After they left, later that night, I found myself unable to settle. The confrontation had left me wired, the Phoenix fire still simmering just beneath my skin.

I ended up in the training room, barefoot and still in my red dress, staring at the padded walls like they held answers.

"You couldn't sleep either?"

I turned to find Osilus in the doorway, wearing only sleep pants, his chest bare and his expression concerned.

"Every time I close my eyes, I see them," I admitted. "And I want to burn them alive."

"That's the Phoenix speaking," he said, crossing to me. "She wants justice. Vengeance."

"So do I," I said. "Is that wrong?"

"No." He stopped in front of me, close enough that I could feel his warmth. "They hurt you. Killed you. You're allowed to want them to pay."

"Avalon thinks they'll try to kill me again," I said. "Before I can expose them."

"Avalon's probably right," he agreed. "Which is why we're not letting you out of our sight."

"I don't need a babysitter," I started, but he cut me off with a gentle finger against my lips.

"Not a babysitter," he said softly. "A mate. Let me be here for you, Zephyr. The way I should have been before."

I looked up at him, seeing the regret and determination in his warm brown eyes. "You couldn't have stopped them."

"Maybe not," he said. "But I could have tried. Instead, I stood by and watched you suffer. That's not happening again."

The mate bond pulsed between us, warmer and steadier than Avalon's ice or Zane's fire. This was solid, dependable, safe.

"Stay with me tonight," I heard myself say. "I don't want to be alone."

"I thought you would never ask," he pulled me into his arms.

We stood there in the training room, holding each other as the moon rose over the forest. And for the first time since I'd come back, I let myself believe that maybe-just maybe-I didn't have to face this alone.

An envelope arrived three days later while I was in the study with Avalon, going over pack security protocols. Emma knocked and entered with a silver tray.

"This just arrived by courier, Miss Zephyr," she said, setting it down. "From the Chance estate."

My heart kicked against my ribs. Avalon looked at me.

"Thank you, Emma," I said, dismissing her with a nod.

The moment the door clicked shut, I tore open the envelope. Inside were legal documents, transfer papers, and a single key on a silver chain.

"They actually did it," I breathed, scanning the papers. "Everything. The accounts, the properties, My mother's entire estate."

"That was fast," Avalon said raising a brow.

"They're probably scared," I said, but unease coiled in my stomach. "Or they're planning something."

"It could be both." He picked up the key, examining it. "What's this for?"

"It's the key to my mother's private vault," I said, as the memories came back. "I'd completely forgotten about it."

"Forgotten?" His eyes sharpened. "Or you never knew it existed?"

I met his gaze. "In my first life, I never got the inheritance. They killed me before the transfer could happen. I never saw any of this."

"Then we need to see what's in that vault," he said.

"That's true." I gathered the papers, something pulling at my instincts. "But I want Zane with us."

He's face turned to a frown. "Why Zane?"

"Because if there's danger, I want someone who enjoys killing things," I said bluntly. "And because the mate bond is telling me I need him there."

He studied me for a long moment, then nodded. "I'll have him meet us at the manor in an hour."

The Delphine manor sat on the edge of Cary territory, a sprawling Gothic monstrosity that had belonged to my mother's family for generations. I hadn't been here since she died when I was twelve.

"Cheerful place," Zane drawled as we pulled up. He'd arrived on a black motorcycle, while wearing sleek black leather pants and jacket. "I love me some very 'haunted mansion murder mystery.'"

"My mother loved it," I said, stepping out of Avalon's car. The manor loomed above us, all dark stone and ivy-covered walls. "She said old things have power."

"She wasn't wrong," Zane said, coming to stand beside me. His hand found mine, and fire sparked between us. "I can feel magic here. Old magic."

"Phoenix magic," Avalon corrected, joining us. "Your mother was a Lunar Phoenix too, wasn't she?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "She died before she could tell me. Father always said it was an illness, but now..." I looked at the manor, seeing it with new eyes. "Now I wonder if he killed her too."

The thought settled like ice in my veins.

"Let's find out," Zane said, and we headed inside.

The manor was dusty and dark, with all the furniture covered in white sheets like ghosts. Our footsteps echoed through the empty halls.

"The vault is in her study," I said, leading them up the grand staircase. "Third floor, east wing."

My mother's study was surprisingly untouched by time. Books lined the walls, her desk sat exactly as she'd left it, and the fireplace still held the ashes of the last fire she'd burned.

"There," I pointed to the portrait above the mantle. "Behind my mother's painting."

Avalon moved the portrait aside, revealing a small safe built into the wall. I inserted the key, and the lock clicked open with a sound that felt like destiny.

Inside were three things: a leather journal, a wooden box, and a sealed letter addressed to me in my mother's handwriting.

My hands shook as I reached for the letter.

"Zephyr," it read. "If you're reading this, then I'm gone and you've finally claimed your inheritance. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you the truth while I lived. Sorry I couldn't protect you from what's coming. But know this-you are stronger than you know. The Phoenix bloodline runs true in you, and with it comes both power and peril."

I swallowed hard, continuing to read.

"The vampires will come for you, as they came for me. They need Phoenix blood to cure the curse that's killing them-a curse born from their own greed generations ago. They will try to capture you, breed you, use you as they tried to use me. Your father... he helped them once. He gave them my blood in exchange for political power. When I discovered his betrayal, I tried to leave, but the sickness took me before I could escape. It was no illness, Zephyr. It was poison. Bruin poisoned me to keep his secrets safe and to claim my estate for himself."

The paper crumpled in my grip. "He killed her," I whispered. "He killed my mother."

"Fuck," Zane breathed beside me.

Avalon's hand was on my shoulder. "Keep reading."

I forced my eyes back to the letter.

"In the wooden box, you'll find three vials of Phoenix blood-my blood. Use it wisely. Phoenix blood can heal, curse, and bind. The journal contains everything I learned about our bloodline, about the vampires, about the curse. Read it carefully. Trust your mates-yes, I know about the three-mate bond. It's the Phoenix way. Let them protect you, but never let them control you. You are a Delphine, Zephyr. We bow to no one. I love you, my darling girl. I'm sorry I couldn't stay to see the woman you'll become. But I know you'll be magnificent. Your mother, Lyanna Delphine."

Tears streamed down my face. I set the letter down with shaking hands and reached for the wooden box.

Inside, three crystal vials gleamed in the dim light, filled with blood that shimmered gold and silver.

"Phoenix blood," Avalon said quietly. "She preserved it somehow."

"For me," I said. "She knew I'd need it."

"What's in the journal?" Zane asked, already reaching for it.

"The vampire curse," I read aloud. "Originated three hundred years ago when the vampire queen tried to steal Phoenix power through a blood ritual. The ritual backfired, creating a wasting sickness that kills vampires slowly, painfully. Only Phoenix blood can cure it temporarily, but the cure requires regular doses. The vampires have been hunting Phoenixes to extinction, trying to find a permanent solution."

"And breeding them," Avalon said grimly, reading over my shoulder. "Creating a captive population."

"That's why they need me," I said, nausea rising. "Not just for my blood, but to create more Phoenixes they can harvest."

"Over my dead body," Zane growled.

I kept reading, flipping through pages of formulas and diagrams. Then I stopped, my blood running cold.

"What?" Avalon asked. "What is it?"

"The cure," I whispered. "The permanent cure. It's not just Phoenix blood. It requires..." I looked up at them with horror written on my face. "It requires a Phoenix to willingly reverse the curse and give their life force to break it."

"So they need you to sacrifice yourself," Zane said flatly. "That's not happening."

"There's more," I said, reading frantically. "My mother discovered something. The curse wasn't just random, it was tied to a specific bloodline. The vampire royal family and the only Phoenix who can break it is..." My voice failed.

"Is what?" Avalon demanded.

"A direct descendant of the Phoenix who created the curse," I finished. "Which is my mother's line. My bloodline."

The room fell silent except for my ragged breathing.

"That's why they came for your mother," Avalon said slowly. "And why they'll come for you."

"And why Father betrayed her," I said bitterly. "He knew what she was and what I'd be so he sold us both to the vampires for power."

"Then we kill him," Zane said simply. "Along with Bron before they can tell the vampires you exist."

"They already know," I said, pointing to a final entry in the journal. "Mother wrote this two days before she died. 'Bruin has sent word to the vampire court. They're coming for me. I've hidden the truth about Zephyr, made them think she's human. But once she awakens... they'll know. They'll feel her power and come for her just as they came for me. I can only pray she's stronger than I was. And her mates protect her where Bruin failed me.'"

I closed the journal, fury and grief rising in my chest. "She tried to protect me and my father still sold her out."

"We need to move fast," Avalon said, already thinking tactically. "If the vampires don't know about you yet..."

"They will soon," I interrupted. "The power I used against Bron and Father, that much Phoenix fire? They felt it and if they're smart, they'll realize what it means."

"How long do we have?" Zane asked.

"Days," I said. "Maybe a week if we're lucky."

"Then we use that time," Avalon said. "We train you harder and fortify the estate. Then we make sure your father and brother can't send word to anyone."

"I want them dead," I said, and the Phoenix fire flared beneath my skin. "For what they did to Mother. For what they tried to do to me."

"And in the meantime?" I asked.

"In the meantime," Zane said, moving closer, "you let us keep you safe. All three of us."

"I can keep myself safe," I argued, but without heat.

"Can you?" Zane challenged, circling me like he always did. "Because from where I'm standing, you just found out the vampires want to breed you like cattle, and your father murdered your mother, and you've got maybe a week before your entire world goes to hell. Forgive me if I think you could use some backup."

He wasn't wrong. As much as I hated admitting it, I was in over my head.

"Fine," I said. "But I'm still killing Bron myself."

"Wouldn't dream of taking that from you," Zane said, then caught my chin, tilting my face up. "But right now, you look like you're about to shatter. So here's what's going to happen. Avalon's going to take the journal and start making plans. And you and I are going to stay here and make sure you don't fall apart."

"I'm not going to..." I started, but the words died when I saw the concern in his burning eyes.

"Come here," Zane said, pulling me into his arms as soon as Avalon left.

I went, and the moment his warmth surrounded me, the dam broke.

I sobbed into his chest for my mother, for the life stolen from her, for the childhood I'd lost when she died. For everything Father had taken from both of us.

"I'm going to kill him," I choked out between sobs. "I'm going to make him suffer the way she suffered."

"I know," he murmured, stroking my hair. "And I'll help you. We all will."

That seemed to fan the mate bond between us and for the first time, I understood why fate had bound me to Zane. Because he understood the rage, the need for violence, the desire to watch your enemies burn.

"Kiss me," I said, surprising myself.

His eyes flared. "Zephyr-"

"I need to feel something other than grief," I interrupted. "Please, Zane. Make me feel alive."

He studied me for a long moment, then crushed his mouth to mine.

The kiss was nothing like Avalon's-no ice, no control. This was pure fire, consuming and wild. His tongue swept against mine as his hands fisted in my hair, and I gasped into his mouth.

The mate bond exploded between us, pleasure and pain and power all tangled together.

"Fuck," he groaned against my lips. "You taste like smoke and fury."

"Good," I panted, nails digging into his shoulders. "Don't stop."

He walked me backward until I hit the desk, then lifted me onto it. Papers scattered as he settled between my thighs, and I wrapped my legs around his waist.

"This is a bad idea," he said, even as his hands slid up my thighs, pushing my dress higher.

"I don't care," I said, yanking at his shirt. "I need this. I fucking need you."

He captured my mouth again, swallowing my moans as his fingers found the edge of my underwear. "Tell me to stop, and I will."

"Don't you dare stop," I commanded, and the Alpha tone in my voice made him grin.

"There's my Phoenix," he said, then tore my underwear off in one sharp movement.

I cried out, more from surprise than pain, but he swallowed the sound with another bruising kiss. His fingers slid through my wetness, and he groaned.

"So fucking wet already," he said against my lips. "Are you wet because of me or the bond?"

"Both," I admitted, because lying seemed pointless when I could feel his desire through the mate connection.

He pushed two fingers inside me, and I arched off the desk. "Zane..."

"Say my name again," he demanded, pumping his fingers slowly. "Let me hear you."

"Zane," I gasped as he added a third finger, stretching me. "Please..."

"Please what?" He curled his fingers, hitting something inside me that made stars burst behind my eyelids. "Use your words, little Phoenix."

"Fuck me," I demanded. "Now."

The attack came on the fourth night while I was in the training room with Osilus, working on controlling the Phoenix fire without letting it consume me. Sweat dripped down my spine as golden flames moved across my palms, and I focused on keeping them contained, controlled.

"Good," Osilus said, circling me slowly. "Now try to..."

The estate's alarm system screamed to life.

The fire in my hands exploded outward, and Osilus barely managed to throw up an earth shield before it would have scorched him.

"What's happening?" I demanded, the flames guttering out.

"There's a serious breach," he said, already moving toward the door. "Someone's broken through the perimeter."

Avalon's voice crackled through the intercom. "Osilus, get Zephyr to the safe room. Now."

"No," I said, following Osilus into the hallway. "I'm not hiding while..."

The window at the end of the corridor exploded inward and three wolves crashed through in a shower of glass. Behind the chaos stood three massive snarling wolves with red bands around their necks that marked them as rogues for hire. Behind them, more howls echoed through the night.

"Zephyr, run!" Osilus roared, shifting mid-stride. His wolf was enormous and brown and he met the first attacker head-on.

I ran, but not away. I ran toward the sounds of fighting, toward where I felt Avalon and Zane through the mate bonds.

The main hall was chaos.

At least a dozen rogues had entered the estate. This wasn't a random attack, someone had paid well for this.

Was it Father? I thought with cold certainty. Or Bron.

Avalon was in the center of the hall in his wolf form which was massive and white as winter, with ice literally forming where his paws touched. He tore through rogues like they were paper, but there were too many.

Zane fought near the entrance, still human but moving with speed it was hard to focus on him. Fire surrounded his fists, and every punch left burns and broken bones.

"Zephyr!" Avalon's voice in my head, sharp with command. "Get out of here!"

"No," I said aloud, and let the Phoenix fire rise.

It came easier this time, responding to my rage and fear. Golden flames erupted across my skin, and the temperature in the hall rose.

The nearest rogue turned toward me, seeing easy prey and thought it was a good idea to lunge at me with jaws open ready to tear out my throat.

I threw my hands forward, and Phoenix fire poured out. The rogue didn't even have time to scream, he was ash before he hit the ground.

Every wolf in the hall froze, staring at me.

"Anyone else?" I asked, my voice echoing with something not quite human.

Two more rogues charged me together, thinking numbers would help.

I pulled the fire inward, condensing it, then released it in a wave that swept across the hall. Both wolves went down screaming as their fur caught fire. The smell of burning flesh filled the air, and I felt nothing but cold satisfaction.

"Zephyr, behind you!" Zane's warning came too late because before I could react, claws raked down my back, and I screamed. The pain was white-hot, and I stumbled forward. The rogue's weight crashed into me, driving me to the ground.

I felt it's hot breath on my neck as its jaws opened to deliver the killing bite.

Then ice exploded across the rogue's face, and Avalon's massive wolf form tore him off me. There was a sickening crack, and the rogue went limp.

"Zephyr," Avalon shifted back to human, kneeling beside me. Blood streamed down his chest from a dozen wounds. "How bad?"

"I'm fine," I lied, even as blood soaked through my training clothes. "There are still so many of them"

"We know," Zane said, appearing beside us. He had a slash across his face, and his knuckles were raw and bleeding. "This is just the first wave. I think they're testing our defenses."

"Or trying to keep us busy," Osilus added, joining us. He was still in wolf form, limping slightly. "While someone else..."

Just then, an explosion rocked the estate.

"The vault," Avalon said, his face going hard. "They're after the Phoenix blood."

"Go," I said, struggling to my feet despite the pain. "I can handle this..."

"You're injured," he cut me off. "And you're their real target. The blood is just a bonus."

He was right. This whole attack was designed to either kill me or capture me. The rogues, the explosions, all these distractions.

"Then let's give them what they want," I said, and saw understanding dawn in his eyes.

"You want to be bait?" Zane asked, grinning despite the blood on his face. "I like it."

"I don't," Avalon growled. "It's too dangerous."

"Everything is dangerous," I shot back. "But at least this way, we control the situation."

Another explosion happened, closer this time and the chandelier above us swayed dangerously.

"We don't have time to argue," Osilus said, shifting back to human. "If they reach the vault..."

"They won't," I said. "Because I'm going to draw them out. All of them."

Before Avalon could protest, I pushed past him and walked toward the main entrance. My back screamed with every step, but I forced myself to move.

The night air hit me like a slap. The estate grounds were crawling with rogues with at least twenty more waiting in the shadows.

And standing at the treeline, watching with cold calculation, was Bron.

"Hello, sister," he called out, his voice carrying across the lawn. "Enjoying your inheritance?"

"Bron," I said, and Phoenix fire flickered across my hands. "I should have known you wouldn't have the balls to face me yourself."

"Why would I?" He stepped forward, and I saw the silver blade in his hand. "When I can pay others to do it? Though I must admit, I'm impressed you survived this long. Father said you'd die in the first wave."

"Father's here too?" I asked, scanning the treeline.

"Watching from a safe distance," Bron said with a smirk. "He's very interested to see if the rogues can take you alive. The vampires are paying a fortune for living Phoenix specimens."