Page 28 of Runt's Haunted Ride
"Now then, to the reason for my visit." He turned and glided to his throne, settling into it with theatrical grace. "I have wonderful news for you. The VIP guests have requested a special performance. And since they've paid, we shall not disappoint. You'll rejuvenate tomorrow night instead of the last night of the carnival, Halloween."
My heart sank. Tomorrow? But that meant...
"Do you understand?"
I nodded yes, holding my mental fort in place should he try again.
"I want you to be bright for the VIPs, so you'll go outside immediately after breakfast and stay out until it's time to bathe."
With that, he glided out, leaving me alone in the freezing tent.
I stood there for a long moment, processing everything. Normally, the idea of being in the sun all day as opposed to my normal three hours would have thrilled me. But tomorrow night—that's so soon. Meaning Jack and I didn't have time to come up with a plan.
I climbed back to my perch on the wooden beam, pulling the thin red blanket around my shoulders even though it did little to ward off the cold. The light was fading now, twilight painting the tent in deeper shades of crimson.
Jack hadn't come. But that was alright because that meant Jack was alive. Alive and safe. And that's how it needed to stay. Jack needed to stay as far away as possible. He had his own life, his own club, his own future that didn't include a broken phoenix with no hope of freedom.
The mate bond pulled at my chest, yearning for him, aching with the need to see him again. But I forced myself to ignore it. This was for the best. He would be safe. He would live. He would find someone else eventually, maybe even another mate bond with time and distance.
And I would be Mortis' gold generator. Again and again and again, he would use me until there was nothing left of Kai Ashborne but ashes and memories.
I whispered into the empty tent, tears sliding down my cheeks. "Please, please stay away."
Chapter 9
Kai
I heard the tent flap open, and I froze in place. It was too early for that dreadful red clown to come for me. The scream announcing the opening of the carnival had just happened. The first show wouldn't happen for two hours, and my show would be another three hours later.
If he thinks he's going to sit here and watch me get ready again.
Sitting on my bed wrapped in my towel, I had been running a comb through my wet hair, having just finished with my weekly bath. My eyes went from the customary red gown I was required to wear to the flap in the tent.
"Kai, I—" Jack stopped mid-step, his eyes going wide as he took me in. My damp hair hanging loose around my shoulders. Bare legs tucked beneath me on the bed.
"Jack!" I jumped up and ran to him, feeling heat flooding my cheeks that had nothing to do with my phoenix nature. "What are you doing here? The carnival just opened. Someone could see you—"
"Kai, you look amazing." His arms wrapped around me as I hugged him. His voice sounded rough and strained. "You look like you're glowing. And your skin is warm."
"Oh," I giggled. "That's what the sun does to me," I said quickly, though my heart was racing for entirely different reasons now. I stepped back from him. "Mortis wants me to burn brightly and have the energy to fly around. In order to do that, I have to be warm and have the sun. I'm allowed to spend the day outside when it's a rejuvenating day." The mate bond was singing between us, intensified by the intimacy of the moment. "That and I just got out of the shower." Suddenly, I was very aware that all I was wearing was a towel.
Something dark and possessive flashed in his eyes at those words. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, and I could see his gorilla just beneath the surface, barely contained. His chest rose and fell rapidly.
"Jack?" I walked back to my bed and picked up my comb. "What are you doing here?" He dragged his eyes up to meet mine with visible effort. "I have news. There's a plan. But first—" He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small paper bag. "I brought you something." He moved to stand next to the bed and handed me the bag.
The scent hit me first, and I gasped. "Cinnamon?"
Opening the bag farther, I took out three cinnamon sticks, each carefully wrapped. Beneath them, wrapped in tissue paper, were chocolates. Real chocolates, the expensive kind with foil wrapping.
"Jack," I breathed, my hands trembling. I pulled out one of the cinnamon sticks, bringing it to my nose and inhaling deeply. The scent was intoxicating. "How?"
"I researched," he said softly. "I stayed up last night learning everything I could. I read that phoenixes have an affinity for cinnamon. That it's sacred to your kind, helps with regenerationand healing. Other than you, I didn't smell any in the tent, so I figured it was another thing Mortis kept from you."
"What do you mean, other than me?" I asked Jack, who was rubbing the back of his neck, looking embarrassed.
"It's what I smell when I'm around you. Cinnamon and woodsy smoke, like a bonfire."
I smiled. "That's funny. When you're around, I smell fresh air, dirt, and trees."
