Chapter 14
Kai
I woke slowly, awareness returning in stages.
First came warmth—blessed, beautiful warmth after three years of cold captivity.
I took a deep breath and blew it out, stretching.
The air was warm and felt glorious. Next, the scent of Jack flooded my senses—earthy dirt and tree-filled aroma that made my phoenix sing with contentment.
Then came the realization that I was naked, sprawled on the floor below the window. I was back. Fully regenerated. Human again.
Slowly I stood, keeping myself low enough that I couldn't be seen in the open window.
Gazing around the room, I saw Jack sitting in a chair with his feet on the bed.
At the end of the bed was a pile of clothes.
The t-shirt and sweatpants were huge on me.
I tied a knot in the bottom of the shirt and pulled the sweats tight, but tonight they felt like silk against my skin.
My free skin.
I took a moment, closed my eyes, and felt for the bonds. They were gone. I combined with my phoenix, investigating deeper. Nothing. My phoenix wanted to soar, but I kept her inside. I was free. There would be loads of time for flying.
Jack did it. He saved me. My mate. A wave of emotions flooded forward, and I had to gently sit on the bed.
The tears—both happy and sad—flooded forward.
I couldn't have stopped them if I wanted to.
I was thrilled to be free, to have a future with a mate I loved, away from the control Mortis had on me.
But it came at an astronomical cost. I heard Mortis' voice from last night: the last of her kind.
I thought I'd worked through my grief, but now that my captivity was over, I guess I'd just hidden it away so Mortis couldn't use it against me.
My family's faces—both phoenix and human—popped into my head. I loved them, every one of them.
My fingers flexed against Jack's skin, and I felt him fly out of bed.
"Kai," he whispered, then ran around the side of the bed, pulling me into a hug the minute he sat down.
"Are you alright? What do you need?" He pulled me back, looking me over.
When he saw the tears, his demeanor changed.
"What happened? Kai, what's wrong?" He looked over his shoulder to where the door was. "Did someone come in here?"
"No, Jack." I put my hands on his cheeks, my pinkies running through his beard. "It's over. I don't feel Mortis." The tears continued. "It's over."
"Oh, Kai." Jack pulled me onto his lap. "Shh, it's okay." He rocked me back and forth, stroking my hair, comforting me. "You poor, sweet, sweet girl, being with that monster for so long. It's okay." He kissed my forehead.
I didn't tell Jack that I missed my family so much, that I'd never get to introduce them to my mate.
That my mother and father would never hold any of my hatchlings.
All of that was taken from me. Jack had taken such good care of me.
Not wanting him to think any of this was about him, I fought to get control of myself.
"I'm alright." I pushed off his chest. His thick muscular arms made me feel safe, pulled back allowing me to sit up and face him. "Thank you for taking care of me. It took less time because you did such a great job."
"Nothing would have taken me from your side. I'm glad you're here. Are you one hundred percent back?"
"Yes, one hundred percent me."
"Good," Jack growled, causing my belly to flip and flop.
His hand slid into my hair, angling my head so he could deepen the kiss.
I melted into him, my body molding against his, and for a moment there was nothing but the taste of him, the feel of his hands on my skin.
We kissed a deep emotional kiss, not one of passion or need but one representing what we'd been through.
Our tongues danced to freedom and a future.
When we finally released each other, Jack brought our foreheads together.
"You taste like mixed berries," he teased.
"I bet I do."
"We need to talk quietly," he said. "About getting out of here."
Right. Reality crashed back in. We were still in the Silverback clubhouse. Still surrounded by his club brothers who thought I was their property.
I glanced toward the window. It was dark outside, but I could hear voices in the main room. Music playing, girls giggling. The sounds of a party that was just kicking up.
"Gorilla shifters have incredibly enhanced hearing. If they know we're planning to run—"
"I understand," I whispered back, matching his volume. "When do we leave? Wait, I smell fire."
"Tonight. As soon as—"
I placed a hand over his mouth. Through the window, barely visible in the darkness outside, I'd caught a movement. A flash of color that didn't belong.
Orange hair.
"Jack," I breathed, my hand moving from his mouth. "Jack. A clown. Outside."
He turned immediately, following my gaze. "I don't see anything."
I looked again, squinting through the darkness. Nothing. Just an empty parking lot and the trees beyond.
"Maybe I imagined it," I started to say, but then the figure stepped into a shaft of light from the security lamp. And every part of me froze.
Jack looked the way I was staring.
The orange-haired clown stood in the parking lot, staring directly at the house. In his hand, he held a torch—actual fire blazing in the October night. As we watched, he raised it high and grinned that filed-tooth grin that had haunted my nightmares.
"Fuck," Jack hissed. "I see him now."
The clown's grin widened. We both jumped when we heard his screaming laugh as he touched the torch to the ground.
Flame spread impossibly fast, racing in a perfect circle around the clubhouse. Within seconds, we were surrounded by a ring of fire.
Jack placed me down, then ran to his door. Throwing it open, he roared, "CLOWNS!" His voice carried through the clubhouse. "FIRE! THE CLOWNS ARE HERE! FIRE!"
Immediately, chaos erupted. Shouts from the main room, the sound of chairs scraping back, heavy footsteps running. The music continued to play. The clowns screeched.
"They've come for me," I said, throwing on the zipper sweatshirt.
"Put these on," Jack tossed me a pair of grey boot-style slippers with tread on them.
"I think this might be more of a retaliation," Jack said, filling a backpack. "We messed them up pretty bad last night." He was moving with such speed I didn't know what to do other than stand in place. He went to his closet, pulling on his leather jacket, then disappeared into his bathroom.
A moment later, he grabbed my hand. "Come on." We ran to the door of his room.
"Jack, wait." I pulled away and ran back to the makeshift nest he'd created for me on his desk. The cinnamon sticks were still there, carefully preserved.
"Kai, we don't have time for—"
"These are the first gifts you ever gave me," I said, grabbing them and clutching them to my chest. "I'm not leaving them behind."
Something in his expression softened. He crossed to me in two strides, cupped my face, and kissed me hard and fast. "Alright." He put them in the backpack.
"We have to go. Now." He grabbed my hand, and we ran for the door. The hallway was chaos—Silverbacks running in every direction, some heading for windows to see what was happening, others running for weapons.
"The whole fucking place is surrounded!"
"It's those clown freaks!"
"Get the guns!"
A woman screamed. And the music played on.
Jack pulled me through the chaos, moving with purpose. He headed straight for a closet. The door was already open, other members grabbing guns and ammunition.
Jack didn't hesitate. He grabbed two handguns and shoved them into his waistband, then snatched three boxes of ammunition and stuffed them in his jacket pockets.
"Runt!" Fang's voice cut through the noise. "Where the fuck do you think you're going with the bird?"
Jack spun, putting his body between me and the man. "Keeping her safe. That's my job, remember?"
CRASH.
The front window exploded inward, and a Molotov cocktail sailed through, spreading flame across the floor.
"GO!" Jack shouted at me. Pulling my hand, he headed to a door on the other end of a big room. Through windows, I could see the clowns circling the building. All five of them, their colored hair blazing in the firelight, their filed-tooth grins visible even from a distance.
Jack stopped and opened the back door a bit, peering through it. He took a gun. "Hold on to my belt. Whatever happens, don't let go."
I slid my hand under his belt, and we stepped through the door. The October air was thick with smoke and the smell of gasoline. Flames licked at the sides of the clubhouse. Gunshots rang out as Silverbacks began firing.
"This way," Jack said, pulling me toward the darkness beyond the parking lot.
We ran through the shadows, staying low.
Being shifters, we could both see through the night.
Jack knew every inch of this property, moving with confidence.
He led me on a zigzag path around a garage, through parked cars and motorcycles, until we reached a colossal motorcycle.
Jack yanked the backpack from his shoulders and stuffed it into the saddlebag in one smooth motion.
"Get on," he commanded, swinging his leg over the bike.
I climbed on behind him, wrapping my arms tight around his waist. The leather of his jacket was cool against my cheek, and I could feel his heart pounding.
The engine roared to life, the rumble loud in the night. I hoped no one would notice with the fire that was now blazing and the sound of gunfire.
"Hold on to me tight," he said over his shoulder. "Follow my movements."
Then we were moving, tearing out of the parking lot as the Silverback clubhouse burned behind us. I looked back once and saw the green-haired clown standing in the middle of the chaos, holding his torch, watching us go with a terrible grin. He raised his free hand and waved.
Then we were on the road, the bike eating up asphalt as Jack sped us on.