“The dead are screaming,” I said, “so shut up and let me deal with them.”

Which probably wasn’t the wisest thing to say to the man who was technically my boss—at least for this mission—but hey, what was the worst he could do? Sack me?

I flung several streams of fire at the nearest cloaks. The flames leapt from one rotting carcass to another, until the entire stairwell was lit by a moving mass of burning flesh.

It didn’t stop them.

Maybe they couldn’t stop. Maybe Luke’s very last order had been to protect the labs at all costs.

I drew in a breath and called to the mother. Her power tore through me, almost seeming intent on tearing me apart as she erupted from my flesh and arrowed undirected toward the burning cloaks. In an instant, they were ash. I sighed in relief and released her, but she didn’t retreat. Rainbows of light pulsed across the darkness, and my heart momentarily beat in time.

And that scared the hell out of me.

If I became too in tune, I would become one with her. Everything I was, and everything I could be—all my hopes and dreams and energy—would become a part of her. There was no escape from such a fate, no rebirth.

And while that was the eventual fate of all phoenixes, it was not yet my time to fade into her sweet embrace. I was not yet tired of life, however much I might wish our ill-fated path to love would, just once, end differently.

I backed away from the rainbow flare, and the connection between us snapped, the force strong enough that it sent me staggering backward. I flung a hand against the wall and briefly closed my eyes, battling the lethargy that washed through my limbs, though it stemmed as much from relief as weakness.

One thing was very obvious—I’d have to stop relying so much on the mother to get me out of tough situations. Her grip—and the temptation that came with it—was becoming a little too strong.

I pushed away from the wall and sent my sphere of flame spiraling upward. Thankfully, no more rotting, broken faces were revealed.

“One stairwell clear of cloaks,” I said. “Are the sensors still catching movement, Sam?”

“At the moment, no. I’ve called in the military to guard the perimeter of the shielded area, though, just in case they try to escape.”

I doubted they were trying to escape, but it was nevertheless a good idea. If the cloaks were all contained within the area—for whatever reason—then it was better to keep it that way.

Even if it wasn’t exactly better for us.

“Heading back to finish checking the labs, then.”