Page 55 of Dance of the Phoenix (Cloak of the Vampire #3)

Aileen

It was nighttime when I woke up, back in the bed from before.

And despite the fact I’d slept enough to rest for a lifetime, I was utterly exhausted and numb. So numb that I could no longer feel a thing.

Pain? Agony? Shock? Disgust? I had no energy to feel any of it.

I was just ... tired. So fucking tired.

I just wanted someone to carve my heart out and kill me. Because apparently, it was either that or become a broodmare for the Jinn.

Should I call the Phoenix? Should I use that last resort? What else could I do?

The door opened, drawing my attention to it. Into the room walked a man that made me think only violent thoughts. He was even worse than Wode.

Atalon smiled at me as he took the vacant seat next to my bed. “And here I thought you would’ve run away already,” he said by way of greeting. “I guess Wode charmed you despite everything.”

Since I had no energy to even speak, thanks to whatever drug Wode had put in my drink, I did the only thing I could.

I spit at him.

Atalon tsk ed as he wiped the spit from his cheek. “How crude,” he said, “but why should I expect anything else from you?”

I bared my teeth, unsheathing my fangs. If only I could move, I would tear his head off. But aside from my head, I couldn’t move a limb. Great.

“Anyway, I won the Hecatomb, fair and square,” he said with enough nonchalance to stir awake the slumbering rage inside me. “So you should really respect the rules, don’t you think?”

Fuck you, I thought, wishing he could read my mind like the Phoenix.

But apparently, he didn’t need to, since it was written all over my face, if his smirk was any indication. “Now, now,” he said, “I’ve been waiting for this moment for months. Don’t ruin it for me.”

The need to kill him was so strong, frustration gnawed at me and my inability to move.

“See, Wode and I have been planning this for a while,” he said, grinning at me. “Ever since Rayne kidnapped you from my League, to be precise. The Hecatomb was a very useful camouflage.”

Here we go with his fucking monologue. Atalon loved hearing himself talk, and he loved even more to reveal his smarts when the time was ripe. Especially if it was to rub it in an adversary’s face.

What a fucking snake.

“Don’t worry too much, though,” he said. “After Wode has no more use for you, I’ll give you back the Imprint. You’ll become a full vampire of my League. So don’t miss the vampiric life too much.”

Move! I yelled inwardly at my body. Kill the fucker! But it refused my demands. What the hell was that drug that could affect a vampire to such a degree?

Atalon stared at me for a few moments, as if waiting for some sort of response, but all I could do was glower at him futilely.

He seemed to realize this and smiled. “I think I like this silent version of you best,” he said.

“Before I make you a vampire again, I’ll definitely cut out your tongue.

That would bring us both much needed peace, don’t you think? ”

Asshole. Conniving, slimy asshole.

Atalon’s eyes narrowed. “What did you just say?”

I realized then that I had just spoken my thoughts.

When I opened my mouth, my voice finally returned.

“I’m going to kill you,” I told him conversationally.

“I’m going to remove your arms first. Then, I’ll castrate you, just for an added bonus, before vivisecting the rest of you.

Only after you lose your voice from screaming in agony will I end your miserable existence.

Your demise would be the least you could do for killing Ragnor—and for being a disgusting, inhuman creature. ”

He stared at me for a few long moments before he burst out laughing and rose to his feet. “What a detailed description,” he said, amused. “Very bold claims out of someone who can barely move her toes.”

“It’s only temporary,” I told him, the conviction ringing in my voice. “Just like your existence.”

His humor dissolved into a bored expression. “So vulgar,” he murmured. “Well, in that regard, you make a perfect match for Wode. Beasts often go well together.”

He turned around and reached for the door, but just before he left, he turned to look at me one last time. “I’m looking forward to seeing you as a measly, pathetic human, Aileen.”

It was only after he left that I knew what I had to do.

“Phoenix,” I said out loud, “Bennu. I release you from Esheer and summon you to Aderra. I offer you freedom.”

At first, I thought I’d said the wrong words, because nothing happened. But then pain exploded behind my eyes, and I had to bite down on my lip so I wouldn’t scream.

Tears streamed down my face as the pain seemed to only grow worse and worse, until I thrashed in bed, my mobility returning along with the pain.

The pain suddenly faded, and heat filled me from the inside out. My body grew hotter and hotter until I had to kick the blanket off me, and I rolled to the cold ground, trying to cool myself as the heat turned intolerable.

And just when I thought I was going to be burned alive from the inside out, a clear voice rang within my head. I am here, Child of Kahil.

The heat slowly disappeared, and I fought to catch breath, trying to wipe the sticky sweat off my skin. You’re where? I thought, trying not to panic as I figured out what was going on.

A Spirit cannot appear in Aderra as is, the Phoenix said, so you will serve as my host.

A host, I repeated, my panic growing. You did not mention anything about me being a host!

It is irrelevant, Child of Kahil, the Phoenix said, almost as if it was scolding me. For now, we need to get you out of this predicament.

“That’s why I called you,” I murmured as I forced my heavy limbs to straighten as I climbed to my feet. “How do I get the fuck out of here?”

That will not be enough, the Phoenix whispered in my head. There is another way. A better way.

“Enlighten me, then,” I hissed, impatience and a hysteric sense of urgency burning inside me.

The Phoenix was quiet for so long, I grew antsier and antsier. I stretched my sore, numb limbs, trying to get myself in some sort of shape in case I had to run for my life in my current pathetic state.

But then the Phoenix said, You have the power of time, Child of Kahil. Use it.

“What the hell could stopping time for thirty seconds help me with?!” I growled, angry. “In my current condition, I wouldn’t be able to make it a few steps out of the door, especially with the effects of using that power—”

I stopped my rant as the meaning of its words sank in. The Phoenix didn’t tell me to stop time. It told me to use time.

Heart racing with sudden hope and excitement, I held my hands together, closed my eyes, and fervently, desperately, thought, I wish I could go back to that moment. I wish I could stop him from going to that fight. I wish ... I wish to save him—

Another wave of pain exploded in my head, making blood trickle down from my nose. This time, I couldn’t stop myself from screaming. My vision turned white as the pain increased, and I wasn’t able to hear, see, or even feel anything other than pure, undiluted agony.

And just as suddenly as it hit me, the pain was gone.

Slowly, the white in my vision dissipated, blurring, before sharpening and showing me I was no longer in that stifling bedroom.

Instead, I was in the Hecatomb arena. In the Rayne League’s lounge, to be more specific.

I was sitting on the sofa, with Isora at my side, holding on to me, and Ragnor on my other.

And I realized I’d done it. I’d actually done the impossible.

I’d turned back time.