21

What happens now?

Henley

I'm not nearly as nervous as I thought I would be. Then again, we have a promise from somebody who can see the future that we're going to be all right. It's hard to be scared when the odds are in our favor. Even Parker is calm, which is surprising, given that Blaze and I are about to be in the same room.

King Basilicus gives the instructions for what is going to go down once we teleport. I have no job, other than the actual teleporting. Thirty people are coming with us. I've never teleported that many people before, so I'm a bit anxious.

I twirl a piece of hair around my finger as I watch Parker. "Do you really think I can teleport all of these people?"

Parker's lip turns up in one corner. "Did you not hear King Basilicus's speech? You're a warrior, Henley—the only supernatural stronger than a dragon shifter. Yes, you can teleport all these people." He leans over and kisses me on the forehead.

All of my protests vanish at his words.

Parker believes in me. He doesn't doubt me for even a second. At his assurance, I feel a lot better.

He's right. I can do this.

After this is over, I've got to thank King Basilicus. He is, after all, the reason that we're going to end this so swiftly. His words really reassured Parker. He's completely chill as King Basilicus goes over the plan with everybody.

King Basilicus is the one who is going to stab Blaze—nobody argues against this. If any of us are going to have a shot at this, it's the dragon king.

"I will warn you all." King Basilicus clears his throat. "You may think killing a phoenix is easy after this, but there is a price to pay when a phoenix is killed. As I am a dragon shifter and I am king, I am strong enough to withstand the penalty. But if you attempt to kill a phoenix, you likely won't survive it."

I wonder what he's talking about.

"When I stab the phoenix, I don't want any of you standing within five feet of us," King Basilicus says, making eye contact with each person in the room. "Do I make myself clear?"

Everybody nods, though I can see the curiosity in their eyes.

Now I'm wondering what will happen when Blaze is killed. Just what kind of penalty are we talking about here?

Will and Blaine both crowd closer to Parker and me.

"Are you two ready to end this?" Blaine asks.

I nod, chewing on my bottom lip.

"I'm so ready to see that phoenix taken care of for good." Parker puts his arm around me and pulls me closer to him.

I lean into his embrace, letting him take most of my weight. "I'm just ready for this to be over."

"So are we." Will shifts his gaze around the group. "I'm not sure I like the idea of all these people knowing how a phoenix is killed."

Parker shrugs. "King Basilicus is being very vague about about it's going down. All I know is he's using a sword. It looks like a normal sword to me. Plus, he's talking about a price. Nobody here would use anything they learn against Henley. And if they try, they'll have to go through me."

I shiver at the threat in his voice.

I'm the most protected supernatural in the world. Blaze chose the wrong target.

Parker runs his hand down my arm and eventually settles it on the small of my back. "Are you ready, Henley?"

I nod. "I want to be free from Blaze. And once he's taken care of, you won't have to spend so much time patrolling."

Parker grins. "We'll be spending a lot of time together. We have a wedding to plan."

My heart stutters at the mention of a wedding.

He's right. We do have a wedding to plan. I had just forgotten about that part when he asked me to marry him. I was swept away, thinking of the future. I want a marriage with Parker. But the thought of a wedding has me feeling queasy.

"Can we just elope?" I ask.

He chuckles, shaking his head. "The pack would be disappointed. They want to watch us get married."

"Pack weddings are always large," Blaine warns. "Every pack member will want to be there."

"And since Parker is the future alpha, other alphas and packs will want to attend," Will says.

I swallow hard and look at my ring.

Is it really worth it?

Parker shoots a glare at his friends. "You're going to scare her."

"We're just preparing her," Blaine smirks. "Sorry, Vixen. It won't be so bad. Everybody just wants to be there to celebrate you. The pack loves you."

My head spins at the thought.

"I really don't want a big wedding." I chew on my bottom lip. "I thought we could do something small. Maybe in the clearing in the trees—where we had our first kiss and where I showed you my wings for the first time."

Parker grins. "We'll find a way. Don't worry. It'll work out."

He's right. It will work out. I shouldn't be worried about it right now anyway. We're about to face down against Blaze.

"Henley, are you ready?" King Basilicus inquires, stepping forward.

I nod, my heart rate kicking up a notch.

"How does this work?" Mr. Thorne asks. "Do we all need to be close, or what?"

I lick my lips, which suddenly feel so dry. "Uh, I'm not certain. Every time I've teleported other people, I've always been touching them. So, I guess everybody needs to be touching."

Parker grabs my hand. I'm surprised when King Basilicus steps up to me, holding my shoulder. Everybody else crowds around, touching whoever is standing closest to them.

I take a deep breath and close my eyes. I'm enveloped by a familiar heat that is comforting as I teleport to a home in Australia.

I've never been to Australia before, not that I'll get to explore today. We're here for a job.

When I open my eyes, I find myself surrounded by the same people, but our location is different.

I did it.

I actually teleported everybody.

But before I can celebrate, everybody moves swiftly.

Parker pulls me back out of the way, as we were instructed. This fight may be ours, but it is not one that we will be joining. My stomach churns with nerves as I watch the fight unfold.

Parker squeezes my hand, reminding me that I'm not alone.

I'll never be alone again.

"I love you," I tell him.

He grins. "I love you too. If you want to elope, we can."

I laugh, knowing he's joking. I can only imagine the uproar from his pack if they're not allowed to witness our union.

No, I'll have to get over my fear of being in front of all those people. I have to remember, they're not strangers. They're pack—basically family.

I focus my attention on the fight. Blaze is good—really good. He gets in quite a few jabs of his own, but he's no match against all the alphas. And when King Basilicus steps forward, I know he doesn't have a chance.

Once the dragon king rushes forward, all the alphas jump back, as instructed. When the tip of the sword presses into Blaze's chest, a sudden heat envelopes the room. I watch Blaze curiously as he looks down at the sword in his chest. He looks… puzzled. He takes a step backward as fire covers his body. The fire isn't the orange flames that I'm used to seeing—instead, it's a blue flame. It covers his whole body and eats everything around it. It even burns along King Basilicus's skin.

I get what he meant now.

The person who kills a phoenix also gets burnt. And since dragon shifters are fireproof, it won't hurt him. But it would hurt a wolf.

He's the only one who could safely kill Blaze.

My shoulders relax a bit.

Not many people would be willing to give their own life to kill a phoenix, which means I'm not likely to have many supernaturals coming after me.

After the blue flame is gone, I look at the pile of ashes on the floor.

He's gone. He's just gone.

"He won't be able to hurt you ever again." Parker puts his arm around me and tugs me into him.

"I get why you said we all needed to be far away," Mr. Thorne says, approaching King Basilicus. "The heat was intense."

King Basilicus nods. "Even I felt the heat from that. I dare say a dragon shifter with less power wouldn't be able to withstand it. I have no idea how supernaturals ever went after phoenixes."

Whatever their reasons, it must have been important. To sacrifice your life to the cause is kind of a big deal.

"What happens now?" I ask.

King Basilicus looks at me. "Now, you teleport us back. I dare say, that power of yours comes in handy. You teleported us to the other side of the world in the blink of an eye."

I didn't think of it like that, but he's right.

I chew on my bottom lip, not knowing how to respond.

Parker grabs ahold of my hand and everybody else crowds around us. I close my eyes and let the familiar heat surround me. When I open my eyes again, we're standing in Parker's living room again.

Everybody cheers and claps each other on the back, offering their congratulations on the success of the mission. I stand back, watching the exchange, feeling completely overwhelmed. I run my hands over my face, taking a deep breath.

I still can't believe it's really over. After months of having a bodyguard and watching over my shoulder, Blaze is just gone.

Parker puts his hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay, Henley?"

I shrug. "I don't know. I am relieved that Blaze is taken care of, but it's also strange. I know that Blaze said there is a whole community of phoenixes hiding out there, but I feel so… alone. What if I never meet somebody else like me again?"

Parker takes a step closer, taking my hands in his. "To be honest, I'm not sure I ever want to meet another phoenix, not if they're anything like Blaze."

"Certainly they wouldn't be," I muse.

"Besides that," Parker squeezes my hands, "you're not alone. You may be one of a kind, but you've never been alone. I promise you that I will never leave you. You have a family here. You have friends. You have a pack. Even if you never meet another phoenix, I will do my best to make sure you feel like you belong. You're one of us."

My heart swells.

Parker is right. He's the other half of my soul. And as long as we're together, I know everything is going to be all right.

"If you'd like, we could talk to my mom about starting wedding plans." Parker's blue eyes look timidly at me.

I can't help but smile when I feel Parker's emotions through our mate bond. My stomach tightens with nerves that don't belong to me.

He's nervous. And he's never been more adorable than he has in this moment.

"I would love to start our wedding plans," I assure him. I lean closer, standing on the tips of my toes. I kiss him on the cheek, but he holds me in place and kisses me on the mouth. My cheeks grow warm. People are still surrounding us, though they're not paying us any attention.

"You will get used to this," Parker says. "Wolf shifters are very affectionate."

Right. I knew that. Which is likely why the other wolves aren't even noticing our embrace.

Well, this is certainly going to take some getting used to. But I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy every moment of embarrassment.