Page 61 of Infernal Hearts

She’s silent for a moment. “This sudden change of heart has something to do with that demon, doesn’t it?”

It’s the longest I’ve gone all day without thinking about Levi, and suddenly it softens me. “He’s changing my mind on a lot of things, yeah.”

“I just hope you know what you’re getting yourself into.” She leans her head against the window, looking into the woods. “Some things can’t be undone.”

She doesn’t realize how true her words are in this situation. I’ve gone down a road with Levi that I can’t backtrack. The only way out is through.

I stop myself from thinking too deeply about Levi and me. There are bigger problems I have to deal with right now—like how I’ve never actually treated a phoenix before. All I can do is make educated guesses, and I hope Valerie doesn’t know that. She’d definitely stop me at all costs.

We turn onto a dirt road, going further into the forest down by the lake. It’s completely secluded down here, exactly the way supernaturals like it. At last we break through the trees and come up to a trailer, a crystalline body of water sitting behind it. We finally get there, and I knock on the door.

The phoenix is a tall, elderly man with gorgeous tawny skin, wrapped in a thick blanket. His eyes are scarlet red, but in place of hair, he has spikes of golden feathers sprouting from his scalp.

My mouth turns down, and my voice lowers. “Your glamour is failing.”

He coughs again and shivers. “I’ll be covered in feathers by nightfall at this rate. Come in.”

Valerie and I follow him into his living room, where he sits on a metal chair. Everything in the room is metal. It’s probably to prevent anything from accidentally burning.

The air is sweltering, but he’s shivering. I pull out my kitchen thermometer and scan his forehead. One hundred eighty-six. Phoenixes should be well over three hundred at full strength.

“Not good.”

Surprisingly, he smiles in agreement. “You’re telling me. I’ve been taking boiling hot baths for days now. Nothing is helping.”

“When’s the last time you burned?” It’s a fair question, even if it is private. Phoenix life cycles aren’t something that are well-studied.

“Since before you were born, I’m assuming. I’m well overdue.”

I think for a moment before a lightbulb goes off. “Then maybe that’s the fix. We help the process along.”

“That’s a little extreme, don’t you think? Burning me alive?”

I understand his apprehension, but it’s the best plan of action. “Think of it as a hard reset. You should be good as new.” And even if it doesn’t work, he won’t be any worse off than he is now. Deep down I know that that my plan will work.

He rambles off questions, his cool facade breaking. “What if it goes wrong? What if my body heat won’t get as high as it needs to? I can barely function as it is.”

I dig through my bag and pull out a small vial of smoke. The black swirls dance in the vial between my fingers, begging for release. “Simple. Ifrit vapors—just an extra boost.”

The phoenix narrows his eyes and sets his jaw. “And how did you come across such a rare remedy?”

“I’m my father’s son. I have just enough of this and that for emergencies. And I think this qualifies.” I look over at Valerie for affirmation, and she gives me a firm nod.

Valerie finally speaks for the first time. “I agree with him. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen something like this.”

Suddenly he’s keenly aware of her presence. He looks her up and down a few times. “A fairy gracing me in my home? Well, aren’t I lucky. I have a pyre built on the beach. I set a new one up each time I’m reborn—when I’m at full strength. We can do it there.”

The tension I was holding melts off, and I give him a small smile. “Then we’d better hurry before you get any worse. Try to have some faith.”

He cocks his eyebrow. “In you? Perhaps.”

Phoenixes aren’t necessarily the most trusting creatures, so the fact that I have his bolsters my confidence. This will work. I know it.

A block of wood logs sits on the beach, waiting for us by the waterside. Sticks and fodder coat the bottom, and I wonder how long he’s prepared for this day. Or what’s postponed it. A few errant trees have grown by the embankment, at least a decade old. He must have been up keeping this pyre for the day he needs it.

Shedding his blanket, he climbs to the top and lies down. The surrounding wood sizzles beneath him, burning off the moisture. “Whenever you’re ready.”

The top of the bottle uncorks easily as I blow the ifrit vapors into the bottom of the pyre. The smoke swirls at the bottom, the wood immediately catching fire wherever the air touches. It slowly spreads up to the phoenix as I step back and watch.

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