Phoenix in My Fortune (A Monster Haven Story Book 6) by R.L. Naquin Page A

portal chaos. So when everything went dark and I found myself standing in the middle of nowhere with nothing but the sound of whooshing wings around me, I didn’t panic.
    A pinprick of light pulsed before me, widening and allowing the shadowy shape of a great bird to form. The very first Hidden, the Simurgh, hadn’t shown herself before this, though seeing her shadow was only a small step toward actually seeing her. Still, it was better than the darkness I’d experienced before.
    The shadow moved, its great wings the size of a small house.
    “In one, there is hope,” she whispered. “In two, there is tragedy.”
    “One what?” I tried to take a step forward but my foot wouldn’t leave the ground. “Two what? Please. No more riddles. We’re in a lot of trouble.”
    The dark form shifted, shivering its wings. “I can say no more until two become one.”
    “Do I have to get married? What?”
    “The answers are in the book.”
    “But the book is blank!”
    “Indeed.”
    Without warning, the setting sun was shining through the windshield, directly in my eyes. The Simurgh was gone, leaving me with more questions than I’d had before she’d spoken.
    “Son of a bitch,” I said. My ribs itched, and I pulled an iridescent, rainbow-colored feather from my shirt. Impossibly, the feather was a good six feet long.
    Riley glanced at me, then back at the road. “What’s wrong?”
    I waved the top of the feather at him. “Another mystery message from the First Hidden.” I told him what the Simurgh had said.
    He frowned. “Well, shit. That could mean anything.”
    “That’s kind of what I said, but she didn’t seem inclined to explain further.”
    As we pulled into my driveway, a patch of white flashed through the woods alongside the car. We came to a stop, and our resident yeti, Tashi, stepped out from across the yard.
    Two little ones, half yeti and half skunk-ape, clung to the snowy fur of her shoulders. She lifted a giant hand to us in greeting, grinned, then disappeared into the forest. I’d worried about her for a long time after her mate, my friend Iris, had died. Until she’d discovered she was pregnant, I’d been afraid she might waste away with sadness. She looked so much better now—still a little sad sometimes, but mostly consumed with the joys of motherhood. Seeing her with her babies made me smile. That right there was what we were fighting for.
    Because if Shadow Man got his way, Tashi and her babies—hell, every one of my Hidden family—would be forced to leave our world forever. As frightened as I was of Shadow Man trying to kill me, I was more frightened that he would change the world in a way I was unwilling to let it change. My friends belonged here. This was their home.
    Even if I died and couldn’t be with them anymore.
    Gravel crunched under the tires as we rolled to a stop near the house. I hopped out of the car, and Riley held the front door open for me.
    Despite how many people we had buzzing in and out lately, the house was silent. I made my way through to the kitchen and out the other side to check the backyard.
    Sure enough, that was where almost everyone was. I didn’t see Sara anywhere, so I assumed she was working in the back bedroom. The group huddled around a central figure. Dread flooded through me, and I hurried over.
    Mom kneeled in the grass. An enormous, iridescent feather lay on the ground next to her. She looked up and gave a weak smile as we approached, pointing at the feather in my hand. “You, too?”
    I nodded. “Yep. She was opaque as usual.”
    She struggled to her feet. “What was your message?”
    “Same as yours. ‘In one, there’s hope. In two, there’s tragedy.’ That’s what you got, right?”
    A shadow crossed her face and she looked away. “We always get the same message, Zoey.” She held out the feather. “Here. This was caught in my hair after the vision was over.”
    I took it from her. “I’ll add it to the collection.” I had no idea