Phoenix Rising: The Veiðimenn Mob, Book Two

Four

For Phoenix, Science was the most interesting of all his courses. The chemical compounds and mixtures were enough to spark his interest in ways that nothing else could. His uncle called it a natural inclination, but he knew that it was more than that. It was an obsession.

Being able to create mixtures that could either save or destroy was something that fascinated him to no end. Dissection was actually one of his favourite subjects, but his mother refused to allow him to take Biology this year. She said it was because he was too much like his father for him to need the added practice. He knew that it was because he lost himself in the task.

Taking his seat, one of the other guys in class leaned over and taunted him. "Wow, guys. A real-life mulatto with blond hair. Were you naturally born?"

Several laughs went up from the guy's friends.

Phoenix turned to him, a dark smirk fixed firmly into place on his face. "One, my hair is strawberry blond – get it right – and I’m only one-third black. Two, we’ve been in this class for a few weeks, and that’s the best insult you can come up with? Three, I’m in a bad mood today, so don’t piss me off or your name will end up on a missing persons list. I’m sure your parents wouldn’t want that, would they?"

"It was just a joke," the other teen said. "There’s no need to get violent."

"Then don't push me, cause I'm not afraid to get suspended if it means putting you in your place. I'm the bully around here now, so remove yourself from my throne, peasant," Phoenix's eyes narrowed into slits as the boys back off quietly. He knew that he had to stand up for himself, but

Memphis slipped into the seat next to him and sighed heavily. "How's it going?"

"Your first period didn't go so well?"

Memphis glared at him, "I had Sky poking me in the back with her pencil. So, no, my first class didn't go so well."

"Might want to think about curbing your tongue, then. Sky's got her orders, and you know she doesn't falter," Phoenix replied with a grin. "She's as bad as Kenni when it comes to that shit."

"Dude, don't remind me. Markus got History with Red, and he said that the teacher was going to have to look into early retirement if she loses her cool." Running a hand through his blue-dyed hair, he groaned.

Phoenix thought back over the stories that his grandfather used to tell him. There was something about the History teacher that rubbed him the wrong way.

His best friend and her older sister had nearly become statistics eight years ago. Had it not been for his father and uncles being in the right place at the right time, he would never have met the feisty red-haired girl. Despite being the legitimate leader of the MC gang known as the Scorpions, she was loyal to him, and to his father's mafia. Phoenix had a feeling that his father and grandfather had been conditioning her to take over the post after graduation.

"Do you think she's going to go back to them?" He asked Memphis as the teacher handed out worksheets on the periodic table.

"To whom? The Scorpions?" The other teen asked with a raised brow. "Nix, Kenni would rather shoot off her own foot than leave you without the added defence."

"I know, it just… it feels like my dad and the others are grooming her to take over," he confided.

Memphis rubbed his jaw, "I doubt she'd ever leave you like that, Nix. She voluntarily gave the gang over to your dad and grandpa and said she'd rather be your right hand. I have no idea how many times she's reminded the rest of us about it. Even if she did take over the gang, you really think she’s not going to partner up with you?"

Phoenix grinned. She had reminded them all the time that her life was owed to the Veiðimenn.

His friend tapped his pen against the desk, thinking about the question he was working on. "On a completely different note, what’s the compound for cyanide? Asking for a friend."

"Cyanide? Really? Who are you planning to kill this time, and why haven’t you asked me to help?" Phoenix inquired. He chuckled under his breath, knowing that recent events with a certain person had sparked Memphis’ protective side.

"Some dipshit in History," Memphis replied, nonchalantly referencing the teacher. He glanced over at the blond and frowned. "Don't tell me you're done already?"

"I'm a genius, not a slacker," Phoenix retorted with a snort.

“And I have a photographic memory, but that doesn’t mean I don’t struggle.”

Phoenix shook his head, “It’s not like lack of brain power brings down the whole team. We’re all good at what we do, Memphis. Some of us being a little smarter doesn’t really mean we’d succeed a hundred percent of the time, either. Like Afi used to say, it takes all kinds to make a proper crew invincible.”

“Invincible? Only one of us is remotely close to that, and it ain’t us guys,” Memphis muttered. His head bowed as he scowled at his worksheet.

The door to the classroom opened, catching their attention. The blue-haired teen shrugged as he caught sight of the girl that walked in. "Pretty, but not my type."

Phoenix shook his head, knowing that Memphis was nursing a secret crush on Kennedy since they were kids. He raised his eyes to the front of the room, and felt his heart stutter over a few beats. His mouth went dry as he took in the way the new girl was dressed.

It was obvious that she wasn’t from the country originally as his eyes took in the jewelry and tailored threads she was wearing. Her white-blond hair was pulled back in a half-up style that was intricately braided down her back, and her oval face housed a set of pretty, cerulean eyes. Plump pink lips decorated with gloss shimmered in the overhead lights, and he caught himself thinking about if it was flavoured or not.

He bit his lip, trying to calm his heart rate as he continued to watch her. The teacher, Mr. Cole, smiled warmly as he greeted the girl. Laughing briskly at something she said, he turned to the rest of the students in the room. "Class, this is Andromeda De Luca. She and her family just moved here from Italy, so I expect you all to give her a warm welcome. Ms. De Luca, would you like to tell us a little about yourself?"

She shook her head, "No, thank you, Signor."

The rest of the day went by too fast for Phoenix's liking after that. He desperately wanted to get close enough to the girl, but it seemed that the only class they shared was Science.

When he got to his bike after school, he sighed heavily.

Just before last period, he'd been told that she'd accepted a date with Craig Dawson. It ate at him in the worst of ways. Craig was not someone to be trusted since he was on their take-down list.

Phoenix's cell rang, his father's ringtone blasting over the noise of the idle chatter around him. "Hey, Dad. What's up?"

"Come straight to the Den when you get home, and bring the team with you. I know that Kennedy’s your right hand, but there’s something I need to talk to her about," Callum replied in a clipped tone.

"Did something happen, Dad?" Phoenix asked quietly.

"The Scorpions are starting to ask about their leader," Callum replied.

His father had just confirmed his worst fears. He huffed a breath, "She's not leaving me."

"That's not your choice to make, Nix. She has to accept the fact that the gang belonged to her father. She is their heiress," Callum muttered. "We've taught her all we can, but there is going to come a time when she's either going to need to surrender to us and liquidate the gang, or take control of her birthright."

Phoenix nodded silently, "I understand. We’ll come to the Den as soon as we get home to discuss things. We're all in this together, so they deserve to know what she decides to do, too."

"Talk to her, Nix. Let her know what her choices are, and make sure she gets the fact that we're behind her one hundred percent." His father said.

"I will, Dad," Phoenix answered before hanging up the call. He turned to Kennedy, who was scowling at him and the phone in his hand. "You heard, right?"

"Yeah, I heard," she said firmly. "If I do take control of the club my father left me, it won’t be until I'm eighteen. Even after that, I want a partnership with you. The Scorpions will have me at the helm, but they will continue to answer to the Veiðimenn."

Phoenix grinned at her, "All you need to do is repeat that to my dad, and we'll be golden. As for me, I’m looking forward to ruling the Underworld with you when we take over."

"Callum's got another thing coming if he thinks I'm not going to buck against authority, though. I’m too unpredictable and volatile to bend to anybody else’s will," she told him as she unlocked the Outlander. Slipping into the driver's seat, she left as soon as Jaxon and Skylar were in the vehicle.

Sliding his helmet over his head, he snapped the gear into place and followed her.