Phoenyx Read online

  

  Demon Warriors 11

  Phoenyx

  In a desperate attempt to get his grandmother out from under her mounting medical bills, Edward takes a loan from a fairy. Now Lyle isn’t playing by the rules. The fairy sends a soul-sucking demon after Edward just for fun. When Edward is rescued by a redheaded warrior, he thinks he is dreaming, until the warrior appears in his house, telling Edward he is his new bodyguard.

  When Anton escapes, Phoenyx is worried he’ll go after the male with honey-gold eyes. Phoenyx returns to the human realm, and now has a battle on his hands when Edward refuses his help. When Phoenyx finds out that Edward is his mate, nothing will stop him from protecting the male, even when Lyle comes after them with full force. A house burnt to the ground, a grandmother with dementia, and dark spells cast over them, Phoenyx is up to his eyeballs in chaos trying to keep Golden Eyes safe while showing his mate just what the human means to him.

  Length: 35,000 words

  PHOENYX

  Demon Warriors 11

  Lynn Hagen

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  Phoenyx

  Copyright © 2020 by Lynn Hagen

  ISBN: 978-1-64637-196-9

  First Publication: July 2020

  Cover design by Emma Nicole

  All art and logo copyright © 2020 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book or print book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at [email protected]

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Lynn Hagen loves writing about the somewhat flawed, but lovable. She also loves a hero who can see past all the rough edges to find the shining diamond of a beautiful heart.

  You can find her on any given day curled up with her laptop and a cup of hot java, letting the next set of characters tell their story.

  For all titles by Lynn Hagen, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/lynn-hagen

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  PHOENYX

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  PHOENYX

  Demon Warriors 11

  LYNN HAGEN

  Copyright © 2020

  Chapter One

  “You got him? You sure you got him?”

  “I got my fucking arm around his neck, and he’s turning red. I’m pretty sure I got him.” Hondo held on to the demon as Phoenyx dropped to his knee to check the guy who’d been attacked.

  Phoenyx was still pumped up from the fight, pissed off that he’d taken a fist to the head, and now some human was lying here bleeding out. He couldn’t just let him die in some alley like trash.

  Bending over the unconscious human, Phoenyx let a tear fall from his eye. It dripped into the open chest wound before he leaned back and waited for the laceration to stitch itself up.

  “Okay, you did your good deed. We need to get out of here.” Hondo grunted and slammed the demon into the wall while still holding on to him. “Settle down before I set you on fire.”

  Phoenyx stood, knowing full well they had to get out of there. The fight had been loud, and a few lights in nearby houses had come on. Soon cops would show up, and they didn’t need to find three guys standing over an unconscious body.

  Three demons to be precise, though the cops wouldn’t know that unless the jackass Hondo was holding did something to give them away.

  Phoenyx stood but hesitated. He couldn’t seem to rip his gaze away from the human. The guy had gorgeous russet-brown hair and a lean body, but it had been his eyes that had trapped Phoenyx when they’d first arrived and Anton had been attacking the human.

  Eyes the color of fresh honey. Golden beauties that had been filled with fear, yet so soft that they’d taken Phoenyx by surprise.

  “Phoenyx,” Hondo said. “We need to get going.”

  Phoenyx backed away, still staring at the human as they used the darkness as a doorway back to the demon realm. He just couldn’t seem to get that guy out of his head as they waited for Rainerio to show so they could take Anton to the underworld where he belonged.

  Phoenyx was itching to go back to Brac Village to make sure the guy had made it home safely. Maybe he’d do that before the night was over. The human nearly had his soul sucked out of him, and when he woke up, no doubt he’d think it was all a dream.

  Phoenyx wanted to make sure the stranger didn’t run his mouth. If he did, Phoenyx would have to have a vampire sent to him to erase the events.

  Damn. He laughed to himself. He was making excuses to see Golden Eyes. That was what it boiled down to. Phoenyx wasn’t sure it was about himself, protecting his kind, but one thing was for sure. The stranger had already gotten under his skin.

  “What’s so funny?” Hondo still had a stranglehold on Anton, and the demon didn’t look too hot. He was red in the face, and he was going more and more lax in Hondo’s grip.

  “Maybe you should let up. He doesn’t look so good.”

  Hondo shrugged. “He should’ve thought about that before he tried to suck someone’s soul out.”

  Anton tapped at Hondo’s arm, and with an aggravated sigh, Hondo let up some. The coloring slowly returned to Anton’s face.

  “Where’s Rainerio?” Hondo looked around. “I don’t have all night. Chris is making dinner, and he’ll kill me if I’m late.”

  Phoenyx didn’t have anyone to go home to, but he did have somewhere to be. Unfortunately, it took three demons to escort anyone to the underworld. The Keeper was really touchy about his rules, and Phoenyx didn’t want to be on his bad side.

  “Are you sure you asked him to meet us here?” Phoenyx didn’t like hanging out by Malcor’s Melting Pot. Diablo’s was right next door, and the bar was known to be rowdy. That normally didn’t bother Phoenyx—he liked a good fight—but he wanted to get back to…

  Why couldn’t he get that male off his mind?

  “I’m positive I asked him,” Hondo said. “First off, we need him to get to the underworld. Second, I don’t have any neutralizing cuffs. You don’t either. I told Rainerio to bring some.”

  Neutralizing cuffs did as described. They neutralized the enemy, canceling out whatever powers the nonhuman possessed. And slapping a pair on a soul-sucking demon was always a smart move considering Anton could suck Phoenyx’s or Hondo’s powers right out of them if he got the chance, taking on their powers as his own and leaving them an empty husk.

  The door to Diablo’s swung open, and two large, nasty-looking guys stumbled out, talking loud and laughing even louder. They glanced toward Phoenyx and Hondo, and then one of them chuckled.

  “Demon warriors,” the one on the right said. He had dark hair and long bangs that hung in his eyes. Horns protruded from his head, and a tail
whipped back and forth behind him.

  The other was short, cocky, with a head full of blond hair and a chip on his shoulder, if his hardened expression was anything to go by. “Hey, they got Anton.”

  “Why are you messing with Anton?” The first one eyed Phoenyx. “You demon warriors are always messing with the wrong people.”

  Neither Phoenyx nor Hondo said anything, but Phoenyx saw how Hondo bristled. Two drunken demons were trouble. He was betting they had crazy thoughts racing through their heads. They were hatching a plan to help their buddy.

  Tension filled the air, the energy sizzling. Phoenyx rolled his shoulders and glanced between them, daring either of them with a look to come at him.

  The horned demon tapped the cocky guy’s chest with the back of his hand. “I think Phoenyx wants to have some fun.”

  Why was Phoenyx not surprised? Luck never seemed to be on his side. No one wanted to mess with Hondo. Not when his demon power was fire.

  Phoenyx cursed when the cocky demon grew to at least eight and a half feet tall. He slammed his fist into the palm of his other hand and stormed toward them. Hondo had no choice but to let Anton go to defend himself, shooting fireballs at the giant as Phoenyx went after the dark-haired demon.

  Phoenyx’s powers weren’t grounded in physical strength, but he was a skilled fighter, trained by the best, and gave the demon a run for his money. Uppercuts, jabs, roundhouse kicks, and a final blow to his sternum dropped the bastard.

  He pulled out the wicked blade he kept sheathed at his side and went after the cocky one. Hondo had erupted into flames, as bright as the daylight in the human realm, as he attacked.

  Phoenyx drove his blade into the giant’s thigh, severing a major artery. The giant looked wide-eyed at him, stumbled back, and then hit the ground, lying flat on his back.

  As badly as the two had pissed him off, Phoenyx let a tear fall into the open wound, which was pumping out an immense amount of blood. The flow slowed and then stopped, and then the flesh started stitching itself back together.

  Goddamn drunken idiots who had brawn but no brains. Those were the worst kind of people. Those who acted without thinking things through. Did they really think they’d defeat two demon warriors?

  “Fuck,” Hondo cursed as he looked around. “Anton got away.”

  Phoenyx scanned the streets, hoping to catch a glimpse of the soul-sucking demon, but he was gone. His first thought was the human Anton had attacked. Would Anton go after Golden Eyes again? Had it been personal or just a random opportunity?

  “I gotta go.” Phoenyx headed toward the shadows in the alley. “Tell Rainerio I’m kicking his ass when I see him. If he’d been here on time, we wouldn’t have lost Anton.”

  When he emerged where he’d departed with Anton, the sun was bright. Phoenyx flinched, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the blinding light, as he allowed his corporal form to vanish. He had blood on him from the giant’s injury and didn’t want people gawking or law enforcement taking an interest in him.

  Golden Eyes wasn’t lying on the ground. He was gone, and Phoenyx wished he’d caught the guy’s name or knew where he lived. Not having those facts would make Phoenyx’s job of finding him a hell of a lot harder, but not impossible.

  Maybe, just maybe, if he tracked Anton down, Phoenyx would find that exquisite human with eyes the color of fresh honey.

  The human he couldn’t get off his mind.

  * * * *

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t make it in. I’m being serious.” Edward gave a fake cough that he hoped sounded convincing. “You wouldn’t want me to get my coworkers or the customers sick, would you?”

  “If you’re still not here tomorrow, don’t come back without a doctor’s note. I hope you feel better.” His boss hung up, and Edward’s stomach dropped. One, he felt crappy for lying and his boss giving him well wishes. Two, he wasn’t going to a doctor. Edward would be back to work tomorrow at Jammin’ Juice Hut, but right now, he needed some time to himself.

  Some time to figure out what his next move would be. He couldn’t believe Lyle had unleashed a freaking demon on him. All because he owed the guy some money and couldn’t pay up.

  Edward felt a storm brewing inside his gut. It was telling him that Lyle wasn’t done with him just yet. Lyle was a vindictive fairy who wouldn’t stop until Edward had either paid him, with interest, or he was dead.

  But if Edward were dead, how would Lyle collect? That just told him how insane Lyle was and why he should’ve never dealt with the fairy in the first place. Lyle was tall, lithe, and had a mean streak a mile long. Edward had been pulled in by his beauty. Those alluring blue eyes and that sweet smile that really belonged to a snake.

  And now Edward was so fucked he didn’t know what to do. Panic sat on his chest as he made his way to the door. A walk would help to clear his head. He wouldn’t get anything accomplished sitting at home. He just had to be careful not to run into that soul-sucking demon again.

  Then Edward recalled the redhead. Some mighty warrior who’d come from the shadows with a buddy, ripped, mysterious, and who had yanked Anton off Edward just as the demon had cupped Edward’s face and tried to suck his soul right out of him.

  Edward’s chest still felt cold and empty, as if Anton had succeeded. But he knew the demon hadn’t because he’d just started when Edward’s heroes had arrived. He’d woken up on cold, hard cement, staring up at the brightening sky, too afraid to move until his common sense kicked in and he’d torn from that alley and raced away.

  More like stumbled away. He’d felt drunk and weird and chilled and had just wanted to run to his grandma’s house and bask in one of her warm hugs to help chase the cold away. Edward had gone home instead. He wasn’t leading a demon to her, even if Anton had been taken away.

  Now Edward was jumpy, reacting to every noise on the street, constantly looking over his shoulder as he walked aimlessly through town. Maybe he should’ve just stayed home. He had no destination in mind, no clue what to do, but he needed to think of a way to raise ten grand before Lyle came up with an even more diabolical plan.

  Ten grand. What in the hell had Edward been thinking? Desperation. That was what led him to Lyle. Working at the juice hut hadn’t given Edward enough money to pay his grandma’s doctor bills, and they’d been mounting since she’d lost her health insurance.

  Her monthly pills alone were draining him. He was behind on his bills, about to be evicted, and the only option that would be left to him was moving back in with his grandmother. It wasn’t as if he didn’t love her. He did. She’d raised him since he was a little boy. But he liked living on his own, loved his independence and walking around in his underwear.

  It also made it easier for him to bring dates home, which he hadn’t done in a while. Edward had been too focused on his problems, and he was starting to develop blue balls.

  He stopped when he felt a weird vibe around him. Edward looked up and down the street but didn’t see anyone looking his way. He rubbed his arms and scanned his surroundings for a moment longer before he started walking again.

  Suddenly that redhead popped into his mind again. Eyes so green they were the color of summer leaves. The way the stranger had looked at him before he’d passed out. Gorgeous was an understatement.

  Too bad he’d never see the guy again. They’d corralled Anton and taken him away. There was no reason for the mysterious redhead to return.

  Edward was so deep in thought that he didn’t notice the car until he stepped into the street. His reaction time was too slow, even when the car slammed on the brakes. Edward was seconds away from being hit when an unseen force yanked him back. He landed on his ass on the sidewalk, his heart in his throat.

  What the fuck?

  Edward looked around, but he was by himself. Unscathed, scared, and no clue how he’d gotten there.

  “Are you okay?” A woman in a yellow sundress and tan sandals, with cascading brown hair, ran toward him. She looked at Edward then at the street. “You we
re about to be hit. Then you…you flew backward. Did the car strike you?”

  Edward wiggled his arms then got to his feet. Nothing besides his butt hurt. “No.” He shook his head. “I’m fine.”

  But he wasn’t. Something had intervened. Something had pushed him out of harm’s way. It also felt as though that something was still lingering around. Edward couldn’t say anything because the woman in her sundress and sandals still stared at him, as if waiting for him to explain how he’d flown backward. She wasn’t the only one waiting on an explanation, waiting to make sense of what had just happened.

  “You must have been struck.” It was as if she was forcing that certainty on Edward because her brain refused to believe he’d shot through the air for any other reason. She reached out, like she wanted to touch him, to reassure herself that he was unharmed, but let her hands fall to her sides. “I’ll call you an ambulance.”

  “Really. I don’t need one.” Something tugged at Edward’s arm, a strange sensation that had him looking to his left. No one was there. “I’m late and need to go. Thank you for your concern.”

  “You shouldn’t be walking,” she called out as Edward hurried around the corner. His heart was still beating erratically, his throat bone-dry. He stopped and looked around to make sure no one else was nearby.

  Edward knew about the frightening, mysterious, unseen world all around him. He’d discovered it one night at The Manacle, a goth club in the city. Unbeknownst to him, he’d slept with a vampire.

  Since seeing and feeling those fangs, Edward had continued to go back to the club. Now he knew that not only vampires existed but so did shifters, demons, fairies, and a whole host of other creatures.

  And that was how he’d run into Lyle. Edward had been too damn nosy for his own good and had gotten tangled up in a deal he couldn’t get out of.