Chapter 42
Phoenix
The scent of blood and smoke clung to the walls. Behind me, the arena raged. But here—at the back of the corridor, beyond the broken gate—was silence.
Finn was slumped in the corner, chained at the wrists, bruised and barely conscious. He looked up as I approached. Recognition flickered in his eyes—then something colder.
“I know you,” he rasped.
I didn’t answer.
A soft clap echoed off the stone.
“Shade Phoenix.” Mother Ashford stepped from the shadows like a woman welcoming a guest to tea. Her velvet gown was stained with soot, her hair wild with heat. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
I didn’t bow.
“I’m taking Finn.”
“Oh, are you?” Ashford purred, swirling her goblet. “That’s interesting, because you see... Finn is mine. He belongs to me.”
“This isn’t up for discussion.” My voice cut like a blade. “Hand him over, now.”
She smiled, indulgent and cruel. “It’s fascinating, the loyalty that girl inspires. You men and your relentless drive to save her—and her little pet. It’s almost admirable.”
“You don’t know a damn thing about her. Or us.” I took a step forward. “Last warning, Ashford. I’m not fucking around.”
She laughed. Light. Elegant. Unhinged.
“You don’t want to keep him.”
“Oh, but I do,” she said, voice silk over steel. “I want everything. This pit. Elira. The world burning outside. Why should I give up my favourite toys?”
I let the flames curl higher up my fingers, slow and deliberate. “Because I’m not asking. Elira wants him back. And you’re going to release whatever sick contract you have on him—or her. They are not yours. And they never will be again.”
Ashford tilted her head. “Elira,” she said slowly, like she was savouring the name. “She’s such an intriguing girl. Ever since I heard whispers of her power, I’ve done a little research. Her family tree is... fascinating. You don’t even know who she is, do you?”
“Fuck you, Mother,” Finn spat. “You know nothing about her.”
I glanced at him. There was something in his eyes—something I almost missed.
Fear.
What are you hiding, Finn?
Ashford’s smile turned razor-sharp. “Funny, though. I heard you were the one who took her away from Finn in the first place.”
My head snapped toward Finn. His face was stone, but the truth cracked beneath it.
Resentment. Rage. The memory of being torn from her. Hatred shone in his eyes as he glared at me.
“I healed you,” I said quietly. “I saved your life.”
“And then you stole her.” His voice was venom. “You stole her from me!”
“She’s not yours.”
“She’s not yours either!” he roared, raw and broken—some awful mix of grief, love, and obsession.
I turned back to Ashford, voice cold as the flame burning in my hands. “Enough. Hand him over. Release your claim.” I stepped forward, fire blooming from my palms. “Or you don’t walk out of here alive.”
The flames surged—first flickering, then rising, heat spilling into the room like pressure about to burst.
Ashford narrowed her eyes, smiling like the knife she was. “No.” The word was soft. Venom wrapped in velvet.
I stepped closer. “What choice do you have? Your castle has fallen. Listen.”
I tipped my head toward the open doorway.
Screams. Stone cracking. The sound of an empire falling.
“That’s the sound of your end.”
Still, she didn’t flinch.
“You think I didn’t plan for this?” Her voice sharpened. “You think I didn’t see it coming? I’ve ruled monsters longer than you’ve been alive. You’re just another Shade with a god complex and a matchstick.”
Her teeth flashed through blood on her lip. “I have my failsafe’s, fire-boy. I always do.”
The flames pulsed higher. “So do I.”
Ashford’s smile didn’t falter. She raised her hand and twisted a silver ring on her finger—its black gem pulsing with cold, sick light.
Shadows spilled out like blood from a wound. Thick. Writhing. Wrong. The gem shimmered blue, and the air behind her began to bend.
A portal opened.
My breath caught. I took a step forward. “What did you just do?”
She didn’t answer. Just turned slightly toward Finn, still bound and slumped at her feet.
“I think I’ll take my pet and leave now,” she said sweetly. “This place has lost its charm.”
I stepped forward again, the fire rising like a roar behind my teeth.
“You’re not taking him.”
“I don’t need your permission,” Mother Ashford said, that awful smile widening. “He’s mine by right. I fed him. Sheltered him. Broke him. That makes him my property.”
Finn stirred—barely. But it was enough. His head lifted, blood streaking one temple, eyes dazed but burning. “I’m not yours,” he rasped.
Ashford scoffed. “Don’t lie, boy. You know what we are. Deep down, you’ll always belong to me.”
“Touch me and I will end you, bitch,” Finn spat, forcing himself upright on shaking legs. His hands curled into fists, like he might launch himself at her—even knowing he’d fall.
She tilted her head and gave a soft, mocking laugh. “Look at you. Like watching a kitten bare its teeth. Still pathetic. Still mine.”
I raised a hand, and the flames surged high—painting the room in gold and orange.
“Not anymore,” I said. “Your empire’s ash. Your power’s done. You don’t get to take anything else.”
She tilted her head, almost pitying. “You really think I’m afraid of a pathetic fire mage?”
The portal shrieked behind her. She stepped back.
“You know what?” Ashford sneered, brushing invisible dust from her sleeve. “Keep him. Waste of resources, that one. Not good for anything without leverage.”
Finn growled. “I’ll kill you!” he roared and lunged.
“Finn, wait!” I shouted. I surged forward and grabbed him to stop him following. He fought in my arms like a wildcat.
“No!” he screamed.
The moment of chaos was all she needed.
She smiled—slow, wicked—and blew me a kiss. Then stepped backward into the waiting dark.
The portal swallowed her like smoke into flame. In one blink, she vanished.
The shadows collapsed in her wake.
And just like that—she was gone.
Finn stood there, panting, fists clenched so tight his knuckles split. Blood streamed down his temple, but he didn’t seem to feel it.
“She was right there,” he snarled, shaking with rage. “I could’ve ended her—why did you stop me?”
“Because she was leaving,” I snapped. “And if you’d gone after her, you would’ve gone with her.”
“Maybe I should’ve!” Finn roared. “Better than standing here while that monster walks free!”
“Think of Elira!” I snapped. “Think about everything she’s done for you. You owe her more than this—you owe her everything.”
His breath hitched, just barely.
“She needs you now,” I said, stepping closer, voice low and firm. “Not chasing ghosts. Not throwing yourself at someone already gone. She needs you here. Alive. Not wasting your rage on revenge.”
Finn didn’t speak. His jaw clenched, his whole body shaking.
But he didn’t move.
And for now—that was enough.