35 : Plan

**Evelyn :**

The next day, Phoenix was still with me, completely unconcerned about the impending danger but I was still worried. How could we not worry if there was an enemy out there somewhere, outside our home territory who wanted to kill Raphael, maybe even me?

I was worried that we wouldn't get through, that we would have to do the craziest thing to get hold of him. If he could get closer than the house, how can we guarantee that at some point our enemy will not get even closer?

Raphael, of course, said not to worry, he would handle everything. I didn't want to leave him alone, so I offered to come with him. My bird miraculously agreed but I think it was too easy. That kind of decision wasn’t something he would agree with.

There was worry in those burning eyes that always looked at me with a look of love and care. He was hiding something from me but didn't want to tell me anything.

Talking about me, I just kept quiet. We just pushed the plan forward, even including Luke who was ready to help right away. I had to laugh when the two brothers were once again arguing like little children. I started to get used to it, it was like everyday life.

His brother had been sent away to get information from other sources, so it was just the two of us as I sat down on the small sofa in the Phoenix office. He was preparing some kind of weapons that I didn't understand, so for a temporary moment I just looked at him with interest, resting my chin on my hand and a small smile on my face.

My man looked good as usual. White proper shirt and black leather pants, with black leather boots. A few buttons were undone exposing his bare flesh, making me fantasise about things I shouldn't because it wasn't really a good moment, knowing we have to be ready for attack at any moment.

I had noticed that his jaw muscles clenched every time when he concentrated and his eyebrows were furrowed into a sort of angry grimace but that sight alone made me feel all sorts of things. Raphael looks sexy at any moment and I wouldn't be surprised if in a trash bag would have the same result.

“See something interesting, baby?" a low voice breaks out of my fantasy as I hear the amusement in the words.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" my cheeks flushed bright red as I realised I was caught staring at his ass in those pants.

*Damn, girl, calm down!*

Fiery eyes make me freeze in place when I see him looking at me, all attention only on my face where I am sitting. He has a small knowing smile on his face that makes him look even sexier and I mentally slap myself because my hormones are out of control.

To distract myself and stop feeling like that, I snapped out of it and nodded in the direction where he had various weapons-making items on the table.

"What are you doing there if it's not a secret?"

Raphael smirks and turns back to look at the thing he was holding in his hands.

"That's what I call a trap for the likes of me. I've never made one but I've heard stories that it can catch even the strongest immortals. If there really is another Phoenix roaming the streets pretending to be my brother and trying to kill me to get you here, we need all the means to stop him," he explained.

I watched as he examined the object with a magnifying glass to look at the details more closely, if something was missing.

My curiosity gets the better of me and I get up to walk closer to him. I can see that the object looks like a flickering orb the size of a palm but through the glass you can see a complex mechanism and symbols in different language. Like a secret code.

"If you've never made one, how do you know it's going to work?"

"I'm following my great-grandfather's notes. They say it can kill a whole sea of ​​Gods and other powerful beings. Of course, I'm not one hundred percent sure but I have enough faith in my abilities to know that there's at least an eighty percent chance of success. There's powerful magic in this weapon that I got from a witch I knew a long time ago. She said she got it the hard way, in the most dangerous place of all but she owed me and was willing to take the risk. I just had to put it all together."

The orb in his hands really shimmered and held powerful magic, even I could feel it. Even shivers ran over my body hearing this story.

"How does it activate?"

Death glances at me and smiles, "With special words to be uttered on the night when the blood moon has risen, some sort of ritual must be performed. The blood of a sacrifice is required."

With wide eyes I watched both the object and the man himself, who spoke as calmly as if he were discussing the weather conditions. He had a deadly weapon in his hands but he wasn't even worried.

Seeing my expression, Raphael chuckles and after placing the ball in a special box, he wraps his arms around my waist to pull me closer to him, feeling all the muscles that immediately distracted me from the possibilities to the fear of the threat. Placing a kiss on my temples, I blush as he lifts my chin to look into his eyes.

"You have nothing to fear as long as I'm with you, okay? I promise nothing bad will happen to you again. You have to trust me, okay?”

"But -"

"Shh," his finger silences me and I blush even more as he pecks my lips, looking at them like they’re his favourite dessert, "Trust me, everything's going to be okay, love.”

I felt him lean closer and with bated breath I closed my eyes to wait for the kiss that usually still shook me after all this time since he first kissed me in this lifetime. His masculine male scent that smelled of fire and coconuts entered my nose without noticing someone else entering the room. Like a soft feather, a breath away from my lips, he suddenly blew a heavy breath on my face, near my mouth.

"Ahem, sorry to bother you but I have some news," someone croaked behind us and I just snapped out of the trance I'd been in as I found myself pulled out of Raphael’s magical passionate gaze.

Looking into my eyes, I let out a startled sound and watched as Phoenix closed his own eyes, a deep furrow appearing in the middle of his forehead and his lips pursed into a straight line, showing well the displeasure and regret on that beautiful face.

Against me or for his brother disturbing us, had no idea.

"Just in time," muttering under his breath, Raphael opens his eyes and gives the intruder a rather hostile look, "Next time knock, otherwise I won't be kind if you disobey basic orders again. Tell me, did you find what I was looking for?"

Now I also turn my head and see Luke hanging his head down but without showing any emotion, he nods instead of answering, " I asked the locals, they don't know exactly where he might be, but there are rumours that he is holding some kind of underground party at the "Deadly Sins" nightclub. They say he's trying to get his hands on someone who can get him poison for the Phoenix race and of course creating a larger army to be ready in case you attack. That's all I know, " Raphael’s brother is all serious, all joy and the humour is gone like never before.

My man instantly straightens his back and gently releases me, because then I just realised that we were hugging during the whole conversation.

"You know clearly that it is that particular club? " For a moment I hear disbelief in his voice.

Luke instantly agrees with a nod, "I'm pretty sure of that because I let myself play with the faith serum a bit, they all told me the truth."

Raphael watches him for a moment, then purses his lips again, brows furrowing, "What night is this happening?"

"Tonight."

"Well damn," Phoenix curses with a heavy sigh and turns his back on both of us. Walking with slow steps to his work desk, where there is a bottle of whiskey, he pours it into a glass and instantly drinks the drink in one gulp. The sight is still fascinating but what scares me the most is his reaction.

“Raphael?” my voice is soft but miraculously calm, so as not to show how nervous I feel.

You could feel the anger rising in him as his muscles were very tense and you could already see small sparks of flames dancing across the skin of his body. Craning his neck, side to side as if preparing for war, Raphael finally turns to face us and gives me an intense look, pinning me in place.

"My uncle owns the nightclub now and he's one of the people I wouldn't want to meet, at least not for the next few centuries."

This only added to my confusion until he continued, "He killed my mother when I was a child."

My shock and fear pierced my heart like a knife and I watched as his glass shattered in anger, blood running down his strong and elegant fingers.

Luke was frozen behind me like a statue and I couldn't even hear the surrounding sounds anymore because only the words were repeating in my mind, also feeling great sadness for what Raphael had to experience when he was still small.

*He killed my mother when I was still a child.*

How anyone, how even his closest in his family could do such a thing, in front of a small child? That’s so cruel.

What could be worse than that discovery? I think there will be more secrets revealing and I wasn't quite sure that I was ready for them.