Page 15 of Phoenix Falling
“Sebastian, can you begin a search for these storefronts?”
He smirked. “Aye, aye, sir.”
I shook my head but couldn’t hold back a chuckle. Then, “Vanessa, contact the other lairs. I want a meeting with each clan leader in the next three days.”
Vanessa jotted a note.
“Basile, we need men in each of those quadrants. Begin drafting a list of possibilities. Contact Arik as well.” Our former nemesis was one of the savviest hunters I knew. Now that he was on our side, I wanted to make use of that if he’d allow me to do so. “We also need to amp up patrols in our own area. I want them doubled asap. The Anigma will return; it’s just a matter of when.”
“Yes, sir.”
I stood, and the rest followed. I watched the warriors exit, my mind racing over all the threads we needed to cover, all the missing information we still needed. We’d been given a two-month reprieve, but that could end at any time. We needed every bit of help we could get. The question was, how did we get it?
ChapterSeven
THE TRAITOR
Iwatched the prince prowl the night, the streets of Nashville his hunting ground. Hate burned in me at the sight—because of his privilege, because of his animal, because of everything he stood for. The pinnacle of our people; the perfect Archai. The male with all he could want at his fingertips.
My own fingers itched to grasp my knife and throw it, letting the sweet steel bury itself at the base of his fucking skull.
Not him, not yet. But the other. Soon.
As I followed, rooftop to rooftop, Sun parted company with his patrol partner, Sebastian—the arrogant little prick—and headed farther into downtown. One hand pushed into his back pocket and drew out a cell phone. The sight curled my lip with disgust. Our people, dependent on technology. It was heresy. We owned the night. We were the most powerful beings on this planet, and yet we were reduced to depending on tiny electronic boxes to navigate our world. That’s what Sun wanted,usreduced to the same level as humans.
No.
He was tapping at the screen now, sending a text message, probably. Who would the prince be texting? He finished, his feet moving as he stared at the screen, awaiting an answer. And then his animal flashed in his eyes, silver light obscuring the rainbow for the shortest moment before he clicked the cell off, returned it to his pocket, and strode forward, his pace picking up speed.
I knew that look, that tension in his body—hunger. And not only for blood. Did he have a regular donor now? But no, surely our pure prince would not be drinking from a female. To do so was not only against tradition, it was considered abhorrent. Especially after recent encounters with the Anigma. The horror among the Warrior’s Council when it had been learned that Arik’s now-mate had been triggered by Anigma soldiers had been genuine.
It didn’t stop me from feasting wherever I pleased, but Sun? He wouldn’t dare.
Which meant he had a fuck buddy.
Curious—and more than a little anxious to gain any and all knowledge that could be used against the prince—I followed.
Sun moved down 6thAvenue, walking past the Tennessee Performing Arts Center without wavering through the clusters of humans awaiting the next show. The crowds parted instinctually for the shifter, their hindbrains recognizing danger even if their eyes were unsure. Sun’s gaze was trained forward, and when he crossed Union Street, he jogged a few yards before he veered straight into traffic and beelined for the hotel across the street.
My instincts had been correct—there, waiting outside the brightly lit, creamy facade of the Hermitage sat a female on a wrought-iron bench. From the top level of the parking garage across the street, I took in the details: thick, curly brown hair, flawless skin, dark blue eyes. Pretty enough, I guessed, especially the full mouth, but nothing like our women. Good enough to sate a shifter’s hunger, but possibly too small to withstand it—standing to face the prince, she came no higher than the male’s massive chest.
Definitely not sturdy enough for my taste, but to each their own.
I had no interest in watching unless Sun planned on killing her. Probably not on tonight’s menu, at least for the prince. My own, however…
With a burst of speed I cut off pursuit and made my way to a less populated, more run-down area of Nashville. Homeless littered the sidewalks and alleyways, a smorgasbord of blood types, but I preferred my food fresh and smelling clean. Within a few minutes I’d zeroed in on a pair of young teenage boys walking their bikes back from the corner store. Much more my style—technically not forbidden, even barely into pubescence, though I did tend to drain them dry. That was definitely forbidden.
I let my fangs elongate with anticipation. Just as the teens approached an alleyway between two abandoned buildings, I raised my voice.
“Hello, boys.”
Bikes halted. Twin heads swiveled to see who had called to them. One look was all it took for two pairs of dirty sneakers to take off running. I put on a burst of inhuman speed and appeared abruptly in front of them.
“Now, that’s not nice. When someone says hello, you’re supposed to answer.”
“Fuck you, dude,” the taller boy yelled, voice trembling. His companion hefted his bike and shot into the alleyway. The mouthy one followed.
I grinned. Normally that alley was a pass-through, open at both ends. Too bad for my meal that I’d blocked the way a few days earlier. They made it halfway to the end before they realized two dumpsters had been pushed into the opening, then piled high with boxes and trash and broken furniture. Far too high for them to easily scramble over.
