Phoenix Everlasting

  Victoria glowed. She walked through the room carrying her baby, looking like a fashion model instead of a new mom. She wore a long, flowing pink dress with a plunging neckline that showed off how gloriously huge her breasts had become. Nursing did have its benefits. The baby slept peacefully on her shoulder. She laughed at something someone I didn’t know said and kissed his head.

  My best friend had come through labor like a champ. I’d wanted to argue with her when she’d said she was going to give birth at home. My kids had been hospital-born. But Victoria did as she said she would, and sure enough her home birth went without incident. By the end of the week, she’d been so adept at being Jack’s mom, it was like she’d done it for years instead of days.

  I barely remembered the first weeks with my kids.

  My whole body went on high alert, every nerve ending in my body coming alive. I didn’t even have to look to know who was in close proximity to me: Malcolm.

  He stood on the deck overlooking Victoria’s garden, which was always the first stop for any of Henry’s sculptures. Henry never sold anything until it had first sat in their lawn for one year. Levi had once told me it was a ridiculously stupid business practice. I’m sure he was right. Only, I thought it was romantic.

  Victoria’s house had a view to die for, overlooking both Lake Travis and the Hill Country. Right now, Malcolm enjoyed it full-on, with his arm around a brunette in a tight green dress. He laughed at something she said, and she leaned over to put her head on his shoulder. His hand drifted down to caress her derriere.

  I wanted to throw up.

  I wanted to turn and run.

  I wanted to break her nose. And then his. Twice.

  Henry was too happy to notice what happened as he moved to the next crowd of people. Even with my best friend in the room, I’d never felt so alone in my life. Chase looked down at me the second he spotted them.

  “That sucks.”

  I laughed, despite my heart shattering into a million pieces. “It does. He’s not really doing anything wrong. I chose to forget him, and then when I remembered, I chose to tell him we were still a no-go. I married someone else and had three children with him. He can date, marry, fuck”—I winced at my own profanity—“anyone he wants. We both know he never does anything without a purpose, and I don’t think he came here to welcome the baby to the green earth.”

  “Not with how he feels about kids.” Chase took a sip of his drink. He had alcohol? Where had he gotten it, and why didn’t I have any? As if anticipating me, he pointed at the bar behind him. “It’s full.”

  “Great.” I took a step and then stopped. “Did she have to be a brunette?”

  I hated my hair. It would not take hair dye, and it was a constant reminder of the night the demon possessing my son had been revealed. It was also the night the shadow creature I thought of as Top Hat, thanks to the one he wore, came out to threaten everyone I loved.

  Chase shook his head. “He has a type, and that type is you. That’s your hair color, or at least it was before you used so much power you permanently dyed yours white. Yeah, I wouldn’t be shocked if the parade of women with him from now until his days are up are all exactly like that. I’m going to go say hello. If you don’t want to stay here all night, we don’t have to. Say hi, stay a respectable amount of minutes, and get the hell out of dodge. This is Victoria. They’re going to be singing and dancing.”

  “Malcolm is not going to drive me out of Victoria’s home.” The singing and dancing might, but that was neither here nor there. “We’re all in this together. We have to be able to be together. In my kindest heart, I only wish him happiness.”

  “And in your not-so-kind you want him to long for you forever. I get it. I’ve been watching the great Malcolm/Kendall love for quite some time. Frankly, the idea that you’re not together, it makes me doubt the world a little bit more.”

  I punched him in the arm. “More than being blown up when you were ten?”

  “Even more so. What can I say? I’m a romantic. Going to go say hi to them.”

  I meandered around the hordes of people to get to the bar. Victoria had hired an actual bartender for a party at her house. No expense spared for her son’s first party. I grinned while I waited my turn.

  My best friend appeared next to me. She kissed me on both cheeks before she spoke very rapidly. “I almost threw them out. I had no idea he’d show up with some girl. Then I decided I wasn’t getting in the middle of whatever this was.”

  I touched the baby’s soft head. “You did the right thing. He’s your family and Jack’s family. He belongs here, and I wouldn’t expect you to make his date unwelcome.”

  “You look so pretty.”

  I touched my head. “Even with my striking white hair? Yeah, I think not.”

  “You’re …”

  Whatever she would have said I never heard. The room was engulfed in total darkness. Someone screamed, and my powers turned on. Nausea rolled through me. Demon. My friends must have gotten the signal at exactly the same second I did. Victoria cried out, and I shoved her behind me. Nothing from this world or any other was getting to my best friend or her baby.

  “Kendall,” Malcolm called out in the darkness. He found in me in the complete blackness, grabbing my arm. I didn’t let myself focus on how fast he’d gotten to me or how good it felt to have him next to me in the middle of a crisis.

  My powers turned on, I’d be able to see in the dark now. And there he was--the demon. He was big and red with a face painted with white symbols I didn’t recognize. His gaze was cold. He swung his serpent tail back and forth behind him. I shuddered. With demons, size mattered. This one was powerful.

  “Victoria.”

  “Henry.”

  In the pitch black, we found each other until we’d all assembled by the bar. I hadn’t even known Block was at the party, and yet he now stood by my side. Our nearly albino friend could protect groups of people from demon infestation. We needed him now.

  The other guests were screaming, crying, lost in the darkness. “How many of your friends are talented?”

  Henry answered, “There are three witches here. Other than that, they’re all non.”

  A house full of non-talents and a demon ping-ponging off the wall.

  This was a recipe for disaster.

  Chapter Two

  “We need to be smart about this.” Why was I in charge when Malcolm was in the room with me? Yet, even in the darkness, the weight of their gazes rested on me. “Victoria, get yourself out of this room. Go through the hallway and outside. You and the baby. Hide. Run. I don’t care.”

  She sucked in her breath. “But—”

  “I know,” I interrupted. “You want to help. I get it. You have a baby. That’s your first priority. Keep Jack alive. We’ll make sure your people get out of here safely. “

  The demon laughed. I was so going to make it wish it had gone anywhere else. With my memory returned, I knew how to make it hurt, and I wasn’t above doing so.

  “Do it, honey.” Henry’s voice was low. This thing had invaded his house and terrified his guests. I didn’t have to try hard to imagine just how pissed he was.

  I touched Block’s arm. “Keep her shielded till she’s far away.”

  “On it.”

  Victoria took a deep breath and ran. Her guests couldn’t do the same. When in the presences of a demon, most non-talents will freeze. They can’t help themselves. When it came to human versus evil, evil usually won. Thus the reason the bad mojo had to be kept to a minimum. When I was sure she was out the door and the demon had remained where he’d been, I turned to Chase, touching his arm.

  “You need me in their heads.” He spoke without me having to. “I’m trying to do an energy count. I’m simply not sure if I have thirty or forty people here. I won’t be able to affect about 10 percent.”

  Malcolm grunted before he spoke. “That’s better than nothing.”

  “Do it.” I moved my hand to Block’s shoulder. “When
Victoria is safe, cover the ones in the room that Chase can’t get to leave.”

  He nodded. “I want her further away. Give it a minute.”

  “Move them out. Then Henry is going to block the room.”

  “Malcolm?” I didn’t recognize the voice, but next to me Malcolm jolted. “Where did you go? What’s going on?”

  I took a deep breath. “Did you leave your date on the porch?”

  “I told her to stay there.”

  Chase must have gotten into the heads of most of the people in the room. I heard their footsteps and some of the screaming had ceased. My friend couldn’t keep this up forever—or at least he hadn’t used to be able to. I didn’t really know the extent of his powers anymore.

  “She’s not a dog.” If we hadn’t been in the dark, he’d have seen me rolling my eyes. “She may not stay because you told her to.”

  The demon laughed and jumped right into Malcolm’s girlfriend.

  “Shit.” He ran toward her, then pulled her into his arms. The demon glowed. Everyone could see him now, even inside the woman’s body. “Okay. Okay. Okay. This is going to be okay. We’re going to get him out.”

  Outside, the streetlight spilled through the windows into the room, lighting it up even more. I’d had enough. I pointed my hand at the streetlight and then into the room. With a boom the room lit completely.

  The few people left in the space looked around, confused. “All right, everyone out. Let’s go. Come on people. Out.”

  On the ground, Malcolm’s girl groaned. Henry hurried to help shuffle his friends from his house. This was a big, giant complicated mess of a night. I wished I’d stayed home to watch Lifetime movies. Tonight they had something to do with the Amish. Instead, I was cleaning a mess.

  “The demon is in the brunette with the tight dress. We have to get it out.”

  Malcolm looked up from where he held the girl on the floor. “Her name is Mystia.”

  “Of course it is.” I stormed over to her. In a best-case scenario, Malcolm and I could get the demon out together. I really wasn’t in the mood to collaborate. “Move.”

  “What are you doing?” He shook his head. “Let’s start with a plan of action.”

  “The plan of action is really simple. You get out of the way. I rip this thing out of her, and then you can take her home and have really fantastic brunette sex with her.” I pressed my hand on her chest. The demon was in her, but it was very new. He hadn’t really gotten hold of her body or soul yet. I could see his darkness; I could bring it out. I yanked on the demon, and he moved easily. Too easily.

  The demon wasn’t serious about this possession. Out of Mystia’s mouth, it spoke. “My master was hoping he’d get your attention this thoroughly tonight. You all came here. You partied.” I hadn’t really. I wasn’t going to argue. “While you’ve been paying attention to me, he has taken what he needed. He has the found the Phoenix.”

  Come on, kid, I don’t do business with children. If your mom or dad wants something, they know where I am.

  The same voice, the same memory that plagued me with no context, passed through my head. I couldn’t manage to focus on the mystery and deal with the demon.

  “While you played with me, my master took it.” The demon squealed. They were weak when they first took a human. This whole scenario stunk of a scheme. The demon had made it too easy. If he hadn’t taken the girl, I never could have defeated him so simply. I wasn’t going to complain about easy when everything was so hard. I yanked, throwing it from her body with one hand and destroying it with the other. Afterward, I sat on the ground.

  Mystia moaned, and her eyes fluttered. I made eye contact with Malcolm over her body. “She’s going to be fine. It never had the time to take her, not really. You’ll have plenty of time to do whatever you planned for the rest of the night. She might need an aspirin.”

  “Kendall …” He looked at her and didn’t finish whatever he would have said, because Mystia came back to herself.

  She sat, rubbing her eyes. “Wow. What did I have to drink, or maybe I should say, how much of it?”

  “Hmm.” I don’t know why I was so unreasonably angry. Nothing had changed. Malcolm could be with whomever he wanted. The demon removal must have knocked out whatever ability I had to pretend I was reasonable.

  Why taking the demon from her body made me feel so completely infuriated, I’d have to figure out later. Maybe it had something to do with how soft her skin was or the fact that I was sure, when her black dress was off, it wouldn’t reveal that she had stretch marks all over her stomach. Or maybe it was because Malcolm held her like she mattered.

  When was the last time anyone had given two shits about me?

  “I’m going to take Mystia home.” He lifted her in his arms.

  I nodded. “Seems like a good idea. The rest of us will work. You take Mystia home. Have a great night and all that.”

  Henry squatted next to me. “Do you need a minute?”

  “I need a drink.” Actually, I needed two.

  I was into my second whiskey when Victoria returned to the house. Face streaked with tears, she carried Jack and walked straight to Henry, who pulled her against him.

  “Are we all here?” I wanted to get home and sleep. Our review of what happened needed to take place sooner rather than later.

  Block shook his head. “Malcolm isn’t.”

  No shit. He hadn’t spoken to anyone before he left with Mystia after my small implosion on the floor. I didn’t blame him. What did you say to your crazy ex when she freaked out? You gave her a wide berth.

  “We’ll have to do this without him, and you can go ahead and update him whenever you see fit.”

  Block crossed to me, pulling me into his arms for a strong hug. I gasped. Outside of my family, I’d never been a big hugger. These people constituted family, and yet I couldn’t recall Block ever hugging me before.

  “This is really hard. Everyone knows it. You did a great job with the demon.”

  I patted his shoulder. “Good work keeping Victoria and the others safe.”

  He let go of me. “Thanks.”

  “Let’s cut to the center of this. Does anyone know what the Phoenix is? I mean, other than the obvious mythical reference?” Silence met my query. They either didn’t know or they weren’t saying. “His master took the Phoenix. That has to mean something, and if none of us are at all aware of the meaning, then we are really screwed.”

  “Well.” Henry shook his head. “Maybe the demon lied. They do. All the time.”

  Unlike the rest of us, Henry’s first death had come at the hands of a demon. He’d been possessed, and he’d died from the experience at ten years old. He knew demons.

  “I agree. I think in this case, however, he was too gleeful. I could feel his level of happy. They wanted us to know they took the Phoenix. Whatever that is.”

  “In that case then, we’d better find out and soon.” Chase spoke for the first time since the demon came. Controlling all those people had left him exhausted, another reason for us to leave.

  I shook my head. “I don’t have the slightest idea how to gather information about something I don’t understand in the first place.”

  “I do.” Victoria kissed her baby’s head. “We’re going to summon the Others. Michael, Gabriel, Rafael, anyone else who wants to show.”

  She wanted to see the Others on purpose? “You can do that? Summon them?”

  “I’ve been working it out over the last few years. It’ll take a few days to get together. Sunday night. We gather here, and I’ll get them to come and talk to us. It’s a mess of a procedure.” She looked at her husband. “I may need some help with the goat.”

  He nodded once. “We’ll get it done.”

  Chase whispered in my ear. “What do you suppose they’re going to do to a goat?”

  “I’m, um, not going to ask.”

  Sunday. Three days until we could get some answers about why tonight happened.

  “If this is
the Cascade”—Henry sighed loudly—“I’m over it already.”

  Me too.

  ***

  Chase drummed his fingers on the wheel before he finally gave in to whatever bothered him and spoke. “I should have been able to get the whole room. I could have before I lost my memories.”

  “You don’t know that. We never experienced anything like this during training. They gave us trials. A party at Victoria’s house with a bunch of non-talented people running around never factored. They got out. They were safe, and most of them think it was only some kind of power outage. That’s the best you can do.”

  He shook his head. “Actually, no. The best I can do is complete our ranks. My sister, she’s dead.” His voice cracked, and I ignored it. Chase had always felt responsible for her. Losing her for the second time had to be weighing on him every second of the day. “Chelsea is gone.”

  I took a deep breath. She’d been the first of us to go. By the time I’d gotten my memories, she was long gone. Such a shame; she’d always been so sweet, and like Chase, she’d been great with helping people deal with frightening things. Past life issues were her specialty. But she was gone. That left the six of us here and four more we had to find, eventually. All of them were men. They’d always outnumbered us, and of the women, only Victoria and I were left.

  “I know.” I touched his arm. “Five years now, isn’t it?”

  “That’s right. We need our last four. We need Peter, Logan, Troy, and Ross. As it happens, I’m a private investigator. I find people for a living. I’ll locate them. Maybe I always knew somewhere in my gut I’d have to find them, and that’s why I got good at this. I’ll find them and bring them here.”

  I wasn’t as confident as Chase sounded about bringing the guys in. They were all great people. We’d all been prepared to fight the good fight together, only things had changed, and who knew what had happened to them since we’d returned.

  “Did they all have their memories taken?”