Rise of the Phoenix by J L Madore

Author:J L Madore [Madore, J L]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781989187319
Publisher: JL Madore
Published: 2020-05-25T16:00:00+00:00

Calli

I wake with a startle when the bus jerks into motion. I blink at the warm, tangerine sunset tinting the tour bus bedroom. I must’ve dozed off. When I came in to lay with Jaxx, it was mid-afternoon, now it must be nearly dinner time. My heart rate jumps, and I wonder what’s next. Will Hawk want to go talk to his council to break our bond? Jaxx doesn’t want that. Or Kotah. I’m pretty sure Brant won’t want it either, though I haven’t had a chance to talk with my bear much yet.

I shift to extract myself from the covers, and Jaxx stirs in his sleep. He tightens the hold of his arm draping over me to keep me close.

Funny. If I woke like this a few weeks ago, I would’ve panicked. Any man too close when I felt vulnerable triggered my defensive instincts no matter how much I cared for him or rationalized. With Jaxx, that cold dread doesn’t come.

He forgave me.

With an unfamiliar glow warming my chest, I unwrap myself from the blankets and slide out from the comfort of Jaxx’s embrace. My jaguar lets off a sexy purr and I’m all smiles as I shuffle into the bathroom.

Set out on the counter of the little vanity area is a white robe made from what feels like the same flame-retardant fabric as my blanket. Sweet.

How weird is it that a bus has a full-sized washroom with shower, toilet, and vanity? Who thought of this? Someone with money to burn.

I think of Hawk and a fresh wave of betrayal hits.

The woman in the mirror catches my attention. With the dust settling from the obliteration of my emotional walls, I see things in a new light. Hawk is wrong. I’m more than my mistakes and the circumstances of a shitty human life. If he wants to sever our bond, he can walk away. He’ll be the one making the mistake.

I’ll prove to the others I’m more than my past.

I freshen up, shrug on the robe, and pad barefooted past my purring jaguar man sleeping in the bed.

“There she is,” Brant says, welcoming me into the lounge to join him and Kotah for what I can only describe as a buffet gone wild. The guys move to stand as I enter the room, and I wave for them to sit back down. “Just in time, beautiful. We figured you and Jaxx would be starving, so we picked up enough food to choke a horse.”

I glance at the spread, and the bear isn’t exaggerating. There is enough food set out on the counter to feed an army. Well, at least my guardian army. “Where’s Hawk?”

Brant tilts his head toward the front of the bus. “He’s shot-gunning the way in his truck. Lukas is driving the Navigator while he gets some work done.”

“Avoiding me?”

“Avoiding us,” Kotah says. “Calli, what he said before… the way he spoke to you…”

I raise a hand and wave away the embarrassment. Nothing Hawk said was untrue, but it doesn’t mean I want to dwell on it.

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