Spark of Intent Read online

  Creeping closer, I listened harder, trying to figure out what in the world she was going on about. A woman in a suit far more suited to an office than the Alaskan cold was dragging something through the woods. As her burden thrashed, I realized it was a someone, not a something. From what I could see, white cotton was stained and coated with dirt, twigs, and dirty snow as the person yanked and pulled at the hand clutching them. I inhaled deeply, shifting through the scents. One was distinctly human, while the other smelt of death and a combination of confusing smells—none of which I could identify. The hint of something smokey triggered my pulse to pick up—but it didn’t smell like Nix’s signature mixture. I wanted to get closer, to pull whoever it was away—no one should ever be treated that way. My gut clenched as I thought of my sister, being pulled from my side in much the same manner. I had only gotten glimpses when she was taken after she shoved me into hiding, but I remembered the way she fought, the way she hid me through the end as they dragged her away to sell. Another moan followed as the well-dressed, though admittedly mussed, woman kicked at her captive causing a weak cry and the scent of blood to fill the area.

  “You all think you’re so much better than us! You thought you had it so lucky, finding those idiot mates of yours. You thought that you hid your interest in them so well, that you were so coy in your desire to claim them and go against their advice.” Her expression was twisted in a grimace, her dirty blonde hair falling in sweaty locks around her face, which was flushed despite the cold. “They’ve been reporting on you from the time they found out about you. Did you really think the Council would let you do what you wanted? That Henri was just lucky enough to stumble onto a Phoenix?” I nearly fell. Nix.

  Damien! I screamed it out, praying he was in range. I’ve got her. There’s a female with her, an aggressive one. I scrambled forward, keeping to the treeline and moving as quietly as I could. I didn’t want to give away my position and element of surprise before Damien arrived. I cursed my failure as an offensive mate. I wanted to charge forward, to tear this bitch off her, kick her in the head the same way she had just kicked Nix. However, I had no idea if she was holding a weapon I couldn’t see, and I didn’t want to endanger Nix because of my rash stupidity.

  My alter side lent me better night vision than my human half, and I used that ability as I dodged from tree to tree, trying to find the best angle to attack from without putting Nix at further risk. Grunting, the woman pulled Nix forward another foot, making slow progress as she raged. Damien! Hurry the fuck up! I wanted Nix out of this lunatic’s grasp now. I never should have asked Damien to split up—he could have swooped in and saved her in no time.

  “You think that because you’re a Phoenix, you’re something special—above the law—don’t you? Well, let me tell you something you ungrateful, snarky little girl… you’re not! If you don’t give them what they want, they’ll just take it. Just like they threatened to take my Mason. You’re better off playing their little game, just like I do. Maybe I should just take you for myself—sell your blood like Michael was going to do! That imbecile went about it all the wrong way, though, and it got him killed. Perhaps I’ll leave you alone since they already got the most important part of you. Maybe I’ll help them go after your mates next. I bet that fucking unicorn would get a good price—maybe I should start selling to both sides and earn some extra money to pay off Mason’s student debt and get out of this godforsaken state! It’s not like the Council pays well for their side projects. No. They just demand our obedience. Or maybe I should just kill all your precious little men, after all the trouble you and the Council has caused me. Imagine the Council realizing that a handful of their precious, rare mythologicals have been taken out. None of them would be smart enough to realize that it was I who—” I was fuming, my muscles bunching as I prepared to jump on this crazy woman, but before I could move, Nix let out a snarling squawk that echoed through the clearing. Faster than I could blink, a fiery orange glow surrounded her, and she shifted in an instant into her Phoenix form. Attacking in a blur of red, orange, and gold, she aimed for the woman’s face with her talons. Fire shot forth in unwieldy strands as if she had no control, and while I could tell she was trying to aim true, her entire body listed to one side as though hurt or drugged.

  My heart burst with adrenaline as I raced into the clearing, trying to get close without getting caught in the inferno that was Nix. The swearing woman didn’t see me, and she lashed back, pulling a weapon from her side and slashing out in wicked, untamed motions. Nix’s Phoenix was usually so graceful, but now she lurched and dropped, missing her target and moving far slower than she was capable of, and I tried to search what I could see of her for injuries.

  Strike after strike, Nix fought with her talons, beak, and fire, protecting both herself and eliminating the threat against the guys and me. The woman was slowly crumbling under each attack when I found my opening, a reprieve in the wall of flames that Nix had created, and I threw myself forward towards my shrieking mate, hands up to stay her.

  “Nix! Stop! You don’t want to kill her!” It didn’t matter now if I was heard, just that we got out of there quickly. I was sure the bright fire in the dead of night would bring more attention than we could handle. I ran at full tilt toward my girl while my Ceraptor was whining and squealing his challenge, stomping inside my head for his own chance at this woman, and proud of our mate for her self-defense. I knew that Nix needed medical attention and didn’t need the burden on her already bruised soul of taking someone’s life, no matter how much they deserved it.

  The woman’s blade glinted on the ground, covered in crimson blood and reflecting the flickering sparks of Nix’s fire. With a pained sigh, Nix’s Phoenix hit the ground next to the now unconscious woman, both bleeding profusely. Her Phoenix was panting heavily, wings at awkward angles, the snow around her soaked with the blood seeping from her feathers as her eyes closed and opened slowly, searching for my voice.

  As her fire died down I cooed to her, “I’ve got you, baby. I’ve got you.” I hesitated for a moment before placing one hand on each of them, ignoring the blood seeping into my skin and the anger still roaring through me. I felt my familiar blue glow pushing through my hands as I threw healing energy out in wave after wave.

  An audible thud notified me of Damien’s arrival as he landed beside me. Nix! he exclaimed, kneeling down to smooth back the feathers on her head as she struggled to breathe. His sharp, stormy gaze shot to me. Should you really try to heal them both? I felt the brush of Damien’s Gargoyle against my side as he spoke in my head, his words nearly a roar. She deserves it. She hurt what’s ours! Save your power for Nix! His Gargoyle added a gravel to his voice as he spoke gruffly in my head.

  “She won’t like that she killed anyone.” I snapped the words at him as I continued to try and push healing out through the wall of rage surrounding me. “Besides, it gives us a better chance of getting away if there isn’t a manhunt for us for killing this bitch.” This woman really was twisted. My attention had been on Nix, but I caught most of what she was saying. She, a human, was working for the Council and was stealing other shifters. The mention of the Council and Michael fueled my rage. Just as Nix had thought, everything from the beginning seemed to twist together into a convoluted trail of suspicion, danger, and questions. The idea that this woman was involved with taking shifters made me wonder if she had even been responsible for my sister—or knew who was. Just one more reason to keep her alive—answers.

  My chest started to ache as the energy in me shifted. “What?” The word fell from my lips just as Damien spoke at my back.

  What the hell is that? His words were awed and fearful. Vine after vine of black were pulsing out of my hands, replacing the blue glow that usually appeared when my healing was at work, the vines wrapped around the prone woman, cocooning her, and I felt her seizing under them. They stretched and swirled from me, heading out past the woman and moving towards Damien—and Nix.

  “Damien!” I cried th
e word in pure panic as I tried to move my hands off their bodies. Though my healing glow was gone, Nix still wasn’t moving and the vines were inching closer to her. “I can’t move! I don’t know what’s happening, I can’t control it!”

  Stop your energy. Damien’s words were frantic as his Gargoyle’s claws reached out to try and scoop up Nix, yet he couldn’t pull her from my grasp. Strands started to brush her feathers and she hissed, arching as though they pained her.

  “I fucking can’t!” I pulled hard repeatedly, desperate as the vines brushed her feathers again. “Knock me out! Damien, hit me, now! Knock me the fuck out and stop this!”

  But— I knew he was torn about hitting me, but Nix took precedence.

  “Now!” I screamed the words as another strand wrapped around her wing and I heard her heartbeat slow. Her agonized keel was the last thing I heard before the world went black.

  Twenty-Three

  Damien

  I had never been more grateful for my Gargoyle’s strength than when I hauled Ryder’s and Nix’s bodies at the same time through the skies. I groaned at the pressure and pinpricks of pain as I pushed hard through the barrier, focused entirely on getting to my brothers and discovering what the hell was going on. My heart was racing with adrenaline as I shot across the open ocean, scanning with my night vision to try and find Theo. My head started to ache, but I didn’t let that slow me down. I finally caught an image with Theo’s neon colors prominent against the inky waves and spiraled down, landing hard as I cradled their prone bodies.

  “What the fuck!” Killian grabbed Nix from my arms as he held her Phoenix against his chest and felt for a pulse in her throat.

  We need to get out of here. I spat the words as I tried to catch my breath, propping Ryder’s head up on my lap while Killian cared for Nix. There’s a body. A female. I don’t know if she’s alive, but I’m pretty sure I saw her shallow breathing before I left. She was attacking Nix and shit went down. I wasn’t even sure how to begin explaining what had happened while we were on the island.

  Killian grabbed his phone out with one hand, flipping it open and putting it on speed dial to reach Hiro. “We’ve got her.” He snapped the words out as soon as the line connected.

  “She’s safe?” I could hear the fear and hope in his voice.

  “She’s unconscious and injured.” Killian’s words were a growl that my Gargoyle echoed. I fought for control of my Gargoyle, shifting back to human so I could be involved in the conversation and throwing back on the clothing now wet from the spray as Theo plowed through the water as fast as he could go. Taking my shirt, I pressed it to Nix’s wounds rather than putting it on, hoping the pressure would help staunch the bleeding.

  “Ryder?” Hiro’s voice was nervous and hard, knowing that if Ryder could, he would have healed her.

  “I knocked him out,” I admitted, reaching down to stroke a hand over Nix’s throat and feeling her solid pulse beneath my fingers.

  Killian whipped his gaze up toward mine. “Why? He needed to heal her!”

  Unsure how to explain what had happened on the island, I pushed what I had seen into Theo and Killian’s minds. Theo’s Kraken screeched and Killian swore emphatically.

  “Someone better explain.” Hiro’s voice was hard and full of command.

  “Something went wrong with Ryder’s powers.” Killian’s voice was slow and confused. “It was hurting Nix instead of healing her.”

  Hiro’s silence was ominous as all we heard through the phone was his breathing. “How is that possible?” None of us had a response for him. Ryder’s groan startled us as he started to wake up, pulling his head off my knee and rubbing at the knot on his skull.

  “Fuck, D.” Ryder groaned, sitting up with a grunt and trying to balance on the rapidly moving Theo. “I said knock me out, not split my skull open.” I rolled my eyes at his dramatics, turning my focus back to a still unconscious Nix. “Damn, is she still out?” All levity fled from Ryder as he crawled over to Nix, holding out a hand as if to touch her before pulling back in fear.

  Enough. Theo’s voice was a snap in my head. We need to figure out what we’re going to do.

  “The Council’s involved.” Ryder’s words were low, but we still caught them. “I heard the woman talking on the island. It sounded like the Council employed her—but it fucking sounded like she was a bounty hunter.” Curses flew from my brothers through the cold night air.

  “You think the Council is working with the bounty hunters?” It seemed impossible. One of the foundational platforms behind the Council’s rule was their mission to keep mythologicals safe—hunters included. We all knew there were sadistic people in the world—some human, some other shifters—who knew about our powers and wanted to harness that magic for themselves. Some mythologicals had rare, powerful items that could be harvested—like griffin feathers… or phoenix blood.

  My blood ran cold.

  “That’s what it sounded like. And the woman was going on and on like she knew us and Nix. Talking about humans and shifters, about the Council, someone named Maxon or Mason or something.” The anger was pulsing in his voice, low and fierce.

  “Mason?” Hiro snapped the words out. “Wait, what did the woman look like? The one you said was attacking Nix?”

  Ryder blinked his confusion. “Um, I don’t know. Blondish hair. Lots of tweed. Bureaucratic, really, with an anger issue.”

  “Fuck.” Hiro’s voice was icy. “It sounds like Stone. The bitch counselor at the school I told you about, but I don’t know how that’s even possible. She’s human. Was there anyone else on the island?” I could imagine him pacing as he tried to be involved from this distance.

  “I didn’t see anyone.” I glanced at Ryder who nodded his agreement. “It was hard to see at night and with all of the trees, but it doesn’t make sense that only she and Nix were on that island.”

  We need to go back. Theo pushed the words at us. There has to be more than this. He slowed his motions, pausing in the deep water so that we could talk.

  “I know we need to do something about it.” I made sure to speak the words aloud so that Hiro could be included. I wanted to wait for Nix’s input, but with her still unconscious and the situation dire, we had to figure out at least the basics of a plan and what came next. “We can’t go back now, Nix has to be the focus. She’s hurt; still bleeding.” My eyes found her prone body in Killian’s arms and my heart ached in time with the headache that was rising behind my eyes. I prodded the large Kraken to continue on to Anchorage. “We need to take Nix home and tend to her, first and foremost.” I felt his anger over her being hurt and his desire to turn around and storm the island. “Theo, we can’t go back now. I won’t risk Nix, or any of us, for that matter. If her fire and the commotion we caused were noticed, we could be ambushed by others. Rash decisions will only get the rest of us hurt… or worse.” I ignored the growl from my Gargoyle. All he wanted to do was eliminate anyone who had hurt our mate, but he didn’t understand, in his anger, that Nix was still badly injured. I wouldn’t lose her because of our desire for revenge.

  With a moaning roar, Theo began swimming again, his pace fast and fevered.

  “I’m tired of Nix getting hurt! I won’t let anyone touch her again. Everything that’s happened has to be connected somehow. We all know Nix has felt as much. I’ll kill the next bastard who lays a hand on her… even if it’s a Council member.” Killian’s hand fisted tightly, nearly crushing the phone he held while cradling Nix gently against his chest with the other.

  Ryder flinched at the word kill, his face devastated as his eyes raked over Nix, assessing her injuries at a distance.

  If we’re not going back, then we need a plan, Theo interjected, his anger a roar in our heads. I won’t just sit back until something else happens. Something worse.

  He said what we were all feeling and determination surged through my veins.

  “We need to go back and explore that island… even if it’s not tonight.” Ryder forced the words o
ut. “There have to be more answers there.” His gaze flew back the way we came, an angry yet wistful look on his face as he clenched his teeth together, making the muscles in his jaw flex.

  “Only you and I can cross the boundary,” I reminded him, my own voice sharp. “We need to be smart because we aren’t going to have backup. Who knows how many other people are on that island. I felt the presence of others, but I couldn’t get a read on anyone specific. It was as if they were being blocked or my powers were… muted. I’m not as good at reading complete strangers yet.” My Gargoyle growled in my head, feeling useless.

  I can focus on the shipping routes around this area, Theo spoke up, his tentacles thrashing in agitation as he propelled us forward. Monitor any ships or boats that come near the island. I can look it up and see who it belongs to, and if there are any ties to the Council. Killian, can you use your resources and keep an eye on any flights coming to and from that area?

  “I can try.” Killian’s eyes were hot. “Rini said they tracked Nix to Council property. Everything is becoming too much of a fucking coincidence. I want us to search the commune too.”

  “Carefully,” I warned. “They can’t know we’re searching or suspicious. We need more details from Nix on where to begin. Council grounds are extensive. And we’ll need to learn their patterns, keep our snooping discrete. If any one of them is involved… everything is even more dangerous. They’re all Council for a reason. We’ll need to look around when they’re fully distracted.”

  If any one of the Council members was behind Nix’s kidnapping, then I needed to know who. My head spun at the possibility that my father was involved in anyway. Despite our visit earlier this evening, my mind wasn’t settled. He knew Michael, and now someone on the Council seemed to be tied to the goings on on that island. My fangs elongated and my wings pressed against my back once more. I loved my family, but I wouldn’t stand behind them if they turned out to be corrupt. Nix was my future, and I would stand with her and my brothers.