19

I will always come for you.

Henley

Will doesn't stop moving until I'm outside the building, but I fight him every step of the way.

"Henley, we have to get out of here. It's what Parker would want," Will says.

The fight drains out of me as I break down into sobs. I press my face against Will's shoulder and he freezes for a moment.

"Are you okay?" he inquires, then mumbles something under his breath that I can't hear. "Forget I said that. Of course you're not okay."

Will stands there, just holding me against him. I'm not sure he even knows what to do now.

I can't believe that just happened.

Parker just…

"Will!" Somebody shouts from behind us.

Will turns around to face the speaker. I spot a familiar guy that I recognize from the pack, but I can't remember his name.

"Bring her in here. You've got to see this," the guy says, then turns around and runs back inside.

Will follows without hesitation. He carries me inside. The crowd parts way for us as we make our way toward the base of the stairs—toward where Parker is lying. I squeeze my eyes shut and bury my face in Will's neck, not wanting to see my soulmate like this.

Will was right to take me away.

"Will, I can't." I shake my head, unwilling to open my eyes. "Please."

"Henley, look," Will says, the awe clear in his voice.

Something in his tone has me opening my eyes. When I see, I see steam rising from Parker's mangled body. I'm about to ask what is happening when suddenly, Parker's entire body catches on fire. The wolf shifters around us jump back, but Will stands there, unafraid.

My jaw drops open as I realize what's happening.

"Is this what happened last time?" I ask. "When I got hit by that truck?"

Will nods wordlessly.

Something bubbles up in my gut—something that feels an awful lot like hope.

"But how can it be?" I ask. "He's not a phoenix. He's a wolf shifter."

Will, still looking at Parker with wide eyes, answers, "But his soulmate is a phoenix. And the knowledge of phoenixes has been lost to us. For all we know, a phoenix can share their magic with their mate."

I'm not going to argue against it. This is nothing short of a miracle.

As soon as the flames go out, Parker, lying in a pile of ashes, sits up. There is not a speck of blood on him. There is no wound. Even the hole in his shirt from the knife is gone.

He looks around the room in confusion, but when he sees me, he jumps up from the floor and rushes toward me. Will sits me down just in time for Parker to barrel into me. He wraps me in his arms and lifts me from the floor. I squeeze him just as tightly against me.

He's all right.

He's alive.

I sob into his chest, feeling dizzy with relief.

"I hate to break this up, but we need to get out of here," I hear Parker's dad say from behind me.

That gets Parker moving. He is unwilling to part from me. He lifts me from the ground and carries me, much like Will. He and all the wolf shifters run fast as we all disperse to various vehicles parked around the large parking lot. Parker gets into the passenger seat with me still on his lap. Will gets in the driver's seat while Blaine hops into the backseat. Without a word, Will speeds from the parking lot, leading the large procession of vehicles.

I relax once we're on the highway, leaning further into Parker's embrace.

"You came for me." I shake my head at Parker as I look into his blue eyes. "I didn't want you to come. I knew he was going to…" my voice breaks off in a sob. "Parker, you can't do that again."

Parker gently tucks my hair behind my ear and cups my face, studying me. "You are the other half of my soul. I will always come for you. Always." His hand lowers from my cheek and he picks up my left hand, gently kissing my fingers. "You agreed to be mine, remember?"

I smile through my tears. "Did you tell everybody?"

Parker slowly grins. "No. Just these two."

"Congratulations," Blaine smirks at me from the backseat. "I guess this means I can't call you Vixen anymore, can I?"

I smile at him and then glance at Will. He's quiet as he watches the road. But he does give me a small smile. "Congratulations, Henley. I'm happy for you."

He's still shaken up from earlier. We all are, it's just that Will isn't handling it well. I reach out my free hand to touch his shoulder. "It's okay now, Will."

He nods, but his face is still so pale.

"What happened?" Parker runs a hand through his hair. "I remember running up the stairs. There was an invisible barrier blocking me from getting to you."

I nod. "Somehow, Blaze kept me locked in that room. Whatever he was using must have failed when Will shoved that knife in his chest."

"Blaze?" Parker asks.

"His name," I answer.

"What happened after that?" Parker squints his eyes like he's trying to force himself to remember.

The car grows silent for a few seconds. Blaine is the one to break the silence. "He killed you. He shoved a knife right into your heart and that was it."

"But I'm alive." He tilts his head to the side as he looks at me. "Do you have some kind of healing magic or something?"

I shake my head. "No. You were dead. Truly." I chew on my bottom lip, not wanting to continue. My chest aches hard.

Parker squeezes me tight against him. "Hey, it's okay. I'm okay."

Tears trail down my cheek.

"You caught on fire and you came back to life," Will says, his voice sounding haunted. "It was just like what happened to Henley that time."

Parker's entire body stiffens. "Really?"

I nod. "Really. It was horrifying. No wonder you were so scared after you saw it happen to me. I never want to go through anything like that ever again."

Parker pulls back to look into my eyes. "Henley, I am so, so sorry that you had to see that."

I shrug, hoping to comfort him. "It's okay. You're alive. That's all that matters."

Will lets out a long breath. "She's right. You're alive. That's the important part."

"But the knife didn't kill the phoenix. He's still alive." Parker's voice grows dark and his eyes slowly fade to gold.

"No, he's still alive." I worry my bottom lip between my teeth.

If only Blaze were so easy to kill.

The problem is that Blaze is going to keep coming after me. And he's definitely at an advantage since he knows how to kill a phoenix for good. If that's the case, he can probably kill Parker.

"I know what his goal is now. He told me while I was in that factory." My heart hurts as I look into Parker's golden eyes. "He wants to kill you, Parker. He doesn't want to hurt me. He has some kind of sick fantasy that I'll want to be with him if he gets you out of the picture."

Parker growls lowly. "That's not happening."

I put my hand on his shoulder. "Parker, I know it's not. I'll kill him myself. I'll figure out how."

He shakes his head. "No. I will kill him. In the meantime, we will be reaching out to other packs and other supernatural. We'll find a way to kill this phoenix." His eyes soften, slowly changing back to their natural color of blue. "And you will not leave my side. Will, Blaine, and I will teach you how to fight and protect yourself. And we will do this together, Henley. Nothing good ever comes out of you leaving my side."

His words cause my heart to swell. I wrap my arms around him as best as I can and I squeeze him tightly. He holds on, not letting go for the entire three hour drive home.

…

After getting a little sleep on the drive home and a few hours of sleep once we got to Parker's house, Parker's mom kindly made me a latte to try and help me get some energy. I sip the drink, still glued to Parker's side. He hasn't let me out of his sight since we left the warehouse.

Parker's house is full of people—pack members as well as other wolf shifters that I've never met before.

"What's going on?" I ask Parker, taking another sip from my latte.

"Other packs are coming together to help us," he answers. "And other supernaturals. We have allies. And nobody is going to leave us to take on this phoenix alone."

Other packs are going to help?

My heart races faster at the thought.

We're going to be all right.

Blaze isn't the immortal supernatural that he thinks himself to be. He can be killed and we will figure out a way to stop him.

I lean closer to Parker's side. "Has anybody noticed my ring?" I ask the question as quietly as I can. I've spotted my dad among the crowd, but he's talking to Mr. Thorne, not paying attention to me.

Parker puts his arm around me. "If they have, nobody has said a thing. Do you want to tell them?"

I hesitate, chewing on my bottom lip. "Is now really the time? We're in the middle of…" I wave my hand, "whatever this is."

Parker grins. "While I appreciate your concern, there is nothing more important than this." He brings my ringed hand to his lips and gently kisses my knuckles. "I figure they could use some happy news."

I nod, realizing he's right. Why not tell them the news? We could all use something happy right now.

Parker stands from the couch, tugging on my arm to help me stand. Our fathers both notice the movement and they turn to look at us.

"Everything okay?" Mr. Thorne asks.

Parker nods, pulling me closer to his side. "Yes. I just wanted to let you know that last night, before Henley was kidnapped, I asked her to marry me."

His eyes widen as he looks between us. My father drops his phone right from his hands, his face paling.

"What did you say?" Dad's words are so quiet that I can barely hear them.

I hold out my left hand, showing him the ring. "I said yes."

Mr. Thorne smiles widely. "Congratulations, you two. Welcome to the family, Henley."

He gives me a hug and then quickly does the same to Parker. After, I stand there, looking at my dad. I wonder how he's going to react to the news.

"You're eighteen," Dad says.

I nod. "Yes."

Mr. Thorne puts a hand on my dad's shoulders. "She's eighteen, yes. But she's also met her soulmate. Nobody can protect her better than Parker, you and I both know that."

Dad slowly nods as he looks from me to Parker. "You better protect my daughter, and I do mean more than just her physical safety. She is my world, Parker Thorne. She better be yours too."

I grin, knowing that my father has accepted the news. I lean forward and throw my arms around him, giving him a hug. As soon as I pull back, Parker hugs him too. My dad's face softens at the contact.

Yes, his only daughter is getting married. But Parker will be part of our family. And Parker's family will be our family. We won't be alone anymore. And Mr. Throne is right—nobody will be able to protect me better than Parker can.

"If you are okay with it, there are a lot of people who would love to meet you," Mr. Thorne says, focusing his attention on me. "A lot of people can't quite wrap their head around the fact that phoenixes exist, let alone the fact that my son is mated to one."

"I'll be honored to meet everybody who has come to assist us today," I say.

He smiles broadly. "Excellent."