Authors: Michelle Love
EDEN
I sit on the bed, watching my mate as she braids her hair. “I’m so glad that’s over, Alyssa. You have no idea the relief I feel, knowing you’re safe again.”
She rises, done fixing herself up. “Ready to go downstairs? They’re sure to be here by now.”
Her confidence is back, and she glows with it. She chose a tight fitting, navy blue dress which fits her body like a glove. It occurs to me many men would rather their wives not dress so sexy. Yet I love her to be full of confidence, and if she feels like dressing this way I’ll be damned if I let some insecurity in me bring her down.
Taking her by the waist, it reminds me of how I held her when I brought her home from the hospital after her accident. I smile at her, then place a gentle kiss on her perfect cheek. “I have to hold you close to me right now, Princess. I almost lost you today.”
She giggles as she leans into me, and we walk down the staircase. “I love you and relish your attention. Your quick thinking saved us all.”
Niles is at the door to the formal dining room. “Your friends and family have been waiting for you. Please come in and sit down,” he instructs us.
“Good evening Niles, it’s so nice to see you again, I’ve missed you,” Alyssa tells him.
His eyebrows raise slightly. “Well, I missed you too,” he states, stoically.
My eyes scan the room quickly. I notice Galchobar is here, as well as my family and Alyssa’s, and Kyle and Laura. My eyes catch Kyle. He’s staring at my wife, his mouth slightly open.
Alyssa blushes, and clings to me. She sends me, ‘I can’t do this. Get me out of here.’
I tighten my arm around her waist, and send her, ‘You got this, Princess. Keep up that confidence you have back.’
Galchobar rises and comes to us. “Good evening Alyssa. I see everything has turned out well, all the way around,” he says, as he motions to Kyle and Laura. “It’s a shame you were drugged. Thankfully Eden was given the answer to your dilemma before it caused you permanent damage.”
Alyssa smiles at him. “Thank you for coming this evening Galchobar, it’s nice to see everyone, after the day I’ve had.”
“Everyone had to see you, Alyssa,” I tell her as I take her to sit at the table. Purposely I seat her next to Kyle, then I sit on the other side of her.
The quicker she faces her embarrassment, the better.
She looks at the tablecloth as if it’s a work of art. I know she doesn’t want to look at him. I guess Kyle does too as he takes her by the chin and makes her look at him. “Hey girl, you look a hell of a lot better than when I saw you last.”
“Please don’t remind me,” she mumbles.
Kyle looks past her to meet my eyes. He seems confused, so I say, “She asked about her state when I brought her home. I had to explain what we had to do.”
Laura leans up and looks at me. “Her state?” she asks.
Kyle gives me a slight head shake, and I smile.
Shit, Laura!
Alyssa takes Kyle’s hand, moving it from her face. “Have you thought about what I offered you, Laura? About becoming a member of The Phoenix Foundation. Kyle’s a member, you know,” she says, and Kyle’s eyes go wide. “It just happened. Don’t be upset with him.”
Laura’s voice becomes high pitched. “Kyle! You joined the cult?”
Kyle closes his eyes, and he turns to her. “It’s not a cult, and I’d like it if you joined us,” he says, then turns back to look at Alyssa. “You didn’t tell me you asked her that, Ally.”
“Are you mad?” she asks him.
“I’m not mad, Al,” he says. “A bit confused, but not mad.”
“I want her to know,” Alyssa says, making the rest of the people at the table gasp.
Galchobar clears his throat. “My dear, Mistress Fontaine, perhaps we should talk privately for a moment.”
Alyssa radiates confidence, and I suddenly feel sorry for the old guy. “Are you going to tell me I’m not allowed to ask my best friend to join our organization, sir?”
“I would never dare to tell you such a thing,” he says with a bow of his head.
Laura lets out a sudden laugh. “What in the hell?”
“Laura, maybe we should drop this, and talk about it later,” Kyle says as he puts his arm around her.
“Now’s best,” Alyssa says. “This secret has gone on long enough. I feel as if I’m lying to her, and I don’t like it. Kyle is in love with her, and she him. It’s not fair to him to have to hide this from her. This is something which hurts me to make him do. I want no more of it.”
Kyle looks at her with a frown. “Don’t do this because of me, Ally. I can’t allow that, and you know it.”
Laura pushes his arm off her shoulders. “You can’t allow her?” she asks with a glare. “This man bows to her as if she’s the damn Queen of New Orleans, and you tell her you can’t allow her to do something? Tell me Kyle when did you get this power over her?”
“She needs to know,” I say as I turn my attention to Galchobar. “She’s not a threat. Her character is good, and she’d be a help to our causes.”
Laura stands up and looks around at us all. “Wait one minute, Eden. I’m not about to join this thing. You may have pulled Kyle in, but I’m not going to be suckered into anything.”
The tall stemmed glasses, one filled with red wine and one with water begin to shake in front of Laura. “Sit!” Alyssa says quietly.
Laura sits down immediately. “Ally! What are you doing?”
The glasses stop shaking, and Laura looks at them. Alyssa leans over to Kyle. “I want to show her how we communicate.”
“Ally, you’re going to freak her out,” he says as he shakes his head, vigorously.
Laura leans up to see them better. “How do you communicate?”
Alyssa meets her stare. “Tell Kyle anything you want. Any little detail or a long detail. Anything you want. Then he’ll tell me, only he won’t be speaking to me out loud.”
“This is crazy,” Laura says, then pulls Kyle back, and whispers quietly into his ear.
Kyle’s eyes go wide, and he smiles. “Maybe you should say something else. Cause this is real, Laura, and that just might bite you in the ass.”
“Just do your little party trick, Kyle,” Laura says with more than a touch of sarcasm. “Only I want to stand behind Ally, so I can make sure you don’t mouth the words to her.”
Laura moves to stand behind my mate and watches Kyle like a hawk. Alyssa’s cheeks turn red as Kyle sends her whatever it was Laura said to him. She looks up at Laura, and says, “You dirty girl. You better come here and let me whisper that back to you, or you will die of embarrassment.”
Laura’s smirk fades as she leans down, and Alyssa whispers in her ear. She stands back up, and says, “No fucking way!”
Alyssa nods her head as does Kyle. Laura throws her arms in the air, and goes back to her chair, plopping down on it. “Okay, how’d you do that?”
“Telepathy,” Alyssa says, then takes a sip of wine. “If you don’t mind, Laura. I’m starving, so let’s get this all out in the open, and as you eat the delicious dinner we’re about to be served, you can let it all settle into your mind.”
Laura gives a faint nod, and Kyle wraps his arm around her shoulders. “Go for it, Al. I won’t let her run off, or pass out.”
Alyssa smiles, then says, “Eden and I can transform into large, well maybe large is too small of a word. Do you think large is adequate, Eden?”
“I like the word, giant. It suits us better,” I answer.
Alyssa nods in agreement. “You’re right. We can transform into giant birds. They call us Phoenixes, and we help people. Along with that little gift we have telepathy with each other. I also have it with Kyle. That’s all the gifts we’ve been given so far. Oh, yeah, and we can make things happen. Like I made you sit and shook the glasses. Little things like that. I don’t know if Kyle can.”
Laura turns her head to look at Kyle. “You have some type of powers too?”
He shrugs. “I’m extra strong, and I think I can sense danger, but I need to practice that more.”
“Why?” Laura asks.
“That’s an excellent question, Laura,” Alyssa says. “Eden and I were chosen before our births by Our Creator. The wedding was not a theme wedding. It was an ancient one. Galchobar here is an immortal. He officiated the very first wedding of the original Phoenix couple.”
“Shut up!” Laura says as her eyes roll to look at Galchobar.
“I will not,” Alyssa says with a laugh.
Laura looks back at Alyssa. “You gave Kyle powers. Can you give me some?”
“It wasn’t me who gave him powers. I don’t have that kind of power. It was Our Creator,” she answers.
Looking up at Kyle, Laura asks, “But why you, Kyle?”
Instead of answering her, he turns to look at my mate. It’s she who answers. “Laura, I’ve had love in my heart for Kyle for several years. As he’s had for me. When the change began to happen in me, he got stuck in my heart. It pulled him along with me.”
“He’s yours?” Laura asks.
My wife nods. “But only a bit of him is. The rest of him can be yours, or whoever he chooses. I belong to him in a way as well. He’s my primary guardian,” she says then looks back at me. “Please help me think of another name for him, Eden. I detest that title.”
“Of course, Princess,” I say as I place a kiss on top of her head. “Laura, he is her protector. Nothing physical can happen between them. You will never lose him to her.”
Kyle looks at my wife and smiles. “You got that right, doesn’t he, Al?”
“Yeah, Romeo. So with that all said, let’s get our grub on. I’m starving, and Laura needs to eat something to help her with the shock.”
Kyle kisses the side of Laura’s head. “You’re stuck with me, baby,” he says. “Say you’ll join us.”
Laura looks at my mate, and nods. “How can I refuse? Your secret is mine too now. How about you show me the birds after dinner?”
Galchobar halts any answer. “Afraid you must wait for the ceremony to initiate you into our flock, dear girl.”
Alyssa shoots him a look. “Why?” she asks. “And what are they going to do to her? They made Kyle and Eden lion toys, and poor Kyle had to see us all go up in flames. I don’t want that for her.”
“It’s not up to you or me, Mistress Fontaine,” he says, then the maids bring in the trays heavy with food, and all conversation on the subject ends.
LAURA
As shocking as it was to hear the things Kyle, Ally, and Eden told me, I find I’m handling it all pretty well. Ally has me a bit worried about the initiation into the flock but if they all got through it, so can I.
They explained more as we all hung out in Eden and Ally’s suite last night. We slept in a couple of their extra bedrooms they have. Kyle felt uncomfortable sleeping together in such close proximity to Ally. Which at first made me mad. Then when I really thought about their telepathy, and how she might see what would’ve surely happened between us, I had to agree with him.
Their lifestyle is fantastic. This evening we sit at the swimming pool back at their mansion. We lounged the day away as we played in the water. But any minute now, the fun will be over, and we have to do another workout with the beast known as Beck.
Since I have no superpowers, I’ve decided to get as strong as my human body will allow me too. I don’t wish to be left behind in all their missions. I have to find some way to make myself useful.
The patio door opens, and a nicely dressed woman, with dark brown hair walks out. “Shit!” Eden says, almost under his breath.
I look at him as does Kyle and Ally.
Why in the world would he say that? Then I find out.
“Eden!” the lady cries.
He stands up. He’s wearing nothing but his swimming trunks and sunglasses. She goes straight to him, hugging him tightly.
I sit in my lounge chair, looking at her over my sunglasses. She is just about the same height, weight and build as Ally. It’s uncanny.
Eden turns her to us, introducing her. “This is Linda Banks, the woman who has chosen all of our clothes. This is Kyle, and that’s Laura. She’ll be joining our foundation very soon, so you’ll be seeing a lot of her.”
She finally takes her arm from around his waist and moves towards me. She extends her hand for me to shake. “It’s so nice to meet you, Laura. I met Kyle at the ceremony.” she tells me in a very professional voice.
“It’s lovely to meet you too. I have to thank you for all the beautiful things you’ve sent to us. We’re all very happy with your taste,” I say, to assure her.
Then Eden says, “Would you like to join us, Linda? I’m sure Alyssa has a bathing suit you can use, as you are the same size.”
My eyes dart to Ally, who has a jealous streak a mile wide. She can’t be happy with this woman who keeps touching her husband. I’d have a fit.
“How nice of you to invite me, Eden,” she tells him, as she puts her hand on his shoulder. “I would love to take a quick dip with you, with all of you.”
Ally speaks up, as she looks over her expensive sunglasses at her husband, “Eden, how nice of you to invite Ms. Banks to join us, but you must have forgotten we were just about to go in and get ready to leave. Remember, we’re going to go work out with Beck?”
He smiles at her. “I did forget about that. Sorry Linda, maybe another time then?”
“Oh pooh,” she pouts.
“Sorry,” Ally says.
I bet she’s not!
“Well, I’ll have to take you up on that swim another time then. I just came over today to make sure Laura and Kyle’s things were moved into the correct room,” Linda says, as she turns her attention to Kyle. “I managed to get both of your things into Alyssa’s old closet, as you two will be staying together in that room. That is what you requested, right?”
Ally looks at me, a little surprised. “You two are staying in the same room now? I thought that Kyle would be in Eden’s old room,” she says. “What happened to that plan?”
I look back at her, and say, “The ginormous picture of you in that room is a bit overwhelming for me, Ally. I can’t have my man falling asleep, looking at that thing. It could be bad for our relationship.”
“The picture can be taken down. Don’t make your selves uncomfortable because of that. I can have it out of there before you go to bed tonight,” she offers.
Kyle jumps into the conversation. “Ally, it’s okay. We’re not uncomfortable at all. We want to stay together.”
“I see,” she says as she stands up. “Well, we should head inside and get ready to go.”
Eden grabs her cover up, and drapes it across her shoulders, then pulls his shirt on. “Let us walk you out Linda,” he tells her, as he wraps his arm around Ally’s waist, then takes Linda’s hand, leading her back to the patio door.
Kyle and I lag behind a bit. As we come into the foyer we see Eden and Ally at the front door with Linda.
“It was nice to see you again, Linda,” Eden says.
She turns to Ally. “It was really nice to see you, Mrs. Fontaine,” she says.
Ally speaks through clenched teeth, “It was nice to see you again too, Ms. Banks,”
Linda quickly pecks Eden on the cheek, then hurries out to her car. Which I see is a rather expensive Mercedes.
“Nice car, she must make a lot of money,” Ally says.
“Oh yes, the foundation pays her very well. She works really hard, you know,” Eden says.
“Oh, don’t I know that,” she says, and her teeth are still clenched.
“That wasn’t so hard was it?” Eden asks her, as they walk up the staircase several steps in front of us.
She turns to look at him in astonishment. “It was excruciating, Eden!” she yells.
He pauses, looking into her eyes, then begins moving up the stairs again. “You’re getting better. I couldn’t tell you were jealous at all. Well, not about me anyway. When you found out Kyle and Laura would be sleeping together, your feathers seemed to get a bit ruffled,” he tells her
I guess Eden thought we were far enough behind them we couldn’t hear him. I glance up at Kyle, and ask, “Is Ally mad?”
“She’s seeing red, but I’m not sure why,” he says, and I bolt after her.
“Alyssa Shaylee Devlin Fontaine, I want to talk to you, right now,” I say, sternly. “Sorry Eden, I have to talk to my best friend for a minute or two,” I apologize to him as I take her by her arm, and pull her to her bedroom. “I don’t want Eden to hear what I have to say to you.”
“What the hell, Laura?” she asks.
I usher her into her room and close the door behind us. “Ally, I’m tired of this thing you have for Kyle.”
“I don’t have a thing for Kyle, Laura. I’m a happily married woman now,” she says as she pulls back from me.
“The hell you don’t. What was that crap out there? I saw the look on your face, Ally. When he told you we wanted to stay together, you were pissed. You might as well admit it,” I fire at her.
“Well, I wouldn’t call it pissed. I would call it concerned. I don’t want you to rush into things and hurt each other. I’m just looking out for both of you,” she says.
“Rush into things? Really, Al?” I say as I gesture to her. “Look at you. Talk about rushing.”
“Eden and I are different. We can’t ever leave each other. If you tire of Kyle, you can leave him,” she tells me.
“What makes you think I’ll tire of Kyle?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” she says as she falls on her bed. “Crap, I don’t really think that, Laura. I have these little, petty jealousies. I can’t explain it. I was jealous about that lady who showed up. It got my jealousy juices flowing.”
“Why would you be jealous of her? She’s old enough to be Eden’s aunt or something. I thought they probably were related the way they acted together, like they had known each other for a long time.”
She pulls a pillow up, and wraps her arms around it. “It’s a long story, Laura.”
I need to hear her story if I’m about to believe it’s not Kyle she jealous about. “You better give it to me, because I need to get to the bottom of this.”
“I can’t believe you’re making me tell you this,” she says, then hesitates. “The lady was Eden’s touch tutor. She taught him how to kiss and touch me properly.”
What in the name of all that’s Holy?
My mouth falls open. “OMG! You’re lying!”
“I wish I was. Eden never told me about her until we met at our wedding. Then I saw it for myself as his mind replayed a time they had a practice session. You can ask Kyle about it, I showed him the memory, and he agreed it was a hot encounter.”
“Sick, did they really call them sessions?” I ask.
She nods, and I see the sadness in her eyes. “I just can’t get over it. I keep trying but it’s so damn hard when she touches him and acts all young and shit. He seems oblivious to her antics. Then she shows up over here, and the fool invites her to join us for a quick dip. I mean, could he be that clueless?” she asks.
I nod. “I think he just might be. I’ve noticed he doesn’t act like any super-hot guy I’ve ever seen, not that I’ve seen that many. He’s just so crazy over you he can’t see other members of the female persuasion find him fascinating. It’s one of the things I like about him.”
“You like that about him?” she asks.
“Well, yeah Al, I mean he doesn’t look at himself like he’s anything other than your husband. Either he’s clueless about other women or he just doesn’t see them as a threat to you, because he’s hopelessly in love with you. You’re the world to him. No one could ever replace you. You know what I mean?”
“I think you’re telling me I have no reason to be jealous,” she says as she drops the pillow to her side. “Because he would never do anything with anyone else, and the women who fall all over themselves for him don’t have a shot in hell at taking him away from me.”
“That’s right Ally,” I tell her. “Now that we have that cleared up, let’s clear up this thing between us. I know this is a little bit hard for you, I can see it in your eyes every time Kyle and I touch each other in front of you.”
Ally drops her head. “I’ll get over this, Laura. I don’t want Kyle like that. I don’t know why I get a little pain in my chest when the two of you touch. Or a big pain in my chest when it’s thrown in my face the two of you are doing what I could never do with him. I hate to say this, but a part of me wants to know what would’ve happened if Eden had never come along, if this bird thing never happened.”
“But it did happen, Ally, and you’re happy with Eden,” I say as I take her hand.
“I was happy with Kyle,” she says as she runs her thumb over my knuckles. “When he touched me it felt like a jolt of electricity ran through me. The night we finally got to go alone to the movies we made out through the whole movie. I don’t even remember what the movie was because we were so caught up in each other. On the way home he pulled the truck over, and I almost gave into him. The only thing that stopped me was the promise I’d made my mother. I’m jealous of you, Laura. You get to experience more with him than I could have but didn’t, and now I never will.”
“Ally, I had no idea you felt that way,” I say. “How selfish of me not to have thought you’d have issues about your unresolved feelings for him. I was foolish to think this could work.”
Ally’s brows draw together as she frowns. “No, please Laura, this can work. I need you, like you can’t know how much I need you. Look how you just helped me with my jealousy over Eden. You stopped me from getting into a big fight with him just now.”
“I did?”
“Yes, you did. I don’t have anyone to talk to about my own issues,” she says. “You’re the only one I can talk to like this, and now you know everything about me. Do you know how hard it is to be a freaking bird and not tell anyone?”
I laugh. “I bet it is. Now I have to keep it a secret too. Do you think time will heal you, Ally? That’s what Eden thinks.”
Confusion fills her face. “You’ve talked to Eden about this?”
“Briefly, and only once,” I tell her. “We met at the top of the stairs one morning. The morning after we all went swimming at your parents’ house, and Kyle and I took a little longer to get down there. I don’t know what happened between you and Eden. He must’ve gotten the idea you were a little jealous of what you must have guessed we were doing that held us up. I also confided in him that Kyle often tenses up when you and Eden are whispering to each other or touching each other.”
“He does?” she asks.
“Yes, he does,” I answer. “Eden’s sure the physical feelings you and Kyle had for each other are fading. That you are both getting back to the strong friendship you had before the physical stuff started to happen, and that time will fix this situation.”
Ally pats my hand. “So you have to deal with this crap from me and Kyle, then?”
“I pretty much knew having a relationship with him so soon after you two broke up was going to be riddled with issues; mine, yours and his,” I say. “He doesn’t talk as openly about your relationship as he did when I first started talking to him. I was trying to help him get past his obsession about getting you away from Eden and your parents. I don’t know if it’s because he’s talked it all out of his system or that he doesn’t want to hurt me. I can feel him tense up, and see it in his face at times, that it hurts him to see you and Eden together.”
Ally turns away. “My poor Kyle.”
“Your happiness means more to him than anything else. Making sure you’re safe has always been his top priority. I can remember that from back when we were kids. Maybe he’s supposed to be your protector, Ally. Maybe I’m supposed to be that too. Whether it was pre-destined or not, that is what we are,” I say.