His Phoenix Read online

  His Pheonix

  *By: Sage S. Wolf*

  ∞∞∞

  ~May you rise from the most impossible Circumstances~

  ∞∞∞

  Copyright © 2020 Sage S. Wolf

  All rights reserved

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  Contents

  His Pheonix

  Copyright

  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

  Books By This Author

  Chapter One

  Charlotte

  I double-checked the address on the house to make sure it was the same one from the ad in the paper. 2309 Chestnut Lane. This was it. I was finding it hard to believe this beautiful Victorian house in front of me was my potential future home.

  I’d been looking for three weeks for a room for rent in the local paper and had started to lose hope of finding anything.

  My roommate of two years just moved in with her new boyfriend. Okay, he wasn’t that new to her. She’d dated him in high school. Apparently, he was the one that got away and felt the same about her. Good for them.

  I gave up on love a long time ago. It brought nothing but pain. I’m not gonna sit here and give some long sob story about how my heart had been broken by every man I’d ever dated. It went back much further than that. Back to my five-year-old self who watched her mom pack her things while my dad tried to assure me everything would be fine. We watched as she rushed out the front door saying something about her ride being there for her. Then she was gone from our lives forever. It stunted me a little emotionally. I struggled to give and accept love because of it.

  Sometimes I miss the mom I remember bits and pieces of before that day, and other times, I hope karma got her back somehow. I know it’s not nice to wish bad things on people, but some people deserve bad things.

  Shaking myself from my thoughts, I raised my hand and pushed the doorbell. It was loud. It guess it had to be in order to hear it from everywhere inside this big house.

  I waited a few minutes before checking my phone. My appointment with the homeowner was at 5:00 pm. He’d told me not to be late. It was now 5:03. I hadn’t been late, so where was he? I pushed the doorbell a second time and waited again. Maybe he changed his mind. I wouldn’t want a stranger living in my nice house either.

  Stuffing the newspaper into my bag, I turned and started down the porch steps.

  As I reached the bottom, an older lady came around the far side of the house wearing gardening gloves. “You must be Charlotte,” She said cheerfully.

  “That’s me.” I tried to smile through my nervousness. “I’m here for the roommate interview with Mr. Valtor.”

  The woman smiled and pulled off her gloves. “Oh yes, I remember him asking me to meet with you for him. He had a business meeting to attend and sends his apologies for not being here.” The woman held her hand out to me. “I’m Mrs. Lent.

  I took her offered hand and shook it. “Charlotte James. My friends call me Charlie.”

  “Very well then, Charlie, why don’t we go inside, and I’ll go over the house rules for you, then I can show you your room.” Mrs. Lent hurried up the front steps and opened the front door, gesturing me inside.

  “Don’t you want to interview me first?” I asked, rooted to where I was standing at the bottom of the stairs.

  Mrs. Lent smiled again. It was warm and inviting. “I'll give you the house rules first. If the rules won’t work for you, then I won’t do the interview or show you to your room. Sound good?”

  I nodded and slowly made my way up the stairs and followed her into the house.

  Inside was stunning. The intricate detail on the stair railing and crown molding on the walls. Beautiful. Seeing that the décor matched the timing of the house without making it feel dated and stuffy, gave me an itch to get out my sketchbook and start putting designs together. I was going to college for interior design. I loved making homes feel like home to the people who lived there.

  I know that sounds weird. After my mom left, the house I shared with my dad never felt like home again. He tried. Bless his heart, he did everything to make me happy after that day. He became my best friend. He still was.

  “Mr. Valtor has a beautiful home,” I said more to the universe than to Mrs. Lent.

  “The man has good tastes for sure. You should see how he dresses.” Mrs. Lent grinned like she knew something I didn’t. Like a kid with a secret that they couldn’t wait to tell the world.

  “I’m sure I’ll see soon enough if I end up staying. I have class in an hour, so I’d like to have this settled before then.”

  Mrs. Lent laughed. “Oh, he is going to love you. All business just like him.”

  “I don’t know about love, but he has to at least like me enough to be able to tolerate living under the same roof.”

  Mrs. Lent gestured me to the left of the foyer. “Let’s go sit at the dining room table and go over the rules.”

  We went into the dining room and sat down at the large table. It could easily seat twelve people. I guess it had to be this big or it would be dwarfed by the size of the room. It looked to be made of cherry wood and the legs, like all the other wood things in this house were intricately carved with beautiful designs.

  “This house is a designer's dream come true,” I said, beaming at Mrs. Lent. I was unable to hide how strangely happy being inside this house was making me.

  I needed to live here.

  Mrs. Lent beamed back at me. “I’m glad you like it, Charlie. Mr. Valtor will be pleased to have someone of like mind living here.”

  A tall thin man came through what was probably the kitchen door. “Would you ladies like something to drink?” He asked. His face not really showing any emotion one way or the other.

  “I’m okay for now, thanks,” I said before Mrs. Lent shooed him back into the kitchen.

  “That was Murdock. He’s the butler here. You won’t see him unless Mr. Valtor calls him to work. I do most of the everyday housework and cooking. Now, onto the rules. Rule number one: You must let Mr. Valtor know when you will be having guests over. He doesn’t like the idea of a bunch of strangers roaming around his house.”

  I nodded. “I can agree with that. I don’t have a lot of friends anyway.” I only had one close friend besides my dad, and that was Alisa.

  We’d met our sophomore year in high school, and she’d somehow stuck with me over these last ten years. She didn’t get mad when I decided not to go off to college with her after graduation.

  She wanted to be a veterinarian. I didn’t have a damn clue what I’d wanted to do with my adult life.

  Finally, on my twenty-fifth birthday, I was messing with the layout of my dad’s living room when it hit me. I wanted to decorate other people’s houses and make them feel more at home. I'd talked to my dad about which loans to a
pply for and all that fun stuff. He was head of the loan office at the local college, so he was the best person to ask. No, that didn’t mean I got a discount. I had student loans out the wazoo like everyone else.

  After I’d figured out what classes I needed and was approved for my loans, I started my four-year-long path to interior designerhood. That might not be a word. It is now.

  “Rule number two,” Mrs. Lent interrupted my thoughts with more rules. “You must be inside the house by 10:00 pm.”

  “Or I’ll turn into a pumpkin?” I couldn’t help my sarcastic tone. I was looking for a room to rent, not a new dad. Geesh!

  “Or you’ll be locked out of the house, Ms. James. I don’t think the porch swing will be very comfortable,” A deep voice said from behind me.

  I turned in my chair and locked eyes with a man who had hair almost too dark to be called black. His blue eyes were so bright they might be glowing. He was tall, roughly 6’0, give an inch or so, maybe. He was wearing a fitted expensive suit on his slender frame.

  I wanted to laugh at how different we were physically. I’m 5’5 and shaped like a pear according to the most recent fashion magazine Alisa had forced me to look at. The girl liked fashion almost as much as she liked animals. The only thing I did that could be considered fashion was dye my dark brown hair a dirty blonde. Other than that, I’m a sweatpants and hoodie kind of girl all the way.

  “I guess I’ll have to do my best to be inside before curfew,” I hoped my smile told him how I felt about his rule.

  Mr. Valtor smiled a smile that was all teeth and dimples. This man was a predator and I was his prey. I don’t know why that thought crossed through my mind at that moment.

  “Benjamin Valtor. You can call me Ben.” Ben held his hand out for me to shake it.

  I hesitantly shook it, still holding eye contact with him. “Charlotte James. You can call me Charlie.”

  Ben chuckled. “I prefer Charlotte. You’re much too beautiful to be called a boy’s name, Ms. James.”

  “I prefer Charlie.”

  “If you insist.” Ben turned his attention to Mrs. Lent who had been sitting quietly watching us. She was smiling. “Mrs. Lent, I can take over from here if you’d like to go home to your husband for the night.”

  Mrs. Lent looked at the clock on the wall before standing from the table. “Robert should have dinner done by the time I get there. I’ll be back to finish my work in the garden tomorrow morning.” And with that, she headed out the front door, waving bye as she went.

  “Are you ready for the rest of the rules, Ms. James?” Ben asked, taking the seat previously occupied by Mrs. Lent.

  “Yep. Lay em on me.”

  One of Ben's brows lifted as he looked at me. “Excuse me?”

  I laughed at the look on his face. “It’s an expression. I’m ready to hear the rest of the rules.”

  “Let’s begin then.” Ben looked down at a piece of paper that I hadn’t noticed earlier. “Rule number three: The third floor is mine and is forbidden. You can go anywhere else in the house but there. Understood?” I stood and approached him to get a better look at what he might be hiding under his suit. “What are you doing, Ms. James?” His voice was more amused than irritated.

  “Looking for fur,” I said, reaching out and tugging the collar of his shirt a bit.

  Ben swatted my hand away. “Why on earth are you looking for fur?”

  “Cause you just gave me the whole beast speech from beauty and the beast. I’m more blonde than brunette right now, but I’ve seen the movie too many times to not question it.”

  Ben grabbed my hand when I tried to lift his sleeve. His hand was cold. “This beast doesn’t have fur, that I can assure you, Charlie.”

  “What does that even mean?” I hated people who were vague about things. Just spit it out already.

  “It means there are things about me that you don’t need to know. You’ll be safe inside this house as long as you follow all the rules.”

  I wanted to get up and walk out the door. This was a bad idea. My dad had already said I could crash in my old room for as long as I wanted. I didn’t need to do this. I didn’t need to live in this house with this strange mysterious man. But something deep inside of me wanted to. Like a challenge I had to accept.

  “Are those all the rules?” I asked, hoping there wasn’t a long list.

  “There is one more.” Ben stared at me.

  “Well, are you gonna tell me what it is?”

  He smiled. “Of course. I just want to see your face as I tell you.”

  “Cause that’s not creepy at all, Benjamin. Let’s hear it.” I locked eyes with him again. Challenge accepted.

  “You can never. And I cannot stress this enough, Charlotte. Never can you discuss anything strange that you might see or hear inside this house with an outsider. Not your friends. Not your family. No one. Understood?”

  I felt fear at that moment as I stared into his glowing blue eyes. They had to be glowing to be that bright. I also felt a curiosity so strong that it pushed my fear to the side.

  I nodded slowly, still holding eye contact. “I understand, Mr. Valtor.”

  Ben broke eye contact when he suddenly stood from the table. “Good. So, would you still like to rent the room?”

  “Yes. When can I move in?”

  “As soon as I show you your room. Follow me, please.”

  Chapter Two

  Benjamin

  I led Charlotte to the second floor where her room was located. I was surprised that she had agreed to all the rules and still wanted to live here. I knew my rules were strict and a little odd, but they needed to be to protect my secret.

  I’d survived a time when people believed in, and actively hunted vampires. It took us hundreds of years to make humans believe we were the stuff of fairy tales. If one of us were discovered today, we were more likely to be turned into lab rats than burned at the stake or have our heads chopped off. It would not be good.

  I opened the door to the master bedroom on the second floor. “Your room, Ms. James.”

  Charlotte gasped when she entered. The look of surprise and delight on her beautiful face did weird things to my dead heart. It hadn’t beat so strongly without being fed in a very long time.

  Vampires don’t feed because we're hungry in the sense that humans need to fill their stomachs so it can absorb nutrients. Vampires drink blood to replace the dead blood that runs through our veins. Our hearts and brains, the only things keeping us up and functioning. If we didn’t drink fresh human blood, then our hearts would stop, and our brains would cease to function thus killing us.

  We are only immortal if we continue to feed on fresh blood. You can die anytime you like by just not feeding. Sunlight doesn’t hurt us. Just like water doesn’t melt witches. We are supernatural after all. Some of us have different abilities than others and we are all quite fast and strong. Don’t underestimate us just because we don’t fit the stereotype.

  “Ben, this is amazing. I don’t remember you telling me it was already furnished. I thought I’d have to drag my ugly thrift store furniture in here.”

  I chuckled and fought the urge to pull Charlotte against my side. “Everything in here is yours for as long as you live here. Unfortunately, these older houses don’t have closets since they used wardrobes back then. That’s what this is,” I walked over and opened the large cabinet that was made to hang clothes in. “I hope this is okay.”

  Charlotte approached the wardrobe and studied it closely. Running her hands over the intricately carved designs on the doors. “Benjamin, this is a stunning piece of furniture. It must have cost you a fortune. Everything in this house must have been crazy expensive.”

  I loved that she had noticed and appreciated my furnishings. It was an odd thing to be proud of at this moment.

  “They weren’t that expensive when I purchased them. This used to be a common trade when people cared about the work they sold to others. No one cares about the small details anymore. It�
��s all about making the most profit for the least amount of effort.”

  Charlotte smiled at me over her shoulder and my heart did that weird increased beating again. “So true. I’ll make sure people get what they pay for without cutting corners once I get my interior design degree.”

  “That explains your attention to detail. How much longer do you have before you graduate?”

  “Three more years. I’ll be working part-time on top of that, so you won’t see me that often. It’ll almost be like I don’t live here. I usually spend my off days with my dad or best friend Alisa. I’ll be an easy roommate to have.”

  I didn’t want her to never be here. The point of getting a human roommate was so I would have to interact more with them. I wouldn't say I’m an introvert, I run a large security company. I have to talk to clients almost daily. I guess my real reason was that my house had begun to feel empty after my staff left in the evenings. Even with me and the staff in it, it felt cold and hollow. It felt warmer now that Charlotte was here.

  “If you don’t mind me asking. How old are you?” Charlotte didn’t look a day over twenty. Looks can be deceiving though. I was over three hundred years old and didn’t look a day older than thirty.

  “Of course not. I’m twenty-six. My birthday was last month actually. I took a break after high school to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. A couple of years ago, I decided to move out of my dad’s house and become roommates with one of my friends. She recently moved in with her boyfriend and left me with all the bills. Since I’m only working part-time, I can’t afford the two-bedroom apartment on my own, so I started looking for a room to rent and found your add.”

  “I’m glad you did, Charlotte. Why don’t you give me your current address and I'll send some guys over to help you pack up your things and move them here. While you’re packing with the movers, I’ll print out our lease agreement. I will only make it a month by month lease. I would hate for you to feel trapped at any point.”