Phoenix Love

I wish he wouldn't look at me like that, Raina Sparrow thought.

She could feel Ryder's eyes on her while she was crouched down. They were trying to track renegade wolf spirits, untamed forces of destruction and hunger. They'd been seen in the area, and since the Phoenix was the strongest spirit around, the Hericules sent their oldest son and his pair out to deal with them.

Raina's connection to the spirit world had always been strong, she was born with her mother's sight, the ability to see more of the spirit world than most people. It came in handy for tracking. She could see the remnants of prints, energy left behind in a blood red/

"This way." Standing up, she pulled her coat tighter around herself. She refused to look back to see if he was following. The path lead down a few streets and into a dark alley. A blood curdling howl set Raina's hair on edge, they were on the right track. Picking up the pace, she jogged down the road, puddles splashing with every footfall.

The sooner we get this over with, the better. She thought bitterly.

Ever since she'd been chosen by the Phoenix, Ryder had been treating her differently. Her being at the selection ceremony was supposed to be irrelevant, until the spirit flew into the crowd to find her. It was supposed to bond to Ryder's betrothed, Marceline McAdams. Raina would never forget the way the people around her went silent, or the look of rage on Marceline's face. It had scared her. Raina and her younger sister, Beryl, had only been invited because they were connected to the world of spirit wielders through their late father. No one expected one of the orphan girls to ever actually get a spirit of their own, much less the Phoenix. Nothing had gone right for the Sparrow sisters after that.

Turning the corner into another alleyway, Raina skid to a stop. There they were. Two huge crimson wolves, the size of mini vans, glowing with malicious energy. Without thinking, she pulled her knives from the sheathes tied to her belt and summoned the fire the Phoenix had granted her. Blue flames burst from the knives and flowed up her arms, stopping right before her shoulders. The connection they shared let Raina know Ryker had used his power too. The two of them leaped forward together, each taking on one of the behemoths.

Raina's wolf snarled and snapped, leaving it's belly exposed. Sliding underneath the creature, she used her knives to cut the soft underbelly, before sliding out behind it. With a well aimed throw, she imbedded one of the daggers in the back of it's neck before it had time to turn around. Her combat instincts were a cut above the rest, even the son of the most powerful family. Ryder was still slashing at the other beast with his sword. The fire he wielded was weaker than hers.

Ryder was something special in his own right, though. Something she'd always admired about him was how hard he trained. He was born into wealth, power, and talent, but he practiced anyway. Watching him fight was like watching a bloody dance. It was pretty obvious that he took his anger out in these fights. She let him, it was easier than him snapping at her every move. His dark hair was tied back into a short ponytail, his leather armor tight, showing off his incredible physique. He lunged for an opening, but it was obviously a trap. The wolf spun faster than any normal animal ever could, baring it's fangs, snapping at Ryder. Before she could think, Raina had thrown the other dagger, killing the creature. Her dagger stuck out of it's eye socket, and it slumped over. Bending over, she pulled the knife from the first wolf and walked over to retrieve the other half of the pair.

"I had that under control." Ryder seethed. Raina stopped dead in her tracks. If she had thought about it at all, she would have left him to kill the other wolf on his own. Now his rage was focused on her again.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think."

"You never do!" He shouted back, making Raina flinch. He'd never physically hurt her, but she didn't want to push her luck.

Kneeling in front of him, hand on her heart and eye downcast, staring at his black leather boots, she said; "I'm sorry, my lord. I'll refrain from taking unnecessary measures in the future." She didn't have to look up to hear the scoff escape his lips.

"Fine. Get up. Seeing anyone who carries the Phoenix act so subservient makes me sick." He turned on his heel and was part way down the alley before she's stood up.

"Lord Ryder, where are you going?" She asked while she retrieved the missing dagger from the spirit's corpse. All that was left of the wolves now was a magic dust, used to power magical devices.

"You don't need me to gather their remains, do you?" He slowed to a stop, but he didn't turn around. Raina didn't mind, it saved her from that look.

"No, Lord. But wolves always travel in groups of three."

"There have been rare cases where there was two. The third must already be dead, or it would have been with it's companions. I'm leaving." Ryder started walking again.

"But, Lord-" He cut her off with a glare cast over his shoulder.

"I have places to be. We can't all be free from responsibility." The words dug into her heart like a knife. He meant family responsibilities. Her sister was the only thing she had left after her parents died. She might be carrying on their name, and taking care of her sister, but that paled in comparison to the duties of a heir of one of the great houses. He had to learn two businesses, the spirit wielder organization, Dust, and Spark technology, the normal business they ran to keep the normal people from looking too deep into the family and finding something they shouldn't. It helped fund Dust, too. Without Spark, spirit wielders under their care would have to get regular jobs to pay rent. Instead, Dust paid them to take on renegade spirits and keep the normal people safe. And to keep them from finding out about the world that lay underneath their own.

Raina sighed and went to work scooping the magic powder into small glass vials she kept in the little bag she wore on her belt. Her armor was a shabby mess compared to Ryders, but it had been her mothers so she kept wearing it anyway. Their family crest was embossed on the back, a sparrow with an arrow and bow crossed behind it. Once, her family had been high ranking in the world of spirit wielders, famous for their marksmanship and their sight. There wasn't a spirit they couldn't track and kill. But someone had cursed their family. They started dying off rapidly, ending with her mother and father's death when Raina was ten. It was ruled a spirit attack, but Raina knew better. Someone had stolen their families spirit, the Sparrow. Spirits didn't do that, humans did.

Once she finished her task, she started down the alley in the opposite direction Ryder had gone. She would go home, take a shower, and get dinner ready for herself and Beryl. There was no doubt in Raina's mind that Beryl was probably still working on her new invention. Once she got into the zone, she would forget to eat, sleep, do anything other than work. She dug into her work like a tick. Thinking about her sister's incredible worth ethic made Raina smile. A growl behind her made her stop before she left the alley. Slowly, she turned, coming face to face with the missing wolf spirit.

I hate being right, she thought. With timing on par with her own rotten luck, three men turned into the alley. The one in the middle was tall, skin dark as ebony, wearing a white suit and golden jewelry. They had been laughing before they noticed the giant red wolf. Once they saw it, they stopped, falling silent. The wolf sniffed the air and growled again, turning to face the newcomers. It dashed forward, Raina on it's tail. These were ordinary people. Raina had to protect them. Calling on the Phoenix's power, she summoned a pair of blue fiery wings and leapt. She had to get in between the men and the wolf.

Her focus on protecting them bit her almost immediately. Before she even hit the ground, the wolf lunged forward with it's claws, aiming for the handsome man in the white suit. Luckily she intercepted the strike, unluckily, she did so with her own body. It's claws cut through her side like butter. She cried out in pain, wings disappearing with her focus. With the wolf behind her, she was sure she was going to die.

Seriously? She chided herself as she fell forward onto her knees. This is how we die? Making a rookie mistake? The pain was unbearable, her vision tunneling. The last thing she saw before she passed out was the man's beautiful golden eyes.