Phoenix Under Fire (Afterlife Book 5) Read online

  Contents

  ONE

  TWO

  THREE

  FOUR

  FIVE

  SIX

  SEVEN

  EIGHT

  NINE

  TEN

  ELEVEN

  TWELVE

  THIRTEEN

  FOURTEEN

  FIFTEEN

  SIXTEEN

  SEVENTEEN

  EIGHTEEN

  NINETEEN

  TWENTY

  TWENTY-ONE

  TWENTY-TWO

  TWENTY-THREE

  About the Author

  ONE

  "We have a job."

  Alec Morodan looked at the familiar faces all watching him. Harper Hawthorne, Brittney Conley, Conner Kingsley, Sarah Carter, and Chloe McAllister. His co-workers. They'd become something more to him over the last few demon-hunting missions they'd gone on though; they'd become his friends. His family.

  Everyone was sitting around Harper and Brittney's living room, playing a card game that he didn't know. They were all a few shots in and going through beer fairly fast. He knew most of them were at least tipsy, and Harper looked like she might be a little drunk already.

  "We have a job," he repeated.

  Everyone groaned.

  "No," Conner said. "No more jobs. We can't handle more right now, Alec. Not after this last week. We've hardly had any down time at all."

  "I know," Alec said. "But we can't turn this one down."

  "Why not?" Sarah asked. She stretched her arms above her head, and then frowned at him. "I mean, we've done plenty. Infiltrating and then taking down part of the Trinity gang, locating those lost paintings the goblins took, and saving Chloe from her love-sick stalker... we deserve a break."

  Alec sat down next to Brittney, who glanced at him briefly, but didn't say anything just yet.

  "We can't turn it down because of who's giving it to us," he said.

  "And who is that?" Harper asked.

  Alec was so used to keeping secrets that he almost said nothing. He knew that this time, though, they wouldn't settle for his usual evasive answers.

  "Our employers," he finally said.

  "And who are they?" Brittney asked.

  "One of them is a vampire," Alec said. He paused and then said, "A very important vampire. At least to me. He's the one who changed me."

  Everyone sat up straighter. Harper actually got to her feet, her face red.

  "You're kidding, right? You mean, we're working for the man who turned you into a vampire? We're working for that man? After what he did?"

  In an instant, Alec had Harper pinned up against the wall, his hand on her throat. "You have no idea," he said. "You have no idea what he's gone through, the penance he's paid. For that matter, you have no idea what I've gone through, the things I've done, the people I've hurt. Everyone changes, Harper."

  Conner was on his feet an in instant, in his incubus form. He grabbed Alec and yanked him away from Harper. "Cool it," he said. "Harper, are you alright?" He went to her and touched her arm gently. She massaged her neck, and then nodded.

  "I'm fine."

  "I'm sorry, Harper," Alec said. He felt a wave of remorse wash over him. "I didn't mean... I'm sorry."

  "It's alright," Harper said. She tilted her head one way, then the other. "No harm done, see? But you might want to work on controlling that temper a little. It's going to get you in trouble one of these days."

  Brittney was glaring at him, and so was Chloe and Sarah.

  "You never told us that your employer was the man who changed you," Chloe said. "Why would you keep that a secret?"

  "Because you'd didn't need to know," Alec said. "Listen to me, everyone. Can we sit back down? Would that be alright?"

  After everyone had taken their seats again, he dropped onto the floor, cross-legged.

  "I know what you're thinking," Alec said. "He must be bad. I must hate him. But I don't. He was like me, once. He was the sort of man who fed without care, who turned without thought. But he changed, just like I did, and he came to regret the life he lived. And he's been working over the last hundred years with other vampires to make up for the things he's done."

  "They're making up for it by... what?" Sarah asked. "Setting us up to live a comfortable lifestyle and rid demons out of Las Vegas for them?"

  Alec nodded. "It's not just us," he said. "There are teams like us all around America. They've set up dozens of them, and they all do the same thing we do: focus on taking out trash."

  Harper let out a whistle. "That must be expensive," she said.

  "Some of them have had hundreds of years to make money," Alec said. "It's not a problem for them."

  Brittney sighed. "So what is this job? What do they want us to do?"

  Alec sighed. He wished they were in Afterlife, the nightclub they owned, discussing this. He could have pulled up the information on the giant monitor in the back room, and easily scrolled through the facts. Unfortunately, one of their bartenders had recently burnt down his apartment upstairs, and the entire nightclub had suffered smoke damage. It was currently undergoing renovations.

  "There's a group in Phoenix that's gone rogue," he said. "They want us to take care of them."

  "Take care of them?" Harper asked. "What does that mean?"

  "We stop them from what they're doing," Alec said. "By whatever means necessary."

  "And what is that?" Conner asked.

  "They've started killing people," Alec said. "They've made themselves into a tribunal and have been meting out justice on whomever they find guilty. They aren't just targeting demons and undead. Anyone can fit their bill. It's starting to become a problem; the FBI has gotten involved, and they've determined that it's a serial killer on the loose. If they keep going like they are, they're going to expose themselves, and the entire supernatural world. You know what would happen then."

  "Sure," Harper parroted from an earlier conversation. "Neighbor against neighbor, right? You'd have people lining up to defend the demons, demand that they're given rights. It would be hell on earth."

  Alec nodded. "Exactly. We can't let that happen. So we've been tasked with stopping them."

  Harper brightened up and glanced at Brittney. "You know what this means?"

  "Yeah! Road trip!"

  The two of them slapped hands. Alec rolled his eyes. Sometimes he forgot just how human Harper and Brittney were. Harper was a descendant of gypsies, blessed with the power of Sight. She had other powers too, like the ability to telepathically call for help when she needed it, and more that she hadn't yet discovered. Brittney had no powers, but she was good with a gun, and starting to become great at martial arts.

  Chloe looked excited too. "The chance to get out of Vegas? Hell yes!"

  "I thought you loved Vegas," Sarah said.

  "I do," Chloe said. "But sometimes it's a bit much. Know what I mean?"

  Sarah nodded. "I bet you'd like a change of landscape after Nick, huh?"

  Nick was Afterlife's bartender that had tried to burn Alec's apartment down. He'd also been responsible for trying to shoot Conner, crashing into Sarah's car, and trying to make Chloe fall in love with him using a spell a demon, Akain, had given him. Chloe was one of the fey; a fairy that could levitate, and had her own special magic charms.

  Chloe nodded at Sarah. "Exactly that."

  She sank into the couch and putting an arm around Brittney.

  Sarah nodded. "I could use a getaway too," she said. "Even if it's a work trip. I'm thinking about learning to shape-shift into something else, by the way. I've been practicing a little on my own."

  "What is it?" Harper asked curiously.

  Sarah stood up
, swayed a bit, and walked carefully around the coffee table that held their drinks. She hesitated, her face scrunched up, and then there was a shimmer around her body and she turned into a fox.

  Chloe leapt to her feet, nearly upending the table as she did so. Conner grabbed the tequila to keep it from falling.

  "Oh my God," she said happily. "You're so cute! Can you just be a fox all the time?"

  "No," Sarah said as she transformed back into a human. She glanced down and realized she was naked. Conner let out a whistle and Alec averted his eyes. Chloe burst into laughter. Brittney shook her head, went to her room, and came out with a bathrobe.

  "Here, put this on."

  "Thank you," Sarah said. "And it's not funny, guys. You know how long it took me to learn to transform my clothes at the same time as my body? Apparently it doesn't work for all forms... just the ones I've mastered. Go ahead and laugh it up, Chloe. Next time you're practicing levitating and you fall on your ass, I'll be right there, making fun of you."

  "She's right though," Conner said. "You do make a cute fox. Though I think I prefer you when you transform back to human." He snickered heartily. Alec shook his head, though he couldn't help but be a bit amused.

  "It doesn't help that you're drinking," Alec pointed out. "If you weren't, you probably could do it. Your senses are just dulled right now. That's the price of intoxication."

  Harper shrugged. She took the bottle of tequila from Conner and poured them all another shot. Each one of them leaned forward, grabbed their glass, and held it up in the air.

  "To vacationing in Arizona," Harper said. They all drained their drinks, and then Alec shook his head at her.

  "We're not vacationing," he said. "We're there to do a job."

  "Same difference," Brittney said. "Now sit down and join us. I believe Conner was the loser, which means he gets the deal this time."

  Alec sat down. "I don't know about this," he said.

  "Oh, don't be so uptight," Chloe said. She tossed the cards at Conner and they went everywhere. "Oops," she said with a smile.

  "Maybe the time for games is over," Alec said. He began cleaning up the mess, until Conner grabbed his arm and yanked him back down in a seat. "What?"

  "We might not be playing anymore, but we're not done, Alec," Conner said. "Sit here and enjoy our company for awhile. It's been a stressful week, and we all just want to spend time together."

  Alec frowned. He wasn't used to hanging out. He normally only spent time with the crew when he had no other option. He knew that wasn't fair, but he couldn't help who he was. He was a loner by nature who'd somehow got conned into leading this little group of people. In fact, he was the one who'd convinced Harper to join them when he'd found out she was Ileana's great-granddaughter.

  As usual, when he thought of Ileana, it was a bittersweet moment. She had been his soulmate, he was sure of that, and he looked back on their time fondly. Yet, he'd left her, so she could get married and start a real family. He didn't know if she'd ever forgiven him for that.

  "So tell us more about this other group," Sarah said. "Who are we up against?"

  "I don't know yet," Alec said. "They're sending me all the pertinent information tomorrow along with our plane tickets."

  "And when do we leave?" Harper asked. "We need time to pack..."

  "We're not taking that much," Alec said. "This is not a vacation, guys. This is work. We get there, we get the job done, and we come home. That's all."

  "Don't be such a spoil sport," Brittney said. She poured another shot, and slid it to Alec. "Also, you're behind. Drink up, buddy. Maybe it'll make you a bit more cheerful."

  Alec picked up the shot and rolled his eyes. "I am cheerful," he said quietly.

  It was true, though the others not might believe it. He didn't mind working jobs, and he was glad to just be there with them. He took the shot, and set the glass back on the table.

  "That burns," he said. "If we were going to be shooting tequila, how come nobody bought limes and salt?"

  Chloe stuck her tongue out at him. "I don't know, I'm not the bartender. Harper?"

  "I didn't do the shopping," Harper said. "That was you, Brittney."

  Brittney shrugged. "I don't know," she admitted. "I guess I just didn't think about it."

  "Shame," Alec said.

  Conner clapped him on the back. "Way to take it like a champ, though. The girls wince and complain after every shot. Harper keeps having to chase hers with beer."

  "I'm not a heavy drinker!" Harper said defensively.

  She hiccuped, covered her mouth, and blushed. Alec felt a surge of affection for her. He tried to smother it down; they'd both admitted their feelings for each other a few weeks ago, but they'd also each come to the conclusion that those feelings could go nowhere.

  It didn't help, of course, that he was now staying in her house. He couldn't wait until his apartment was repaired. He'd have to replace everything in it, of course... he sighed just thinking about it. He didn't have a lot of keepsakes in his apartment. He wasn't one for clutter or sentimental items, but he still wished he could have at least gotten his laptop out of there.

  Brittney suddenly stood, grabbing everyone's attention. "I'm going to be sick," she announced. Then she ran for her bathroom. While Conner howled with laughter, Chloe hopped to her feet and chased after Brittney.

  "You're a jerk," Harper said to Conner. He put an arm around her. She didn't shrug it off, but leaned into him. "You know that, right?"

  "Yeah," Conner said. "But you love me anyway. Who wouldn't?"

  "I don't know," Alec said. "Every sane, eligible female on the planet?"

  Sarah and Harper both laughed. Conner removed his arm from around Harper and stood. "I don't have to take this kind of abuse," he said.

  "Oh no?" Harper said. "Where are you going to go? You can't drive like this."

  "I don't know," Conner said, shrugging.

  "I'll get you some blankets," Harper said. "You can sleep on the couch. Sarah, if you'd like, you can sleep in my room. I'll take the floor, you can have the bed."

  Sarah shook her head. "Thanks Harper, but that's alright. I'll just sleep out here in front of your fireplace."

  She transformed into her wolf form and went and curled up on the floor. She watched the rest of them with her wide, yellow eyes.

  "Chloe can have the other couch," Harper said. She went to the linen closet and retrieved blankets and pillows. She brought them out and tossed them onto the couches.

  "Right," Conner said. "Like she's going to get far from Brittney."

  Harper shrugged, and didn't comment. Alec watched her face closely; he thought he saw a flash of jealousy there. He knew she wasn't jealous about Brittney or Chloe personally, but rather the fact that she felt like Chloe was taking her place as Brittney's best friend. He didn't think that was true, but he didn't want to say anything to Harper, either. She'd never mentioned it to him. It was just something he'd picked up in observation. He didn't want any of them to know exactly how much their emotions showed on their faces.

  "Right, well, I'm going to pass out," Conner said. He made up the couch, put the blanket over his face, and rolled inward. Soon enough, he was snoring. Sarah laid her head down, and after a few minutes, she too was sleeping soundly. That left Alec and Harper alone together.

  "Are you alright?" Alec asked.

  "Fine," Harper said. "I think I'm going to bed too, though. Good night, Alec."

  She went into her room and closed the door. Alec knew she wanted to be alone, but he felt protective over her. He went to the sink, filled a glass with water, and grabbed the ibuprofen from the cabinet. He shook a few into his hand, and went into Harper's room. She was still dressed, but was laying on her bed, a hand on her forehead.

  "Drink this when you wake up," he said, putting the glass down beside her. "And take these pills too. It'll help with the hangover, trust me."

  "Thanks Alec," Harper said. He nodded and turned to leave.

  "Wait," she said.r />
  He turned back to her. "What is it?"

  Harper stared up at him, her eyes groggy, and her lip quivering just a little from the amount of alcohol she'd consumed. "We could have worked," she said. "I would have found a way."

  "Harper... you're drunk," Alec said.

  "I know," she said. "But I thought you should know that. We could have made it work."

  Alec stepped out of the room, and shut the door behind him. He went to his own room, though he wasn't remotely tired. Instead, he laid on top of his blankets and stared at the ceiling. He could hear Brittney puking in her bathroom. It was going to be a long night, he decided. A long night indeed.

  TWO

  When Harper woke the next morning, she didn't want to move. She knew as soon as she did, her head would start pounding and her stomach would be queasy. She had tried to time her drinks the night before so she wouldn't get too drunk, but after Chloe had made the rule that she had to drink whenever Conner did, her plans to go slow had gone out the window.

  She rolled over on her side and turned on the lamp sitting on her nightstand. Immediately, she winced. It was as though there were daggers being driven into her eyes. She turned the lamp back off, and sat up. She glanced around her mostly dark room, and spotted the ibuprofen and water that Alec had set there the night before. She took the pills and washed them down with a long gulp of water. It was room temperature, and she almost threw it back up.

  Harper closed her eyes after that, and yanked her blanket over her head. She tried to sleep again, knowing the pills and water would help her hangover if she could catch a few more minutes of rest. Unfortunately, she was unable to fall back asleep as she could hear people moving about in the rest of the house.

  She groaned and got out of bed. She swayed on her feet for a moment and ran to her bathroom. She remembered a trick her mother had taught her for when she was nauseated and turned the cold water on. She dabbed it on her wrists and behind her ears, and then she no longer felt like she was going to puke.

  While Harper was standing there, she brushed her teeth. She ran a brush through her hair, untangling it. Then she washed her face and stretched. She stepped out of her clothes from the night before, letting them fall on the floor. She walked back to her closet and searched for something to wear. Eventually, she just threw on a pair of jeans and a tank top. Even though it was autumn, the weather in Vegas was still warm enough for her to get away with wearing something light and comfortable.