Klutz: Phoenix Heat (But Did You Die?, #2)

by Sedona Ashe

“Good girl. Again.”

Lol what a frat boy name

Sweet honey buttered biscuits. She wasn’t inside me.

They say time flies when you’re having fun, but apparently, it flashes by when you are being tortured

It turned out that I didn’t ‘have it’, and my mate was anything but afraid.

“For the love of Pete, please tell me he didn’t copulate with her!”

Of course, there was a way to know if he had injected her with his special peena colada…. just ask him.

In our family, if you crossed one of us, we were all coming for you.

In other words, I was thirsty, and he was my tall glass of water.

if you want to jump right into performing the no pants dance, that was perfectly normal. Right?

What a weird phrase. Why would anyone care about loving Pete? Also, ew. Who used the word ‘copulate’?

We were little more than misbehaving animals in their minds.

Crunchy corn dog on a stick! He’d made my body hot and wet by just brushing his wing along my skin.

Okay, so we could put a mark beside electricity on the things-a-Phoenix-could-control-but-only-if-she-knows-how list.

Shouldn’t there be a manual on how to be a kick-butt Phoenix?

I’d turned into a flaming octopus once before to save the five jaguars. I could do it again.

the flames added a whole other element of cool if you asked me.

“Calm down. I totally have this.” I mean, I was pretty sure I had it, but I didn’t think he would appreciate my complete honesty at that moment.

Xerxes, your mate and the man who has lived nearly every day of his long life hoping to meet you. You are mine, mi Reina, my Queen. Stay safe. I am coming for you.

I had to get out of there before the scientists decided it was time to knock me up,

“It’s going to be fine. Oh! And just a head’s up, I tend to die, frequently.”

“All I’m saying is if they kill me, don’t freak out. Okay?”

I’ve already died ninety-seven times in the past month. It will be fine.”

This was yet one more time when the movies set unrealistic expectations.

The guy must have been wearing pants two sizes too big because his pants dropped like something from a cartoon.

My mouth hung open in disbelief. I had essentially just killed a man, no, two men, by pantsing someone.

And for the love of all things salty, did my magic love to play hard.

The guard didn’t have time to react before the blast of flames toasted him like a marshmallow.

“I’m sorry, next time, I’ll watch out for your nutmegs while I’m saving your life,”

The flames hadn’t damaged Trevor’s pants, which meant it was burning my toga on purpose.

I couldn’t tell if it was a question or a statement, so I stayed quiet.

Why did he have to look so panty-meltingly sexy when he was angry?

However, the slut in me was ready to tell him she was a bad girl and needed a spanking.

I didn’t like his tone. Who am I kidding? I loved his rough, sexy tone.

I tried to give myself an inner pep talk, and it worked…not at all.

“Things have changed while you’ve been here, mister! Women are allowed to protect themselves now!”

In all fairness, my track record of accidental deaths didn’t exactly instill confidence in my ability to protect myself, not even for me. But I would die—temporarily—before admitting that to him.

I would cling to my point, just like the chick in the sinking ship movie clung to the floating wood she refused to share.

“You are so much more than just muscle or a bodyguard. But right now, I’m not willing to risk you. I’ll regenerate, you won’t.”

“Did you just lick me?” He huffed a laugh. “Maybeee.”

There were two things I wanted: information and revenge—in that order.

So a Phoenix’s weakness was a broken heart?

All my life, I had screamed at my television screen when the lead characters stopped to make out in the middle of the climactic fight scene. And then the first chance I got, what did I do?

“Just don’t die,” he called over his shoulder as he jogged off down the hallway. I snorted. For me, that was far easier said than done.

“Are we going to quote cliche movie lines, now? Because I need to warn you, I’m an expert at movie trivia.”

Fear sliced through me like a hot spoon through chocolate ice cream,

Anger surged through me, like road-rage times a thousand.

I show how merciful I am and allow them to take you to the medical bay, and the next thing I know, you are throwing a tantrum and destroying my property. Ungrateful brat.”

There were three problems with his thinking. First, I died all the time and wasn’t afraid to do it again. Second, if I didn’t breathe, I would die.

I know it was in my head, but I could have sworn she cracked her knuckles—I mean, feathers.