Phoenix Reborn (Alpha Pack, #7.5)(15)

“Sooo,” Aric drawled, taking in the sight of them. “You guys look kind of disheveled, if ya know what I mean. Do I need to ask what’s going on?”

“You can ask,” Noah answered with a grin. “Doesn’t mean you’re going to get any details.”

“Are you two officially mated?” the redhead pressed. The question immediately earned him an elbow to the ribs from his own mate, who scowled at him fiercely.

“That’s none of our business!” Rowan said.

“You’re kidding, right? Everybody here knows everybody else’s business,” he grumbled, rubbing his side.

“Well, it’s rude to just blurt out such a personal question.”

“Where have you been living?” Aric cracked. “You know we don’t have many boundaries here.”

“Um, guys?” Nix interrupted. “This group is nothing if not the nosiest bunch I’ve ever known. Noah and I are still working things out. But we’re headed in the right direction, and that’s all I’m going to say for now.”

“Wow,” Micah said with a smile. “That’s good news. Congrats.”

Jax nodded. “Same here.”

Nick was the only one who wasn’t looking pleased as punch. In fact, he had that sort of spaced-out look that happened whenever—crap, he was having a vision. The problem with that was, Nick’s PreCog abilities rarely boded well for anyone around him.

When the commander blinked and came back to himself, he addressed the others. “Can I have a word alone with Nix and Noah?”

“Sure thing,” Aric said, casting their boss a wary look.

The others echoed the sentiment and everyone left with promises to meet for dinner.

“What’s going on?” Nix asked.

The commander glanced around, apparently making sure nobody was within hearing range before he spoke. “You both need to hear this. You two are headed for some really rough road together. Soon.” He paused. “The Voodoo Priestess, do you remember her? From when you were on leave in New Orleans?”

A chill of foreboding shot straight down Nix’s spine, followed by ice. “How could I forget?” He didn’t ask how Nick knew—the man was a Seer. When past connected with present, he could “see” what he needed to.

“She told you something vitally important about your special ability—not as a wolf shifter, that came later. But the one you were born with. Your Psy ability. You remember?”

“Yes,” he said in a shaky voice. “Jesus, you’re scaring me.”

“Listen. Explain to Noah about your gift. Make him understand, and I mean really understand how vitally important it is that he trust you one hundred percent. That he believes in you and what you tell him. If he doesn’t, all will be lost.”

“I . . . okay.” He raked a trembling hand through his hair. “I’ll tell him now.”

“Good. Don’t waste any time. Treasure every second you have together, because catastrophe is headed your way and I can’t stop it.”

“What’s going to happen?” he whispered. Noah edged close, tucking himself into Nix’s side.

“I don’t know, exactly,” he said with real regret. “Only what I’ve told you. Both of you remember what I said, and you’ve got a chance.”

“All right. Nick, thank you.”

“Sure. And if there’s anything else I can do to help you both, you know I will.” Clapping them both on the shoulder, he turned and left them standing there.

Noah hesitated a beat before turning to his mate. “What in the actual f*ck was that about?”

Nix let out a deep sigh. “Let’s go sit somewhere and talk.”

Casting about, he settled on a popular grassy spot under a large tree at the edge of the field they used for ball games. That would be as good a place as any to unload the weirdness of his supposed gift.

Once they were seated next to each other, he began. “So, like Nick said, I was on leave—this was a few years ago, when I was about your age. I went down to New Orleans with some of my Navy buddies, and they thought it would be hilarious to go see a Voodoo witch. Get some love potions or some shit, who knows? Me, I was freaked the hell out and was just standing in the foyer of the old woman’s house while they conducted business with her.”

“If you didn’t go in to see her, how did you meet?”

“She came out with them when they were leaving and spotted me. Right off, she honed in on me, staring at me like she’d seen a ghost, and waved me forward. My friends wanted to stay, but she ordered them out. Said nobody could hear what she had to tell me until the time was right. She said, You are your namesake. I hadn’t even told her my name.”

The memory still gave him the chills.

“You are your namesake,” Noah repeated. “Phoenix?”

“Yeah. A bird that rises from the ashes.”

“Except you’re a wolf.”

“Well, I wasn’t then. The point is, she said my gift is that of the phoenix. That if I die, I can be reborn, but there’s a hitch.”

“Of course there is,” Noah said dryly. “What’s the hitch?”

“I have to die by fire.”

His mate stared at him, horror slowly dawning on his face. “No way. Fuck that shit! You’re not going to die, by fire or anything else! That’s insane!”