Roar (Phoenix in Flames Book 1) Read online

  Phoenix in Flames series

  Book 1

  Roar

  By Catty Diva

  Edited by Addicted to Reviews

  Cover by Jesh Art

  2016 Copyright by Catty Diva all rights reserved

  This book is a work of fiction. All contents, including names, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to persons, living or deceased, businesses, locations or events are completely coincidental.

  None of this work may be used, reproduced, exchanged or transmitted by anyone but the person the book was purchased for. Any reproductions of this book in any part or any form must be done with the express written permission of the author or not at all.

  Thank you for respecting the work of this author.

  This series is a spin off from The Mating Games Series.

  The Mating Games series

  Book 1

  Razar needs a mate, but on his planet there are nine males to one female. Humans look like they are compatible, but if they find out the secrets of his kind they will refuse to send them mates.

  Lista needs money for her mother's operation or she will die. Her sister has volunteered her to be a bride for an alien. If she wins the mating game, she will be free to keep the money and return home.

  Can she outwit him or will he claim her heart before it's game over?

  Another spinoff from The Mating Games series where the Phoenix are mentioned is Moon Hunter’s Inc.

  Moon Hunters Inc.

  Book 1

  Justice

  When did the good guys get so bad?

  Justice comes on swift wings in the dark. His friend and boss, Cash, has sent him to Earth to exterminate a criminal convicted on Oison and protected by the corrupt Earth government. While carrying out the judgement, he finds her.

  Envy is a pet kept by her evil master. Luckily, he's old and incapable of breeding, so she is still innocent in many ways. Justice has come to make her master pay for his misdeeds. Can she convince him to free her so she can live life on her terms? Will the handsome assassin accept her innocence as a payment for her freedom or will he demand her heart as well?

  For the maximum reader enjoyment, it is recommended you read The Mating Games series and the Moon Hunters Inc. series before Phoenix in Flames series.

  Prologue

  Roar stood at attention as he wondered what this special meeting was for. Normally, messages were sent out mentally if they were important. This looked important because the captain had assembled not only the command crew, but the best of the rest of the crew.

  The captain paced back and forth, a sure sign of his nervousness. “I need a volunteer. Normally I would select someone and order them to complete the assignment, but since the crew is mainly Phoenix, I won’t do that. That begs the question, what makes this mission difficult for our kind. We’ve distanced ourselves from other races and I have no idea where this mission might take you.

  A guard escaped from the lab we just raided with a female captive. The guard has been identified as Forman. The guards only go by one name most of the time for secrecy. I need someone who will be ready to leave right away.” The captain stopped in front of Roar. No one stepped forward but someone had to save the girl and set everything right in the universe. Why did everyone always think he would do it?

  “I can leave as soon as I pack.” Was that him? Had he actually volunteered? Aw, hell. He had.

  ******************************************

  Meanwhile on the ship that Forman had escaped on, Treva felt like she’d been hit by a rock even though she’d only been poked by a needle. Her head ached, her whole body did. Thinking wasn’t clear and she knew she was in the most dangerous situation of her life. Forman was up front in the ship they were in, muttering to himself.

  The man had always had a crush on her and now it seemed they were alone. Let him try to touch her right now. She would vomit on him and she was sure that would turn off the horniest male. At least, she hoped it would.

  Roar

  Chapter 1

  Endless Space

  His screen was on and he was looking for reports of any kind that would alert him to pirate locations or meteor storms. Roar wanted to catch this guard who had a day’s head start on him. The ship he would be heading out in was faster, but a day was a lot of time to get lost in the great beyond. Any edge he could get, he would go for. He shoved some clothes and his battle gear in one bag before his attention was drawn to the screen.

  “What do you think about these latest reports, Danika? They say the Phoenix have been lured off planet in the service of the Mazlans,” the newsman said.

  “I say hurray for women everywhere. Have you seen those guys? I don’t think there’s an old one unless they hide them in the closet. They are all young and hunky,” Danika expressed.

  “Don’t they have women?”

  “Geff, it’s like this, no one ever sees them so who knows.”

  “It’s true that the Mazlans have a female shortage. They are mysterious too and said to be wealthy. It makes you wonder what the Phoenix might have to offer. We’ll be keeping an eye on the situation and give you more information as it becomes available.”

  “Damn!” Roar turned the screen off.

  It was an Earth broadcast and all it had done was piss him off. The nosy human news couldn’t leave anyone alone. It reflected all the reasons his people had hid themselves away from others. Roar still wasn’t sure if Razar had done them any favors with his treaty. It had brought them back out into the cold, cruel, and nosy world. Now that they were out there, it would take generations if they wanted to go back to hiding from the world in general.

  Roar filled another bag with weapons and other tools he might need although he himself was the best tool and weapon imaginable. The guard had no idea an apex predator was about to open a can of whip ass on him. He smiled. Okay, he would admit humans had some neat sayings.

  He strode out the door and down the hall to the cargo bay. The ship he sought sat there like an old friend. Training had been rigorous on piloting for all of them and he was proud that he’d exceeded all expectations. Phoenixes had many secrets and their excellent hand to eye coordination and speed were no longer secret from everyone. Mazlans were nearly as good so they wouldn’t be broadcasting any of the Phoenixes’ abilities.

  This ship was made for short exploratory missions but it was armed and shielded. It was perfect for this mission since it had two seats in front and a small area in back for sleeping, eating and a tiny bathroom facility. It reminded him of the campers humans had used in the nineteen sixties. Roar actually owned a replica of one and he pulled it with the oxalee, domesticated animals resembling Earth oxen. It wasn’t that he couldn’t rough it when he went on exploratory trips on Phoenix lands or week long hunting trips. No, it was more a matter of why suffer if he didn’t have to. Suffering for no reason was beyond his understanding.

  Roar got in the pilot’s seat and strapped himself in. Because they had so many guests onboard, he did everything verbally. “Command, Flame Thrower ready to exit.” Each pilot picked his own moniker. Roar loved his. Most Phoenix had fire inspired names they used in the cockpit.

  “This is Command, Flame Thrower cleared to leave. Good luck on your mission.”

  “Thank you, Command. Heading out.” Roar was facing the big bay doors and he taxied across the bay and right out the door. Excitement hit him in the pit of his stomach as it did every time he hit wide open space.

  Space was new to him, and his people hadn’t left their moon in hundreds, maybe thousands of years, until recently. He still couldn’t see this ever becoming dull or less excit
ing. Roar checked his navigation and put in the coordinates Command had sent him. They were still able to track the ship Forman had taken, but soon it would be out of range.

  Luckily he had tracking and he intended to pick up the trail, but tracking in a small ship like this couldn’t compare with the tracking a space station could manage on an older ship like the one Forman had taken which had no shielding against tracking.

  Once he was sure he had the proper settings on everything, he pressed the button giving himself the benefit of the ships faster speed. The stars turned to a blurs that could make some races dizzy, but not his people or the Mazlans.

  The ship went on autopilot and Roar moved to the back to catch a two hour nap. If anything got close to him, a proximity alert would go off. The shield would prevent anyone from seeing his ship and he would have plenty of time to get on the controls that were in the back of the ship for convenience.

  Roar fell asleep quickly but he woke even faster. There was no way he was anywhere near Forman, but he was near something. The something turned out to be a ship. The ship was huge and he was certain it was a pirate ship. Since he was less than an hour out from the space station, he needed to send them a warning.

  He switched to an emergency channel he thought would be monitored by his people but that pirates wouldn’t bother with.

  Pirate ship an hour out. Ship is massive and represents a danger.

  Roar navigated around the ship and kicked the engine to maximum again once he was past. The delay had been unfortunate, but he was glad he’d been able to send a warning to the station and his ship in time that they could take evasive action. Forman must have gotten out of the area before the pirates moved in. His signal was still coming from up ahead although Roar had made a small gain in catching up.

  Between sleeping and checking navigation, he passed a few hours. Roar was worried, but he hated to admit it to himself. According to all information Command had gathered, Forman was headed toward Earth. While it was true that that Earth was three weeks away, if he caught up to the ship the only way to stop him was to fire on him. Taking a risk injuring the captive was unacceptable. Stalking Forman for three weeks was unthinkable.

  Roar decided to lie down and think on it. Slipping into sleep, the dreams came. Dreams didn’t scare him and they were usually pleasant ones. These dreams were of his younger days when he had hunted on the moon and no one had known they were there.

  “Grandfather, why do we live here all alone?” Roar asked.

  “Because we have many secrets. Our people are not like others. We live much longer than they do and we have many powers they don’t understand.”

  “But you’ve told me that we should help each other. Shouldn’t we use our powers to help the people who live in other places?”

  “Normally, I would say yes. Let me tell you a story of the old ones. They traveled the stars going to planet after planet. The old ones spread goodwill, love, and they helped all they met. Never did they pass by a planet without stopping. It wasn’t unusual for some to stay behind to keep the goodwill going. On some planets like Earth, small colonies of Phoenix stayed. It was a time of progress, but progress rarely continues.”

  “What do you mean Grandfather?” Roar’s young mind and heart were open for learning.

  “It started on one planet. I’m not even sure which one. They realized that although the Phoenix were powerful and nearly immortal, they could be killed or even taken prisoner.”

  “Why would they want to do that?”

  “Some of them were greedy. They wanted to find a way to take power for themselves. Others feared our differences. They wanted to destroy or torture anyone that wasn’t like them. Once it began, it spread to almost all the worlds we visited. It was like a disease, they used the technology we gave them against us. Our numbers shrank as our people were exterminated. Those left behind hid as best they could. Any that had a way, escaped as quickly as possible.”

  “Did all of them come here?”

  “No, child. Only one group ended up here. Our people were frightened. Many panicked and ran for places they felt no one would go. Ours was such a group. The planet below would have made a welcoming home, but we feared it would draw in others and if they found us, they would attack. Others did colonize it, repeatedly, in the years we lived here. Only recently did the Mazlans come here. We could deal with them because they have their own secrets and they are as different from the other races we knew as we are.”

  “How are they different?”

  “That is their secret to tell. I doubt you will ever discover it since we stay here and they stay there.”

  His grandfather had never spoken to him about it or anything else again. They had received a clue about where Roar’s uncle, his grandfather’s oldest child might be. For some reason, when the groups had splintered, Red had gone off with another group. Grandfather had gone to investigate, but never made it back. Roar’s father had decided too many of their people had been lost searching for the lost and ended anyone leaving for a time.

  Roar’s father, Bright, was a tribal leader. It was surprising that when Razar had contacted him, they had come to an agreement that included many Phoenix leaving the moon, even if temporarily. More amazing, was that he, his father’s oldest son and heir, had been the first to go.

  Now here he was again, the one to volunteer to head out into the world without any assistance. Now that he was awake, he would check his navigation and see where things stood. Roar felt hope shoot through him. Forman had stopped at a space station. If he stayed the night, Roar would catch him.

  There was nothing he could do except monitor things and wait. The ship was going all out and he was headed a direct route to station Epsilon. Many stations had number names. Roar hoped Forman didn’t intend to abuse, use, or sell the female he had taken. That would be a worry until Roar managed to free her.

  Chapter 2

  Treva

  Forman had landed somewhere. She really had no idea where and she was still disoriented and dizzy as a goose. Her memory had returned, for the most part, but her stomach still hadn’t settled. Closing her eyes, she tried to remember what had brought her to this point.

  Sounds were filtering into the wing where they were all trapped in their cells. There was no way to know if someone was here to take down their captors or if it was just infighting which occurred when someone wanted to take down their boss.

  That hadn’t happened in a long time, but Treva didn’t care if they killed each other as long as enough people were left to take care of them. The thought of being left in these cells to slowly starve to death wasn’t appealing. Not that a quick painless death might not appeal to most of them.

  The sounds drew nearer and it was fighting, no doubt in her mind. “Treva, who do you think it is?” Eddy asked.

  “I don’t know. It may not make any difference to us.” The door flew open and someone she’d never seen before came into their hallway.

  “Jazzy!” He yelled.

  “There’s a new girl in the next hall.” Treva said.

  “Thank you. We’re here to free you, but I have to get to her first.”

  Treva stared at him afraid to hope. If hope took root, she’d crash if it didn’t work out. The guy went all the way down the hall and disappeared from sight. A few minutes later, Forman appeared. The weasel must have hidden when the other guy went by.

  “There you are.” Forman said. He opened her cage and the thought of being taken with freedom so close, made her act without thought or fear.

  She rushed him ready to scratch his eyes out. Forman shot her and her body bucked and jerked as pain radiated out from the place that had been hit with by the stun gun. Treva didn’t know how he’d gotten her out to the spaceship, only that he had. She’d woken at more than one point only to fall back into sweet oblivion. Damn that worthless man to hell a hundred times over.

  Now her memory had come back and she was on the cold floor of the ship. The ship wasn’t moving so th
ey had stopped somewhere. She could hear him talking, but it was more like an annoying buzzing, too low to make out words. It got quiet and Forman came to the back so she closed her eyes.

  “Stupid bitch! I had to throw the stretcher at those hunters trying to get on the ship. No way I can carry you off here. Guess I’ll go eat a meal and come back and see if you’re wake. If you can hear me, you better stay where you are.”

  She almost giggled hysterically. Was the man nuts? Yes, he must be. Treva waited and she heard the door close and the lock click. Sitting up slowly, she waited hoping she wouldn’t barf. Once her stomach and her head relaxed, she got up and looked around the ship. Finding some food and drink, she slowly took care of her needs. There was no bathroom that she could find, but there was a hose that had a bathroom sign. Yuck! But what choice did she have?

  Treva would have taken off in the ship if she had the ability to fly, but she did not. There was little of value on board, but she scraped together what food, clothing, and anything that looked valuable and she put it in a bag she emptied. She was terrified, but she couldn’t stay here where Forman would use and abuse her. Right now, the unknown was less scary than he was.

  It took her a while since she was unfamiliar with technology, but she figured out how to open the door. She strode down the ramp as if she was supposed to be there and no one stopped her. She wasn’t dressed nice, the clothes the labs gave them were plain shirts and pants, but she saw people wearing a variety of outfits and no one paid her any mind.

  Looking around, the place she was at was crowded and there were races she’d never seen before. She wasn’t sure if she should take the boxes that carried people up and down or stick with the stairs. More than anything, she felt the need to hide so Forman wouldn’t find her. Heading up the stairs, because the glass boxes looked scary, she searched the landing and found if she went straight there were no people. There was a small area in between the stores where big containers sat. Boxes were piled next to them and when she lifted the lid, it looked like there was trash inside.