Page 61 of Phoenix Falling
I felt something savage rip through me as the door slammed closed. With a squeal of tires, I shot into traffic, my mind blank of everything but raging grief. If she hadn’t been my mate, if she hadn’t been human, it would never have come to this. I never would have had to rip my heart out and leave it lying on the curb. But if only’s weren’t going to get me anywhere. This was the hand I’d been dealt.
It didn’t mean the desire to tear down the world was any less lethal.
I don’t know how long I drove, only that I ended up back downtown at some point. Knowing I needed to do something, anything before my animal slipped my control and tore loose to share his pain with the world, I returned the car to the parking garage and pulled out my phone as I hurried up to the roof.
Basile answered on the first ring. “Sun?”
“Gather a few warriors. I want to search Maddox’s compound before it gets too close to dawn.”
“I thought we were planning to go this evening. That was the plan, wasn’t it?”
I ignored his sarcasm. “Plans change. Meet me there.”
He must’ve read the stubbornness in my tone—I certainly put it there. After a few silent seconds and a noncommittal grunt, I could hear his footsteps ringing through the phone. “Fine. Getting things together now.”
I turned my phone off and shoved it into my back pocket. A rough jerk pulled my T-shirt over my head, and I shoved it through a belt loop, then let my wings release. My phoenix’s cry as his wings expanded rang in my head—fury, savage and hot. And anguish. Longing for our mate.
I longed for our mate too, but I would do what was best for her, not for us. She deserved that much.
With a great wave of my wings, I shot into the sky.
I was circling the air above the compound we’d discovered just a few weeks ago when I saw two black Expeditions pull onto a road nearby. Not all Archai had wings. Though we could travel at extraordinary speeds on foot, so fast humans detected no more than a breeze passing them by, it wasn’t always feasible to travel that way in the light. Sometimes vehicles were an unwelcome necessity, especially when dark wings floating in the lightening sky could draw too much attention.
I watched as the two SUVs made their way along the darkened streets and through the half-hanging gate that had been damaged in the fight between my warriors and the army Maddox had built up in so short a time. The problem had been lack of experience—Maddox could control his mad shifters with the gift of power or, failing that, sheer terror, but he couldn’t give them courage when they faced a seasoned cadre of Archai warriors. Many of them had scattered to save their own skin, leaving the compound unprotected and Maddox with little backup. He’d died that day, by Kat’s hand, but the Anigma still existed. Hopefully we could find some hints of the connection between our enemy and the company providing them intel on their victims now that we had a hint of what we were actually looking for.
Folding my heavy wings against my body, I nosedived toward the ground, only pulling up at the very last second. My feet hit the ground with a teeth-rattling jolt directly in front of the SUV Basile was currently driving. He slammed on the brakes, his curses filtering through the opened window to reach my ears.
“Damn it, Sun!” Jerking the vehicle into park, he shoved open the door with his other hand. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Nothing like growing old with a male to ensure they wouldn’t stand on ceremony once you became king.
Everything’s wrong with me.“Nothing’s wrong.”
“For fuck’s sake.” He stepped out onto the broken concrete, pocketing the keys. “Something’s crawled up your ass or you wouldn’t be pulling that shit.”
“Maybe I was hoping you wouldn’t be so quick on the brakes.”
He jerked to a stop.“What?”
I waved away his question, eyeing the other warriors joining us. Azrael led the way, his black eyes narrowed on me. Demetri followed close behind. They had to know something was up, if only because I had shoved our timeline forward by eighteen hours or so, but I wasn’t prepared to talk about it. Not now, and maybe not ever.
Jacob, Doran, and Cale brought up the rear. When they were all lined up in front of me, I gave them a nod.
“I want to begin with those warehouses.” I jerked my chin in the direction of the three massive buildings Maddox’s contingent had used to store equipment and weapons. “We’ve gone through them before, but now that we know they’re working with some kind of medical or homeopathic shit, maybe we’ll see something we didn’t before.”
Azrael glanced up at the lightening sky. “Not a lot of time before dawn.”
“I’m not worried about a little light,” I snarled, taking my frustration out on my warrior, who didn’t deserve it.
Azrael crossed his massive arms over his chest and stared me down, but even as my biggest and most accomplished warrior, he couldn’t intimidate me. I’d lost half my soul; what did I care for threats anymore? Losing my head would be a welcome respite from the pain clanging around inside me like a death knell.
“Let’s get to work.”
The first warehouse held no clues. We’d moved on to the second, knee-deep in empty crates we’d already cleared of their weapons and ammunition two months ago, when Jacob came running from the front of the building.
I jerked my head up at the sound of his racing footsteps. “What’s up?”
He stopped in front of me, his eyes a bit wild. “We’ve got company.”
