Jolene

I jolt awake, my head pounding. Panic grips me for a second, not recognizing the strange room before my memories surface. I don't get time to calm as my ears are alerted to the sound of grunting and thumping. Slowly, I make my way to the door; peeking into the hallway.

Elliot is fighting with... ugh, of course, I sigh with relief. They're playing. Get a grip, Jolene! My body is on fire again, and it's making me irritable. I dreamt of demons and being chased into an open grave. The memory of those vivid images leaves my stomach sick. Or maybe that’s from something else. Whatever it is, I feel like crap.

Elliot spots me and immediately holts his... whatever he’s doing. I stare blankly at him as the earth shifts beneath my feet, and my surroundings become a blur.

“Jolene!”

My vision narrows, everything seeming to slow down as the edges fuzz out. The ground doesn’t feel solid, and my body has a floating notion. The heat from my skin feels like fire in my eyes. I hear bits and pieces of a conversation.

“it's happening.”

“that's not normal.”

Those are the words I focus on; they strike the most fear. There’s a sharp whistle then... white noise. The next time I wake, the pain is gone. My eyes open and catch on a small crack of light in the darkness. Clear thought enters my mind as I use magic to light the room.

“it's about damn time!”

Startling, I shoot a blast of magic in the speaker's direction, knocking the recipient out of his seat.

“Relax! I guess I don’t need to ask how you're feeling.”

I do relax when I recognize Elliot.

“What happened?”

He chuckles, righting his chair. I don’t see where the humor is coming from, but I ignore it, wanting answers. The last thing I remember is waking up in the library, and then everything after is a blur.

“You transitioned... were pretty sure. It's amazing. These kinds of things take time; weeks to months, but with you, it was like poof. Your body made the jump over seamlessly, but you ended up passing out from the shock.”

Phoenix... I'm a phoenix? At least I have my magic back. I look around the room. It’s one I don’t recognize. I'm in a queen-size bed wrapped in a powder blue comforter. The room smells like pine and... him. I can't say it’s unpleasant; actually, he seems to calm me. The majority of the area is wood and is fitted with the basics; a desk, fireplace, small game counsel, T.V. and a balcony. This must be his room.

“So, what does that mean, my transitioning?” I ask him, half distracted by the view. Elliot comes toward me, and my hormones do a little flip-flop, spiking my libido. I get caught up on his bared chest, and my eyes dip lower to the V beneath his loose joggers. It’s so out of place, this attraction. I’ve never been into buff jock-ish type dudes, horns either. Going by what little experience I’ve had, my type is brooding or problem ridden.

“There you go, off thinking again… I’d really love to know where you go when you check out. Especially after looking at me the way you do.”

The last bit has me puzzled. What way? My thoughts dissipate when he stops two feet from the bed. My chemise and short set leave me feeling bare around him. The way he’s looking at me makes me nervous and giddy all at once. There’s more to Elliot than what meets the eye. Just when you think you have him figured out, he does a three-sixty, and you 're back to square one. He comes closer still until my foot brushes his thigh. I want to move, but I’m frozen. What scares me is, it’s not fear holding me in place. No. Quite the opposite, it’s anticipation. He notices the hitch in my breath, my thighs tightening ever so lightly and my lips falling open. I watch him catch my every involuntary movement. When my eyes hood, he leans down to their level.

“The question is… would you let me inside?”

There’s that fear I was waiting for. Glancing away, my spine goes rigid at his suggestive tone. Elliot makes me want to throw caution to the wind and let him explore a he’ll of a lot more than my brain. That in itself is dangerous. How am I supposed to make partial judgments if I’m cuckoo for cocoa puffs over the one I’m assessing? A knock at the door has me sighing with relief, NOT disappointment. Elliot reluctantly answers, looking very put-out. It’s the guy from the hallway. He waves before returning to their hushed conversation. I feign my disinterest while trying to eavesdrop, but I can't hear a word. I guess heightened hearing isn't part of a phoenixes MO.

Elliot peeks his head in to get my attention.

“I’ll be right back. I just need to have a quick meeting.”

I don’t know what to say when he doesn’t immediately leave, so I go with the first thing that pops into my head.

“Knock yourself out.”

He chuckles at my response. And I feel like a dumbass. I don’t know why he makes me nervous yet puts me at ease all at once. He’s such a contradiction. Or is it me?

The kiss we shared in the hotel feels like a lifetime ago. I’m even more nervous around him than before. Something has changed. He seems more… relaxed, seductive, focused? I wish I never read about mates. Maybe I’ve changed? How will I even know if I have? It’s not like I was given a manual. I get up and look in the mirror, just in case. Nope, still me. With wicked bed head, but at least my skin looks great. Even the darkness under my eyes has cleared.

A few minutes pass, and I snoop. I don’t even feel bad about it. What's good for the goose... I reason. It seems his life is a lot less interesting than mine. His clothing is half-hazardly thrown into drawers, and there's a store of liquor in his nightstand. Jackpot! You can always count on closets to be interesting. Elliot’s is full of weapons, from throwing knives to some heavy artillery. Is that a bullet-proof vest? Holy shit, these guys don’t mess around. What have I gotten myself into? There’s no way they're S.W.A.T. or anything like that. So what? Mafia? Thugs? Thieves?

I smell something burning just before the alarm goes off, and I run out into the hallway, down the stairs in a panic. Elliot pops out of the library as I'm halfway to the door.

“Hold up!”

I halt abruptly, tripping in bare feet on the hardwood floors.

“False alarm, it was just Tally. It's all good now.”

Un, uh. No way. I've got an excellent nose, and I smelt fire. I try to see around him into the library, but he pulls the door tight to his body.

Squinting suspiciously, I fold my arms, not at all convinced. Elliot has a panic in his tone, and he’s trying to get rid of me.

“What's going on? There's something you're not telling me.”

“Get out of the way, Elliot!”

I see Tally’s red hair behind Elliot as he struggles to keep her in. What the hell is going on?

“If you don’t move, I'm going to blow the top off this place!”

“Let her go, Elliot.”

I recognize Jacob's voice. Elliot drops his head down in defeat and opens up the door, stepping aside. Tally comes barreling out. Her skin is a bright, fiery red. She spots me doing a double take and looks back at Elliot. it's obvious she's extremely upset. She turns back to me, eyes brimming with anger or fear? Maybe both.

“I would leave if I were you before they throw you to the wolves too.”

My eyes snap back to Elliot, a nervous sweat breaking out over her words.

“Tally! Come on...” Elliot stands there, watching her leave, irked and sympathetic.

What is that supposed to mean? Throw me to the wolves? My mood plummets as panic kicks in for the umpteenth time. It happens so fast I don’t realize it’s coming from me. The floor boards begin to blister and before I know it, I'm standing in fire.

“For fuck sakes! Jacob... bring the extinguisher!”

I can barely register Elliot's voice as I stand motionless, looking down at my feet. Fire licks up my legs and I feel cold. The oddity isn't lost on me, and an insane string of laughter bubbles out.

“Jolene, look at me.”

I hear Elliot, but I can't focus. I'm transfixed by the fire, fear making my body shake violently.

“Jolene, calm down. No one is going to hurt you... If you don’t relax you could kill everyone!”

That gets my attention. I manage to break away from the blistering fire licking up my legs. I see Jacob at one end of the hallway extinguishing the flames that spread diagonally to either side of me. I look to the right and see a beautiful blonde woman doing the same. Elliot has moved closer; he’s holding his hand out as he slowly walks toward me.

“I'll explain everything, but first you need to calm down, okay?”

Yes, calm. I take deep breaths, closing my eyes and block everything out. What must be minutes pass and when I open my eyes. All three of them are staring at me. The blonde woman catches my gaze and when I see the points of her ears, I do a double take. Rubbing my eyes in an attempt to clear them, I look again. She turns to Jacob and speaks.

“We're going to need more extinguishers!”