I felt his presence only a split second before he spoke.
‘Speak for yourself,’ Phoenix said, stepping out from the nearby tree-line, hands in his pockets. ‘I’d rather like to have that apology.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
‘For the son of man has come to save that which was lost.’
Matthew 18:11
Everything happened so fast.
Lincoln leaped up from his rocking chair and over the railing of the verandah, landing on the lawn in front of Phoenix, who moved into striking zone with the speed of wind.
Phoenix grinned wickedly at Lincoln, his hatred on show. ‘No dagger.’ He made a tsk’ing sound. ‘Sloppy.’
I was on the lawn by then, too, and stepped up beside Lincoln. ‘But I have mine,’ I said.
Phoenix didn’t take his attention off Lincoln, the two of them circling each other.
‘I’d be lying if I said I haven’t dreamed of this moment – taking you down once and for all,’ Phoenix said, tauntingly, moving in short gusts of wind.
Lincoln tracked him, keeping up. ‘Funny. You don’t seem to make it into my dreams.’
‘That’s because you’re busy dreaming of things I’ve already had,’ Phoenix said, gesturing to me but not taking his eyes off Lincoln.
‘Stop it,’ I warned him.
Phoenix smiled at Lincoln. ‘Just wake up, did we?’
‘Violet, go inside,’ Lincoln ordered.
He did not just say that.
‘You heard him, lover. He obviously has a lot of pent-up frustration.’ Phoenix’s smile broadened. ‘Understandably. Best to let him try. You should run along while he gets a beating for his efforts.’
My eyes narrowed in on the two of them but as I did, I pushed out my senses, scanning the area as far as I could. There were no other exiles nearby.
Phoenix darted me a look before returning to Lincoln. The hate fuming between the two of them was dense in the night air.
Shit.
‘I invited him!’ I blurted, regretting that I hadn’t made it a priority to tell Lincoln what I’d done earlier. The truth was I’d expected Phoenix to show up either instantly or not at all. When he hadn’t, I’d started to wonder if I’d been wrong about his intentions.
At this revelation, Lincoln looked at me with disbelief. ‘You brought him here?’
I bit my lip.
Using Lincoln’s distraction, Phoenix launched himself onto his nemesis, bringing him down to the ground, ramming a fist into his jaw. I was fairly certain I heard something crack. Lincoln responded in kind – the impact of his own closed fist across Phoenix’s jaw stunning him enough for Lincoln to throw Phoenix off him and into the air.
Phoenix landed on his feet, feline-like.
But before Phoenix made it back into the striking zone and Lincoln was up and ready again, I leaped between them.
‘Move,’ Lincoln snapped at me.
I ignored him and faced Phoenix. I knew who the real threat was.
‘Lover,’ Phoenix said, dabbing a finger at the cut on his lip, showing how hard Lincoln’s hit had been; drawing blood from an exile was never easy. ‘Be patient. This will only take a moment and then you and I will have all the time in the world for …’ he glanced at Lincoln, ‘other things.’
‘Shut up, Phoenix. God, I’m so sick of hearing you call me “lover”. You asked me for help. I know you did. I let down my shields, I showed you the way to us because, as crazy as it is, I think you might actually want to stop Lilith from hurting those kids.’
Phoenix’s face twisted and I couldn’t help but feel a little satisfaction to see my scolding was having an effect.
‘Now,’ I continued, hands on hips, ‘you can come inside and talk with us. You will tell us what we need to know and how we can stop her, or you can go. But you,’ I glanced over my shoulder at Lincoln, fury still raging in his eyes, ‘and your male egos will not be fighting tonight because, let me break it down.’ I looked between them again. ‘If either one of you lands another punch then this conversation is over and those kids are going to die.’
Silence.
‘I’m going to put the kettle on,’ I said, taking their silence for agreement. For now.
We sat around the kitchen table, coffees in hand, tensions running high. Suddenly the cabin seemed very small.
Lincoln and Phoenix sat opposite one another, their eyes burning with malice.
It was strange seeing them together. It caused an awkward sensation in my gut.
Phoenix looked incredible as per usual. He was dressed in black slim-line pants and a fitted black shirt. His opaline hair rippled with dazzling silver highlights.