Phoenix Found (Brothers of Fire #5)

Chapter 36

Chapter Thirty-Six

The howling of a wolf woke Perrin. An answering shriek had him out of bed and pulling on pants before he was fully aware of what he was doing. His heart rattled his ribs.

“What’s going on?” Oliver sat up, half asleep.

“I’m not sure?—”

Another shriek cut through the night.

Perrin stilled. That was his father’s call. If he went out there, his father was going to make good on the threats to pull him apart. There’d be no body to find because the attackers would devour him before his body was cold.

“I thought you said ghouls didn’t hunt.”

“They don’t. But they kill those who leave the clan.”

Oliver slid out of bed and dressed. “But you haven’t left…have you?”

“No. But I didn’t obey my parents, and they have been forced to leave the castle. I didn’t leave with them.”

“You’re an adult. You’re four years older than me.”

“And it’s my birthday tomorrow. I’m thirty, and I’m supposed to fall into line. That I am with you means I haven’t.” He pulled on a sweater and boots. “I need to go and speak to them.”

“That’s a really bad idea when you just said they’ll kill you. We have security. They’ll deal with them.”

“We have half a dozen security guards against my father and several other ghouls. We don’t have enough to fight them off.”

“Not enough?” Fear perfumed Oliver’s skin.

Perrin shook his head. “We don’t hunt because we don’t like fresh meat. We prefer it aged a day or so, but you’ve seen me. You’ve seen my claws and the way I can rip apart a carcass. The ghouls out there are capable of ripping through the security team.” And Oliver. He needed to make sure Oliver was safe.

He closed the distance between them and pressed a hard kiss to Oliver’s lips. “I want you to go up to the roof. Security would’ve already called for help, but you call your brothers to let them know you’re on your way, okay? Then you’re going to fly to the castle. It’ll be tiring, but you can make it. All the estates are within flying range. Yeah?”

Oliver nodded, his eyes wide with fear.

“Get your phone. Go.” Perrin gave Oliver a nudge toward the bedroom door.

“What about you?”

“I’ll stop them from killing your security.”

“How are you escaping?”

That was when Perrin realized he probably wasn’t escaping. He could fight with the security guards and maybe take down a couple of the ghouls, giving Oliver a chance to get away. But even if he took the keys to a vehicle and drove, ghouls would come after him.

They’d rip the metal open and pull him out like he was a sardine …

If he surrendered, he might live. But he wouldn’t be alive; he would be told how to live, and the moment he stepped out of line, his life was forfeit.

“I don’t think I can. Not unless I can reason with my father.” That was an impossible task. He’d tried it once and had the scars.

“You need to hide or run.”

“They will find me. They can smell me.” And they’d smell Oliver all over him. And him all over Oliver.

Growls and snarls filled the night, and gunfire responded.

“Please, go to the roof and be safe.” He brushed the loose strands of Oliver’s hair off his face and tucked them behind his ears, then kissed him again. “I want that adventure with you, so I will do anything to be with you.”

Oliver nodded. “I love you.”

Perrin rested his forehead against Oliver’s. “Je t’aime, mon petit oiseau.”

He led Oliver to the hallway, then pulled down the ladder to the attic. In the attic was a window that led to the roof. “Call Lenoir…or anyone you can get hold of. Let them know my father came seeking retribution and that you are on your way.”

“I will.”

“Good. I’ll see you at the castle.” He gave Oliver a nudge up the ladder, and then once he was up, he closed the manhole.

With Oliver on his way to safety, he made his way downstairs. There was a security guard at the front door. He looked as though he’d dressed hastily, clothing askew. “How many?”

“Three ghouls, ready to feed. The wolf shifter on patrol has gone silent. I’ve called for backup. Is the chick away?”

“Yes, I saw him into the attic and told him to return to the castle.” Keep the phoenix safe, that was always the first rule. It didn’t matter if they were dating; the priority was protecting Oliver .

“If I go out, they’ll leave the rest of you alone.”

“If you go out, you’re dead. We were briefed about the situation. I didn’t think your father would actually come for you.”

“I guess you don’t know someone until they’re pushed to the edge.” He’d pushed his father, or had his father been seeking an excuse because he hated his life? “We can’t wait until they rip off the doors.”

“Back up is on its way. We only have to hold them?—”

“Back up is at least an hour away. And that’s assuming they didn’t knock over trees to block the road.”

The security guard looked at him.

“What? You’d do the same if you were going after someone.”

“It depends on if I’m planning a quick escape or not.”

“They can melt into the forest.”

“They’ll be hunted.”

Perrin snorted. “No one hunts a ghoul unless they have a death wish. Humans have been making horror movies about things that screech in the night for decades. We are the screech.”

As if on cue, a ghoul cried out.

The guard conferred with someone via his earpiece. Possibly the castle or the other guards on the estate.

“We need to draw them out to shoot them.” The guard said.

Perrin nodded. If he stepped out, it was as bait. But he couldn’t hide inside and wait for an attack to come because that risked everyone’s lives.

“If you’re shooting a ghoul, it needs to be a headshot.”

“We know.”

He hoped they didn’t shoot him in the head by accident. Perrin reached for the door handle, and the guard let him out.

Perrin wanted to glance up, to make sure that Oliver was flying away, but he knew better than to draw attention .

“What do you want, Dad?” he shouted. He may not be able to see his father, but he was out there. How many of his relatives were also out there?

What had his father said to convince them to attack not only him but a royal estate? A member of the royal family, albeit an unrecognized son? If his father had been unpopular with the castle before, his reputation was now destroyed.

The large form of his father ambled out of the shadows. The long spines on his back glinted in the moonlight, and his fingers were stained dark with blood. Two guards had been on duty outside the house. Were they both dead?

His father snarled. “You have a responsibility to your?—”

“The Coven disagrees. I spoke with Rachel...” Oh God, had her parents spoken to his father and demanded retribution?

“I don’t give a shit about the Coven. You will obey, or everyone here dies.”

Inside the house were another four guards, the head of staff, the chef and his assistant, the housekeeper, and the groundskeeper. He hoped Oliver had left.

And if he hadn’t?

He should have waited and watched Oliver leave.

“If I surrender, do you swear to leave everyone on the estate alone?” Maybe they didn’t want to tear him apart. Maybe they only wanted to drag him off to get married. In which case, he could buy some time until help arrived.

His father laughed. “It’s gone too far for that.”

“If you hadn’t rallied your brother and cousins and killed people, you could’ve walked away.”

“If one steps out of line, how long until others do and our way of life falls apart?”

“Just because it has been our way of life doesn’t mean it has to continue that way. The world is changing.” But not fast enough. Or was it too fast? How long until paranormals were living in the open? Fighting humans instead of each other?

If the guards were lining up their shot, there was no telltale red dot. Had the need to draw his father out been a lie? Had they agreed to send Perrin out to die?

He didn’t want to die. He wanted to explore the world with Oliver.

“The world will never change. We will always be hunted. Even now, the phoenix’s security guards are taking aim. You think you’re special? Different? The only reason you’re alive is because he wants you warming his bed, and you were stupid enough to fall into it.”

Even if he was being used, he was enjoying it, so he didn’t care. For the first time in his life, he had someone in his bed. Someone he loved.

“Everyone’s allowed a bit of fun before getting married.” He took a couple more steps away from the house, resisting the urge to check the roof because that meant taking his eyes off his father.

The other ghouls were still lurking in the shadows, but he could hear the noises they were making. Even though he was a ghoul, the sounds made his skin prickle, and he suppressed a shudder.

“Tomorrow is the deadline, Dad. I don’t want to ruin Rachel’s life.” That has never been his intention. He thought he was setting them both free. Clearly, she’d been raised to follow tradition better than him. “You should have waited.”

“I lost my job and my home because of you.”

“You attacked me,” Perrin countered. Where were the guards? What were they waiting for?

“You went beyond your clan. That cannot go unpunished.”

Perrin exhaled, his breath clouding in front of him. He wasn’t dressed to be out in the middle of the night. “So you came here to rip me apart in front of my lover and his staff? And then what, you plan on tearing them apart too? You don’t think the castle knows that you’re here?”

“I’m sure they do. But it won’t matter. Every so often, someone needs to serve as an example. A reminder to the rest of the community.”

“You’re my father.”

“And you are my responsibility. I gave you warnings, and you ignored them all.” His father glanced up.

It was only then Perrin let himself turn, not caring if it was a trap. On the roof, a ghoul had his arms around Oliver. Long fingers stretched over Oliver’s face, preventing him from calling out.

Anytime the guards wanted to take a shot would be great…

“Get on your knees, or your lover starts losing fingers. Do they grow back if he shifts?”

Perrin had no idea, and he didn’t want to find out. He dropped to his knees on the path that he had re-laid. The stone was cold and unforgiving. Blood would stain the pale stone if they fought. No one should be cleaning up blood.

The ghoul on the roof landed next to him with a thud. Oliver squeaked, making Perrin glance over. There was a little blood on his face, but otherwise, Oliver seemed unharmed.

They stared at each other for several seconds.

Oliver’s eyes were wide, and he wasn’t even struggling.

Perrin’s heart ached, and he struggled to breathe. “Why are you still here?”

But he knew the answer. Oliver hadn’t been able to abandon him and leave him to fight alone. That didn’t explain why he’d let himself be caught.

He could incinerate the ghoul.

His father walked closer, shoulders rounded, long fingers reaching for Oliver. “So pretty, and with all that long hair, he looks like a girl.”

Oliver flinched but didn’t pull away as Perrin’s father grabbed his hair. With his other hand, his father lashed out, striking Perrin across the cheek. His skin burned, split open from the claws, and his mouth filled with blood.

His father released Oliver. “Everyone, out here now, or your little prince dies.”

They were all going to die anyway, so it didn’t matter. If the guards were smart, they’d stall for as long as possible. Did they not have a clear shot? Is that why they weren’t doing anything?

Fuck this. He’d tried to reason with his father; he’d tried to stall and buy the guards time to get the rest of the staff to safety. Had the guards also fled, believing Oliver was safely away?

Meaning they were on their own. He wasn’t going to let his father and his father’s friends hurt Oliver. They were going to have to tear him apart first.

He let his limbs stretch, claws pushed out of the ends of his fingers, spines ripped through the back of his shirt. Perrin stood and swung at his father. If he defeated him, the others might scatter.

His father opened his overly large mouth and shrieked.

And Perrin replied in kind.

They slashed at each other, each of them trying for maximum damage. Perrin tried to circle around so that the security guards had a clear shot at his father if they were still there. His gaze slid to Oliver, still held by the ghoul.

All he had to do was shift, and he’d be free.

Had fear frozen his magic?

His father tripped him, and Perrin stumbled, landing on one knee. He brought his hand up, swiping at the nearest flesh and catching his father on the thigh.

He wasn’t quick enough in getting up, though, and another ghoul slammed into him from the side. Perrin skidded on his shoulder, shredding skin. Then the ghoul was on top of him. The spines growing out of his back snapped, and he snarled, jaw snapping as he tried to bite the other man.

Someone grabbed his foot. Hot blood spilled over his skin. Perrin kicked, connecting with soft skin.

He bit the ghoul’s arm, tearing out a chunk of flesh. The ghoul raked his claw over Perrin’s face, then jerked back as blood burst from his forehead.

Another ghoul screamed. Where was Oliver?

Perrin pushed himself up to his knees. One ghoul was on fire.

His father was dead.

Oliver circled the garden, his wings beautiful and deadly and his tail a trail of sparks. He landed in front of Perrin and shifted. Then he was a man crouching, mirroring Perrin’s pose. He took a moment, drew a breath, and coughed. “Are you hurt?”

Perrin’s mouth was full of blood. He spat instead of swallowing, and as he did, the skin flapped. He touched his face and found his cheek hanging loose. It should heal when he stretched into human form.

Several of his spines were broken, but there was nothing that could be done about that. They would eventually grow back.

“Perrin?” Oliver’s eyes were wide. “I should’ve shifted sooner. I’m sorry.”

There was far too much blood in Perrin’s mouth. And when he poked his cheek with his tongue, the flap of skin moved. Oh…that was not good. That needed to be stitched in place before he returned to human.

“Maybe you should sit there for a moment?” Oliver put his hand on Perrin’s shoulder. His skin was hot and dusted with ash from where his body had burned up and reformed.

Sitting seemed like a good idea.

“I killed him, didn’t I? I killed someone with my magic.” Oliver stared at his hands. “They wanted to kill you.”

He wanted to tell Oliver that he shouldn’t have even been there, that he should’ve been on his way to the castle and safety. But he couldn’t find the words. If Oliver hadn’t been there, Perrin would be dead.

Two security guards with their guns ready ran toward them.

They were a bit late to the party.

There was a pop, and the screaming ghoul stopped. The silence was almost too much.

“Sir, we need to take you inside.” One of the guards pulled Oliver up.

“I’m staying with Perrin.” He struggled to pull free and failed as the guard started dragging him towards the house.

“I’m fine,” Perrin said, this time probing his torn cheek with his fingers. Why could he feel his teeth?

Another guard ran over and unfolded a stretcher. Who was that for?

The guard placed it on the ground next to him.

“I can walk.”

“No, you can’t.”

Perrin glanced at his leg, where the guard pointed. His foot was at an odd angle, and he was missing toes. He didn’t get a chance to ask any questions as the two guards moved him onto the stretcher.

Blood trickled out of his mouth, and the flap of his cheek hung against his tongue.

And for a few seconds, he wasn’t sure if he was going to throw up or pass out.