Phoenix King Read online

  When I got to the designated pickup area, it didn't take long for me to find Omari. Only a few people from his class were still left waiting. His face brightened as he saw me, and one of the people watching the kids turned to me with a judgmental look.

  "You are late," the middle-aged man said, peering at me through glasses so thick his eyes looked twice the size they actually were.

  I tried a smile. "Sorry. Got caught up with work," I lied, wrapping an arm around Omari's shoulders. "Won't happen again!"

  He opened his mouth, probably to give me a lecture, but I tugged Omari back onto the sidewalk and we were lost in the stream of traffic, gone before he could get another word out.

  Phew.

  "How was school, Omari?" I asked as we walked at a much more sedate pace. "Was it good?"

  He shrugged. "It was okay. I got extra homework because I need to catch up."

  "Well, I can help you with that," I said, trying to cheer him up. "Make any friends?"

  He perked up a little at that question. "Yeah. Abby and Moon. They were really nice. Abby shared her crayons with me and..."

  I listened to his happy chatter and relaxed a little. It sounded like everything might actually be all right. I was keeping my fingers crossed. He'd never been to school in a city dome, with only human classmates. He'd grown up in phoenix territory, where he was still different because he was half-human, but at least he didn't have to hide who he was there. I really hoped things would continue this smoothly.

  When we reached our apartment building, Omari ran up the stairs in front of me, and I followed at my slowed pace. When he beat me to the landing with time to spare, even more time than usual, he finally realized something was wrong.

  Frowning at me, he watched me take the last step up. "What's wrong with your leg?" he demanded.

  "I fell," I lied.

  I wasn't getting into the actual story. He had enough to deal with.

  "Oh. Well, maybe you should put ice on it," he said matter-of-factly, his face clearing.

  "Not a bad idea, Omari. Not bad at all."

  I opened the apartment door and he walked in, throwing his backpack onto the ground right in front of the door.

  "Omari—hook please."

  "Oh, yeah." He ran back and carefully hooked the strap onto one of the little hooks already screwed in near the door.

  "Hungry?" I asked, moving into the kitchen and opening the bag of sandwiches.

  "Yes!"

  "All right, sit down."

  He took a seat at one of the stools in front of the counter, and I slid a plate of food and a cup of water over to him. He took a big bite, chewing quickly. He was an eater, which I appreciated. I didn't know what I would do if he suddenly became picky.

  I remembered my promise from earlier. Reaching into the cabinet, I pulled out the last of the brownies Jacob had given me. Only two were left.

  Omari's eyes lit up as I gave him the bigger one. "Yay!"

  I grinned. "Finish the rest of your food first," I warned.

  He nodded, shoving the rest of the bite into his mouth, his cheeks so stuffed he looked like a chipmunk.

  I was laughing too hard to admonish him right away.

  "Slow down—it's not going anywhere," I finally got out.

  He nodded, chewing with a little more restraint.

  I eyed the smaller one still in the container. I deserved a brownie after today. I picked it up and bit into it. Mmmm. Chocolate-y goodness. I savored each bite of my reward. Jacob sure baked a mean dessert.

  Omari finished before I did. "Can I watch cartoons?" he asked. "Please?"

  "Okay. But only for an hour, then you have to do some of that homework, all right?"

  He nodded before running over to the couch and picking up the streaming pad. He already knew how to work it better than I did. In less than a minute, a brightly colored kids’ show was projected onto the blank wall.

  I cleaned up and changed out of my jeans while he watched the show, taking our dirty clothes over to the compact washer-and-dryer unit tucked away next to the pantry in the kitchen. I held my breath as I dumped in the garbage-clothes on their own and started the cycle. Those would probably take two washes.

  After that I went out to the kitchen and made a quick sauce for the pasta I was going to boil when it got closer to dinner time. I didn't bother making it from scratch, just doctored up a jar of sauce and put it on the stove to simmer. It always came out better when I used the jar stuff as a base anyway.

  Then I lay down for twenty minutes. Before I knew it, it was time to do Omari's homework with him. Joy. Luckily, he knew the basic math and English that he was supposed to catch up on, but I made him do some of the exercises anyway.

  Just as we were finishing up, there was a knock at the door. Omari sat up straight.

  "Jacob?" he asked.

  He'd only just met him, but Jacob had quickly taken up a spot next to Ashur on Omari's hero list. And I could totally see why. Jacob had the confidence of someone who knew how to think and how to use his body, a holdover from his past as a mercenary outside the city domes.

  "Probably," I said, standing and going over to the door.

  I didn't know anyone else, a state of affairs I deliberately encouraged. Dragons and phoenixes weren't allowed in the human-built and populated domes. Not after a war between the two resulted in a lot of human collateral damage. It was easier to keep my secret a secret with fewer people in my life that I had to keep it from. Jacob didn't even know, and he was the only close friend I had.

  I looked through the peep-hole and exhaled in relief as I opened the door. Jacob stood there, smiling at me, his handsome face an ambiguous mix of multiple races. He was dressed in his usual t-shirt and worn-in jeans, his hair neat.

  "I smelled pasta sauce," he explained as I stepped back to let him in. "Have enough for a third?"

  "Sure," I said, smiling back. "I can whip up some pasta right now to go with it."

  "Hi Jacob!" Omari called out, hopping down from the stool and running over. "Today was my first day of school!"

  "Oh, wow," Jacob exclaimed, ruffling Omari's hair. "How did it go? Meet any cool people?"

  "Yes!" Omari said, taking Jacob's hand and pulling him over to the couch. "Abby can bend her thumb all the way back. Isn't that gross?"

  Jacob chuckled and I smiled as I threw some pasta into a pot to cook.

  "That is pretty cool," Jacob agreed. "She's just double jointed though, not gross."

  "Oh," Omari said thoughtfully. "Mo picks his nose. That's gross, right?"

  I choked back a laugh at that.

  Jacob glanced over at me, eyes full of laughter. "That is gross," he agreed.

  I came back around the counter, moving towards the couch to sit down. Jacob's eyes narrowed as he watched me. Oops. I forgot not to limp.

  "What happened to your leg?" Jacob asked right on cue.

  I gave him a look as I carefully sat down, trying not to wince as my stiff knee bent. Omari chose that moment to turn the cartoons on again.

  "This part is really good!" he exclaimed, sitting down on the floor and picking up a toy car as he watched. "You have to watch, Jacob!"

  "Sure thing," Jacob said absently, giving me a hard stare.

  "There was an issue with a job I went on," I finally said, keeping my voice down while Omari watched the projection. "Someone tried to run me over."

  "What?" Jacob barked, and then immediately lowered his voice when I shushed him. "What happened?"

  "It was just a dim, narrow street," I said, trying to play it down. "It's possible the driver just didn't see me."

  I mean, it was possible. Maybe. Omari chose that moment to pop back up between us, climbing onto the couch. Saved by the cartoons. The characters were eating exaggerated ice cream cones. Omari stared at them longingly.

  "I want ice cream," he announced.

  "You just had a brownie, mister," I pointed out.

  "I'll bring you something tomorrow night," Jacob offered. "Cupcak
e or brownie?"

  "Cupcake!" His face fell. "But Ashur is coming tomorrow. Can you come the day after?"

  "Ashur?" Jacob repeated, frowning. "Ashur..." His face cleared up. And then his eyes widened as they shot over to me.

  "Why is the Dragon Lord of the nearby territory coming over tomorrow?" he asked after Omari seemed to be distracted by something else in the cartoon again. "What could he want?"

  I couldn't blame him for that kind of reaction. Just a few weeks ago, I was worried about even going through dragon territory, let alone dating the Dragon Lord.

  "Um...we're kind of seeing each other," I said in a rush, looking away to the projection.

  Shocked silence.

  "You're...what?" he hissed, reaching out to put his hand over mine. "What are you thinking?" he demanded.

  All right, now my embarrassment was turning into irritation.

  "It's fine. He's actually really nice." And he could turn into a giant golden dragon, which definitely had a cool factor.

  "Bull-- " he cut himself off, looking at Omari. He continued in a lower voice. "He's a dragon, Mia. They aren't like us."

  I didn't know about that. I thought the same thing before I left the city dome and met Ashur. Now I knew it wasn't the case, despite being taught that my whole life, both by my part-dragon mother and in school. Which was ridiculous, considering the smallest part of me was the human part. Would Jacob think of me differently if he found out? That was a sobering thought. One I didn't want to dwell on.

  "I appreciate your input," I finally said. "But you'll see when you meet him. He's...different than you would think."

  Jacob made a skeptical sound. "We'll see," he said in a low voice.

  That didn't sound good. Maybe introducing him and Ashur wasn't going to go the smoothest. I sighed, tucking my feet up under myself.

  I'd deal with it when it came. I felt like I’d been saying that to myself all day but I had enough on my plate right now and Jacob was wrong. In all the ways that really counted, dragons were just like humans. I refused to let his bias ruin how much I was looking forward to seeing Ashur the next day.

  So I did what my mother had taught me. I changed the subject.

  "Did you hear about that fire over in..." I started, describing what I'd heard about the damage that had been done.

  Problem solved.

  At least for now.

  Chapter Four

  "I put your lunch in your bag. Do you have your homework?"

  "Yes," Omari said, picking up his backpack.

  I didn't realize taking Omari to school would bring back memories of my own stress when I was going. School always gave me anxiety.

  "Ready?" I asked, squeezing Omari's shoulder.

  "Ready!" he responded, actually looking excited to be going to school.

  That was a marked improvement from yesterday, one I appreciated. I really wanted him to be happy here.

  We left the apartment and headed out onto the street. At this hour, everyone was going to either school or work. I usually avoided the massive traffic periods by scheduling myself to be out earlier or later, but I couldn't do that with school starting at eight in the morning.

  We hopped onto one of the trolleys, and I had Omari take the last seat while I stood in front of him. He looked around with wide, curious eyes, taking in the humanity packed onto the trolley. He still wasn't used to the close quarters in the city dome, having grown up in the open area outside, up in King Emberich's mountain stronghold. So far, he didn't seem to mind it, which I was thankful for.

  It felt like a lot to take in, even for me after I'd spent so much time outside in Ashur's city. Still, there were some things I appreciated. Like how I could basically find anything I wanted at any hour of the day. Or how I usually had a pretty steady stream of clients because the population in here was just so dense.

  We hopped off the trolley in front of the school, and I walked Omari to his classroom door.

  "Have a good day, all right?" I ordered, crouching to hug him.

  "Okay," Omari responded, hugging me back before stepping away with a bright smile. "Bye!"

  I watched, bewildered, as he ran into the classroom without a backwards glance. Was it weird that I kind of wanted him to want to stay with me a little more? Shaking my head at myself, I stood up and left the school, trying to avoid eye contact with the parents coming in and out. I really didn't have the time or the energy to get into any kind of small talk situation right now. Not that I ever really wanted to.

  I patted my jacket pocket, making sure the small package was still there. I'd taken the time to clean my jacket and my boots yesterday after Omari went to bed, so they were back on now. I felt like myself again.

  I hopped onto a trolley, but it only took me part of the way I needed to travel. Where I was going, the trolley system had long since been disabled. They kept getting vandalized and put out of commission so much that the City Council decided to cut service in particular pockets. They figured that the amount of money being sunk into maintaining the trolleys in those area would be better spent elsewhere. It made sense. But it still made it inconvenient to trek out there.

  At least I was getting a higher rate for the danger inherent in the area and the extra effort it involved. I was a big believer in hazard pay. I kept a sharp eye out as I crossed over into the area.

  The difference started to show almost immediately. One moment I was in a thick crowd with buildings and streets in good repair. In the next, I was walking through a neighborhood with too many liquor stores, boarded-up windows, and a sidewalk that had more cracks than it did smooth parts.

  I palmed a knife as I walked.

  Just in case.

  A skinny guy appeared from a shadowy doorway. He had the drawn look of an addict. He gave me a once-over with empty, bloodshot eyes. I gave him a level look. If you looked vulnerable in a place like this, people would assume you were. I didn't need the trouble.

  He turned away and scurried down an alley. No easy prey here. Good to know my stare still worked.

  The address I finally stopped in front of looked about the same as the rest. I heard a crying baby and some shouting coming from the apartment complex as I looked up. The peeling paint, broken windows, and hole in the roof gave a good indication of how much the landlord actually cared about the place. And the people inside.

  I raised my watch to check the unit number I needed to go to. Third floor. I opened the door, and stepped into the dim interior. Trash littered the corners, and someone was passed out under the stairs. Satisfied nobody was about to jump me, I turned to the stairs and climbed up. The less time I spent here, the better. I reached the third floor without incident. The hall was in the same disrepair as the front entrance, but at least nobody was taking a nap in it.

  Unit 36. I pressed record on my watch and knocked on the door.

  "Who is it?" The female voice was high and irritated, though I didn't take offense. I wouldn't trust a knock in this neighborhood either.

  "Delivery," I called out.

  A pause.

  "Who from?" she asked suspiciously. "I didn't order anything."

  "I'm not allowed to say." That really wouldn't allay her suspicions. "I can leave it out here if you'd like," I tried.

  As long as I showed that she wouldn't open the door, I'd be paid just the same.

  A longer pause this time.

  Then the door was cracked open and a pale woman with curly, red hair peered out at me. I took the small package out of my jacket pocket and held it out to her.

  "This better not be a trick," she warned, eyeing me and then it.

  "Not a trick," I assured her. "Though I don't know what's in the package. I just know I'm supposed to hand it over to you."

  She pursed her lips but then reached out and snatched it from me in a move so fast it was almost a blur.

  And then slammed the door.

  Okay then. Delivered.

  I stopped the recording and turned back the way I'd come. My job
here was done. I went back down the stairs as carefully as I'd gone up. A lot could happen in the five minutes I was up there. When I reached the first floor, I glanced around. The man who was under the stairs wasn't there anymore.

  Unease trickled through me as I registered that and glanced around sharply, but I still didn't see him.

  Maybe he'd just decided to leave. Or one of the apartments in the building was actually his.

  Neither of those explanations were enough to relax my guard. Staying alert, I headed out to the street, checking in both directions before I started walking back towards where I'd come from. When nothing happened right away, I relaxed only slightly. This wasn't a place to get complacent. Not that anywhere in the city dome really was.

  I checked my watch, reviewing the next address I needed to go to. It was a pickup that I needed to deliver within the next couple of hours. It wasn't that far, but it was on a decidedly nicer block, which was good.

  I stiffened as I felt an itch between my shoulders. Little hints like that weren't to be ignored. Crossing the street, I used the movement to cast a casual glance back over my shoulder.

  I didn't see anybody.

  But that didn't necessarily mean nobody was there.

  I'd gotten to the point where I trusted my instincts over my eyes. I sped up only slightly, not wanting to trigger whoever it was just yet. In another couple of blocks, I'd be back in much heavier foot traffic where I could lose myself more easily. I slipped my other knife out into my free hand.

  One more block.

  I heard a footstep behind me, but didn't turn, just sped up my pace a little more.

  Half a block more.

  I could hear the clash of voices and footsteps on the main street drawing closer. The safety of the crowd wasn't far. I turned left into the small street that connected to the main one I was aiming for. I could see the constant stream of people at the other end, only yards away. I picked up my pace even more. Always better to avoid a confrontation if at all possible.

  But then three figures stepped out from either side, blocking the way out. They were dressed in jeans and jackets that had suspicious lumps.