Chapter 13

Lucius

I was about to die. I’d defeated most of the shapeshifters, but this was an impossible fight and I’d known that from the start. It didn’t matter. I’d die with my conscience clear. Ava would be safe, out of Calder’s reach. Ziv had herded her away, and he was circling her with his magic. Soon he’d flash her to safety, and the werewolf could never find her then. It wasn’t quite the outcome I’d hoped for that morning, but it was good enough.

I felt light as a feather, lighter than I had in years. A stone had lifted from my shoulders, and tension left my flesh. My wounds were grave, but I could survive. Not so with the blow the werewolf was about to strike, and I wasn’t strong enough to avoid it.

Ziv’s howl was ice in my veins; that was a warning, a sound of failure. I saw what was going on in a fraction of a second, but it wasn’t enough to truly alter the outcome. The male watching from the sidelines was right behind Ava, and the silver and red of his eyes finally told me what he was. A demon.

Ava was coming toward me, holding one of my flight feathers like a sword in one hand, with a determined look on her face. Once again, she was facing danger head-on rather than running from it. This time, she was charging to my rescue, but what could she possibly do against Calder? He was wounded, but not gravely, and was healing before my eyes.

Then I saw the truck, its metal grill gleaming in the sunlight. I had no fire left in me; I had no strength, but to save Ava? I’d do anything. As Calder’s blow collided with my throat, blood spurted and a roar burst from my mouth. With a last remaining surge, I pushed to my legs, tackled the werewolf around the waist, and threw the two of us straight into the path of the oncoming truck.

Pain exploded, white hot, and all-consuming. It felt like each bone in my body shattered, my heart pumping one final time, as my wings disintegrated into ashes and scattered on the wind. The truck rolled over us, crushing Calder, me, everything.

We flew across the road from the blow, and I couldn’t hold on to my enemy. I crashed against the trunk of a tree, and Calder was gone. This was it. With a herculean effort, I shifted my eyes from the wrecked truck to where I’d last seen my precious female. I soaked up her pale features, glasses askew and splattered with blood, but she was unharmed. Calder’s body lay between her and me, and he was definitely not getting up again. Good.

The demon had no leverage now, she was safe. Ziv would take care of the rest, he’d take her to safety, and make sure that Aries would find her. With that knowledge sinking in, I allowed the pain to sweep me away. It was time to give in, to surrender to the inevitable, but that was okay. My death would be worthwhile.

The flames took hold of me, consuming me until there was nothing left. I knew this feeling well. I’d gone through it before even if it had been well over a hundred and fifty years ago. Did a phoenix die the same way it was reborn? Once I was all ash, would I fly away on the wind? One last journey before I disappeared from the world forever?

“Lucius! No! Come back to me!” Ava’s shout tore at me, called me. I shouldn’t be able to hear her if I was scattering on the wind. I was dead, wasn’t I? But the heat was getting stronger, this wasn’t ash, this was fire, an inferno. A pang of hope struck my chest, but no, that was impossible.

Except, I could feel the thud of my heart in my chest, a powerful beat followed by another, and another. My body tingled, unfurled, and then a feeling struck that I didn’t think I’d ever feel again. The reforming of myself as the fire healed me. Like a bolt of lightning, I shot from the ashes and careened through the sky with unbridled energy. I could not contain my flight, barely managed to turn my body in a tight circle.

Then I saw my mate, my brave Ava, and like a comet, I plummeted back to Earth. She pulled me like a magnet, and joy burst in my veins like champagne. My curse was broken. I didn’t know how, or why now, but I was going to grab hold of what fate offered me with both hands. That was her, my woman.

I landed with a thud in front of her, my legs trembling from the energy still bursting brightly through my flesh. I’d be hyped like this for days, bursting at the seams with renewed power. I’d forgotten how much I needed these rebirths to feel strong, to feel whole, but I knew it now.

“Lucius…” Ava murmured as I swept her into my arms and lifted her. Her eyes welled with tears, streaking down her dirty cheeks, but she was the most beautiful sight I’d ever laid eyes on. I crushed my mouth to hers and laid claim to it. Our breath mingling, our hearts beating together as one.

When I lifted my head, her cheeks were flushed pink, but that rosy glow faded to white as she tilted her head and looked at the demon. His presence made me snap my wings around my female, sheltering her against my chest, but she peeked at him through my feathers anyway, a question in her eyes.

He leaned against the smoking wreck of the car, his hand casually pressed against the shattered windshield, legs crossed at the ankles. His ball cap was gone, and the wind ruffled thick brown locks of hair. “Don’t look at me,” he drawled with amusement. “You burned up the contract. I did nothing. That was all... love .” His mouth twisted in disgust at the last word, as if that personally offended him.

His departure was abrupt, but I did not think I’d seen the last of him in my territory. He rose, sauntered over to the mangled body of the werewolf, and in a swirl of mist and smoke, they disappeared. He took with him all the bodies, but he left the wreckage behind, and I knew that was my responsibility.

“Ziv, get my amulet,” I said to the cat watching me with an avid, glowing look from where he perched on a nearby fence. He vanished in the blink of an eye. “Come, my sweet Ava. I will take care of this, and then take you home.”

I did not let go of my woman as I approached the wreck and checked on the driver. Out cold, injured, but not dead. I drew in a relieved breath and tried to ease the pang of guilt at involving an innocent in taking down the werewolf. Once I called Aries, I knew all would be well. My assistant would see to repairs, and to ensure the human returned to full health. To make sure he hung in there until help arrived, I plucked one of the downy feathers from the underside of my wing and placed it on the male’s tongue.

Then I pulled Ava closer. “You broke my curse.” She tilted her head again to search for the demon but I knew that the male hadn’t lied, he had no reason to. In fact, demons like him liked to gloat about their deals. No, Ava had broken my curse because of who were: soulmates. “I was willing to lose my life to protect you, with no reservations. It broke the curse. I am free, and now I’m going to show you that I am a worthy male to stand at your side. I love you, Ava.”

She shoved her glasses more firmly up her dainty nose with a tremulous smile. “I know, Lucius. I love you too. I don’t understand how it happened so fast, but…” She rolled a shoulder, and with a finger, traced the feathers that sprouted along my shoulders. “In your world, I take it that’s normal?” When I nodded, she smiled. “Count me in.”

I didn’t expect anything less, my Ava leaped with her arms wide open.