Midnight Moonrising (Moonrising #2)(42)

Chapter 25



Phoenix





As the Suburban came to a stop outside a set of wrought iron gates, a chill passed over Phoenix's skin, and he knew it had nothing to do with the frigid winter temperatures outside.

"How do we get in?" Heath asked as he looked out the driver's window for any sign of a call box.

"We wait. They know we're here," Phoenix said.

Roel glanced through the windshield at their surroundings: dead trees, the gate and not much else. "I don't see any cameras or anything. Are you sure they know—?"

Just then the gate began to swing inward.

Roel sat a little straighter in his seat. "O-kay. That wasn't spooky at all."

"Drive, Heath," Phoenix said.

Heath gave a long, uncomfortable-sounding sigh, but put the vehicle in Drive and drove forward.

The winding road up the steep, woodsy, rocky mountain was nearly a mile long, and as they drew nearer to their destination, strange things started to happen. Phoenix could feel the spell creep into his bones, but he recognized it for what it was, so it was easier to fight it off. But by the sweat that dampened Roel's brow in the front seat, he didn't know how well the others would handle it if he didn't give them some sort of warning.

"Whatever you're feeling, just ignore it; it isn't real. It's their way of introducing themselves and getting to know each of you a little in the process."

"I think I'm going to puke," Brad said. "Pull over, Heath. Heather will kill me if I throw up in here."

"You don't want to do that, Heath," Phoenix said, when the vehicle began to slow down. "Leave the windows up, the doors locked and just keep moving forward."

"Shit! I would if I could see, man, but my vision has gone all wonky. It's like I'm in one of those carnival rooms where everything looks distorted."

"What the hell is happening to me?" Alex shouted. "I can't feel my arms!"

Without answering, Phoenix glanced over to Jaxon in the other Captain's chair. The guy was seriously trying to hold his shit together, rocking back and forth with his head in his hands, and Phoenix could tell if they didn't get to the witches lair soon, they wouldn't have to keep their secret anymore from the human, but they would have a whole hell of a lot of explaining to do to Mena. She would blame him for the death of her pack members and her wolf would blame him for the death of the cop.

The right tires slipped from the hard-packed dirt road, but Heath jerked the wheel and got the Suburban back on track right before almost hitting a huge tree that magically appeared out of nowhere. The momentum nearly caused the vehicle to hit the rock wall on the left side of the road.

"Stop the vehicle!" Phoenix said frantically, and then swore under his breath. "Whatever you do, don't open the door. Climb back here, Heath, and I'll drive the rest of the way. It's not much farther."

"Gladly," Heath said, then did as Phoenix told him to do.

Phoenix quickly climbed over the console and sat in the driver's seat, put the vehicle in Drive and stomped on the accelerator, before anything could attack the vehicle and mess up his plan.


Wrapping his fingers around the steering wheel, he tried to ignore the bugs crawling under his skin. It wasn't real; he knew it wasn't, but even saying that out loud wouldn't make the illusion stop. Slapping at his arms and then his face only made it worse, but it was one of those uncontrollable things, like coughing when you had a tickle in your throat; it just had to be done.

"Make it stop!" someone cried out from behind him, and there were other moans and groans coming from the others, but Phoenix's only focus was getting them to their destination unscathed. Maybe it wouldn't be tonight, but the witches were definitely going to get what was coming to them. He despised the fact that he needed them as much as he did, but finding the missing dagger and killing this werewolf with a chip on her shoulder were at the top of his to-do list; he could do that faster with the help of the three wicked sisters.

Sharp, bright white eyes reflected in the high-beams in the road up ahead, and he could tell it wasn't anything any of them wanted to mess with; predator, not prey.

"Uh, Phoenix… you see… that thing, right?" Roel said in between gasps of air.

If said thing had been anything normal, like, say, a bear or a rhino or even a saber toothed tiger, Phoenix could have handled it all on his own, but knowing Meridia, he knew it wasn't a normal animal. He had only two options, because stopping and getting out of the vehicle was not one of them; he could swerve off the road and pray there wasn't a drop-off or he could plow right through the thing and pray it was only a mirage. Either way, he was going to be doing a whole hell of a lot of praying tonight.

"Yeah," Phoenix said, and made his decision. "I see it." He pushed the accelerator to the floorboard.

Out of his periphery, he could see Roel cover his head with his arms, but Phoenix kept his eyes locked on the beast standing broadside in the road, looking at him, daring him to hit it.

At the last second, the eyes glowed red and he could have sworn the thing smiled. The Suburban drove through it as if it was nothing more than a hologram, dissipating in the wind.

A feminine chuckle floated through the cab, and Phoenix exhaled in relief.