Spark of Intent Read online

  “No.” Although I wanted help finding her, I didn’t want her taken from us—if the Council hadn’t been the ones involved in taking her in the first place. “I’m sure she’s just hanging out somewhere. We’ll find her.”

  “Celine, do you mind bagging up some of the cookies to go? I’m sure the boys would appreciate them.” My mom nodded her understanding of the privacy he wanted for us, and headed back for the kitchen. “Damien, I can’t give you forever on this.” His words were soft as he studied me. “If you don’t find her in less than 24 hours, I will be forced to organize the search party, whether or not the consequences are what you are looking for. I should report it now.” I grimaced, but nodded. He was giving us time that he didn’t have to give, putting his own position on the Council in jeopardy and risking punishment so that my brothers and I could avoid it.

  “Thank you, Dad. I’ll come for a visit soon.” I headed for the door, hoping James had the plane ready.

  “Bring your girl with you next time. Your brothers as well. Don’t forget those cookies!” he called after me, and I waved over my shoulder. If she hadn’t broken the wards, she probably hadn’t entered a building. We’d have to be careful searching the surrounding areas for her scent.

  “We love you, Damien.” My mother pressed a large platter of warm cookies into my hands. Her eyes were worried as she reached up to stroke a hand through my hair. “Be safe.” I grinned at her, trying to dispel her worries.

  “I love you too, Mom. Thanks for the cookies.” I jogged out the door, heedless of the few treats that fell to the ground as I headed to the car. We were going to find her, no matter what the cost.

  Twenty

  Nix

  Spirals of black, gold, and white swept me down, spinning over and over again. Icy gold fingers touched my forehead, the colors competing for dominance, darkness swallowing the light. I cringed from the glowing gold of the eyes that seemed to burn and the streaks of inky black that attempted to strangle me. My head throbbed again and again, until all I could see was gold. Then, everything was gone.

  I groaned at the throbbing in my head, attempting to open eyes that felt like they were cemented together. What in the hell had happened? My stomach lurched, and I tried roll to my side only to be met with resistance. My heart rate soared and my Phoenix stirred, though she seemed as sluggish and sick as I was.

  “She’s stirring again.” The voice was cool, almost cold, and seemed almost inquisitive. I struggled harder to open my eyes or to call fire to my fingers. I fought harder against the weight that seemed to have settled over me. That voice was male and unfamiliar, definitely not one of my mates.

  “Well, do it again then.” This voice was female, and familiar, though I couldn’t place it at the moment through the fog rolling across my mind.

  “She keeps pulling out of it.” I felt the air cool as if someone walked close to me, possibly to inspect me if the curious voice was an indication. “I haven’t seen that more than once before.” There was no scorn or amusement in the tone, simply frigid curiosity; a lion confused by the zebra trying to fight back.

  “Well what else do you suggest? We can’t give her the vish kanya venom again, we weren’t there to observe the effects.” If I could just shift, just call my Phoenix, I could get out of here. These people were obviously shifters and definitely up to no good if they had any idea what that insane venom Michael had given me was. “I wonder if that means her mind is extremely strong? It’s possibly due to her ability to revive, though that ability should only present after a death.”

  “So give her a stronger dose.” The female voice was closer now, scornful and angry as it buzzed in my ear. “If you kill her she’ll just revive. Fucking Phoenix.”

  “It’s possible she will, however, we can’t guarantee that. Until she breeds I doubt the Council would appreciate your strategy.” My eyes fluttered and light seared through cracked lids. Shadowy shapes filled my now watery vision and I hissed, refusing to close my eyes lest they wouldn’t open again.

  “If you take all of them, they won’t have any use for her. Don’t just stand there! We can’t let her stay awake!” The female voice was snappy and a sharp pain echoed low in my stomach. Had she hit me? My Phoenix’s squawk of indignation was more of a whisper.

  A cool touch on my temple and my eyes closed again as black fog began to drag me under.

  My head ached as I was sucked back into the dark.

  Michael was chasing me. His laughter was echoing around me, my stomach tightening as I ran as fast as I could. No matter what I did I couldn’t outrun him though. He was always a teasing step behind me, his arm outstretched, his fingertips just brushing the strands of my hair as they blew out behind me.

  “You’ll never get away, Nix. I’ll get you, just like I got your mother. You think you saw the end of me? You’re not the only one who can revive. Why do you think I kept you around for so long? I harvested from you. Again and again.” The fingers nearly had me, nearly pulled me back by my hair before I put on more speed, yet he never faltered.

  “Do you think you’ll wake up from the venom this time?” His voice was gleeful as he whispered the question, so near my ear, too near. “How many times can you cheat death? You’re running out of lives, kitty cat.”

  “You’re dead, you’re dead, you’re dead.” I repeated the mantra even as I ran faster, my chest heaving as I attempted to suck in more air. His laughter was my only response before I fell.

  Sobs echoed through the fog that swamped my mind. I could feel each one as a physical blow, and though I tried to turn away from them I still couldn’t move. Was that me? Was I the one sobbing? The fog wavered in my head, and I could separate the voices a little more—women and children all overlapping. Some sobbing, some begging, some yelling in anger. What in the world was going on? Gritting my teeth, I forced my eyes open, letting the tears stream down my cheeks as lights shone beams of pain into my eyes.

  The walls and ceilings were bright white, increasing my pain from their glare and causing a sensation of vertigo. My stomach heaved and I bit my tongue hard, the tang of copper filling my mouth as I swallowed repeatedly. At least I wasn’t strapped down at this point. I was woozy and still wrapped in the fog, but I had some freedom to move my body. Shaking, I struggled from my prone position onto my hands and knees. Even the floor I was laying on was the same stark white—gleaming under the hard fluorescent lighting. I gagged again but managed to get to my knees, my fists clenched as I steadied myself. I tried to call for my Phoenix but could hardly feel her in my mind, almost as though she was still drugged, buried far inside of me.

  “You can’t shift.” That cold, calculating voice sounded from behind me and I whirled—or attempted to. The sudden movement nearly took me off my knees and my vision grayed at the edges as I tried to slip back into unconsciousness. “The shackles are iron. They won’t harm you, but between the drugs they have tried on you and the iron they’ve fed you, your Phoenix is too subdued to be a threat.” I blinked, trying to clear my vision, to regain a tighter grasp on reality, but the picture in front of me never changed. The room I was in was tiny—obviously more a cell than an actual room. No furniture or creature comforts broke up the monotony of the icy white tile. A small, grated window was set into the wall, even the grating painted white. The man—I assumed he was a man from his voice—stood in a doorway to the side. He was tall and humanoid in shape but that was about where the comparison ended. He was skeletally thin, and almost completely covered in a rainbow of feathers, a macarabe version of a parrot. A long, feathered, peacock-like tail hung over the waistband of his jeans, wrapping down around his legs to pool at his feet like a skirt. His arms ended in talons, the feathers on his arms fading at his wrist joint. Bat-like wings peeked from behind the frame, even those decorated in feathers. He must have had slits in the t-shirt he wore to allow his wings to be free. His face and neck were decorated in what looked to be scales, the same rainbow pattern of his feathers repeated there.

>   “What are you?” The words were a rasp, my throat and mouth dry. I had seen quite a few things, but something about him sent chills up my skin. He felt wrong in a way no creature I had met before—even those on the Council—had. His facial features didn’t shift and I wondered if they could underneath that layer of scales.

  “A shifter.” The words were hard. I glanced down at my ankles, seeing the shackles he had indicated. My skin was protected by layers of what appeared to be cotton wrapped around the legs of the outfit I was wearing. Was I in scrubs? I picked at the white fabric, wary of meeting the male’s eyes.

  “Are you going to let me go?” I was sure I knew the answer, but I couldn’t resist asking the question.

  “No.” Simple. Heartless. I scowled as more of the fog lifted from my mind.

  “Then why are you here? Why am I here? What do you want?” I fisted my hands as I stumbled my way to my feet. If he was here to kill me I was going to fight, with or without my Phoenix. The fog in my brain wove around and around. I was fighting with my guys and then…

  My temples throbbed and I nearly hurled as I tried to push through the fog.

  “I’m curious.” Was he able to be curious? His voice showed no emotion, nor did his face.

  “You’re here because you’re curious? About me? Is that why you took me?” My nails dug into my palm, and I focused on the small pains, letting them clear more of the fog from my brain.

  “I didn’t take you. I’m simply curious about you. You’re odd.” Well, that wasn’t exactly news to me. I had to stifle a laugh, however, because out of the two of us, he seemed to be more odd than I.

  “Yeah, I get that a lot. Look, ask whatever questions you want. I just want out of here.” I was so tired. The more fog that cleared, the more pain I could feel in other areas of my body. Sharp, stabbing pains radiated from my stomach, worsening my nausea. My back and joints ached fiercely, probably from laying on the tile.

  “You won’t be getting out of here. You’ll adjust.” Again he betrayed nothing. I wanted to scream at him to move, to let me run. Sobs echoed again, drawing my gaze back off the floor and towards the door. He didn’t appear to hear them, or if he did they didn’t bother him.

  “What’s that?” I couldn’t resist the question, the sobs pulling at my stomach. I had sobbed like that before, heartbroken, empty, gasping tears. Tears I had sobbed when the pain became too much. When I revived yet again, unable to escape my hell. I knew there’d been more than one voice. More than one other person trapped in some unseen hell, just beyond the birdman and my door.

  “The others. They’ll quiet soon.” He cocked his head, turning it side to side like a cockatoo. “Do you have other powers for a phoenix? You shouldn’t be resistant to my toxin.”

  “You poisoned me?” I didn’t know why I was surprised.

  “Yes. I gave you a dose of toxin through your skin. It shouldn’t kill you.” He shrugged at the last part, as though that justified his actions.

  “Why? You don’t even know me.” I wondered if I could push past him, though I wouldn’t know whether to go towards the sobbing or away from it. A rage of cries echoed off the walls, some sounding like adults while others were distinctly those of children. Each tormented sob sounded like they wished their world would end. My head pounded as a memory swirled just out of reach, and I groaned.

  “I feel like I do. You’re familiar for some reason. I don’t understand it. My toxin helps keep you under control and compliant.” Watching a face covered in scales twist in confusion was oddly disconcerting. “You haven’t answered my question. Do you have other powers besides revival?”

  “Yes.” The word escaped unbidden from my lips and I gasped, reaching up a hand to cover it. Why in the world had I said yes? It didn’t make any sense! I wanted this male to know nothing about me.

  “It’s a side effect of my toxin.” Apparently, he could see my shock and confusion. “You won’t be able to lie to me.” My heart pounded, my Phoenix stirring inside of me. As worried as I was, I was still unable to fight the layers of bonds they had placed on her.

  “Why am I even here?” I didn’t want him asking me questions about myself or my mates. I just wanted him to leave so maybe I could figure a way out of this place.

  “They want you here. That is all you need to know.”

  “What’s your name?” I had no idea why the question popped from my lips, but it appeared to startle him as much as I startled myself. The feathers framing his face ruffled—apparently he had some control over them.

  “Why?” This word wasn’t quite as cold; he seemed almost startled. I wondered if his shifted form helped to prevent questions or if he was simply used to others being under the influence of his venom rather than speaking with him.

  “I don’t know,” I admitted, not even bothering trying to lie through the residual venom in my system. “I guess I’m curious too.”

  He shuffled his feet, his wings fluttering slightly in his agitation. “I do not believe it is wise for me to inform you of that.”

  I studied him more intently, trying to get a better read on his body language. He seemed incredibly flustered by a simple question. “Do you know where we are?”

  He blinked, his talons twitching. “Yes.” His tone was controlled, but simple.

  “Are you a captive here too?” If his face could have shown shock underneath those hard scales I assumed this would have been the time for it. He froze, his mouth opening slightly as he appeared to try and find an answer to my question.

  “You are extremely odd, Phoenix. I am—” He paused for a moment, as if considering his words carefully, weighing every one of them for something I couldn’t name. “I am employed here.”

  “Does that mean you live here too?” I tried to take a step forward, moving slightly closer to the door. Although I didn’t want to get closer to him, if he could tell me where I was, maybe I would have a better chance of escaping.

  He nodded, his feathers raising in a crown around his head. “Sometimes.” He stretched a hand out towards me and I nearly fell back to avoid it, the ache in my abdomen as my stomach muscles contracted making me gasp. He merely raised an eyebrow. “I don’t like chasing you. You need to go back to sleep. I haven’t yet figured out why you fight off my venom so rapidly. Instead, I must continue to dose you.”

  “Can’t I stay awake for a while?” I didn’t want to beg, but I also didn’t want to go back under. If I was going to find a way out of this mess, I had to be conscious. I had fought my way past Michael and escaped. I could—and would—escape from here too. He paused as he studied me and it appeared as if he debated with himself as he shifted foot to foot, his talons pushing at the feathers on his head the same way Theo would push at his hair when he was thinking hard.

  “I’ll give you a small dose. He wants you pliant and I have a duty.” Moving before I could react in my pain-filled, addled state, his talon pricked my skin. I felt a little woozy and he stepped back through the door, shutting it firmly behind him.

  I dug my fingers into my palms, trying to call my Phoenix forward more. It was cold in this sterile room, and I could use her heat; I knew part of my sluggishness could also be attributed to the chill over my skin. I forced myself to step forward, pressing my face near the small mesh window in the cell. The sobbing was more muffled now, as though a door had been shut. I couldn’t see another cell from my location, but I could hear furtive movement to the left of my cell. I swore under my breath. I was in a blind corner, and if I did manage to get out of this cell, I would be running on luck rather than knowledge. I could feel the venom creeping through my veins, an icy chill, numbing and tickling under my skin. My legs crumpled and I swore as I hit the ground hard. My ears began to ring, and I bit deeply into my cheek, trying to center myself and prevent the world from going black again. Far away I could hear a strain of melody, a soothing song that loosened some of the pain deep in my chest—the kind of song my mother may have sung to me when I was young. The melody was si
mple, easy to remember or sing when sleepy to a fussing child. I slumped forward, the icy tile of the floor no longer an impediment to my body as I relaxed onto it, letting the lullaby soothe me.

  “There you are.” The voice was fuzzy, blurred. I stopped my humming, glancing around for my mates, wanting to share my joy with them. I knew they were coming right back to sit with me, the sunshine warm on my face, the sand soft underneath me. I glanced around for the speaker, wondering who had come across our little sanctuary, but I couldn’t see anyone. “They’re coming for you, Nix. Do you know where you are?” For a moment, icy cold replaced the sunshine on my skin, shining white walls replaced the sand and waves of my hideaway. I began to hum again, letting the song warm me back up, letting the sunshine flow back across my skin. The icy room was a dream. I could stay here and play on the beach and wait for my mates, stay safe and secure. “Just hold on, Nix, just a bit longer.” The voice faded out to the sound of the waves, and I continued to hum my song, letting it become a part of me.

  Twenty-One

  Killian

  I tapped my fingers against the door in a rapid tattoo. I wanted to be in there, questioning Damien’s dad myself. She was on Council property. There’s no way they didn’t know exactly where she was. I tensed as Damien came jogging back to the car, a plate in his hands. The look on his face didn’t give me much hope. “Fuck… nothing? And what the hell is with the plate? This isn’t snack time!”