20. Burning Up
20
BURNING UP
JADE
H oly firebirds. Calder is a magnificent, giant flaming phoenix. His bird form’s wingspan is at least twenty feet. I feel the heat on my exposed skin as he flaps his wings, hovering over our heads by thirty feet. His flames scorch the high ceiling just above him.
He glances around, as if looking for a way to escape through a window. Except the windows are all too small for him to clear, even if he broke through the panes.
“He appears out of his senses,” Osen says.
Fearful he’ll fly off and lose himself, I stumble forward and out of Arran’s muscular arms. “Calder!” I plead for him to come down and return to us.
His piercing blue eyes watch me as if I’m prey. I can’t say it’s the same Calder I know behind these eyes. Even Arran’s berserker still has more of him than this creature has of the man I’ve come to know. I sense Osen agrees with me.
The phoenix dives straight at me.
Shit. Is he attacking?
Flint is on top of me in an instant, moving faster than a gargoyle should be able to move with their bulky mass. I’m pinned to the floor. He curls around me the best he can with his body and wings, covering and protecting me from Calder.
He turns to stone just as I feel Calder crash into Flint’s back.
Flames swirl around us.
I bury my face into Flint’s stone chest in an attempt to avoid being cooked alive.
Blazing heat brushes over my back, but I don’t feel the searing pain of being injured. More like standing in rays of a summer sun too long.
Shouts and sounds of scuffling feet surround me. I dare to peek beyond the safety of Flint’s massive arms.
Calder is unconscious on the floor next to me in his human form. His flames are gone, yet his wings remain, but they’re contorted in a mangled way.
My heart pinches. Are they broken?
Maxum and Arran are standing over him, their chests heaving with exertion.
Arran’s face glints with sweat. His shirt is torn to shreds, and his skin is burned.
“Fuck!” I scream, as if I’m wounded. He must be blocking the pain from traveling through in our bond. “Flint, turn back! I need to get to Arran.”
My gargoyle’s stone form softens, and he falls a bit more into me before catching himself and pushing up onto his knees.
With my back flat on the concrete floor, I move to roll up and get to Arran and Calder. Flint grasps my shoulders to stop me.
Frantically, I turn back to him, fearing that I’ve missed something else. Is Flint okay?
My eyes search him as his hands grope to check me for my injuries.
“You’re not burned,” Flint says in shock.
“Are you alright?” I ask.
He gives me a quick nod. “He can’t melt my stone.”
I hold out my hands in a silent request for him to help me to my feet. He does without protest now that he’s certain I’m okay.
I run to Arran, but quickly realize I could hurt him if I hug him like I want to. I’m still carried on my momentum, and Maxum catches me by my waist and pulls me to his chest. Flipping me around to face him, I see his shirt has been burned off… and his pants. My eyes search for damage.
He shakes his head in answer. “Demons are hard to burn. Not that phoenix fire doesn’t sting like a motherfucker.”
I spin in his grasp, almost clawing my way to get to my sweet wolf, Arran.
He holds his arms up to stop me. “Give me a little while to heal, my mate. I should probably shift a few times to speed up the healing.”
I’m in shock that he didn’t berserker out for this. But maybe he did, and now he turned back to his human form before I could check on him.
My gaze drops to an unconscious Calder. His chest doesn’t seem to move with a breath. “Guys? Is he…?” I can’t say the words.
Osen’s ghost inside me stills, waiting for an answer.
Maxum drops into a crouch and feels his neck. “Alive. His body is behaving like he’s in a regeneration. It slows down to nothing until he’s ready to reanimate.”
Flint moves so he’s on the other side of Calder’s body. Then he glances up at me. “What happened to him, Heartstone?”
“I think I put the missing pieces of his soul back inside.”
“Stars, you can do that?” Arran asks with awe and concern.
I shrug. “I sort of did it on instinct.”
Arran removes his fire-damaged clothes and shifts into his wolf. My heart breaks at the missing fur from his burns. Tears fall from my eyes, and I bury my face in Maxum’s hard chest.
“I’m so sorry,” I cry. “I didn’t know he’d do this. Hurt you.”
Turning back, Arran’s muscular, naked body presses against my side. “Baby, don’t blame yourself. This isn’t the first time the bird burned me. I’ll be okay in a bit.”
I turn to look into his beautiful glowing amber eyes and find he’s telling me the truth. He’s more worried about me.
Arran strokes a hand softly over my hair. “Besides, you helped fix him.”
“Although he might be more broken until his soul’s returned pieces come to terms with what happened.” Maxum frowns. “He could be a mess for a while.”
I just shoved unhealed, traumatized pieces back into the guy without thinking it through. What if I fucked up any progress he’s made?
Flint gently picks up Calder’s body. “Let’s get him back somewhere safe, where another phoenix can help him through this.”
Maxum glances down at his naked body and says, “We’ll have to make a few jumps before we can return. Hopefully, he’ll stay knocked out until we get back.”
Thankfully, Calder remains unconscious for the entire journey to Amira’s. We also stop by one of their old abandoned safe houses to grab clothes for Maxum and Arran.
Oddly enough, though my clothes and skin should have burned, I don’t have any damage.
To my surprise, Arran is almost completely healed, too.
It’s Raithe who meets us just outside the concealment ward of his coven’s property. His eyes immediately snap to his fellow phoenix when we arrive.
“What happened?” He runs forward, looking Calder over. “Did he die?”
“No,” Maxum answers. “Let’s step over into a secure area before we get into it, if you don’t mind.”
“Yes, of course.” Raithe rushes back to the boundary and waves us through, inviting us all into the safety of Amira’s magic.
Now that I’m more aware of my magic, I can feel her power wrap around me like a warm blanket.
Raithe doesn’t press for more information as we head straight for our tiny cabin. Amira and Darius must have sensed something off because they appear quickly as we come to the large clearing between the two main buildings.
Amira inspects us all quickly, then her gaze falls back on Calder cradled in Flint’s arms. “Were you attacked?” Her voice is firm. I assume she’s ensuring we didn’t bring more trouble.
Maxum shakes his head. “Apparently, Jade has the ability to return soul fragments to their bodies.”
“Interesting,” Darius drawls, giving me a once over. “Few can work with such a delicate skill.”
“I don’t know how delicate it was since he freaked out immediately afterward.”
“Fractured souls have a tendency of panicking and reacting on primal instinct,” he explains. “You’ll need to monitor him when he finally wakes up.”
“You can use my regeneration space. It won’t burn down.” Raithe nods toward a hill with a metal hatch. “It’s as fireproof as I could manage.”
Without question, Flint carries him over and Raithe helps him inside.
I bite my lip, wondering what I should do. I want to be with Calder, ease him through this process, but I worry he won’t find my presence comforting. He might hate me. He might never forgive me.
Fuckinggoddessdammit .
“Maxum and Flint will tend to him,” Arran whispers over the shell of my ear as his arms wrap around my waist. “Come, you need some rest.”
I resist and take a step toward the underground shelter.
Arran growls and snatches me up in his arms, bridal style. I fight him, shifting in his hold, but I’m unwilling to hurt him to break free, so I’m left with few options against his strength.
“Please. He’s going to hate me.” I plead. “He’ll think I’ve abandoned him.”
I won’t be able to live in this pack if he hates me. He will make all our lives miserable. I’d be guilty of ruining their family. I’ve already mated with Arran and Flint… What have I done? Rushing into mating when things are so chaotic?
This isn’t like me. Do I even know myself anymore?
Dammit. I’m having an out-of-body experience. It’s as if I can see my mind and body and some other rational part of me is helplessly watching on as I’m spiraling. I can’t stop. Because things are fucked up. And I’m the reason.
Maxum appears suddenly in my field of vision, and Arran abruptly jerks to a stop.
My demon grasps my jaw and forces me to look him in the eye.
I’m instantly back in my body and alert. I almost recoil at his fierce glower. I know he’s a force to be reckoned with, but I don’t back down from meeting his gaze because in my gut I know he won’t hurt me.
Not on purpose.
But the way he’s peering into my damned soul rattles me.
“We will get through this. Together .” He waits for me to acknowledge what he’s said, but I only stare up into his beautifully heated eyes. “Don’t do anything reckless. You belong here with us, and that means with Calder too. He just needs to wake up, settle down, and remember what’s happened.”
Maxum sears his words of promise into my flesh with a passionate kiss. When he’s done, he storms off toward the cellar.