The Alpha's Onyx & Fire (13 page)

More blows came, his lion’s body screaming out in raw agony even as he witnessed Sage get tackled to the ground. When he slumped to the dirt floor, unable to fight, the claws disappeared. Out the corner of his eye he saw the tiger who had swiped at him saunter off, no doubt on the prowl for his next target.

Using everything he had, Leontis tried to stand on all fours again. He needed to find Tessa, Sage.

Blood dripped down his face, and his stomach clenched as he felt more dampness on his back. His legs began to shake, and soon they were too weak to support him, his lion form falling back to the ground with a thud. He could do nothing but watch helplessly as the enemy continued their attack, many of their own Pride falling. Searching frantically for his mates, Leontis wanted to cry out in despair when he couldn’t find them, though all he could manage was a snarl.

The last thing he saw before he blacked out was his brother’s lifeless form lying nearby.

Chapter Eleven

Sage swiped another paw out, relishing the shriek that came from the enemy as he took the witch down. Rain had begun to fall as he moved to his next prey, making the ground beneath him muddy. He had never seen himself as particularly bloodthirsty before, but these bastards were the same people who had kidnapped his mate. No one was safe.

The forest around him had suddenly become a battle zone. Witches worked in tandem with a group of rogue shifters.

Another tiger shot out of nowhere and tried to attack him. The sly bastard would have succeeded too, had Dominic not come charging in. His brother took the other tiger down swiftly, Dominic’s teeth clamping around his prey’s neck. The tiger hissed and jerked, but eventually ceased moving. When his brother lifted his head, he tipped his head and Sage followed his line of sight to where Tessa and Ruth were tied up, not a few feet from Bricker.

Sage shifted in one fluid motion, aiming straight for him. He should have known sending the trouble maker on his way after punishing him at the gathering was a mistake. Spilling blood had never been the first option for Sage when dealing with betrayal, but now, it was all he thought of.

Sage could hear Dominic’s heavy breath behind him, knew his brother had his back. Desperate to get to his mate, Sage let out a vicious snarl, ducking and weaving through the crowd. Something suddenly seared his flank, and Sage rolled to the side. A heavy weight landed on top of him and he snapped at the figure.

“Easy there, little kitty. I promise, this will only hurt a bit, but it’ll be a lot nicer than what we have installed for most of them.”

Sage growled, bucking the figure off. Seeing Dominic close in on the witch that had attacked, Sage spun around and headed for Tessa only to freeze.

“Enough!” shouted a livid Bricker. His eyes were wide and bloodshot, his face twisted into a snarl. Lethal looking claws were held to Tessa’s throat, slowly pressing in just enough for Sage to see small trickles of blood tail down her smooth skin and matting in her flame colored hair. “Stop them or she dies.”

With no other choice, Sage growled, low and commanding. The other members of the Pride ceased their fighting within seconds, the force of their Alpha’s will too strong to ignore. Sage shifted back into his human form, panting as he stood.

“Let her go, Bricker. Or what I did early will seem like child’s play.”

Bricker crowed. “Oh, I think I’m done following your orders. As you can see, I’m not alone, and you are outnumbered.”

“And you underestimate us.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. It’s true that with you as their stoic leader, your Pride may be strong.” Bricker’s shrug was carefree. His eyes though, they were warped, twisted, malevolent. “But if I were to break you...and I know how to break you, Sage.”

“If you hurt her, you die.”

Bricker was already dead, something in the way his eyes glimmered told Sage he knew that. But how he died was still up for discussion.

The man’s distorted chuckled echoed through the trees. “Always one step behind, aren’t you, Alpha. She isn’t the only mate you need to fear for.”

Tessa screamed. “Leontis!”

Sage turned in time to see his lion mate fall to the ground, hands clasped to his stomach as blood seeped out. He could see the moment Tessa decided to race out into the open to get to their fallen mate. Just as he saw Bricker begin to shift.

“Tessa. No!”

His shout came too late.

Sage pounded across the forest floor, desperately pushing himself to reach his mate, but Bricker had already changed leaped into the air, pinning her as he landed. Teeth, vicious and jagged plunged deep into her neck, tearing at the flesh. Sage attacked, claws and teeth shredding through the enemy. A scream echoed through the trees but Sage refused to stop until the body in his hold ceased to move.

Eyes searching, he quickly shifted as he found Tessa a few feet away. Dominic was already at Leontis’s side. Gathering her into his arms, Sage clamped his hand around her neck, struggling to stop the flow of blood.

“No. No, no, no. Sweetheart. Please. No.”

“S-sage,” her voice garbled and wet shredded through him.

“No, please.”

He continued his begging uselessly, rocking back and forth. Sage could do nothing but watch helplessly as the light faded in her eyes and Tessa’s body went limp.

Gone.

She was gone.

No.

He let loose a blood curdling roar, joined by the other animals surrounding them. Their cry, their screams echoing the storm, almost murderous in its intent. Agony and fury its only company. Lightning crackled through the midnight sky, slamming unforgivably into the earth as if the very heavens themselves had begun to cry out in mourning. The earth rumbled and the winds unleashed a deadly power, sending leaves, branches large and small, hurtling through the air.

Sage held the lifeless body of his mate in his arms, blood seeping freely across the once green grass, staining it red. Unable to stop the flow, Tessa’s pale skin nearly translucent now. Beside him Leontis lay, half unconscious, unable to move, yet the same uncompromising pain flooded his eyes. Their mate. Gone.

Lowering her to the ground, blackness stole over him. The need for more death the only constant thought in his mind. Never had he felt such raw hatred, malicious in its very being. Sage could hear the gasps from his family, not just for their loss, but for the look in his eyes.

Cold, dark, death.

“Sage,” whispered his sister, yet Summer’s words barely penetrated the fog covering his mind.

Eyes zeroing in on their target, he let his tiger take over. Ploughing Bricker into the ground, Sage became a beast. Mauling at the tiger’s fur, relishing as it changed in color, stark red blood mattering. If his victim screamed while Sage tore into him, he didn’t hear. Could hear nothing, see nothing, but death, until a searing, burning pain raced up his flank.

He stilled when he saw Trevor, Aidan’s brother, standing above him, gun pointed straight at him.

“Now, now. Is that any way for a man to behave," Trevor tsked. “Now me. I’ve always preferred a more civilized approach”

“Coward,” he spat. “Shift and take me on.”

Trevor chuckled. “I’m not an idiot, Sage. I know I wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Why? If you’re going to kill us, then tell us why? Was it Aidan?” A small, twisted part of Sage needed to know. Bricker hadn’t been smart enough to organize something like this, and Trevor had always been there to do his brother's bidding.

“I’m not going to kill everyone, Sage. Not yet anyway.” His cold eyes scanned the area, before settling back on Sage. “And as for my brother let’s just say...he has discovered an acquaintance he has something in common with. And you're currently in the way.”

Trevor fired the gun and Sage braced for the impact. But nothing came. He didn’t even have a moment to process what was happening before a loud squawk filled the air. Suddenly Trevor burst into flames, the look of horror and shock faded quickly as he was consumed.

A bird. No, that wasn’t right
.

Sage blinked, attempting to make sense of what he was seeing. A large bird hovered in the air, flames licking up its feathers as it let out another ear piercing shrill.

A Phoenix?

Sage covered his ears and his eyes as the mythical bird expelled more fire, screams of their attackers filling the night air as they succumbed to the flames. When all went quiet, Sage pried his eyes open, fearing what he would discover.

The Phoenix, so beautiful yet deadly, landed, a human form appearing even as the flames continued to burn. Slowly they dissipated, revealing a sight that would have brought Sage to his knees had he not already been crumbled to the ground.

“Tessa?”

“Sage.”

“I thought…”

“It’s okay. I’m tired, but it’s okay.”

As Sage curled around her and reached out for Leontis, his mind spun out of control. With Tessa murmuring in his ear, promising him everything would be okay, the only thing he could think at that point in time was.
Maybe it will be.

*****

Tessa woke with a start, her skin so hot she felt as though she had been burned. Memories filtered through and a hysterical bubble of laughter broke free. In a sense she had been. She had been on fucking fire.

“Tessa? Honey?” Leontis’s deep timber rolled through her. He pinned her with his intense gaze even as his hands roamed over her body, as if he couldn’t believe she were sitting right in front of him.

“I’m okay,” her voice wavered, the lie clear to anyone who had heard her.

“You will be.” Sage moved into her field of vision looking and sounding broken.

“What happened?”

None of it made any sense.

“They took you, I couldn’t stop them,” Leontis’s choked out. “My brother, Yorik, he was working with Trevor and Bricker. We tried to save you, but…”

“I died.” It wasn’t a question. She knew. Tessa just couldn’t quite believe it. “How am I here now?”

“You’re a Phoenix, honey.”

She frowned at Leontis. If he thought that was supposed to make any kind of sense, he was crazy. Or maybe she was, because the memory of being on fire, and soar through the air felt very real. But that was...crazy.

“So I’m a shifter? Is that why I smelt like a bird? How is that possible? You would have known, right?” Questions shot out of her like rapid fire and her heart rate increased.

Sage cupped her cheek as both her mates helped sit her up. Leontis rubbed her arms as he moved in behind her and between the both of them, the soothing gesture, she began to calm.

“You’re not a shifter, Tessa,” Sage told her calmly.

“But you said—”

“You are so much more,” he continued, cutting her off, stopping her from working herself up again. “Phoenixes aren't like a shifter. We have an animal we share our soul and body with. But we are still two. You don’t share your soul with a Phoenix, you don’t turn into one...you are one. You are the fire, the flame.”

“So then it’s like Evan and his witch abilities. He can control electricity, and I control fire?” she asked becoming more confused by the minute. Her mate sounded so in awe, yet she still had no clue what it all meant. Until recently, she believed she was one hundred percent human.

“No. Evan controls his element. You are the fire. You don’t form it, you simply exist,” Leontis said, trying to help but only adding to her confusion.

Sage smiled, his fingers tracing over her face, almost like he were memorizing it. Lust hit her hard, almost like there was something inside of her that was clawing to the surface, desperate to get her mate’s hands on her more, firmer.

“It’s an amazing thing,” Sage’s voice had dropped low and rough. She knew he was smelling her need, knew his body would be answering it. Maybe it was one of those cases where they needed reassurance that they were all still alive, she didn’t care. Tessa just wanted. “It’s why Phoenixes are immortal, at least in the sense that you can’t die unnaturally. You will have an extended life, which you would have had regardless because you are our mate, but we never have to risk you dying from a threat.”

“Well, that’s not exactly correct. She can die, she will just come back,” Ruth interrupted. “Still, better than the alternative, wouldn’t you say?”

Tessa jumped having not even noticed anyone else in the room. Heat infused her face when she realized Sage’s entire family also joined them. Well, everyone but Ella and Lachlan who were still away at University.

“Um, hi?” Tessa waved pathetically. “Sorry. Didn’t see you all.”

Her words were met with chuckles and a few knowing stares. She buried her face in her hands willing them all to disappear, or for her to, she wasn’t picky.

“Wait,” she all but shouted suddenly. “Oliver, the kids, my parents. If I’m a Phoenix, are they?”

Ruth nodded. “Yes, dear.”

“So I died, and my abilities as a Phoenix were unlocked?” she asked, absently thinking with as crazy as this sounded, it should not make so much sense to her. “So…my parents?”

Tessa tried to tamper down the hope that they were possibly still alive.

“I’m afraid not, my dear,” Ruth said sympathetic and condoling. “To become a Phoenix is not just a matter of DNA. Your life was taken supernaturally and done so as you sacrificed it willingly, selflessly for another.”

“Oh,” was all she could manage. Her emotions were a rollercoaster at the moment. “But the kids…they’re safe?”

Tessa didn’t like the uneasy look Ruth sent her.

“People will know. Something of this magnitude…it cannot stay hidden. When word travels of a Phoenix living here, mated to our Alpha, people will come. They will discover the existence of your siblings, and not all intention will be honorable. Their lives and the lives of your own children will have to be guarded.” Ruth’s lips kicked up in a half grin. “Good thing they have a Phoenix, Alpha White Tiger, and a rare Black Lion to keep them safe though, huh?”

Ruth’s words reminded Tessa that she wasn’t helpless, that they were strong.

“How about we leave them for now,” Richard suggested abruptly from where he had been sitting quietly. “It’s late, we all need sleep, and answers can come later.”