Page 82 of Fallout
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.