give up the chance.”

  “I like the way you think,” I purr, leaning up and kissing him again.

  We are interrupted by a loud pounding on the door. “Grandmother suggests you hurry,” Kegan calls in a mocking voice. Was he listening outside our room? I scowl at the door and my annoying cousin-in-law. Isla must have taken Keelan to change him if Kegan is willing to make so much noise.

  “We’re coming!” I call back snarkily before Kallen can say what is on the tip of his tongue. Just in case Keelan is still within hearing range. I don’t want to scar his little psyche. My gorgeous husband narrows his eyes in my direction for cutting him off, but he doesn’t say anything.

  Reluctantly leaving Kallen’s arms, I move to our dresser. I run a quick brush through my hair getting most of the snarls out. Opening a drawer, I pull out a pair of jeans and start to reach for a sweater but stop. Over my shoulder, I ask Kallen, “Any idea what season it is in the Cowan realm?” Since time moves differently between realms, we are not always on the same season schedule.

  “Fall, I believe,” he tells me. As he speaks, he magically trades his wrinkled t-shirt for a black pullover sweater. The jeans he put on when he crawled out of bed stay.

  I am going to wear real clothes, not magic ones. One less thing for Kallen to worry about if we run into trouble. I pull out a lavender sweater to go with my jeans. Once I am dressed, I turn to Kallen. “Ready?”

  Pulling me gently into his arms again, Kallen studies me. “The question is, are you ready? The universe is always demanding more and more from you.”

  I shrug in an effort toward nonchalance. “That’s what I was created to do.”

  Kallen chuckles. “Here I thought you were created to be worshipped by me.”

  Wrapping my arms around his neck, I pull him in for another kiss. “I was created for that, too,” I murmur against his lips.

  Another loud knock on the door causes us to pull apart. “Does he think being a father will save him from being punched?” Kallen asks, not at all kidding.

  A giggle escapes me as we pull apart. “If so, I suspect he is about to learn how wrong he is.” Proving me right, Kallen strides to the door, opens it, and proceeds to punch his cousin hard in the arm. At least he checked to make sure Kegan wasn’t holding Keelan before he hit him.

  Rubbing his arm and laughing, Kegan insists, “I was just doing as Grandmother asked.”

  I raise a brow. “Quite the dutiful grandson. Was this in exchange for getting out of changing your son?”

  Kegan’s grin is shameless. “Pester my cousin or change a dirty diaper? Is there really a choice there?”

  “What is going on?” a sleepy Alita asks from their bedroom door. “I checked on Keelan in the nursery and Isla is changing him.”

  “Your husband is too busy being a wanker to attend to his duties,” Kallen informs her.

  Rolling her eyes, Alita yawns and says, “You can explain in the morning. I am going back to bed.” Being the practical new mother who needs her sleep that she is, she closes the door and does just that. Good for her. I wonder, though, if my curiosity will be tempered as much as hers when I am a mother. I doubt it.

  “Come on,” I say, grabbing Kallen’s hand and pulling him toward the stairs. “The sooner we convince Eliana to help, the sooner we can get back here and make a plan to find the Phoenix.” Though, I doubt Eliana will need much convincing after she hears about the end of the universe thing. Even if the universe wasn’t in danger, I know I can always count on her for help.

  At the bottom of the stairs, we turn toward the terrace. Isla prefers that I do not open passageways inside the house. We trudge down the terrace steps and onto the beach where a cool breeze makes me glad I am wearing a sweater. I debate for a moment where I should open the passageway on the other side. I’ve been admonished by the Witches for opening passageways out in the open of the Cowan realm because of satellite imagery. Humans may lack magic, but they make up for it in technology. I worry about it less when going back to our house in the Colorado mountains because of all the trees. But, going to a city I should be more cautious. Not just because of satellites. I would scare the hell out of normal people if they saw me doing this.

  Glancing up at Kallen, I say wryly, “I hope Eliana doesn’t mind the intrusion.” I try to avoid opening passageways in houses in general because, outside of the numerous possibilities of things that could go wrong, it is rude to just barge in. But this time, I don’t think I have a choice. I reach out and tear the fabric of the realms.

  3 Chapter

  An amusing scene unfolds before us. Three couples are peacefully watching a movie and eating popcorn. As the passageway opens, one of those bowls of popcorn crashes to the floor. Someone other than the popcorn dropper gasps loudly. Someone else growls, “What the hell?!” This same person reaches for a sidearm at his waist. He doesn’t find it. I’m glad he doesn’t. I mean, who wears a sidearm while watching a movie? That would be ridiculous. It also would have been pointless to aim one at us since either Kallen or I would have simply gotten rid of it with magic, or blocked the bullet if he managed to fire it first.

  The responses from the other three in the room are quite the opposite of those first ones. Jadyn leaps up, a grin covering her face. “Xandra!”

  Eliana and Josh also rise, smiles in place on their faces, as well. “I hope that’s fixable, otherwise it’s going to be awfully drafty in here come winter,” Josh teases, knowing full well that the tear between realms is not permanent.

  Eliana elbows him before saying, “Hurry up and come through so I can give you a hug!”

  “You know these people?” the large man who had reached for an imaginary side arm demands. He is seriously regretting not having his gun with him. The defensive stance he takes tells me that he is still willing to take us on in a physical fight if need be. Kallen stiffens next to me, already disliking the guy, and more than ready to meet him in a fight. The scent of testosterone is now flooding the night air
.

  Josh notices this, as well. He turns to his friend and orders, “Stand down. Trust me, this is not a fight you would win.”

  Without changing his stance, the guy demands again, “Who the hell are these people?”

  With a raised brow, I say to an amused Jadyn, “He’s charming.”

  Deciding to ignore the large man’s question, Kallen and I walk through the passageway, and I close it behind us. The big guy’s eyes are going to pop out of his head if he doesn’t at least blink or something. I would feel sorry for putting him in such a state of shock if he wasn’t being such a jerk about it. Obviously, we’re not a threat or Eliana would already be battling me. Something we would both like to avoid. Though, I suspect it would be one heck of a battle.

  Jadyn shrugs. “He’s human, what can I say?” The guy scowls down at the Skin Walker, but she ignores him. “So, what brings you to this realm? I doubt this is a social visit.”

  “This realm?” a voice says behind us.

  I turn to find the other couple in the room still staring at us in shock. It finally dawns on me who they must be. Eliana and Josh’s best friends. Pasting a warm smile on my lips despite the reason we are here, I say, “Sam and Jenna, right? Eliana told us all about you.”

  “Um, yeah,” the guy says, holding his hand out to first me and then Kallen. He has also figured out our identities. “I take it you’re Xandra and Kallen.”

  “In the flesh,” I acknowledge, wondering just how much Eliana has told them about us. Considering she trusts them with all of her secrets, I suspect a lot. Which is fine with me. I trust Eliana’s judgement.

  “Good guess since we only have one friend who can tear holes between realms,” Josh teases, confirming that they shared information about Kallen and me.

  “Is someone going to tell me what’s going on here?” the other guy demands, growing more agitated by the second. He is starting to make me believe that humans can self-combust from anxiety. One more thing happening that he doesn’t understand and his guts are going to be plastered on the walls, I’m certain of it. I wonder if Kallen’s restoration magic could put him back together? Probably not. I don’t think it works on people. I am starting to feel a little guilty about causing the guy so much stress and vow to be nice to him. As long as he doesn’t try to become violent. I have not forgotten that his first reaction was to reach for a gun that he must usually carry.

  Josh steps forward and finally makes introductions. “Alonzo, these are our friends, Xandra and Kallen. This is Alonzo. We work with him.”

  When I opened the passageway, I didn’t think about the fact that Eliana and Josh may have people here who wouldn’t know about us. I guess opening a passage directly into the living room wasn’t a great idea, either. Maybe the kitchen would have been better. Then again, we do most of our entertaining in the kitchen back home. A hall closet, maybe? I’m not sure I could be that accurate with my ability. Clearing my head of locations, I hold my hand out to Alonzo and say in a massive understatement, “Sorry about surprising you like that.” Around him, I mouth a sincerer apology to Eliana for putting her in such an awkward position with her coworker.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Eliana tells me. “All of our team at Homeland know about me. Alonzo can keep a secret.”

  “He won’t have to for long because he’s about to have a coronary,” Sam snickers. Jenna elbows him in the side and the large man glowers in his direction. Sam doesn’t seem to care. I am going to assume there is some tension between the two guys that I don’t want to know about.

  “What the hell are you and what was that?” Alonzo presses, waving his hand in the air toward the spot where the passageway was a moment before.

  “She is one of the most powerful beings in the universe and my wife. Therefore, you should watch your tone when addressing her,” Kallen growls. He has definitely taken a dislike to the guy.

  Alonzo takes a step forward. “I already know one of the most powerful beings in the universe, so I’m not intimidated by the likes of either of you.”

  Kallen takes a step forward, as well. And so do Eliana and I. Stepping between the two, we create a powerful bridge that they would have to cross to get to each other. Eliana turns to her friend and says, “Look, I know your training is kicking in because you think they are a threat, but really, Alonzo, you need to stand down. Josh was not kidding when he said that this is a fight you cannot win.” With a surreptitious glance in my husband’s direction, she continues, “Kallen spoke of Xandra’s strength, but he left out the part that he is an extremely powerful Fairy who could lay you out without ever making contact with you. You wouldn’t even feel it coming.”

  Alonzo takes a moment to absorb her words before asking, “He’s a what?”

  Jadyn smiles up at the large man. “There are more beings in the universe than Witches and Skin Walkers, remember. Many more. And Eliana is right. Kallen is not one to mess with.”

  Growing tired of the testosterone choking the life out of the oxygen in the room, Jenna takes charge. “Alonzo, sit down and be quiet. Jadyn was right. This can’t just be a social call, and the rest of us would like to know what is going on. You can get caught up on the magic part of it all later.” Alonzo opens his mouth to argue, but thinks better of it when the petite human glares at him. Instead, he crosses his arms over his chest and presses his lips firmly together. He does not sit down, though. Good for him for holding his ground. I try hard not to smile at his obstinacy.

  I like Jenna. She may be small, but she makes up for it with strength of character. “Thank you,” I say to her with a grateful smile.

  “Not that we aren’t glad to see you, but why are you here?” Josh asks.

  With a jerk of his head toward Alonzo, Kallen asks, “Are you certain we can speak freely in front of him?” I’m pretty sure a growl escapes from Alonzo’s throat, but he doesn’t say anything.

  Josh nods. “He’s fine. He’s just new to all of this.”

  “I am in the room,” Alonzo grumbles. Still, the big man finally moves back to the couch and takes a seat as he tries to wrap his head around what is happening. Jadyn joins him and pats his knee affectionately. Hmm, I wonder what is going on there?

  “I’ll grab a couple of chairs from the dining room,” Sam says, turning to leave the room.

  “Oh, that’s okay,” I tell him just as Kallen uses magic to create chairs for him and me.

  Once again, the large man’s eyes are going to bug out of his head. Maybe I should get Kallen to make him some protective goggles so when it happens, we won’t have to crawl around on the floor looking for his eyeballs. “How did you do that?” Alonzo demands.

  Eliana laughs. “Their magic is a little different than mine,” she says by way of explanation, and she returns to her own seat.

  After everyone is settled back into their spots, I jump right in. “There’s a situation.” Okay, I didn’t jump right in. I sort of waded in up to my toes. It’s just so rude to ruin date night with a ‘the universe is about to end’ scenario. I feel bad.

  Eliana isn’t fooled by my hedging. She knows what kind of ‘situations’ I find myself in. With a groan, she says, “Please tell me it’s not Archangels again.”

  There’s a snort from Alonzo’s direction. “Archangels?”

  “Shh,” Jadyn admonishes. Alonzo glowers at her but doesn’t say anything else.

  Ignoring him, I continue. “No, not this time. This time it has to do with the Phoenix.”

  “The bird?” Jenna asks.

  Since I know hardly anything about the Phoenix, I decide I am not the best one to explain all of this. I give my gorgeous husband a pleading look, wanting him to stop glowering at Alonzo and finish the explanation for me. Which he does. Focusing his attention on the whole group now, he says, “The Phoenix only takes the form of a bird when she dies.” I expect another snort from Alonzo until I remember that he is sitting next to a Skin Walker. Shapeshifting probably isn’t a new concept for him. “The rest of the time,
the Phoenix takes on the form of whatever beings she is living among at the time. She travels the universe, jumping from realm to realm with each rebirth. Her only function is to ensure eternal life.”

  “Her own eternal life?” Eliana asks.

  Kallen shakes his head. “No.” He pauses, considering how best to explain the next part. Finally, he just lays it all out. “The Phoenix represents the life cycle of the universe. She is the personification of death and rebirth both metaphysically and physically. If she does not complete the cycle of life and death every five hundred of her years, she creates an imbalance in the order of the universe.” Okay, he doesn’t want to jump right into the whole ‘the Phoenix is about to end the universe’ thing either. Man, are we cowards or what? Or, we just don’t want to face the reality of the universe ending. I’m going with that explanation.

  “Let me guess, she is refusing to complete the cycle,” Sam says. For humans, he and Jenna are taking all of this rather calmly. Then again, they are Eliana’s best friends for a reason. They accept her for who she is and aren’t weirded out by it.

  “What does that mean for the universe?” Josh asks, assuming his friend is correct. Which he is.

  Glancing around the room, I decide to stop being a coward and just blurt it all out. “If the Phoenix refuses to die, which she is, she will be consumed by the Cosmic Fire she carries within her. It will expand until the entire universe is engulfed and destroyed.”

  I expect denials from Alonzo, or snorts of disbelief. I do not expect him to start laughing. Loudly. “Good one,” he says.

  Kallen scowls at him. “Good what?”

  “Good joke, man. This is great. The whole dramatic entrance, the little show of magic, all to play an elaborate end of the world prank.”

  Eliana gives her friend a worried look. “Um, Alonzo, I don’t think they’re joking.”

  I shake my head. “We’re not.”

  Falling back on the same argument I did earlier, Alonzo says, “Look, I don’t know if you have science where you come from, but the universe does not depend on a bird for its survival. Unless all the suns and stars decide to go supernova all at the same time, which is impossible, we’re going to be just fine. At least for a few billion more years or so.”