Phoenix Hidden

Chapter 4

A groan is heard as Candace rolls over in her bed and peeks out from under her duvet. The banging on her door and shouting could not be ignored like the pings of texts she had gotten not too long ago. “For f**k’s sake.” She muttered to herself, really not wanting to get up. She was not a morning person. As she looked at the clock to see it was now just after two in the morning, the constant banging and shouting continued.

“You ARE f*****g kidding me!” She practically barked in pure aggravation. “It’s two A.M., and clearly, you want to be f*****g murdered!”  Yup, she was not a person who liked being woke up before she had to.

As she threw her covers off, the thud her feet left on the floor as she got out of bed echoed through the room. She did not care that she was in her sleep clothes, which consisted of just a far too big and loose midriff tank and her lacy underwear; she was about to tear someone’s jugular for bothering her so earlier in the morning.

“I swear… someone best be dying, or I am about to beat you down!”  

She reached for the handle and pulled the door open with more force than she had intended, nearly putting a hole through the wall behind it. “s**t!” She jumped, not realizing her strength from her anger as she grabbed the door in a start to hold it open and still as she looked who was there.

“Nara?” The confusion was apparent in her voice if it wasn’t already evident in her face as she looked behind the shorty to Voss towering behind her with a seemingly unconscious Oriel in his arms.

Is that blood all over his hair? He doesn’t have a scratch on him…OMG!

“IS ORIEL HURT??!!!” Her exclamation echoed through the empty and eerily quiet floor.

“Shut the f**k up, loudmouth!” Voss hissed out her through gritted teeth.

This motherfucker did not just….

Nara threw up her hands in surrender as she placed herself between the two. Neither seemed to notice they were growling at each other; the tension between them could be felt in the air. Oriel started to stir, and Nara knew that her magick would not hold her under long if this continued. She flicks Voss on the nose, seemingly shocking him enough to pull his attention from Candace and make a ‘What the f**k’ face at her.

“Knock it off! Seriously… do you not see you’re waking her?” She motioned to Oriel in his arms, who was pulling out of her spell. “Shh shhh shhh.”

She brushed Oriel’s hair softly as she hummed and lulled her back under the spell before shooting a glare at Voss.

“Pay. More. Attention.” She flicked his nose once more before turning to Candace with her usual sweet smile.

“Hey, Dacey! Look… we have to go. Did you get my texts?” She looked over her somewhat muddled-looking friend in the doorway before walking past her with Oriel’s case and laughing. “I guess not.”  

Candace rubbed her eyes sleepily; it was a lot to take in so shortly. “Nara…. It’s two A.M. why are we leaving?” She looked back to Oriel before stepping aside to let Voss into the room and letting out a sigh.

“Nara…Look. Clearly, there needs to be a voice of reason. If Oriel is hurt, we need to get her to hospital. We don’t need to waste time packing for that.”

Her brain was not ready to process everything she had just heard. As she walked to her open case sitting on the chair in her room, she grabbed a pair of jeans and pulled them on, not noticing that Nara was packing up her makeup and toiletries in the bathroom. She rushed in there and grabbed her brush and a hair tie quickly before Nara could and threw her long hair up in a messy bun. As soon as she finished, Nara snatched the brush from her hand while she walked past her. “Nara? Seriously?” Dacey’s tone was a lot more gentle than when she spoke to Voss, who was pacing the room while stopping to listen at the door every so often.

By the time she left the bath to face Nara, her case was being zipped up, and her room looked like no one had been here minus an unmade bed. She couldn’t help but blink in a daze. “That was fast….”

“Look, Oriel isn’t hurt… not yet anyways. But we need to leave.” Nara handed Candace her case while grabbing Oriel’s case and exiting the room.

            What the hell?

Voss followed closely after her, and Candace stood stunned for a moment before finally chasing after them. “Aren’t you going to get your things?” They were all heading in the opposite direction of their rooms and towards the service elevator.

            Why are we taking the service lift?

“It’s faster than the regular one. But no, Voss and I are already packed up. Let’s get to his car and get gone.” Nara answered not only Candace’s spoken question but her unspoken one, which started making her hypervigilant.

Did Nara just read my thoughts, or did I ask out loud and not realize it?

They reached the car, a Mercedes A-class in green; Dacey assumed Voss’s parents had money if they gave this to an eighteen-year-old. Nara put the cases in the boot while Dacey climbed into the back seat. Voss placed Oriel in with care, her head being placed on her lap. “Don’t wake her.” He hissed at Candace, who glared back at him. At this point, Dacey was just trying to see where things were leading because clearly, they weren’t going to tell her anything.

            He is such an asshole.

This was Dacey’s last thought as they drove off into the night. The car was silent, minus Nara humming in the front seat. It wasn’t long before Dacey drifted off to sleep.

“You really need to teach me that one,” Voss smirked as he looked in the rearview mirror at the sleeping women.

“If you didn’t piss off that Siren, perhaps you would have learned. Because that’s the only creature who can unless you plan on cozying up with a Mermaid or the Succubi.” Nara lazily tilted her head as she leaned back in her seat. “Though, your best bet would probably be the mercurial Mermaids if you turn up the charm. Seeing as you pissed off the Sirens could earn you some points with them.”

“Good to know.” Voss’s fox-like smile caused Nara to roll her eyes. He was charming when he wanted to be, but if he decided not to like someone, there is no changing it. Mermaids were very mercurial and were harder to please because of it. The idea of Voss trying to get on one’s good side was going to be entertaining. He was up for the challenge after being in this dull realm for fifteen years.  “We need to get back to Braughing. If they found my scent in London, it's not far-fetched to think they will follow it to our homes. I need to lift the illusion off her adoptive parents and clean out both our houses.” He glanced over to the Daemon at his side. “We can drop Candace off at her home before we leave.”

His not-so-subtle remark on Dacey made Nara shake her head. “She’s involved now; besides, her skills can be useful.”

“How is a mortal useful?” This was not what Voss wanted to hear as a growl rumbled in his throat. “If anything, she will make it more challenging with having to keep her alive.”

“The only logical next step is to return to Si’Lang. They would never think to look for us there. The nearest portal can only be opened by a Morrighan or one of the daughters. Happen to know any?” Her knowing smile was missed by the Kitsune, but his frustrated huff was all she needed for confirmation. “Didn’t think so.”

Nara had a point; being in the home they fled would be something they wouldn’t expect, and he wasn’t all that surprised that Nara knew a Morrighhan. The women had more contacts in more realms than he could count. A smile started to form on his lips. Was he happy about bringing Candace with them? Hell no. But finally, he gets to go home, and that was enough to lift his mood.