Free Phoenix Rising by Theo Fenraven Page A

kidnapped and spirited away from everyone and everything familiar hadn’t affected his appetite, now that the drugs had worn off. Rachel was fine—hopefully—he was okay, and this bizarre situation would surely be resolved soon.
Ammon left, and Artemis was alone again with the bird. “Should I call you Talis?”
“That is my name when I’m human. You may call me Phoenix.”
A mythological being who insisted on formality. Quaint. Artemis continued to wolf down his food, interspersing it with beer. “How many hours was I out?”
“Approximately twenty-four. You were conveyed here in a private plane, but it is still a long flight.”
No wonder he’d had to piss like a racehorse and no surprise he was starving. He helped himself to a spicy shrimp and rice dish and a slice of stoneground bread. There was another beer on the cart, and he grabbed that, too. “So what’s the deal, Phoenix? Why am I here? What is it I can give you that no one else can?”
“I am the only one of my kind. To survive longer than one thousand years, I must find my soul mate, and that person must come to love me.” The lavender eyes fixed on Artemis. “ You must love me.”
Artemis fought the urge to roll his eyes, but he was doing it mentally. “You can’t force someone to love you.”
“I agree. But if we spend time together, if you come to know me, perhaps you might.”
“I don’t believe in soul mates. I believe in compatibility.”
“Bullshit.” How odd to hear that word come out of a bird’s mouth. “Talis shook your hand and the exchange of energy almost knocked him out. Tell me you didn’t feel that.”
Artemis shook his head. He wasn’t going to admit to feeling anything other than an instant of overwhelming physical attraction. That happened all the time. It just didn’t happen to him, not until he'd met Talis. He finished the second beer and set the bottle on the cart. “Talis killed those men.” Phoenix didn’t respond, and Artemis glanced at him. “Didn’t he? Or was it you?” The vitality in the room changed as Phoenix morphed back into Talis. He was nude. “Jesus, you must go through a lot of clothes doing that.”
Talis moved to stand before Artemis. “Look at me.”
Artemis looked… and saw the most perfect body he’d ever laid eyes on. Wide shoulders and a lightly furred chest with beautifully defined pecs narrowed to slender hips and long, gorgeous legs. Below a flat abdomen and golden bush hung a thick, uncut cock that made his mouth water. One didn’t see many these days, and Artemis couldn’t stop staring. Suddenly Artemis was aware of that cock beginning to lengthen under his gaze, the head poking out of the foreskin, and he shifted uncomfortably as his dick responded in kind.
“ This is what they died for,” Talis said, holding his arms out slightly from his body. “I can exist in this form only because of them, because they gave their essence to me.”
That drew Artemis’s attention. “Gave to you? What the hell are you talking about?”
“Phoenix could not find you unless he was human, and he could not be human unless they offered themselves to me.” Talis dropped his eyes. “Phoenix does what he has to do to survive. So would you. So would any being. Extinction sounds so sterile, but to become extinct, the last of a species has to die.” His shoulders abruptly tightened, underscoring the sharpness in his voice. “I have been looking for you a long time.”
Artemis said, “It is my duty to place you under arrest.” He repeated the Miranda warning by rote.
The purple eyes met his again. “You do not understand, and you’re out of your jurisdiction, Detective.”
“Then maybe you’d better send me home,and I’ll issue a warrant from there.” Artemis was not in the mood for games. “Or you can come with me.”
“The U.S. has no extradition treaty with Nepal.”
“It does with Egypt,” he shot back. “I’ll send it to your residence there.”
“I am here until the end,