Page 88 of Fallout
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.