Tenth Life

Tenth Life
The phoenix’s talon pressed harder against Nicole’s throat, its sharp claw close enough to end her life with one wrong move.

Nicole stayed still.

She wasn’t foolish enough to fight him in her current condition. Zirah had already fallen unconscious after using most of her remaining strength to break the seal, and Nicole’s own body was exhausted.

In her past life, she could have subdued the phoenix easily.

Now, she barely had enough strength to protect herself.

Still, Nicole wasn’t afraid.

She looked up at the enormous phoenix and smiled.

His fiery eyes narrowed.

“What’s so funny, you filthy werewolf? Do you think I won’t kill you? Do you even know who I am? I could end your life with one breath.”

“Oh, I know.”

Nicole remained calm.

“You can kill me if you want.”

The phoenix tilted his head, clearly confused.

“Then why are you so calm when your life is in my hands?”

“Because I know you won’t kill me.”

Silence followed.

Then the phoenix laughed, the deep sound shaking the air around them.

“I have always hated werewolves. Your kind is pathetic. You fight among yourselves, destroy each other for power, and are never satisfied with what you have.”

His flames grew brighter.

“You trapped a being far beyond your understanding, then dared to call yourselves powerful. Without your precious Goddess, your kind would have turned to dust long ago.”

Nicole said nothing.

“Do you know how long I was trapped inside that cursed box?” he continued. “More than a century. I was sealed away and forgotten because your kind feared my power.”

He lowered his massive head until his molten-gold eyes were directly in front of Nicole.

“Now that I’m free, I’ll bring chaos to your kind. I’ll burn every werewolf I find until nothing remains.”

His talon tightened around her neck.

“And I’ll start with you.”

Nicole continued staring at him.

“You look like her,” the phoenix growled. “The woman who trapped me. But you can’t be her. Werewolves don’t live that long, which means you must be her descendant.”

His eyes burned brighter.

“If I can’t kill the woman who imprisoned me, then I’ll kill her blood instead.”

Nicole still didn’t struggle.

“Do you really hate werewolves that much?”

The phoenix scoffed.

“I was trapped, forgotten, and left alone for more than a century. What do you think?”

His wings shifted as his anger grew.

“Your kind has no understanding of balance. You fight over scraps and interfere with powers you don’t understand. They trapped me because they were afraid.”

He leaned closer.

“And now, I’ll make you regret ever being born.”

Nicole smiled again.

“Then do it.”

The phoenix paused.

“Kill me if that’s what you want.”

His eyes narrowed.

“You mock me.”

“Not really. I just know you can’t kill me yet.”

“And why is that?”

“Because you want revenge.”

The phoenix frowned.

“You’re far too bold for someone so weak.”

“And you’re far too hot-headed for someone so ancient.”

His eyes darkened.

Nicole almost laughed, but she stopped herself.

There was no reason to annoy a creature capable of burning her alive when his claw was already around her throat.

“You want revenge on werewolves, right?”

The phoenix didn’t answer.

But he was listening.

“If you simply kill them one by one, that would be boring. They stole more than a century from you. A few random deaths wouldn’t come close to repaying that.”

The phoenix slowly tilted his head.

“Is that so?”

Nicole saw the interest in his eyes.

Good.

“That’s why I’m proposing an alliance.”

The phoenix stared at her.

“You stand by me, and I’ll give you what you’ve wanted all these years. You’ll get to watch the werewolves who deserve it suffer, and you can enjoy yourself while doing it.”

The phoenix remained silent for several seconds.

Then he laughed.

“And what makes you think I would accept such a ridiculous proposal? You are nothing compared to me. Why should the mighty Phoenix, who has ruled for centuries and commanded enough power to bring warriors to their knees, listen to a weak little werewolf? I have destroyed packs before you even learned to say your own name. I...”

“How many times are you going to repeat that speech?”

The phoenix stopped.

Nicole smiled.

“You’ve said it so many times that I’ve already lost count.”

His eyes widened.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“How do you know what I was going to say?”

“Because I’ve heard it before.”

The phoenix slowly removed some of the pressure from Nicole’s throat.

“That’s impossible. This is the first time we’ve met.”

“No.”

Nicole’s expression became serious.

“It isn’t.”

The phoenix stared at her.

“This is the tenth life in which we’ve met.”

His flames flickered.

“What?”

“I’ve died nine times.”

Nicole held his gaze.

“This is my tenth life.”

The phoenix became completely still.

“Nine times?”

“Yes.”

Nicole slowly pushed herself into a more comfortable position as his talon finally moved away from her throat.

“In my previous lives, I never remembered what happened before. Every time I came back, I started again without knowing I had already lived through the same events.”

She looked directly into his golden eyes.

“But this time is different.”

The phoenix listened without interrupting.

“I remember everything.”

Nicole pointed toward him.

“Including you.”

His eyes narrowed.

“We weren’t supposed to meet this early. In my previous lives, I found you years from now.”

“Then why release me now?”

“Because I can’t afford to wait.”

Nicole’s voice hardened.

“I need to become stronger before everything begins again. And to do that, I need your help.”

The phoenix studied her in silence.

Nicole expected disbelief.

Instead, something like understanding slowly appeared in his eyes.

“No wonder.”

Nicole frowned.

“What?”

“There was something strange about you from the moment I saw you. You felt familiar, but I assumed it was because you carry the blood of the woman who trapped me.”

He folded his fiery wings against his body.

“I didn’t expect that you and I had actually met before.”

Nicole was surprised by how easily he accepted it.

“So in these other lives, I accepted your alliance?”

“Yes.”

The phoenix seemed interested.

“But my reason was different back then,” Nicole explained. “I was a general. I offered you the chance to fight an enemy pack and watch wolves die.”

The phoenix chuckled.

“That does sound like something I would agree to.”

Nicole rolled her eyes.

Still the same arrogant bird.

Then the phoenix asked, “If you died in those lives, does that mean I eventually killed you?”

Nicole’s amusement disappeared.

She said nothing.

Because he hadn’t killed her.

He had done the opposite.

When the final battle came, the phoenix had fought beside her.

He had protected her.

And he had died doing it.

Ace Carter had killed him.

A creature people believed was almost impossible to destroy had fallen protecting Nicole from one man.

Even now, remembering it left a heaviness in her chest.

The phoenix watched her carefully.

When Nicole still didn’t answer, he sighed.

“Whatever you’re remembering, it doesn’t seem pleasant.”

Nicole looked away.

She wasn’t ready to tell him how his story ended.

Not yet.

After a moment, the phoenix gave a low chuckle.

“Fine, girl.”

Nicole looked back at him.

“I’ll stand by your side.”

Her eyes widened slightly.

“I’ll help you become stronger, and I’ll stay until you get your revenge. If you were able to release me this early, then perhaps this life will finally be interesting.”

A grin spread across his face as his flames burned brighter.

“I can’t wait to see where this journey takes us.”

Nicole smiled.

Neither could she.

But unlike the phoenix, Nicole already knew where their journey had ended before.

This time, she intended to make sure he survived it.