As We Rise: Savage (As We Rise Saga Book 2) Read online

  “You know my name?” Her story was infamous among the tribes, but Sky guessed Phoenix didn’t hear of her through word of mouth.

  “Yes,” he answered with a secretive smile. Sky figured that she should feel unease regarding Phoenix and his secrets, but instead she sensed a kinship. An understanding shared between them. Miraculously, It put her at ease.

  “Will you tell me your secrets?” Sky asked with her own smile.

  “Will you tell me yours?”

  “I think you already know them.”

  Phoenix nodded. Sky couldn’t tell if it was in agreement or in thoughtfulness, but she didn’t waver. She kept her gaze leveled on him, eyebrow raised in question.

  “I know enough,” he relented. “And, yes, one day I will tell you my secrets.”

  Sky’s mark warmed at his words, and she relaxed fully for the first time since Tempest’s voice shattered her moment of remembrance. Her jaw pulsed with its own heartbeat that echoed the pain throbbing behind her eyes. She needed a medicinal draught and a good night’s rest.

  “I can ease your pain,” Phoenix announced.

  “It’s okay.” Sky’s body yearned to lean closer to his scent of sunshine and clay, but her mind screamed at her to be logical.

  Before the nervous excitement at the idea of his touch could show, Sky turned to examine Rana. Rana had a couple of fresh bruises on her face and arms. Other than two shallow cuts, one on her abdomen and the other down her bicep, she was fine.

  “Are you okay?” Sky asked, inquiring more than her physical health.

  “I’m shaken, but strangely alive.” Rana’s mechanical eyes whirred as she bit her lip. “Is that normal?”

  “It’s adrenaline. Completely normal, but once you come down from the high you might begin to feel your wounds,” Sky answered. She placed a hand on Rana’s arm to comfort her friend, but also hoping that whatever Phoenix had awakened would be present with another’s touch.

  It wasn’t. The contact was as dulled as ever, and her heart ached due to misplaced hope.

  “I need to get Fern home,” Barrow stated. He stared at Sky with an intense, questioning gaze. “Will you be okay here?”

  Sky nodded. “Take care of her. I’ll find a way to contact you.”

  “You’re going with him?” Fern asked between heavy breaths.

  “I can’t explain it, but yes, he can be trusted.”

  Barrow and Fern didn’t look convinced.

  “We will be fine,” Sky said.

  They turned to Rana, who nodded in agreement. “I trust Sky with my life, and if she says Phoenix can be trusted, then I believe he is a friend.”

  Barrow relented and left with Fern in tow.

  Phoenix watched the exchange from a few paces away, his head tilted in curiosity. Sky wondered how long he had been alone. She felt an immense sadness at the idea of Phoenix spending rotations in solitude, but she shook off the feeling and readied her mind for the change in plans. Sky was no longer prone to making rash decisions after Sage’s death, but the gentle pulses from her mark reminded her that she wasn’t alone in this choice.

  Sky took a deep breath and decided to trust her instincts.

  “I need to gather our things at the cottage,” Sky stated as she checked the corpses for anything that might lead her to more information. About what she didn’t know, but Sky trusted her instincts, and right then they urged her to look.

  None of the fallen warriors had a UAB or any other identification other than their armor. Sky leaned back on her heels and stared at the body in front of her. Something was wrong, and knowledge of it was just out of reach. Sky pinched the bridge of her nose with a groan. Her body protested the abuse it had taken earlier with an intense wave of nausea.

  “He’s had mods—recently,” Rana stated as she crouched next to Sky. “Look at his hand. The skin color is a shade lighter than the rest, and the fingers are thicker.”

  Sky’s stomach churned harder as she stared at the evidence. Her throat constricted as she forced down the bile threatening to spill at any moment. Through choked breaths she sputtered, “How?”

  “A question we can answer later,” Phoenix answered as he scanned the tree line. “We need to move before someone stumbles upon us with the bodies and your life becomes even more convoluted.”

  “He’s the only one with obvious mods,” Rana stated. Sky stood with ease and turned to Rana. Sky had not been aware that Rana had moved to study the other corpses. Sky’s lips pulled into a frown. Why hadn’t she noticed? There weren’t many things that went past her.

  The world spun and Sky stumbled.

  “Whoa,” Sky muttered as she reached out and grabbed air. She continued to fumble over her own feet until she crashed into a mountain. Sky looked up and saw that it was no mountain, but Phoenix, his plump lips open and his eyes wide at the intimate way Sky was clutching at his waist.

  “I’m…I’m sorry,” Sky mumbled as she pushed against his chest. A chest that she noticed was hard as stone and sculpted to perfection underneath his shirt.

  Phoenix grabbed Sky’s arms and kept her steady. “It’s quite alright, Sky. You just surprised me. I’m not used to physical contact.” He leaned in close and studied Sky with an intensity that made the heat rise from Sky’s neck to warm her cheeks. “Are you okay?”

  Phoenix’s voice sounded like it was muffled. Sky shook her head, and the motion made the pressure in her skull worse. “Yes…I’m just…a little dizzy.”

  “You’re deathly pale.” Rana stepped next to Phoenix, her cybernetic eyes spinning as she scanned Sky. “Your heartbeat is elevated to concerning levels and you’re slurring your words.”

  Sky slumped into Phoenix, her body failing to keep her upright. She closed her eyes and tried to remember what Rana had just said. Something about slurring.

  “She’s losing consciousness,” Rana yelped, her voice squeaking in panic.

  Nausea rolled hard as an arm slipped under Sky’s knees and lifted her up. Phoenix must have picked her up and was currently holding her against him. The sensations that excited her earlier swelled until she was immersed in wonder, and Sky melted against him. She could almost ignore the way her body jarred and shook. He was running. Fast.

  “Everything will be okay,” Phoenix grunted. Sky knew it would be. Rana was with her, and Phoenix was taking them somewhere safe. With that thought, her muscles loosened and a strange yet overwhelming calm rolled over her. Sky sighed in contentment and disappeared into the darkness.

  Twelve

  Sky awoke with a start. She stared at the ceiling, blinking to bring her vision into focus. Instead of the polished beams of her family’s cabin, Sky stared at a smooth, red clay dome. She turned on her side, her movements stiff, but not painful like she was expecting. The room was simply furnished with the bed, a dresser, and one fur-lined chair holding an oversized body curled up inside.

  A day’s worth of growth coated Phoenix’s chiseled jaw. His face and arms were cleaned of blood, while his clothes remained stained with blood and dirt. Sky smiled as she thought of him staying by her side. There was no one in recent memory who’d cared enough to forsake their own comfort to watch over her. No one except Rana. She was surprised Rana hadn’t been the one to keep vigil.

  Rana.

  Sky sat up, her sudden movement waking Phoenix.

  “How are you?” He asked, his voice gritty from disuse.

  “I’m much better, thanks.” Sky turned to the open door. “Where’s Rana?”

  “She’s asleep by the fire,” Phoenix replied with a jerk of the head toward the open door. “She’s a loyal friend. I had to swear on everything I believe in that you would remained unharmed while she slept.”

  Sky smiled in answer while she stood, slowly testing her weight. She felt amazing. Her aches and pains were gone, and the fatigue that overwhelmed her was a distant memory.

  “Did you heal me?”

  Phoenix nodded and when he stretched, his shirt pulled up to expose a sliver o
f skin on his stomach. Sky’s mouth dried as his abs rippled. She licked her lips as her eyes roamed upward to his brawny chest. Phoenix stopped mid-stretch as he took notice of her perusal. There was no smile on his beautiful face, but instead his cheeks flushed while his brows pinched as if he was confused by Sky’s reaction. Mortified, she looked away until she felt him standing next to her. Phoenix elicited a reaction that Sky had never felt before, and it was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time.

  “Do you want to wake your friend?” Phoenix reached out like he wanted to take her hand, but stopped before he made contact and awkwardly clenched his hands together in front of his stomach.

  Sky could relate. A huge part of her yearned for his touch. Phoenix ignited the power inside her, and she knew the slightest caress would explode with sensation. Sky feared this impulse but craved it like she needed her next breath.

  “I can wake her. You must want to bathe and put on some clean clothing.” Sky had to force herself to step away. Her statement put a vivid image in her mind of Phoenix naked and wet in the shower. She was horrified at her inner libidinousness.

  “I’m sure you want to do the same,” he replied. Sky looked down and realized that she was wearing the same blood-soaked clothes she’d worn to training. She wondered how long she had been asleep. Orange and purple light streamed through the single window. Evening, then. If Sky weren’t struggling with her libido just being in the room with Phoenix, she would have asked, but she didn’t want the lengthen the conversation.

  “It’s your home, so you go first. I don’t mind waiting.” She shrugged, unsure where to look or what to do with her body.

  Phoenix stared at Sky, his neck reddening as the long seconds ticked past, and Sky wondered if he was thinking crude thoughts as well. The idea excited her more than it should, and with a squeak, she fled the room.

  Rana slept peacefully curled on a pile of furs next to a dying fire. Sky almost didn’t want to bother her friend, but she was filled with excess energy and needed to do something to take her mind off a naked Phoenix with soap and water running over his skin.

  “Rana,” Sky whispered as she shook Rana’s shoulder.

  “Mmhmm.” Rana blinked sleepily and then shot up, wrapping Sky in a bone-crunching hug. “I was so worried about you.”

  “I’m fine. Actually, I’m better than fine.” Sky gently extracted herself from Rana’s hold.

  “Phoenix used his healing mojo on you,” Rana said through a yawn. “Where is our host?”

  Sky pointed behind her. In the silence the sound of running water could be heard. “He’s taking a shower.” Sky’s cheeks warmed and she scrambled for something else to think about.

  “How long was I out?” Sky looked out the window, where the sky was darkening and there was no sight of the gas giant.

  “A little over a day.”

  Sky gasped and ran her fingers through her matted hair. “Why didn’t you wake me sooner? We have to get our things before my family searches through our bags, and I haven’t checked in with Jo—she will not be happy if she wastes fuel to come after us and we’re fine.”

  “Sky,” Rana chuckled. “It’s all been taken care of.”

  “What?” Sky’s mind tried to categorize and rearrange this new information.

  “As you started to lose consciousness, Phoenix pulled you into his arms and started to leave without me, but I refused to be left behind while a stranger carried my friend into the dark, eerie woods. He offered to carry me on his back while he ran. I refused at first, but he insisted that carrying the both of us would be quicker, and my ocular sensors were picking up your distress, so I didn’t fight for long.” Rana paused, her eyes focused on some distant memory as she wrung her hands together. “I’m glad I made the choice. Phoenix is fast—alarmingly so. The trees blurred around me, and I cannot say how far we went, but it was far enough for the trees to shrink in size and the air to faintly smell like salt.”

  Rana shook her head and her mechanical eyes refocused on Sky. “After Phoenix brought us here, he healed you and then left. He came back with all our stuff moments later. Your holopad was flashing, so I answered the message.”

  Sky wondered at Rana’s assessment. If there was salt in the air, the ocean must be close, and if that were the case, Phoenix traveled a little over a hundred kilometers. Did he truly travel from Erswood to coast in mere moments?

  “Jo sends her love, by the way.”

  Sky snorted. “She said that?”

  “No,” Rana chuckled. “She said for you to quit pretending and get your lazy ass out of bed.”

  “That sounds more like my captain.” Sky smiled. In her own way, Jo was showing that she cared.

  “She was worried. So was I,” Rana said. “I believe you had a nasty concussion. Phoenix said you took a few hits to your temple.”

  “I did.” Sky didn’t want to admit that she took the hits because she had been too worried about Rana. She’d internalize the news, cry, and never forgive herself.

  “You said Phoenix brought our bags?” Sky stood and stretched, enjoying the pull against her tight muscles. “I could use a change. My skin feels sticky, and this shirt is so stiff I can hardly move in it.”

  “They’re right inside that room. On the floor.” Rana pointed to the room Sky had just exited. Both women stood and walked toward the opening. Sky noticed that none of the doorways in the small home had actual doors. The house itself looked to be a series of domed structures interconnected through open archways.

  Rana stepped through the opening first and stopped abruptly. Sky slammed into Rana’s back with a loud Oof. Rana turned suddenly, her face a bright red.

  “Let’s wait, Sky,” Rana squeaked as she pushed Sky back.

  “Why?” Sky shifted so she could look over Rana’s shoulder. Warmth flooded her face as she took in Phoenix’s bare, exquisitely chiseled back. Her eyes lingered on the thin, overlapping scars covering him like a second layer of skin. Sky’s gaze wandered lower, studying how the old wounds varied in size and color. His pants hung teasingly low on his hips, revealing a kissable dimple in his lower back that surprisingly was devoid of any defects. Sky ripped her gaze away from Phoenix. She pivoted to let Rana out before the woman exploded from discomfort. Phoenix turned around. His muscles tightened, causing the collection of scars on his torso turn pink. Sky’s focus dipped from his widened eyes and Phoenix quickly threw on a shirt. His face was an unreadable mask.

  “I’m sorry. We didn’t know you’d be in here. I was coming for my bag,” Sky said, stumbling over her words.

  “It’s okay.” Phoenix’s inscrutable expression was fixed on the wall next to Sky’s head. Sky wondered if he was angry at the intrusion. “I’ve lived alone for many years and I’m not used to being careful. From now on, I won’t make the same mistake.”

  “We will take extra care as well.” Sky stepped far enough inside the room to grab her bag. She started to leave, but Phoenix grasped her elbow. Tingles shot down her spine at the contact and Sky wanted to sigh with the comfort that his touch brought her worry-worn soul.

  “Wait,” Phoenix whispered.

  “Yes?” Sky stared at the floor. She felt too much when he was around and feared that the emotion would be revealed in her eyes.

  “Sky,” Rana’s voice broke the spell Phoenix’s touch had over her. She looked at her friend and started at the animosity aimed at Phoenix. The tight lines around Rana’s eyes softened when she met Sky’s questioning gaze. “I think it’s time for Phoenix to explain himself.”

  “I’m sure it can wait,” Sky’s answered, confused. “I’d actually like a shower and some clean clothes before we start talking strategy.”

  “This can’t wait,” Rana insisted. “I saw a mark on his shoulder. One exactly like yours.”

  Sky stepped away from Phoenix. He looked from Rana to Sky and nodded, his expression sincere. Rana was right, this was more important than getting clean. Sky hadn’t had the chance to think about his mysteriou
s appearance at the clearing, neither did she have the chance to watch him fight. She mentally chastised herself. Sky hadn’t thought twice about how he healed her wounds or how he seemed one with the shadows—almost as if they were part of him. His touch ignited her power, and she had always felt a comforting pulse from her mark when he was around. Phoenix having his own brand could explain that. She spent years believing that she was alone on this path.

  Phoenix was marked.

  This changed everything.

  Thirteen

  “Don’t be upset,” Phoenix spoke soothingly as if she would dart away.

  “I don’t know how I feel at the moment,” Sky replied. “This news feels huge.”

  “I thought you were the only one, Sky?” Rana asked, pulling Sky further away from Phoenix’s warmth and settling them both on the fur-lined chairs across from the fire.

  “I always assumed that I was.” Sky watched Phoenix cross the room and place some more wood on the fire. His shoulders were tight with tension, the corded muscles straining against the fabric of his shirt as he stabbed at the hot coals. When he was satisfied, he sat on the furs Rana had abandoned earlier and finally met Sky’s gaze.

  “I’m sorry if you feel like I misled you or have been secretive, but from the moment you returned to Kore, I felt your mark calling to me. I knew who you were, and I assumed you knew of me as well. It is why I waited so long in the shadows during your battle with the Bludrun clan. I was waiting for you to call for my assistance, if it were needed. When you were nearly overwhelmed and still didn’t call, I knew. You were ignorant to skivna, the power that connects us. There is never only one avit’anu.” Phoenix paused and smiled at Sky. She knew her face was twisted in confusion. “Avit’anu means ‘champion of the Ancients’. It’s an honor bestowed only to those who were deemed worthy by the Trine. You were chosen first, that night.”

  “Why was I chosen? How do you know these things? Knowledge of the Ancients has been lost for centuries,” Sky demanded.