Phoenix Tonic (20 page)

Chapter Thirty

Lightning crashed nearby. Hailey’s heart thrummed as the storm pulled her from the dream, to a pitch-straight position. Her eyes roamed back and forth over the room as flashes blinded her, then died out. But, the rain didn’t let up. If anything, it pounded on the roof with more anger than she’d ever heard. What kind of crazy weather did this place have?

She slung her terrycloth robe on and peered out the window.
That lightning hit close. There must be a huge burnt spot somewhere on the back lawn
. She rubbed her eyes as another bolt struck farther away this time. But it lit up the area enough for her to see the flash of red fabric whipping in the wind.

She blinked and rubbed her eyes again. She couldn’t have seen what she thought she had. After waiting for confirmation from another flash of lighting, she jumped into action.

"Stupid, stupid man." Hailey shoved her bare feet in a pair of sneakers and reached for her coat. "He's gonna kill himself." She rushed down the stairs, to the kitchen, hesitating a moment when she heard the panicked chatter of the koalas over the storm. "It's okay. I'll be right back, guys. Hang in there." The wind blew the back door from her grasp. The storm raged, welcoming her into its icy caress. Both hands strained to close the door behind her.

She turned and searched the horizon for Kallian. Only darkness greeted her. She pushed ahead, along the tree line, where she'd last seen his red robe. Lightning flashed in the background, producing a faint red ripple almost beyond her view. She hurried after it, cursing as the stinging rain pelted her face.

Where on earth was he going in this rain, wearing a robe, in the middle of the night, heading straight out into the Idaho wilderness?
She remembered Malachi’s words and narrowed her gaze into the darkness. If Kallian wasn’t in drag, he was gonna be when he woke next. Complete with nails and the most outrageous makeup she could envision. She’d make sure of that.

Hailey couldn’t believe she was actually chasing after him in the pouring rain. Play some emotional music and this moment could go anywhere from comedic to romantic. “It’s for his health,” she said, while making her way down a grassy slope. “I’m not going to be responsible for killing the guy.”

Another bolt of lightning crashed deep in the forest and her eyes caught the sight of the large white circle in the distance. “Is that a building?” As she drew closer, she realized she’d lost Kallian. Her heart sped up as she scanned the area. She could now see that the disc was a huge marble patio in the middle of no-where. She shivered and held her arms around her body as she examined the large crack down the center. Whatever the patio was, it wasn’t important right now. She needed to find the idiot on the brink of death that decided to go for a stroll in a storm.

As she peered through the rain in all directions a thought shook her. He must have fallen. He was so sick, and with this weather, he was probably passed out somewhere on the ground.

“Kallian,” she called. But the words drowned in the fury of the storm. “Kallian? Can you hear me?” She walked across the marble until she stepped down the other side. “Kallian?” Brushing the water from her eyes, a flick of red a few feet from her caught her attention.

She gasped as she realized Kallian’s water-soaked robe flapped on the ground. She ran to it, kneeling in the muddy terrain. Grabbing ahold of the silk, her eyes widened when she saw Kallian had shed the thing. The robe half hung out of a doorway into the ground. The fabric slipped from her fingers as she stuck her head inside. A set of stone steps led deep into the earth, under the cracked marble circle.

“Kallian?” The word echoed softly in the tunnel. A muted light glowed farther in, and Hailey’s feet found their way down the steps. Slowly, she descended, still holding her arms tight to her chest from the cold.
What is this? Your Boy Scout secret base?

The deeper she went, the warmer the air turned. Tension in her arms lessened as her hand trailed along the rough, stone walls. She paused when she reached the bottom and felt a crack in the wall. Her brow knit as fingertips pried the stone open to reveal a closet with a duffel bag inside. A water bottle with milk hung out from one of the side pockets, along with fruit and other bits of pale fabric. How strange. She left the stone door open, amazed at its thickness. She could even lift a huge chunk of rock? She bit her lip. Whatever. She’d worry about it later.

Hailey focused on finding the sick guy somewhere in the secret underground passage. Her lips pursed. He knew she wasn’t going to let him go, so he takes the bat-cave? She wondered how many more of these there were. Maybe the house was riddled with them? “He’s got so much explaining to do.”

As she walked forward, the narrow cave opened to a large, circular stone room. A vaulted ceiling arched several stories above her as she took in the sheer size of the area. Then she saw him.

Kallian lay curled up in the center of the floor, with his back to her. He had on nothing but a pair of boxers. His body shook as he clasped his hands around his head.

“Kallian?” She stepped forward to see his aged face whip around.

He stared at her, eyes wreathed in pain. “Hailey, leave now.”

She squared her shoulders. “No. You’re sick—”

“Get out, now!” His voice took on an unnatural roar as he grabbed his head again. Hailey’s eyes widened as he rose to his knees and roared in pain again.

“Kallian,” she whispered. “What’s wrong?” Her body moved instinctively to go to him, but his gaze snapped to her.

“Leave!” He gulped air as pain radiated from his reddish-brown eyes. His voice took on a softer tone. “I’m dying.”

His words stopped her cold. There
was
something wrong with him. His muscular frame had withered to that of a frail, bony one. His hair, now completely sapped of all color, hung limp and thinning around his deeply lined face.

The air suddenly super-heated as Kallian’s body went from its sapped pale, to burning red. A frequency inside Hailey’s head suddenly buzzed with a high-pitched warning. She took a step back, then another. The little clothing covering Kallian’s body fell away in ash. Steam drift from the surface of the rocks. Her heart pound against her ribs as she gasped for air.
Something is stealing the oxygen from my lungs.

The cool air rushing past Hailey swirled around Kallian. The current gave her a few swallows of air as she realized the gravity of the situation. Fire needed oxygen to burn. And his heat drew the damp, stormy air, replacing the room of its depleted gases.

With a heart-wrenching scream, Kallian’s chest heaved and his arms dropped. At the same time, the air exploded with fire. Only, this fire was unlike any fire she had ever seen before. It took the shape of a huge, flaming bird, engulfing Kallian’s body. His scream changed pitch, keening higher and higher, until it became a cry. A raptor’s cry.

Hailey covered her mouth as she gasped at the sight. Kallian’s body faded into the flaming beast’s form. The creature craned his neck down and locked flaming eyes on her. Pain and pleading reflected in them. The same pain and pleading as in Kallian’s eyes.

His wings suddenly thrust out, blocked by the proximity of the cave wall. The keening cry pierced the air again, forcing Hailey to cover her own ears. The onslaught of vibration sent her head spinning, forcing her to turn and run. That’s what he had been trying to tell her. He wanted her to run.

Assaulted by the enormous pressure, she ducked into the first crevice she could find- the stone closet with the duffel bag. Huddling in the corner, the door slammed closed by a wave of golden fire raging through the hall. With hands still pressed to her ears, she sucked in air, panting at the close call. The roar of the firestorm raged for more than a full minute, before it faded away. Hailey didn’t dare move, until silence filled the cave. But she couldn’t wait forever. Kallian needed her.

She pushed the door open to reveal the steaming red walls of the cave. There was no way she was going to walk on that. Even if she could make her feet fiery, that didn’t mean she could keep it consistent enough not to burn her clothes off. She’d just have to wait.

“Kallian, are you okay?” He never answered. What was going on? What had she just witnessed?

He said he was dying. But he couldn’t be dead. She refused to believe it. He was just saying that because of all that fire. And the obvious pain. People said unreasonable things when they were in pain, which she knew all about. There were several times she thought she was dying from pain, yet her body held on.

But, for a moment, he did seem weak and old.

As she looked over the glowing rock, her mind wandered. She wondered if the fire storm was similar to what she had put her mother through. Then she remembered Kira and her shield of fire. Could she have reflected all that pressure and chaos? She doubted it. That wasn’t like any fire she had caused before. It was huge. And it was caused by some sort of massive animal.

She swallowed. That animal, that bird was Kallian. It was Kallian’s fire, huge and dangerous and golden. But how could that be? He never seemed like he had any power before… But it made sense. If his blood caused her to have fire, then her power would have originated from him.

Dear God, what was he?

She edged out onto the blackened rock of the floor. It was still very hot, but her shoes weren’t melting, so that was a plus.

“Kallian?” He had to be done with his little fit, now. Her cheeks warmed at the thought of what he must look like. She knew she always ended up in her birthday suit after one of her blow-ups. She shed her robe and headed for the large room, intending to let him cover himself with it. As her eyes scanned the blackened area, her forehead creased with worry. She didn’t see his bare form. And she didn’t see a fiery bird either. All she could see was ash…

“Kallian?”

A slight movement from the center of the blackened room caught her eye. She hurried forward on the charred floor, desperate to help him.

As her eyes met the source of the movement, Hailey dropped to her knees. In disbelief, she clutched the terrycloth to her body as she took in the sight. Before her lay a sleeping Kallian. He was no longer gaunt and on the verge of death. But healthy, muscular and renewed.

The scene hit her full force. The old sick Kallian had died in a fiery explosion. Now he was reborn, covered in soot.

His fire wasn’t Phoenix-like. It
was
Phoenix fire.

Kallian
was
a Phoenix.

The end of Phoenix Tonic. Continue reading for a sneak peak at the first chapter of Phoenix Monarch.

Chapter One

Once again Hailey found herself carrying her captor to safety. Only this time, she did so reverently. 
I’m such an idiot. 
She raised her face to the icy rain, exposing herself to the stinging punishment. With the fire ability, she should have thought of Phoenixes. But she didn’t know they came in human form.

With Kallian piggy-back style, she kicked closed the kitchen door. The koalas welcomed her with silence as she hurried up the stairs and laid him on the marble floor of the shower. She unwrapped her soaking terrycloth robe from his body. Not caring about her own ash-covered clothes, she turned on the waterfall shower. Testing it for warmth, she washed the dark streaks from her arms.

The revelation that Kallian was a phoenix turned her world upside down. That meant that Malachi, Kira, even herself… they were all the same species. And Kallian had been trying to protect her by keeping her ignorant. But now that she knew, she didn’t want to run anymore. She wanted answers. And Kallian had them.

After retrieving a washcloth and bar of soap from the cupboards she knelt before Kallian. Slowly, she started at his broad shoulders, running the wet rag down his arm. He moaned at her touch, but didn’t wake. His muscles responded to her, flexing and releasing under the stream of warm water. Somewhere in her heart, she prayed he would wake up and smile at her. But he didn’t. With gentle scrutiny, she scrubbed him free of the blackness, revealing the golden-tan skin she so loved. 

Hailey swallowed as her breathing picked up. Then she shook her head free of the blush she knew had turned her red-faced. He needed her help. After all, nurses did this all the time. And while she was no nurse, she knew people had done the same for her once. She wouldn’t let him, or her nerves, get to her.

After going through every washcloth in the bathroom, she changed to full sized towels. Kallian’s six foot three form nearly reached twice the weight of her hers. The pile of darkened terrycloth grew as he came clean. Hopefully these weren’t his favorite towels. 
Oh well. He has money. He can order more.

She adjusted her position under the water after retrieving the shampoo and a cup. Carefully, she slid her fingers under his head and placed it in her lap. Slowly, she stroked the plains of his cheeks with her fingers. Rough stubble peppered his jaw and upper lip. Hailey knew she should use the towel to wash him, but her touch was gentler. She didn’t want to wake him, just yet. Her hands moved down the thick column of his neck, over his collar bone, and back up. They caressed his ears, washing every crevice, thoroughly feeling for contaminations of his perfect canvas. 

Her fingertips ghosted over his eyelids and down his strong nose. Once at his lips, she didn’t hesitate. A smudge on the corner of his mouth marred her view of the damnable, yet seductive opening. The enticing pink flesh responded to her touch. Unconsciously, his lips moved against her thumb. Parting slightly, his warm breath whispered over her hand, and kissed her. The hot, wet flesh of his mouth provoked tingling deep in her core. How she wanted to respond to his unconscious invitation…

Hailey bit back a groan. “Kallian,” she sighed. “Please…”

His tongue flicked across her skin before relaxing into a deep slumber again. Panting, she pulled her hand from his burning lips. 

Her response shocked her. She wasn’t under the tonic’s effect. She knew she wasn’t. If she had been, she wouldn’t have been able to restrain her body. She remembered how her last kiss went with him. Short of a fire hose and chains, nothing could have held her back. 

Gulping, she redirected her attention. His hair. All she had left was his hair. Her concentration focused on lathering his thick, brown locks. The bleach blond of her earlier prank had burned away at his death. The suds lathered black, and she poured water over his head to wash it clear and start again. This time they came out gray. Once more she massaged the shampoo into his scalp, taking care not to get any near his eyes. When washed clean, she finally stood and turned off the water. 

Her pajamas hung heavy and cold on her, bringing a shiver to her limbs. She glanced down at Kallian and screwed her lips to the side. 
You better not peek, you butt.
Her shirt and pants fell to the marble floor with a 
slap
, and she wrapped the last unused towel around herself.

Leaning over his gleaming fresh form, she pushed a wet lock of hair from his cheek. “Give me a moment. I’ll be right back.” Her hand lingered a moment before she realized she touched him needlessly. Abruptly she stood and padded to her room.

She couldn’t fall for this guy, could she? He wasn’t even a guy. He was something mythical. Something unearthly. But then, so was she. Hailey gulped. And he belonged to her now, as a husband.

She remembered his flaming phoenix form as she pulled on her yoga pants and a sweatshirt. His raptor body filled the underground room in magnificence. The golden fire pulsed with brilliance. How was she supposed to stand up against that? If that’s what he really looked like, then that was the blood running through her veins? Would she turn into that? “It’s just too difficult to comprehend,” she mumbled.

As her feet took her back to Kallian’s room she racked her thoughts on what she knew about Phoenixes. Other than the fact that they rose from the ashes, she only knew that their tears healed. That was all. She couldn’t recall any stories of one. Were they good or bad? And what were they doing parading around as people?

Kallian lay on his side, curled and shivering when Hailey returned to him. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. Just, ah,” her gaze darted back and forth as she laid her towel across his body. “I’ll just go get some clothes for you.” She hurried across the thick royal blue carpet to the spacious closet. But the grim sight of the empty hangers made her heart drop. She’d burned all his clothes. The only ones he had were still dirty. It looked like the maid wasn’t coming this week. She sighed and jogged back to him.

“Okay, I feel really bad for burning all your clothes, now.” He didn’t stir. “Yeah.” She rocked back on her heals as she considered his naked form. “I guess I’ll just put you to bed in your birthday suit and do some laundry.” After another moment of corralling her drifting gaze, she slipped her arms around him and carried him to the bed. Left unmade from when he’d abandoned it earlier that night, the plush mattress welcomed him. His large body fit beside the rumpled sheets, and she tucked them tightly around him.

“Now,” she said to him, “I think it’s time to call Malachi.”

~***~

Hailey sighed as she pulled open the front door. "My hero." Her hand gripped the door handle. He smelled so good…
No. It’s the stupid tonic. Jeeze, get ahold of yourself, woman.
She had spent plenty of time in an enclosed room with Malachi. She knew she could act normal once the initial sensations passed.

Malachi grinned as he handed over a duffel bag. "This should be everything you need."

"Thanks." She moved to the side to let him in, but he just stood there. "Uh, would you like to come in?"

He cracked a half smile, similar to Kallian's. Why hadn’t she seen the resemblance before? "Naw, I'm good. If I come in you might ask me to do stuff for him, and he sounded like he really didn't want me around..."

Hailey set the bag down and crossed her arms. "And what's the real reason you don't want to come in?"

His brows raised. "I want 
you
 to take care of him."

"Really? You’re never gonna give up on me getting together with him, are you?" Never mind she was already taking care of Kallian.

He shrugged. "You're good for him. And I like you.” He chuckled at her eye-roll. “Like a 
sister
. And I want to keep you in the family."

 "Gee, Malachi, if you like me so much why don't you blackmail-marry me next?"

His bright smile dimmed a touch. "Yes, well, I've been down that road before. So I'll have to pass." He cleared his throat and artfully changed the subject. “At any rate, Kallian will be immobile for the first twenty-four hours.” His eyes peeked at the watch on his wrist. “Looks like you only have another five of six hours. He’ll be extremely weak tomorrow, but he should be able to do most things with help. Oh, and his voice is usually pretty rough for the first few days.”

Hailey scowled. She knew Phoenixes rose from the ashes when they died, but the way Malachi put it, sounded like death happened often. “My goodness, Malachi. How many times has he gone through this?”

He puckered his lips. “Every autumn.”

Hailey’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “But he suffered so much…” How could anyone go through life suffering and dying every year? She shook the thought from her head. “And you always help him?”

He nodded. “Most of the time. He’s my little brother after all. He looks out for me, and I look out for him. And I’ve decided I will continue to do so. Even with the animal preserve.”

Hailey groaned. “He really wants you to quit. He wants to protect you from whatever repercussions come from Eden.” Though it was the truth, Hailey was happy Malachi was man enough to stand beside his brother despite hidden hardships. She was starting to look at Phoenixes in a whole new way.

Malachi shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. I’ve never abandoned him before, even when things were bad. I won’t do it now.”

She blinked at him. “I think I might have to forgive you with how cool of a brother you are, Malachi.”

He bowed slightly and started back toward his car. "I’m glad someone still likes me. Kira’s waiting in the car, and I fear I’m about to get an earful for my ‘coolness.’” He waved once. “Have fun with my brother, Hailey."

"Yeah, bucket-fulls," she shot back. As his roadster disappeared into the distance, she closed the door and headed back upstairs to her unconscious project.