Playing With Fire (Phoenix Fire #3)(50)
Author: Cynthia Eden

Dante hadn’t intended to make the phoenix shifter’s death particularly brutal. In that moment, he changed his mind.

The woman—Eve—had frozen, but Cain hurried back to her, pulling Cassie in front of him like the shield that she was.

“You want to let her go,” Dante snapped.

Cain shook his head and put his gun to Cassie’s head.

The fool.

“What are you doing?” Eve demanded. “That’s Cassie! She’s helping Trace!”

The elevator doors closed.

Cain shook his head again. “She set us up, don’t you see that? Lured us out here so he could attack.”

Cassie’s wild-eyed stare landed on Dante. “I didn’t,” she whispered. “I didn’t know what he’d planned.”

Dante saw betrayal in her stare, and that look made him feel strange. His chest ached.

“Move the gun away from her head,” he ordered.

The gun didn’t move.

“Cain!” Eve snapped.

“Don’t move the gun,” Cassie said in the same instant.

What?

“Eve, call up the elevator,” Cassie said softly. “You, Cain, and I will go inside it. Dante won’t—He won’t hurt us as long as I’m in front of you two.”

She was choosing to protect them? Even as that jackass pressed a gun to her head?

Cassie held Dante’s gaze. “I’ll lock the system down once we’re inside. He won’t be able to follow us.”

No, no. That would not happen.

“Cassie . . .” Her name was a warning growl from Dante.

Cain slowly backed them toward the elevator.

“You don’t follow us,” Cassie whispered to Dante. “You just . . . get the hell out of here. Don’t look for us, and we won’t look for you.”

He didn’t think Cain was going to agree to that plan. The expression on the guy’s face promised retribution.

Dante wasn’t leaving him alive. “That’s not happening,” he vowed.

“You used me,” Cassie said, shaking her head.

Had her voice broken? It had. Broken with pain.

“I trusted you, but you just wanted to hurt them.”

“No,” Dante said. “I wanted to kill the phoenix.” It was what he’d been taught to do. The only way he’d survived.

The phoenixes in his village had turned on one another, battling in a fury of bloodlust and fire.

Until only one remained . . .

Because of the siren.

Cassie didn’t realize that she was the danger that would destroy so many. He knew what powers she held inside. He’d known from the beginning.

Maybe he should have just killed her, but that act had always been beyond him. She made him weak.

Just as Zura had made his brother weak.

It doesn’t have to be this way! We can be strong together.

Hadn’t he tried to stop his brother? Hadn’t he tried to use reason before fire?

Until there had been no reason left.

Just flames.

Wren hadn’t wanted them both to live. He hadn’t wanted them both to be stronger.

I’ll be stronger on my own. Wren had told him those cold words, even as his fire burned hell-hot. And I’ll never fear you turning on me.

The elevator’s doors opened. Eve stepped toward those doors then stopped. “Trace?”

The wild scent of the wolf hit Dante. Impossible. The werewolf is chained below. He is—

The werewolf shoved something, someone—the human, Charles, a very bloody Charles—onto the ground and leaped out of that elevator. He looked different, far more savage and animal-like, as he lunged for Cassie.

“No!” The bellow was Dante’s. But he was too far away.

The werewolf hit Cassie and Cain, sending both tumbling to the ground. Cain’s weapon fired, the bullet exploding, and Eve screamed.

The wolf didn’t stop. He grabbed Cassie and yanked her back.

Dante attacked. He lifted his hands, conjuring the most powerful fire he had within him. The werewolf wouldn’t survive the blast. Cassie had thought to save this beast? There was no saving a being that thought to hurt her.

No saving . . .

Dante’s fire launched out.

The beast dropped Cassie and rushed toward Cain, moving so fast—incredibly fast—as he dodged the flames. The fire barely singed him. The werewolf ’s claws swiped over the other phoenix, cutting him deep. Cain swore and fire swirled over his fingers.

Eve grabbed his arm. “That’s Trace!”

“That’s a f**king dead wolf,” Dante shouted. Cassie was bleeding. The wolf ’s claws had cut her and the wolf was—

“Help . . .” That cry was more beast than man. Far more. “Help . . . Cass . . .” the werewolf growled. Then he was curling his powerful body around hers.

Dante stepped toward them.

The werewolf bared his teeth. “Kill . . .”

His claws weren’t near her throat. He had wrapped his arms around Cassie’s stomach.

“The change is . . . even worse,” Eve whispered. “I thought he was getting better.”

The wolf had looked better. Before.

He seemed to be turning more into the beast as Dante watched. Thick, dark fur burst from his skin, and the werewolf opened his mouth to snarl with the pain of his change.

“Trace.” Cassie tried to push free of his hold. “Trace, you’re hurting me.”

The phoenix within Dante began to attack with his flaming claws. Wanting out.

Trace stiffened.

“Let me go, Trace. Please.”

Trace shook his head. The transformation seemed to have halted with Cassie’s words.

The siren’s song is controlling him. Dante stalked toward Trace.

“Help”—Trace growled—“Cass . . .”

Dante took another step.

Trace’s head snapped up and his glowing eyes locked on Dante. “Kill.” The werewolf ’s teeth snapped together.

“Come on and try,” Dante invited. “Let’s just see what you’ve got.”

Trace freed Cassie.

Yes.

Then the beast was running for him.

Dante lifted his hand and sent flames right at the beast.

“No!” Cassie screamed as she ran after Trace.

The man-beast fell, rolling on the ground and howling as he tried to put out the flames that flared over his body.

“Stop!” Cassie shoved at Dante, sending him stumbling back in surprise. “Don’t hurt him! Don’t you see? He’s protecting me!”

He was—what?