Phoenix Burning Read online

  Table of Contents

  Author’s Note

  Prologue

  Melody Anne's Titles

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Epilogue

  Phoenix Burning

  Phoenix Series: Book Two

  Copyright © 2020 by Melody Anne

  Original Series © 2012 as Midnight Moon

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Editing done by Karen Lawson and Janet Hitchcock

  Melody Anne’s Titles

  Click on any title to go directly to the books Amazon page

  Young Adult / Fantasy

  PHOENIX SERIES

  *Phoenix Falling – Book One

  *Phoenix Burning – Book Two

  *Phoenix Ashes – Book Three

  *Phoenix Rising – Book Four

  Romance

  BILLIONAIRE BACHELORS

  *The Billionaire Wins the Game

  *The Billionaire’s Dance

  *The Billionaire Falls

  *The Billionaire’s Marriage Proposal

  *Blackmailing the Billionaire

  *Runaway Heiress

  *The Billionaire’s Final Stand

  *Unexpected Treasure

  *Hidden Treasure

  *Holiday Treasure

  *Priceless Treasure

  *The Ultimate Treasure

  BABY FOR THE BILLIONAIRE

  *The Tycoon’s Revenge

  *The Tycoon’s Vacation

  *The Tycoon’s Proposal

  *The Tycoon’s Secret

  *The Lost Tycoon

  *Rescue Me

  THE BILLIONAIRE ANDERSONS

  *Finn – Book One

  *Noah – Book Two

  *Brandon – Book Three

  *TBA – Book Four

  *TBA – Book Five

  BECOMING ELENA

  *Stolen Innocence – Book One

  *Forever Lost – Book Two

  *New Desires – Book Three

  FINDING FOREVER SERIES

  *Finding Forever

  TAKEN BY THE TRILLIONAIRE

  #1 Xander – Ruth Cardello

  #2 Bryan – J.S. Scott

  #3 Chris – Melody Anne

  #4 Virgin for the Trillionaire – Ruth Cardello

  #5 Virgin for the Prince – J.S. Scott

  #6 Virgin to Conquer – Melody Anne

  SURRENDER SERIES

  *Surrender – Book One

  *Submit – Book Two

  *Seduced – Book Three

  *Scorched – Book Four

  UNDERCOVER BILLIONAIRES

  *Kian – Book One

  *Arden – Book Two

  *Owen – Book Three

  *Declan – Book Four

  FORBIDDEN SERIES

  *Bound – Book One

  *Broken – Book Two

  *Betrayed – Book Three

  *Burned – Book Four

  HEROES SERIES

  *Safe in his arms – Novella

  *Baby it’s Cold Outside

  *Her Unexpected Hero – Book One

  *Who I am with you – Book Two – Novella

  *Her Hometown Hero – Book Three

  *Following Her – Book Four – Novella

  *Her Forever Hero – Book Five

  BILLIONAIRE AVIATORS

  *Turbulent Intentions – Book One (Cooper)

  *Turbulent Desires – Book Two (Maverick)

  *Turbulent Waters – Book Three (Nick)

  *Turbulent Intrigue – Book Four (Ace)

  TORN SERIES

  *Torn – Book One

  *Tattered – Book Two

  7 BRIDES FOR 7 BROTHERS

  #1 Luke – Barbara Freethy

  #2 Gabe – Ruth Cardello

  #3 Hunter – Melody Anne

  #4 Knox – Christie Ridgway

  #5 Max – Lynn Raye Harris

  #6 James – Roxanne St. Clair

  #7 Finn – JoAnn Ross

  Thrillers

  CONFESSIONS

  *Dance in the Dark – Book One

  *TBA – Next Book in the Series

  **All links are part of Amazon Affiliate program

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to Sadie, my daughter by choice. I’m so glad you’re a part of our family. You might have started as my daughter’s best friend, but now you’re a valued member of our family, and I can’t imagine our home without your smiling face. You were a huge inspiration for this book. I love you.

  Author’s Note

  I originally wrote this series back in 2012 and titled it the Midnight Series. I wanted to write something different from the romance books I was doing, and I’ve always been a huge fan of YA material. I devoured the Harry Potter, and Hunger Games books. I’ve binge watched the Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and so many more. There’s something amazing about a supernatural world, and the thought of immortality. We don’t have to ever leave the ones we love in these fictional worlds. It’s also quite romantic to think of eternal love.

  So when I originally outlined this series, I used my children’s names, Phoenix and Johnathan. And then some of their friend’s, as well. Sadie has been my daughter’s best friend since the fifth grade. Jessica is actually one of her other best friends, but I decided to make her evil because in real life she’s such a sweet little thing. Knowing I was using their names I knew there wouldn’t be any sex scenes in this series, but, of course, there had to be some fl
irting and maybe a bit more

  I love this series so much. It’s my favorite I’ve written. So I decided to give it a makeover. Since it was one of the first I wrote, I’ve changed a lot over the years and I wanted to do this series justice. So I decided to revamp, and add more scenes and change some major dynamics in it. I’ve had so much fun doing that. I think the rewrites make it a little more believable.

  My other serious love affair in reading is apocalyptic worlds. I’m a bit of a prepper, not extreme by any means as I probably only have a month supply of food in my house, but I was raised by a hippie who taught me to be prepared. So it fascinates me to wonder what would happen if we lost one thing in our world. The biggest hit would be electricity. I can’t imagine not having Internet. And I grew up without it. But we’ve grown so accustomed to it, it’s hard to imagine not being able to communicate so easily. The more I read, the more frightening a thought it is. What would happen to us if the world fell apart? I have a sense of security since I live in the country. But every time I go to the city, I look around and wonder how people would survive if food and water weren’t brought in. It’s something too terrifying to really dwell on. But I’ve learned to be prepared, at least a little bit.

  I love a story about fighting the odds and coming out triumphant. But every story needs a villain, and every battle needs to have a cause worth fighting for. I hope you enjoy my take on an apocalyptic world, and I hope you love these characters as I had a blast creating and torturing them.

  With Love,

  Melody Anne

  Prologue

  I’m in an emotional free fall from all that’s transpired in the last several months. I don’t even know where to begin. I’m starting to feel hope that the war will eventually end. The world is decidedly different from anything I could’ve imagined. The amount of evil surrounding us day and night is suffocating and weighs heavily on everyone. I was always taught about good and evil, but I thought it was more of a tactic to scare children than a dark, threatening reality.

  What I’ve seen in recent years proves I was wrong — so very wrong. Good and evil beings really do exist. I don’t even know how to explain Jayden. I love him, but he isn’t just a normal teenager like I first thought he was. Is he good? Is he bad? I don’t think he knows the answer. He has walked in the light and the dark. Both pull him, and he must find his own path and choose the direction to follow.

  You see, he was a mortal just like me, but he nearly died. And when that happened, he was changed. The magic that lies in a select few of us was brought out, changing who he is.

  Yes, I know that sounds quite strange; I didn’t think magic was real, either. But, yes, he’s an immortal, and in the world of magic he can choose acts of good or horrific acts of evil.

  There has been a colossal war between good and evil for a very long time — for an eternity, which I can’t fathom. Vyco is as old as time and has been in a battle with Josiah as he struggles to take all the light from the world. I don’t understand the reasons behind this battle, and I can’t begin to try. Jayden has told me all he can, but I’m still lost. I don’t know if anyone can comprehend it — not a mortal at least.

  Jayden followed Vyco through the dark for a very long time when he left Josiah’s side. By the time Jayden knew who Vyco truly was and that he didn’t care for any other beings, let alone fragile mortals, Jayden had already made his decision, leaving him bound to Vyco’s side. Jayden wasn’t happy about what was occurring, but it was too late. He was afraid he’d never be able to go back home after all he’d done.

  The story plot thickened, though, as it usually does, because apparently Vyco and Josiah ended up making a deal. The deal was what led wicked men to declare war all around the world, but mainly focused in the United States, where I lived, which in turn led my family to seek safety in the woods. Jayden couldn’t understand how Josiah could have made a deal with Vyco. They were total opposites. Where Josiah was purity and light, Vyco was the darkest evil imaginable. Josiah apparently said their deal was for the greater good of all mankind, but I hadn’t seen any good come from the war.

  We’ve been in the cave for years and we’re starting to fight back. We’re making significant progress and our numbers have grown by thousands.

  I haven’t been alone with Jayden since the night Vyco confronted us in the woods. I’ve never been more terrified than I was in those moments, staring into his eyes of chilling blackness. What Vyco did was so awful, I still have nightmares almost nightly. With a simple movement of his hand, he caused unbearable pain to rip through my body.

  What still chills me to my core is what happened to Jayden. His entire body began to shake, and then he’d transformed. The boy I’d fallen in love with was gone, and in his place was . . . I don’t even know how to explain.

  He still looked like Jayden, but his eyes glowed, and his body shimmered in the blackness of the night. Fire shot from his fingers, and his face took on a haunting expression of ferocity and power.

  I’ve written this down in so many ways, starting over and over again, but there just aren’t words to fully explain. I write a page, tear it from my journal, and try again. I’ll just leave these muddled thoughts and add to them each day until I can finally make sense of it all. I can’t forget, and I won’t, but I’m confused — I’m scared — I’m still in shock. It’s all too much to comprehend — I’m only eighteen, much too young to know what I know. There’s no innocence left in me. I just have to try to hold on to my humanity at this point.

  I’m not sure that is possible in this dark, forbidding world I’ve been thrust into.

  Chapter One

  Phoenix sat huddled on a rock close to the entrance to the caves. She’d been feeling unusually claustrophobic and needed to be outside. If she wandered too far, though, her brother, John, would hunt her down. Not far behind him would be Jayden and her father. They were all overprotective; she wasn’t free to live even a little dangerously. And in this new world that was saying a lot.

  She was terrified to travel on her own anyway, especially after nearly being killed on a previous adventure. Phoenix shuddered, thinking about the men who would’ve surely killed Sadie and her if Jayden and Cassidy hadn’t rescued them.

  Their entire group needed rest. They’d had attacks on their caravans while they’d been out and had lost some of their men and women during rescues. They were on full alert over the past few weeks as they tried to gather their strength so they could continue fighting.

  Although their numbers grew larger each day, they were far from safe. The newly rescued hadn’t been fighting for survival like their group had over the past three years. They needed trained and questioned for insight into how the enemy was capturing more people.

  Phoenix watched as the sun began to rise, the beautiful oranges and pinks making her sigh out loud. She couldn’t fight the dawning day, no matter how hard she tried to hold back time.

  A mandatory meeting had been called for later that afternoon, and the elders would announce their next plan of action. Some people in the caves were ready to push forward with force. They were tired of hiding and letting an unknown enemy take their land. A part of Phoenix would be happy to stay in their little haven in the woods, where she felt safe most of the time.

  Each time they fought there were casualties. So far she hadn’t lost anyone close to her, but it was only a matter of time. She feared to take on the enemy. She knew she shouldn’t think that way, but the enemy was powerful with what seemed to be a never-ending supply of soldiers, so they had to fight smarter on their end.

  How could their small community possibly fight real soldiers and win? There were so many unanswered questions. She was a soldier and was sure many of those young men and women sent to a battle must’ve had these same thoughts. Guilt ate at her for wanting to run.

  She shook her head as she gazed at the rapidly rising sun. On top of her fears, she couldn’t help but think about Jayden as well. He wasn’t who she�
��d thought he was. She didn’t know what that meant. They hadn’t spoken about what had happened the night she’d met Vyco. She was afraid her innocence would be shattered as soon as they had the conversation.

  So many emotions filled her — confusion, anger, and more grief than she could bear.

  A huge part of her wanted to simply forget about the war, forget about that terrifying meeting with Vyco, forget about everything but the peace of a new dawn. She could pretend she had a normal life like she’d had before their country had been invaded. She could pretend she was in a bubble and the past few years were nothing more than a bad dream.