Chapter 18
Thorne
Phoenix was unusually quiet as he sat before our campfire, the flickering flames casting eerie shadows across his face.
His eyes were distant, glazed, staring into the forest as though he could see beyond the trees, beyond the reach of reality.
His gaze was unfocused, as if he were lost somewhere between the present and a memory he couldn’t shake.
The fire crackled, sending sparks into the air as the night stretched on around us. The woods were alive with the soft rustling of leaves and the occasional hoot of an owl, but there was a heavy silence hanging over the camp, one that I couldn't quite explain.
I shifted my weight, watching him closely. "What’s on your mind?" I asked, my voice quiet but carrying the weight of curiosity and concern.
He didn’t answer right away, his fingers absentmindedly tracing the edge of his dagger, the motion slow and methodical. It was as though the question had to find its way through the haze in his mind before he could respond.
"I’m thinking about the soldier we tracked," he finally muttered, his voice a rough whisper against the night air. "He led us to that thin path, and then... nothing. It’s like he vanished."
I nodded, the frustration of the failed trail tugging at my chest. We’d been so close, so damn close to catching him, but now... we were back to square one. “You think it’s magic?”
Phoenix glanced at me, his eyes dark but clear for a moment.
"Could be. Something’s off. I feel like we are missing something.
" His hand clenched around the dagger, the grip tight before he let it go, his posture stiffening as though he’d just shaken off a bad thought.
The air around us felt thick, as if it, too, was waiting for something—waiting for the other shoe to drop.
I leaned back against the rough bark of the tree behind me, the cold wood pressing into my spine, grounding me. "I know, it does seem strange. What I want to know is why take people at all? Are they hostages? Forced conscripts?"
Phoenix exhaled, his gaze returning to the forest's edge, the shadows thickening with every passing moment. He didn’t answer right away, lost in his thoughts, but then something shifted in his stance, and I felt the weight of his next question before it even left his lips.
"Do you think they made it back safely?" Phoenix asked abruptly, his voice a low murmur against the soft rustle of the leaves.
I rubbed the mark on my hand absently — the faint, scarred reminder of the blood link, a tether still binding me to the others, no matter the distance.
"Yeah," I said, a little more certain than I felt. "I think Elira’s fine."
Phoenix flicked his eyes to mine, and for a breath, I caught a flash of vulnerability before he buried it deep.
"I wasn’t just talking about her," he said quietly.
"Sure, you weren’t," I muttered with a sigh.
His gaze drifted across the darkened fields, squinting as if trying to find something — or someone — just out of reach.
"I’ve never seen Slade get hurt like that," he murmured. "He must’ve taken on a hell of a lot."
I let out a grunt of a laugh, bitter at the edges. "Did you see that pile of bodies?" I shook my head, trying to shove the memory away. "We’re lucky he was only hit once."
Phoenix’s eyes caught mine again — a brief flicker of something unspoken passing between us.
"Guy’s a machine," he said.
I nodded, though my gut twisted at the thought of Slade lying bloodied and silent.
"He’s tougher than anyone gives him credit for," I said quietly.
Phoenix stared into the fire. "So is Elira."
I didn’t look at him. Just let the silence stretch longer than was comfortable.
"Don’t start," I said under my breath.
"She came through today," he said. "Helped us when she didn’t have to."
"She didn’t want to die," I muttered.
"Maybe. But you can’t deny it, any more than I can."
I finally turned to him, my voice flat. "Deny what?"
"The pull."
My jaw tightened. "You’re imagining things."
“Am I?” Phoenix shot back. “You don’t think I’ve noticed the way you watch her? Just like Leo does. Even Slade.”
I froze. The heat in my chest flared up, and I turned toward him fully, my voice sharp. “Phoenix-”
“You want her,” he pressed, his voice low but insistent. “You wouldn’t be such an asshole towards her if you didn’t. Just admit it.”
I felt my anger rise, the sharp edge of it cutting through the tension between us. “Why should I?”
“Because if we don’t win her trust — and fast — Vasquez is going to take her away from us.”
I scoffed, dismissing his concern. “He won’t break her. That girl’s made of fire and steel.”
Phoenix’s eyes darkened. “All steel melts under the right pressure.”
A cold shiver ran down my spine at his words. My hands clenched into fists again, and I could feel the tension in the air thickening, unbearable.
“Why don’t you be a bit more honest with yourself?” I snapped, the words coming out harsher than I intended. “You want her too.”
Phoenix chuckled, low and dark. “I’m not going to deny I find her… intriguing.”
“Intriguing. Right.” I bit the words out, unable to keep the edge of sarcasm out of my tone.
“She is very beautiful,” Phoenix said, his voice surprisingly sincere.
“If you like skinny street rats with an attitude problem,” I muttered under my breath.
Phoenix laughed out loud, the sound breaking the heavy silence between us. “Listen to you.”
I glared at him, irritation still simmering beneath my skin. But as the laughter died down, the tension didn’t fade. It hung between us, thick and heavy, like a storm waiting to break.
“I know you like her,” Phoenix pressed again. “Leo’s already halfway gone. She’s got him wrapped around her little finger. It won’t take long for Slade to follow.”
I didn’t answer immediately. Of course I’d seen it—the way Leo’s eyes softened when he looked at her, the way he’d laughed when she’d made a joke. He was already head over heels for the girl. And I hated how much I understood it.
But I didn’t want to admit it. Not to Phoenix. Not to anyone.
“Even so,” I muttered, “we’re never going to convince her to join the Shades willingly. She cares too much about that miserable little town. About those people.”
“Then what?” Phoenix growled. “We just hand her over to Vasquez? Let him gut her soul and brand what’s left?”
My fists clenched. “No. But forcing her isn’t the answer either.”
“Then what is?”
I didn’t have one. Not yet. And that terrified me.
Because Phoenix was right about one thing—I did want her. And that made everything more dangerous. For her. For all of us.
I thought of Elira—those sharp, electric-blue eyes that sparked like gas flames when she was angry. The way she stood toe-to-toe with men twice her size, like a cornered kitten daring the world to come at her. All claws and no fear. A little wildcat.
Despite myself, I chuckled under my breath.
Phoenix caught it. “I think she’s starting to like us too, you know.”
“Ha.” I shook my head. “She hates me. She’ll never forgive me for taking her away from her friend.”
Phoenix’s voice softened. “What happened to him?”
“We let him go. Back into the city. He was harmless. Just a street rat. Didn’t do anything wrong.”
Phoenix’s brow lifted. “Does the king know that?”
I stiffened. “He doesn’t need to know every little move I make.”
A slow grin spread across his face. “You soft bastard.”
I shot him a look. "Shut up."
Phoenix leaned back, looking way too pleased with himself. "So what do we do with our little ghost? Try wooing her?"
I scoffed. "She'd chew you up and spit you out. Girl’s too damn sharp for that."
Phoenix laughed, rough and easy. "You almost sound like you admire our little shadowmancer."
I clenched my jaw. "I don't. She's an infuriating little gnat, always throwing herself into danger for people who don't deserve it. She's reckless. A damn fool."
I looked away. "She’s gonna get herself killed trying to save a world that’s never done a damn thing for her."
Phoenix studied me, something calculating flickering behind his eyes. “Maybe that’s the key.”
I shot him a sidelong glance. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Her heart," he said simply. "It’s what made her break into the keep to help her friend. It's why she risked everything to save that soldier in the king’s chambers. She’s got a saviour complex."
He leaned forward, a slow, dangerous smile tugging at the edge of his mouth.
"So why don’t we give her someone to save?"
I looked at my friend, thinking carefully. “You’re thinking Green Valley?”
“It’s not a stupid idea," Phoenix said. "If she can see we aren’t all monsters—”
“We barely know this girl, and you want to trust her with something like that? You’re insane.”
“Thorne—”
“No, Phoenix." My voice cut sharper than I intended. "We don’t even know where she came from. Hell, she doesn’t even know where she came from.”
Phoenix’s mouth tightened. “She’s no friend of Ashton, that’s for sure.”
“Maybe not." I raked a hand through my hair, frustrated. "But what about the rest of the world? She could have ties we don’t know about. People she'd choose over us without blinking. We’re playing with fire, and you want to hand her a match.”
Phoenix’s jaw flexed. “Until Ashton gets what he wants from all of us,” he muttered.
“I’m not saying that,” I snapped, sharper than I meant. “We just need him confident we have her under control. Then he’ll let her stay with us.”
Phoenix glared, fire flickering in his hands. “Your faith in him, after what he did to Allison, astounds me.”
I stiffened, blood roaring in my ears.
“You know what he is, Thorne. You watched him break her mind.” His voice dropped, low and vicious. “You think Elira will survive him any better?”
“Phoenix—”
“Does Allison mean so little to you now?”
The words hit like a blade under the ribs.
“Enough!” I roared. Power lashed out of me, striking him hard enough that he staggered back, clutching his head.
Guilt coiled hot in my gut, but I didn’t move.
“You’re my brother,” I said, low and savage. “Same as Leo. Same as Slade. But if you ever bring her up again—”
“I won’t forget her," he said through gritted teeth. His flames licked hungrily around his body. “And neither should you.”
We stood there, locked in a standoff of grief and anger, until the wild howling from the woods snapped the world back into focus.
I spun toward the trees, heart hammering.
“Was that—”
"Shifter wolf," I said grimly, drawing my sword. "Yeah."
"Headed this way?" Phoenix asked, already tensing for a fight.
Another chorus of howls shredded the night air, closer now — too close.
I spat a curse. "With a couple of friends."
"Fuck." Phoenix cursed low, flicking his hands toward the fire. The flames snuffed out instantly, sinking into his skin, his body taking on a molten glow as he let the inferno inside him rise.
I reached out, extending my power like a razor. I found the approaching figures by the heat of their minds — flickering, hungry things. With a flick of my wrist, I slammed mind-numbing agony into the nearest ones.
In the dark, a scream tore free, raw and broken.
"Five, maybe six," I said, reading the battlefield in my head. "More closing in."
Phoenix spun to face me, a wild grin splitting his face, fire dancing up his arms.
"Let’s remind them who they’re dealing with, yeah?"
The corner of my mouth pulled into a grin — sharp, feral.
Finally, something I could tear apart without guilt.
"Gladly."