The Phoenix Prophecy: Nova

Tanner just told me he loved me. Right? I didn’t imagine it. He said he loved me enough for two people. He said that.

My stomach is doing somersaults. I feel like whooping and punching the roof of the truck. I feel like grabbing the wheel, making him pull over, and climbing into his lap right there at the side of the road. I feel like saying it back. But I don’t. I don’t need to. He loves me and he doesn’t want anything from me in return. And that’s something I’ve never had before.

I’ve also never had a boyfriend who seemed totally okay with the idea of me being into his best friends as well as him. If anything, he seems intrigued when I talk about my connection to Kole and Mack. Like it excites him. Like he wants to know more.

When we reach The Cross, Tanner pulls around the back and stares at the building. It’s mid-afternoon. The bar’s open, but it won’t be busy.

“I have a favor to ask you.” Tanner unbuckles his seatbelt and turns in his seat so he’s facing me.

“Here?” I say, glancing purposefully at his crotch.

He blinks at me for a moment, then rearranges himself. “A different kind of favor.”

I nod. “Okay.”

“Before we ask Kole to help us, I want to see if Rev can do it.”ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“Rev?”

“We can trust her. She’s a seer too. I’m an empath. Between us, we might be able to access enough to figure out what happened to your family.”

A cool breeze drifts in through the open truck windows. I’m wearing my thin white sweater. I pull the sleeve down over my hand and fiddle with it. Meeting Tanner’s gaze, I say, “You don’t trust Kole?”

“I’d trust him with my life.” Tanner’s features have sharpened into something much more serious. “But I’m not sure I trust him with yours.”

I slide across the old-fashioned front seat until I’m able to press up next to him. “I’m not to the only one who feels a connection to Kole, am I? You two have… something?”

“We have history.” Tanner puts his arm around me. “The way we met—when he was undercover with the League—it was dark. We give each other something that we need. It’s not the same as the way I feel about you. Not even close. But I do care about him. About you both. If he hurt you, I’d hate him for it, and he’d hate himself. I’m not sure he’d ever come back from that. Nor would I.”

I nod and stroke his arm. It’s smooth and muscular, and I love the way it feels when he’s holding me. “Then let’s do it. Let’s ask Rev.”

“You’re sure?”

“If you trust her, so do I.”

Tanner leans down and kisses me. It’s a hungry kiss. Searching. His tongue flicks into my mouth and I greet it with my own. “Fuck, I want you so bad.” He runs his fingers under my bra straps, as if he’s about to tug them down and expose my breasts right here in the parking lot.

“I want you too.” I cup his cock through his jeans and it makes him groan. It would be so easy to tug him free and climb on top of him. But I pull away. Brush my hair from my face. Slide back toward my side of the truck. “We should go see Rev.”

Tanner tips his head back and thumps the wheel. “Okay. You’re right. Okay.” He looks at me sideways. “Could you, like, get out of the truck? No way this is going down while you’re sitting there looking so fucking adorable.”

I laugh, open the door, and hop out. He joins me a moment later, takes my hand, and walks me across the street to Rev’s.

The store is open, but there’s no one inside. As the door closes, Tanner flips the sign to ‘closed’ and turns the lock. When Rev appears from out back, she stops open-mouthed. “What the hell are you doing?”

Tanner and I exchange a glance.

“What are you doing in public?” She strides over and tugs me away from the window. When neither Tanner nor I speak, she says, “I saw the video. It took me all of three seconds to figure out it was Nova. You think no one else will work it out?”

Tanner exhales hard and sits down on the mustard yellow couch, leaning forward onto his knees and clasping his hands together. I sit next to him. Rev stands in front of us, arms folded like an angry headmistress.

“Rev, we need your help.” Tanner looks up at her. She stares at him for a moment, then grabs a chair from the corner of the room and pulls it over.

She raises an eyebrow at him. Tanner swallows hard.

“How much do you know about Kole’s past?”

Rev tilts her head. “Don’t know if you’d noticed. He ain’t a big talker.”

“Right.” Tanner nods. “But you know he spent time undercover for the Bureau?”

She narrows her eyes.

“He went deep with the League.”

“The H.E.L.?” Rev asks.

Tanner nods. “They were doing dirty work for a super with demon connections. Kole never found out his name.”

“Demons?” The word escapes my lips before I can stop it; Tanner and Mack didn’t share this part when they told me about the prophecy.

Taking my hand, Tanner looks at me. “For centuries, demons have been trying to break through from the underworld, but their dark magick showed them they can’t succeed. That there’s someone out there who’s destined to stop them.”

A cold, creeping sense of dread snakes up my spine.

“The identity of that person was sealed in a prophecy.”

“The Phoenix Prophecy,” I whisper.

Rev’s eyes widen as Tanner’s jaw twitches. “That’s right,” he says. “And the Human Extinction League were tasked with finding a seer who could access it.”

“Kole.” Rev mutters. “They used Kole.”

“They got him hooked on F.H.B. to amplify his power. It worked. He gave them the prophecy.” Tanner squeezes my hand as he recites it to Rev.

When he finishes, she says, “And you think Nova’s the Phoenix?”

Before Tanner can answer, I cut in. “Yes, but they need to know more about my parents. Tanner took me for some tests to look at my blood, but my parents and my brother died in a fire. I can’t remember how it started. They think if they can unlock those memories, we might find an answer.”

Rev steeples her fingers together and presses them to her lips. “Kole?” she asks, looking from me to Tanner.

“He has a connection to Nova. A strong one. It’s making it hard for him to control the hunger.”

“So, you need me.”

Tanner nods. “We’d like you to try.”

Slowly, Rev stands up and moves toward the back of the store. When she reaches the curtain behind the counter, she stops and says over her shoulder, “Well, are you coming?”

We spring to our feet and follow her. In a dimly lit room, she tells me to sit on the floor. Tanner sits behind me. Rev sits in front. They join hands, locking me between their arms.

Rev closes her eyes. I can feel Tanner’s breath on my neck. I want to lean into him, but he feels too far away. Rev starts to mutter. A string of words I don’t understand. Tanner joins in. I close my eyes, too. I feel the way I felt when I was in my apartment. When Johnny came for me and the world slowed down. Air rushing past my ears. Like I’m moving fast and slow at the same time.

There’s a flash of something. A jolt. Like lightning behind my eyes. I see flames. I hear a voice. Nova. Nova. I open my eyes and search for it. Then another voice. A yell that brings me back into the room.

Rev has slumped forward and is breathing heavily. When she looks up, her eyes are dark. She shakes her head. “I can’t.” She pinches the bridge of her nose. “I’m not strong enough. Your memories have been sealed.”

“Sealed?” I look for Tanner. He slides up next to me. He looks a little dizzy, too.

“It’s when magick is used to prevent memories being accessed.” Tanner frowns. He shakes his head.

“Who would do that?” I’m looking at Rev. She stands gingerly and steadies herself on the wall.

“I have no idea. But my magick isn’t strong enough to break the seal.”

As Tanner helps me to my feet, Rev meets his gaze. “I’m sorry,” she says. “But if you want to find out what happened to Nova’s family, I think Kole is your only shot.”