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“So do you know why you might be in danger?” Voodoo asked me, drawing me back into our conversation. While we waited for my answer, he seemed to search my face for clues.
A huge exhale escaped me in a rush. “My family has been entrusted with keeping the scrolls of Rhiannon safe,” I explained.
Bewilderment marred his brow. “Okay?”
“Who the hell is Rhiannon, and what the hell are her scrolls?” Phoenix demanded. Voodoo shot him a glare, to which he shrugged as if to say, “What? It’s a legitimate question.”
“Rhiannon was a Celtic goddess, also known as the Moon Goddess, White Witch, or the Great Queen of the fairies. It is rumored that her scrolls contain the most powerful of spells that would give the user the power to rule all forms of life. She was not only a healer, she had the power to wake the dead and also to lull the living into a permanent slumber. Her scrolls hold the spells that would allow the user to do the same. Her descendants were charged with the protection of those scrolls because they were of her blood—akin to royalty. If the scrolls fell into the wrong hands, it could be life-altering to everyone.” When I was done, I met each of their eyes to assess their reactions.
Voodoo and Phoenix both had their eyes narrowed in either confusion or concern.
“So you’re telling me, you and your mother have these scrolls?” Voodoo asked for clarification. The room was heavy with tension and expectancy.
“Indeed,” I acknowledged.
“Here?” he asked with disbelief.
As I prepared to answer, I froze for a moment. The air seemed to crackle around me as I tried to decipher the odd feeling that shot down my spine. There was a witch nearby, but I normally could sense one of my kind—we generally had a specific feel to the energy in our vicinity. This was different. It was a heavy, almost painful feeling.
Before I could pinpoint exactly what was different, there was a blast that threw us all to the ground. Dust and rubble filled the air, causing me to cough. Pain lanced through me as I tried to sit up. For a moment, I couldn’t hear a sound, though I saw the men’s mouths move. Bit by bit, sounds began to filter through.
“Phoenix! Get her out of here!” I heard Voodoo demand in a voice heavy with pain. A quick glance at him had my eyes widening. A large part of the wall, along with one of my heavy oak bookshelves, pinned him to the ground.
Before I could respond, I was dragged to my feet and then to the back door.
“We can’t leave him!” I cried as I tugged on Phoenix’s unrelenting hold. I was pissed at myself. My mother had warned me to be vigilant.
“I’ve got us!” Niara whispered. “Don’t worry!”
“Go! We’ll hold off whoever it is,” Raptor promised as Niara turned her attention to the front of the shop.
“You know where to go,” Voodoo said, staring intently at Phoenix, who gave a curt nod.
Niara swept her hand through the air, and an invisible bubble wrapped around her and Voodoo, creating the illusion that they had disappeared. Phoenix gasped when they seemed to vanish, but quickly shook off his surprise and yanked open the back door.
Raptor pulled a weapon and moved out into the shop.
Phoenix wasted no time. He clasped my arm and burst out into the alley behind my shop with me in tow. His hand slid down my arm to lace our fingers tightly as we raced down the narrow gravel drive.
Glad I was wearing my flat boots, I willed my legs to keep up with Phoenix’s longer ones. His grip on my hand was firm, and I used it as my lifeline. My poor thighs and calves screamed at the unexpected demands as we hit the end of the alley and turned. He moved so quickly, I seemed to almost fly around the corner after him.
Feet pounding the pavement, breathing harsh and jagged, we zigged and zagged through the people who frequented the Bishop Arts area for the unique nightlife. As we bumped some and straight out shoved others who wouldn’t move, a mix of gasps and shouts followed in our wake. There was also the sound of running feet behind us, but I was afraid to look back. That same heavy feeling hit me, and I was sure it was whoever had broken into my shop.
“Phoenix!” I gasped, reaching muscle failure and wheezing as my lungs burned.
“Don’t stop!” he insisted as if he knew something I didn’t. There was no way I could look behind me and keep up. I could only rely on my senses, and I was sure they were near. Willing my legs to keep up with him, I breathed harshly.
Unable to keep up the vicious pace, I stumbled. I lost my grip on him, and the ground raced up to meet me. Before I could hit, I was scooped up and tossed over the powerful shoulder of my rescuer. What was left of my breath rushed from me with a whoosh as he barely missed a beat in his stride.
With my hair a dark blinding curtain, I had no idea where we were until we suddenly stopped, and he set me down. With shaking hands, I pushed my hair out of my face. He immediately slammed a helmet over my head and swiftly buckled it under my chin.
“Get on! Wrap your skirt up around your legs and hold on!” he instructed as he climbed on the bike. Fear my motivator, I mindlessly did as I was told. The second my ass hit the seat, he grabbed my arms and wrapped them around his waist. In my next breath, the bike was upright, and we were tearing away from the curb with a squealing of tires.
A quick glance behind us showed a man and a woman coming to a stop at the curb. Something about the woman seemed familiar, but I couldn’t place her. A dark-colored SUV screeched to a stop next to them, but we were flying away, and I needed to hang on. My heart hammered at the thought of them catching up to us.
We zipped in and out of traffic as we left the Bishop Arts District with my head spinning. Yet I hung on for dear life and hoped we wouldn’t wipe out as he took corners so fast our knees were nearing touching the ground. My heart hammered against my ribcage, and I squeezed my eyes closed. The lights of town and vehicles flying by were beginning to make me nauseous.
I had no idea where we were going, and despite the strange interaction between him and Voodoo, I wasn’t sure Phoenix did either. After all, neither of them was from around here. At times it seemed we were backtracking before we caught 35E going south.
