Phoenix's Fate (RARE Series, #2) Read online

  “Yeah, well I have something more important to take care of,” Jeremiah interrupted. “I’m leaving. The big boss man can fire me if he wants, but I’m outta here.”

  “Where are you going?” Cord asked in confusion. “To save my woman,” Jeremiah growled as he slammed out of the office.

  Jeremiah went straight home, loaded up one duffle bag with clothes and another with various weapons and supplies he might need to rescue his mate. He may have been an office boy for a while now, but he still knew how to kick ass. He was going to join RARE on this one whether they wanted him to or not. Rikki was his, dammit, his.

  Chapter 5

  “What’s going on?” Nico asked as Angel hung up her cell phone, slowly sitting it down on the table.

  “Well isn’t that craptastick?” she whispered, her big blue eyes wide with surprise. “What?” Nico asked. “Jeremiah Black is Rikki’s mate,” Angel said as she sat there letting it all sink in.

  “Oh shit,” Jaxson said. They all knew Jeremiah Black. Good man. Bear shifter. Tough as nails. He was going to come in guns blazing. But Angel was thrilled. She needed him. She would have asked for his help before, but she hadn’t been sure she would get it. He worked for the FBI. He was under their rules and regulations. RARE did not answer to anyone. They did not answer to the FBI, the CIA, not even Homeland Security. RARE did its own thing. They contracted work out to several different agencies, but they handled things their way, with no questions asked. As long as the job got done, everyone was happy. Jeremiah Black worked for the FBI, but he was a badass bear shifter. All bets were off now. Someone had taken his mate, and Angel knew he would do whatever it took to get her back. She was glad he was on their side.

  Just then, Nico’s phone rang. He answered, listened for a few minutes, and said, “See ya as soon as you can get here.”

  Turning towards Phoenix he said, “We are in luck, my brother. A couple of weeks ago a new girl, Summer, showed up at the facility. She was really young and scared to death. Becca, a scientist that worked there, snuck her into Serenity’s room the first night to comfort her. Serenity had a necklace that she had been wearing when the General’s men stole her from her pack. For some reason, they let her keep it. She gave it to Summer that first night and told her it would help keep her safe. Chase is getting the necklace and bringing it here.”

  Phoenix did not want to get his hopes up, but this was their best bet so far. If Angel could connect with Serenity, then maybe they could figure out where the hell she and Rikki were. It would take Chase a good 45 minutes to get the necklace and get to Angel’s, so Phoenix decided now was a good time to go beat the shit out of something.

  Nodding once at Angel, he turned and walked out of the room. Going up the stairs and into one of the guest bedrooms, he quickly changed into some shorts he found in one of his bags. He was going to hurt someone if he didn’t get rid of some of his anger. As Phoenix slammed out the back door, he heard Nico call his name. He just kept walking toward the barn. He could not talk. Could not breathe. Phoenix walked into the barn, grabbed the tape off a shelf, and started wrapping up his knuckles. Nico came in behind him. Not saying a word, they walked over to the punching bag. Nico held it while Phoenix pounded the piss out of it. After thirty minutes, he finally stopped, grabbed a towel, and wiped the sweat off his face and the blood off his hands. Then, while Nico waited by the door, Phoenix dropped to his knees in the middle of the old barn and prayed. He prayed for the life of his mate, the life of his sister, and his own soul if anything were to happen to either of them.

  Once they got back to the house, Nico went to check in with Angel while Phoenix took a quick shower. After Phoenix was done, he headed back down the basement stairs towards the conference room. He heard a loud roar when he hit the bottom landing. Sounded to Phoenix like Jeremiah Black had shown up and he was one pissed off bear. Phoenix entered the conference room, took a seat at the table with the rest of his team, and waited for the bear to find his way to them. It did not take long.

  “Where is my mate,” Jeremiah growled as he stood at the entrance of the room. Wow, he was one big grizzly. As Phoenix watched, Jeremiah’s fangs dropped and his eyes turned bear. He had never seen a bear shifter before. Only wolf and cat.

  “Knock it off, Jeremiah,” Angel growled. “You can’t shift in here, dammit. You are too freaking big. Get yourself under control and sit your ass down.”

  Jeremiah continued to growl, but he visibly pulled his bear back and took a seat by one of RARE’s team members, Trace. While they waited for Chase to arrive with the necklace, Angel gave Jeremiah a rundown on everything that had happened.

  Once she was done, Jeremiah asked in a low deadly voice, “You mean to tell me that some sick fuck has Rikki and wants to breed her? My mate?”

  “The General wants to breed Serenity. If he is aware of Rikki’s gifts, then I am sure he will want to use her, too. We are not going to let that happen, though.” Angel told him.

  “You said they have had her for four days, Angel,” he growled. “Four days! How can you tell me that something hasn’t happened to her already?”

  Just then there was a noise up in the kitchen. A moment later, Chase stood in the doorway. His Beta, Bran, was right behind him. Chase held up the necklace for everyone to see. “I got it. Let’s hope this works.”

  As he moved over towards Angel, Phoenix got a glimpse of the necklace. He swallowed hard and then ground out, “A Phoenix. It’s a Phoenix.”

  Chase nodded. “She told Summer a shaman made it for her a few years ago. He told her the phoenix was her future and would keep her safe.”

  “Find her, Angel,” Phoenix ordered through clenched teeth. “You find Serenity, now. I’m ready to start hunting.”

  Angel nodded. Looking over at Chase she held her hand out for the necklace.

  Chapter 6

  Serenity cautiously peered around the dimly lit room keeping her eyes closed most of the way. She was not sure where she was and wanted a chance to assess the situation before letting whomever else was in the room know she was awake.

  “You’re back with the land of the living,” a voice whispered as a hand gently moved her long dark hair out of her face. Serenity’s brown eyes flew open and she stared up into the face of the woman that she had saved. “Your fever is gone.”

  “Are they watching us?” Serenity whispered. She sat up and gingerly scooted back to lean against the wall. Titling her head back, she took in a deep breath, before letting it out again. The pain in her chest was now just a dull ache.

  “I checked the room out. I did not find any cameras or bugs, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t here,” the woman responded. “Some scientists were here earlier. They checked your temperature, took some of your blood, and left. That was it.”

  Serenity nodded. Her head was pounding. But, after what she had just been through, she could deal with it. She just wished she had the ability to heal herself, too. Unfortunately, no matter how often she had tried in the past, it just was not possible. She could heal others all day long, but when it came to herself, she could not even heal a paper cut. “I understand. At least all they did was take my blood this time. It could have been worse. Who are you?”

  “Rikki, my name is Rikki. I was on the team that came to rescue the women from the facility you were being held in. Unfortunately, we both ended up here...wherever here is,” Rikki said as she gazed around the room. “How are you feeling? You were pretty out of it. You had me worried for a bit.”

  “Groggy, tired, but the pain in my chest is almost gone,” Serenity whispered. “I have a headache, but I’ll be fine soon. I would be perfect if I could just shift, but I refuse to give the General the satisfaction of seeing me go furry.”

  Rikki let out a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Thank God. I don’t understand why you did it, but I am pretty sure you saved my life. If you hadn’t done whatever you did, I would probably be dead by now. No one lifted a finger to help me until you. With all the scienti
sts around here, you would think someone could have stitched me up. ”

  “It’s ok,” Serenity lied. No it really was not ok. Serenity was so screwed and she knew it. At least before she had let her healing ability be known, she’d had more of a chance of going unnoticed. Now the General would want the scientists to not only keep a close eye on her, but she would also be subjected to horrible experiments. Maybe she would get lucky and it would keep her out of the mommy pool longer. She was sure the General would want to breed her because of her abilities, but he would want to run tests on her first to see exactly what she was capable of doing. It would give Phoenix more time to find her, if he was even looking.

  “No, it is not ok,” Rikki said angrily. “The General knows about your healing ability now. He obviously didn’t before, but now he does. I am sure that’s why they came in and took your blood earlier.”

  Serenity squeezed her eyes shut tightly as she cursed under her breath. “He would have found out sooner or later,” she said after a moment. “It is what it is.”

  Rikki watched her closely as she said, “You told me that you did it for Phoenix. Do you know Phoenix?”

  Serenity looked up at her warily. She did not know this woman. She wasn’t sure if she should say anything to her or not. Deciding to trust her instincts she told her, “He’s my mate. I have never met him, but Ashley told me he was coming for me and that he is mine.”

  “Oh shit,” Rikki hissed. “You’re sure?” Serenity swallowed hard and then nodded. Rikki sat quietly for a minute and then she started laughing. “Let me tell ya something, girl. As soon as Phoenix finds out about you, he will hunt you down, he will find you, and he will blow the fuck apart anybody and anything that gets in his way. The General made a huge mistake when he decided to take you.”

  “But Phoenix doesn’t even know about me,” Serenity told her in surprise. “Oh, I guarantee you, if he doesn’t know about you yet, he will soon,” Rikki responded with a grin. “ And I promise you, Serenity, that I will do anything and everything that I can to keep you safe until my brother gets to you.”

  “Your brother?” Serenity asked in surprise. Rikki laughed, “He might as well be my brother. He and Nico saved me when nobody else gave a damn. They were there for me when I needed them. My team is my family and Phoenix and Nico are my brothers. I would do anything for them. And I will do anything for you, Serenity, because you just became a part of our family and we protect what is ours.”

  Serenity swallowed hard and then whispered, “Thanks. It’s been a long time since anyone has cared about me.”

  Just then Serenity felt a pushing sensation in her mind and froze. Oh hell no. This was not happening. “What’s wrong,” Rikki asked, glancing around quickly.

  “Someone is trying to get into my head. I can’t let that happen. I won’t. The General can go fuck himself if he thinks he is going to get to me that way,” Serenity growled. She curled up into a little ball with her forehead on her knees, arms wrapped around her legs, and started rocking back and forth fighting to keep the presence out. She absolutely refused to let anyone into her mind. No one was going to take control of her. Not ever again.

  “Wait! It might be Angel,” Rikki said as she scrambled over beside her. Reaching out, she grabbed Serenity’s shoulders shaking her. Thank God most of the pain was gone already, or that would have hurt.

  “Angel?” Serenity questioned. She could feel the determination by the other person to break down her wall. Damn, whoever it was, they were good. And Serenity would know. She had spent months trying to keep a very talented sadistic bastard from mind raping her. This person had a lot of power. She did not think she could hold out much longer.

  “Yes, Angel. She is the alpha of my team. She can slip in and out of people’s minds. I have been waiting for her to try and connect with me, but she hasn’t. Maybe she is connecting with you? Although, I’m not sure how since she has never met you before. Maybe it’s through Phoenix somehow?”

  Serenity growled as pain sliced through her head. “I’m not letting anyone in my head, Rikki. If it’s her, she can get the hell out and find you.”

  “You want to just sit here and wait for the General to come back? You want to lay back and spread your legs for whatever scumbag he sends your way?” Rikki yelled. “Put on some fucking big girl panties, Serenity, and see who it is. If it isn’t Angel, then just kick them back out and slam a wall in place. Do it, dammit.”

  Serenity gritted her teeth and glared at Rikki. If she didn’t know that Rikki was right and that this might be their ticket to freedom, she would have decked her. She may have been all sweet and innocent in the past, but that had all changed once Malcolm had started stalking her. She still had her weak moments, just like everyone else, but now was not one of them. Rikki was right. Serenity took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and yanked up her big girl panties.

  The pain in her head suddenly receded as Serenity allowed the presence into her mind. The feeling was a soft and gentle sensation, not the fast and brutally painful way that Malcolm had always used.

  Who are you? Serenity growled at the intruder. Show no fear. She had learned that from Malcolm, too. Showing her fangs, Serenity continued to growl.

  Back down, pup, a female voice demanded. I am here to help. When Serenity didn’t respond, the female let out a frustrated growl herself. Look, I don’t want to hurt you because that would just piss Phoenix off, but if you don’t stand down, trust me, I will make you.

  Serenity froze. She did not say a word, she just sat there waiting; but she did stop growling. This woman knew Phoenix. That meant she was probably Angel. Yet life had taught Serenity not to take anything for granted. Unfortunately, she had learned many life lessons over the past five years since the death of her parents. Things had been difficult without her father there to guide and protect her, but Serenity was a survivor. Hell, she had survived Malcolm. She could get through this, too.

  Smart little wolf, aren’t you? the voice said. Is Rikki with you? Serenity still did not respond. You don’t trust me, do you? I don’t blame you. I’m not sure how much longer I can hold our connection, so let me talk fast. I am Angel, leader of RARE. Rikki is a part of my team. We busted up the General’s little party at his largest facility, but in the process, Rikki got shot saving Nico’s ass. Then the General stole both of you. Now, I need to know where you are because some Ashley chic told Phoenix that you are his mate and he is about to tear apart everyone and everything to get to you. Got it?

  Serenity took a deep breath, savoring the knowledge that not only did Phoenix know about her, but he was trying to find her. He was coming for her. There was just one problem. She had no idea where she was. She had just woken up not too long ago. She wasn’t even sure how long she had been out.

  Letting a small amount of her own power out, she helped Angel hold the connection between them. I’m not going to be much help. I just woke up. I have no clue where we are.

  It’s been four days, Serenity. They kept you drugged that long? Angel asked in confusion. Why would they keep you drugged the whole time? Is that why I can’t reach, Rikki? Is she drugged, too?

  No, I wasn’t drugged. I was just...out of it, Serenity told her. She never told anyone about her healing abilities. One more life lesson she had learned.

  When she was a child, Serenity had used her ability to help heal her friend who had fallen out of a tree and ended up with a broken arm. The little girl had been in so much pain. Serenity had not known what she was doing. All she knew was that her friend was hurt and crying and she wanted to take the pain from her. Serenity had reached out and grasped her arm by the break. The girl had screamed, but Serenity did not let go. She had felt the power rise up in her and it seemed to jump from her hand to the other girl’s arm.

  Then it was as if she had absorbed all of the other girl’s pain. She took it all in until the girl stopped crying. Serenity had not healed the break fully that time, but she did catch the attention of the pack’s healer.
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  From that moment on, anytime anyone was hurt beyond the normal every day cut or bruise, they called on Serenity to heal them. No one seemed to care how much pain or trauma it caused her. When her parents realized Serenity would not be able to handle much more, they had taken her and ran.

  Serenity pulled her thoughts away from the past. There would be time later to dwell on things that she could not change, right now she needed to worry about the things she could. Let me talk to Rikki and see if she remembers anything. She was in so much pain when we got here, though, that it is doubtful.

  Serenity hesitated for a moment. I want to see him, she finally said. Please, I want to see my mate. Just for a second, then I will let you go.

  Angel hesitated before responding, Of course. Serenity took a deep breath and then instead of Angel being in her mind, she was in Angel’s and seeing out of her eyes. As she watched, Angel looked over at the most beautiful man Serenity had ever seen. He was leaning up against a wall with his arms crossed over his chest and his dark, skull trimmed head bowed. He had on a tight black tee shirt that showed off his muscular arms and stomach and she could see a tattoo peeking out from under his shirt collar. Serenity thought tattoos were sexy as sin. She hoped Phoenix did, too, because she had one of her own.

  As she watched, Phoenix lifted his head and looked at Angel. His gorgeous blue eyes were filled with so much pain. Serenity wanted to make the pain go away. Her mate should not be hurting like this.

  Angel didn’t move, she just continued to stand there letting Serenity watch Phoenix. Phoenix’s eyes narrowed. “Angel, you ok? Did you talk to Serenity? Do you know where the General is holding them?”

  “Serenity is right here with me, Phoenix,” Angel said, still not moving. “She wanted to see you.” Phoenix froze, his eyes widening. Then he slowly walked towards Angel. When he stood right in front of her, Serenity could not resist. She took over Angel’s mind, and raising Angel’s arm she ran her hand over the top of Phoenix’s head and down the side of his cheek. Then she slowly traced a tattoo that ran down his arm.