Chapter 11

Chapter

Eleven

PHOENIX

T he air inside the cathedral was thick with magic—dark, suffocating, and alive. The ritual was nearing its climax, and Phoenix could feel the pull of the celestial event above them, the moon moving into its full eclipse. The ground beneath her feet trembled as if the earth itself was rejecting the power being summoned.

Her heart raced as she stood facing Councilman Fontaine, his face twisted with malicious glee as he presided over the summoning. Around them, cultists began chanting again in unison, their voices blending with the rising energy in the room. It felt as though the very walls were vibrating, barely able to contain the power brewing within.

Phoenix's gaze darted toward the door where Ash was supposed to be getting Griff out—away from the danger, but he wasn't moving. Griff's body still glowed faintly from the demonic runes that had been etched into his skin.

Ash was holding him up, but Griff was convulsing, his muscles tensing as the dark magic began to take hold. She could feel it—Griff's essence was slipping, being consumed by the demon lord that was trying to possess him.

"Griff, hold on," Phoenix whispered under her breath, her voice filled with desperation. She felt the connection between them like a lifeline, but it was fragile, strained. The ritual was pulling him away from her, piece by piece.

Fontaine's voice boomed over the chanting. "It's too late, fae. The ritual is almost complete. Soon, the demon lord will rise, and your little pet will be nothing more than a hollow shell."

Phoenix's blood boiled at his words, her magic surging in response. "Not if I stop you first."

Fontaine laughed, a dark, mocking sound. "You can't stop what's already in motion."

Without hesitation, Phoenix hurled a blast of golden energy at him. Fontaine barely flinched, raising a hand to deflect it as if it were nothing. The magic sizzled in the air, absorbed by the dark barrier surrounding him.

"I've had enough of your interruptions," Fontaine sneered, flicking his wrist. A pulse of dark energy shot from his hand, heading straight for Phoenix.

She leaped to the side, dodging it just in time, but the force of the blast sent her tumbling across the floor. She gritted her teeth, her heart pounding as she scrambled to her feet. Time was running out, and she knew that if she didn't act soon, she would lose Griff forever.

Ash appeared beside her, bloodied but still standing. He had managed to get Griff sort of propped up against the wall, but something was wrong—terribly wrong.

"Ash, what—?" Phoenix started, but her words caught in her throat.

Struggling to hold on, Griff suddenly convulsed. With a growl of inhuman strength, Griff's eyes snapped open, glowing with an eerie, dark light. His body jerked violently.

"Griff!" Phoenix shouted, fear that she had lost him—had lost everything—clawing at her chest as she rushed toward him.

But it wasn't Griff anymore. Not fully. The demon's presence had taken root, and Phoenix could see the battle raging behind Griff's eyes. He was fighting, trying to hold onto himself, but the dark magic was overpowering him.

"Phoenix…" Griff's voice was strained, barely his own. "I can't… I can't hold it."

Tears blurred her vision as she stopped in front of him, her hands trembling. She knew what she had to do, and the thought of it made her stomach twist with agony. If she couldn't free him, if she couldn't exorcise the demon… she would have to kill him. It was the only way to save Griff's soul from being consumed entirely.

No. I can't lose him like this. Not like this.

The weight of her duty as a fae enforcer pressed down on her, the cold, relentless reality of what she might need to do. But her heart—her heart couldn't bear the thought of destroying Griff, not after everything they had been through—not when they seemed to finally be building something between them.

"I won't let this happen," she whispered, her voice shaking.

With a surge of determination, Phoenix gathered every ounce of her power, drawing upon the strength of her fae magic and the bond she shared with Griff. She placed her hands on his chest, feeling the dark magic thrumming beneath his skin. It was like touching fire—dangerous and consuming—but she didn't pull away.

"Griff, listen to me," she said, her voice fierce with emotion. "You have to fight it. You have to hold on."

He groaned, his body writhing in pain. "I… I'm trying."

Phoenix's heart clenched. She could feel the demon pushing against her magic, trying to break through. The darkness was closing in around Griff's soul, suffocating the man she knew and loved. She didn't have much time.

"I love you," she whispered before taking a deep breath and beginning to chant a dangerous, ancient exorcism ritual. It was one she had only read about, one that could either save Griff or kill them both in the process. But she had no other choice.

Golden light flared around her as she spoke the incantation, her words laced with fae power. The air crackled with tension, the dark magic resisting her every effort. But she didn't stop. She couldn't.

The connection between her and Griff burned hot, and she could feel the demon writhing inside him, furious and desperate. Sweat dripped down her face as she pushed harder, her magic straining to banish the dark presence.

"Come on, Griff," she whispered, her voice thick with tears. "Don't let go."

Suddenly, she felt it—the shift. Griff's body jerked, and his eyes flashed, the demon struggling to maintain control. Phoenix's magic flared brighter, and for a brief moment, she thought she had won. But then the demon roared, a sound that echoed through the cathedral like a storm.

Before she could react, Griff's body convulsed violently, and a wave of dark energy exploded from him, knocking Phoenix backward. She hit the ground hard, her vision swimming as she tried to focus.

When her eyes cleared, she saw it.

Griff's dragon.

The beast roared to life, its essence pushing to the surface, fighting the demon with a ferocity that took Phoenix's breath away. Griff's body trembled, his dragon form shimmering around him, and she could feel the sheer force of his will.

The demon couldn't hold him. It was too much.

With one final, earth-shattering roar, the demon abandoned Griff's body, its dark form swirling through the air in a desperate escape. It slammed into Fontaine, and the councilman's scream pierced the air as the demon took him instead.

Fontaine's body twisted and contorted, his eyes glowing with the unholy power of the demon lord now possessing him. The cultists around them gasped, their chanting faltering as chaos erupted.

Phoenix pushed herself to her feet, her entire body aching. She wasn't alone. She could sense the magic before she saw them—four specks of light entering the cathedral. Her heart leaped in her chest as she turned and saw her sisters and Aunt Maeve, their forms glowing with the same ethereal light she had come to associate with family.

"We couldn't let you have all the fun," Savannah said, her voice light despite the dire situation.

Geneva and Catalina stood beside her, their hands already glowing with healing magic, while Aunt Maeve's eyes narrowed as she took in the possessed Fontaine.

Phoenix smiled weakly, relief flooding through her. "I'm glad you're here."

The battle resumed with renewed intensity, but now, Phoenix wasn't alone. Her sisters joined the fray, their fae magic mingling with hers as they fought the cultists and the possessed Fontaine. Griff, though weak, managed to pull himself to his feet, his dragon energy still burning in his eyes.

Together, they faced the demon lord.

The battle was brutal, the demon's power growing as it fed off Fontaine's body, but Phoenix could feel the tide turning. With her sisters by her side and Griff's strength bolstering her, they pushed the dark magic back, holding it and the demon lord at bay.

The demon lord turned to strike at Phoenix, raising its hands—dark magic swirling in its palms.

"Phoenix, move!" shouted Griff.

Aunt Maeve lunged at her, knocking her aside as the demon lord prepared to unleash his powers, but he never had a chance. Scrambling to get back to her feet and get her aunt to safety, Phoenix's heart thundered in her chest as the demon lord loomed before her, his massive form cracking and leaking out of Fontaine's mortal body. He was wreathed in swirling shadows and malevolent energy. The air seemed alive as it sizzled and crackled with dark magic. Fontaine's body, now fully consumed by the demon, twisted grotesquely, its eyes burning with an unholy light.

Time seemed to slow as the demon raised a clawed hand, dark tendrils of power reaching toward her. She braced herself, her magic ready to defend, but then she felt it—the sudden, intense surge of heat from across the room.

Griff.

She turned just in time to see him, his magnificent dragon standing tall, its size barely contained by the enormous cathedral. Despite the strain from the earlier battle, Griff's eyes glowed with an unnatural intensity. His dragon shimmered, barely contained, a force of raw, untamed power. Phoenix could feel the primal energy radiating off him, the dragon within him freed from its human form to do what dragons did best.

With a deep, guttural roar, Griff unleashed a torrent of dragonfire.

The air around him seemed to warp as the inferno erupted from his mouth, a stream of searing flames so intense that Phoenix could feel the blistering heat from where she stood. The fire was not just fire—it was molten, golden-orange, tinged with red at the edges, as if the very essence of his dragon's soul was being poured into the attack.

The dragonfire roared across the cathedral, engulfing the demon lord in an instant.

The creature let out a deafening screech as the flames consumed it, writhing and thrashing within the inferno. Its dark magic flared wildly, but the fire was relentless, scorching everything in its path.

The demon tried to resist, but the power of the dragonfire was too much. It was an all-encompassing force, burning hotter than anything Phoenix had ever felt. The fire swirled and danced, alive with fury, incinerating the demon's essence as Fontaine's body was reduced to charred remains.

The demon let out one final, tortured scream before collapsing into nothingness, the dark magic dissipating into the air like smoke. Phoenix watched, her breath caught in her throat, as the flames tore through the demon's shadowy form, reducing it to ash and embers. The once-mighty form of the demon lord was gone, reduced to a pile of smoldering ash beneath the weight of Griff's dragonfire.

Silence fell over the room, the echoes of the fire still crackling in the air. Phoenix stood frozen, her heart racing as she took in the destruction before her, the immense power of Griff's dragonfire still burning in her mind. She turned slowly toward Griff, her breath catching as she saw him, his chest rising and falling heavily, smoke curling from his lips.

The fire had saved them—he had saved them. And for the first time, Phoenix realized the full strength of the man—and the dragon—standing before her.

"I love you too, by the way," he rumbled.

The cult was defeated. The demon was gone.

But the cost of the battle weighed heavily on Phoenix's heart. She looked around at the destruction, at the bodies of the cultists and the broken remnants of the ritual. The city had been saved, but at what price?

H ours later, back at Griff's home, the adrenaline had faded, leaving only the raw, emotional aftermath. Phoenix sat on the edge of the couch, her hands trembling slightly as she stared at the floor. Her sisters had returned to the Duvall mansion, where Ash had been taken to recover, leaving her and Griff alone.

Griff sat beside her, silent. He hadn't said much since the fight ended, and the weight of their unspoken connection hung heavy in the air.

"You saved me," Griff finally said, his voice low.

Phoenix looked at him, her heart aching with the memories of how close she had come to losing him. "I almost lost you."

He shook his head, his gaze intense as he met her eyes. "But you didn't."

Phoenix swallowed; the emotions she had kept buried for so long rising to the surface. "I was ready to… if it came to it, I was ready to?—"

Griff cut her off by taking her hand, his grip firm. "You didn't have to make that choice. And if you do, I know you'll make the right one. Remember if it comes to that, it won't be me you're killing. You'll be setting me free from an eternity of pain and sorrow."

Tears welled in her eyes, and she blinked them away. "I don't know how to do this, Griff. How to balance everything—my duty, my family, us."

Griff's expression softened, and he leaned closer, his voice a gentle rumble. "We'll figure it out. No more running, no more hiding. I'm prepared to get one of your sisters to enchant a pair of handcuffs you can't get out of so easily."

She smiled softly, and without thinking, she leaned in and kissed him. It was soft at first, tentative, but then it deepened, all the tension, the fear, and the love they had held back finally spilling over.

When they pulled apart, Phoenix rested her forehead against his, their breaths mingling. "I don't know what happens next."

Griff smiled, his hand cupping her cheek. "Me either, but we'll figure it out. This is New Orleans, the city of second chances and magic. Whatever comes, we'll handle it."

The threat of the demon lord was gone, but the challenges ahead were far from over. Phoenix knew that their journey was only just beginning, that the world of magic and danger they had been thrust into would continue to test them.

But for now, they had each other. And that was enough.