Phoenix

By KD Jones

Two strong spirits, two vulnerable hearts.

Everything he had cared for went up in smoke, but Phoenix rose from the ashes to reclaim his life.
Olivia was determined to not let her DNA dictate how she lived her life and sought justice for those who were defenseless.
They both have denied parts of themselves.
Will they be able to fill in the missing pieces with one another?

• Language: English
• Publisher: KD Jones
• Release date: Apr 10, 2017
• ISBN: 9781943738427

KD Jones

KD Jones has been a huge fan of both romance novels and science fiction novels since she was 16 years old. Her favorite television shows growing up were Star Trek and Doctor Who. When not writing, she can usually be found curled up on the couch with a good book, working on her hobby of photography, or spending time with her family.

Book preview

Phoenix

Galactic Cage Fighter Series Book 12

KD Jones

© 2017 KD Jones

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1:

Chapter 2:

Chapter 3:

Chapter 4:

Chapter 5:

Chapter 6:

Chapter 7:

Chapter 8:

Chapter 9:

Chapter 10:

Chapter 11:

Chapter 12:

Chapter 13:

Chapter 14:

Chapter 15:

Chapter 16:

Chapter 17:

Chapter 18:

Chapter 19:

Chapter 20:

Chapter 21:

Chapter 22:

Chapter 23:

Chapter 24:

Chapter 25:

About the Author

BLURB

Two strong spirits, two vulnerable hearts.

Everything he had cared for went up in smoke, but Phoenix rose from the ashes to reclaim his life.

Olivia was determined to not let her DNA dictate how she lived her life and sought justice for those who were defenseless.

They both have denied parts of themselves.

Will they be able to fill in the missing pieces with one another?

Chapter 1

Phoenix’s heart beat fast but he never let his emotions show as he ran across the rocky battlefield. He rolled over and popped up shooting his small laser cannon. Two down…four down, he lost count of how many of the enemy he took out. He had left behind his fellow human soldiers because they could not keep up with him.

As a halfsie—half human and half unknown alien species—the military that had contracted his conception was never given his full file from the scientists who created him. None of the known alien species matched completely with his DNA. The closest the military doctors could come up with was that he had some Voltan in him, because his body often ran on the hot side. Also, they suspected he had some Martian in him because of his strength and because, when under pressure, his skin tone turned a redder hue. They basically named him a mongrel, not sure how to classify him. ‘Mongrel halfsie’ was the species listed on his military record.

It wasn’t like he cared what they thought of him. For the most part he could pass as a human. Many halfsies dreaded being used by the military but not Phoenix. He adjusted well to having strict rules and guidelines to follow. He excelled with fighting and weapons and no one could beat him hand to hand. He rose up in the ranks quickly and was sent out on special missions that were deemed too dangerous for humans. Even after halfsies were given the same rights and freedoms as other species, he chose to stay in the military.

He was treated well by the military. They gave him a home on base. He even had a human fiancée, Leslie, whom he loved. She was beautiful with blond hair and blue eyes and had long shapely legs just the way he liked his women. He was paid well for his special missions so he had saved up to get her a huge diamond ring that she talked about for months. This was his last mission before the wedding. They had planned to go to a tropical planet for their honeymoon.

A blast up ahead returned his attention to the battle in front of him. Some of his human comrades were cornered. They wouldn’t last another blast. He had to get to the enemy before they shot their laser cannon. He dropped his weapons and left the cover of the rocks. Running and taking a huge leap, he took the weapon down with his impact but it fired at the same time, causing a blinding explosion. He was burning all over and felt like his skin was melting. If he could talk, he would beg someone to kill him. That’s how badly he hurt. His last thought was of his fiancée as his lungs filled with dust and he felt his body pulling apart molecule by molecule…

*****

Phoenix woke in the middle of the night, overheated and sweating. He kicked off the sheet and ran his hand over his smooth bald head. Lately, he found that he liked to keep it shaved to give him a different look from what he used to have. He wished he could erase his memory of who he used to be, erase his past and start over truly fresh with a clean slate. Unfortunately, no matter how much he ignored his thoughts while awake, he couldn’t escape his memories in his sleep. The nightmares wouldn’t let him.

He got up and walked naked to the bathroom. After reaching in the shower stall and turning on the water, he entered the stall and welcomed the cool spray washing the sweat away. He closed his eyes as it hit his face.

If only he could forget that horrible day where he found out what his mixed DNA really could do. When the explosion happened he thought he was dying, but that would have been a blessing. No, he experienced the burning of his body and suffered as his ashes reformed and built him back into bone, blood, and flesh. It was long and excruciating. He would rather have stayed dead, but air was forced into his lungs. He thought he would die then, but opening his eyes and seeing his excited captors strapping him down on the table in their lab made him realize that his suffering was just beginning.

For two years he was a prisoner and went through torture, all in the name of science. The enemy wanted to duplicate his ability to heal himself but they couldn’t, no matter what they did, because they couldn’t pinpoint his genetics. One day, they made the mistake of leaving off one of the straps when performing another test. While the doctors were distracted, he managed to break free. He couldn’t remember how many he killed. All he knew was that he kept fighting until he was out of the facility and walking the rocky terrain. One of his allies spotted him and returned him to his military base. Unfortunately, no one could return the two years that he’d lost.

While waiting to be released from the military hospital, he got a call from his fiancée—ex-fiancée. The military had declared him dead months after his disappearance and Leslie had moved on with her life after mourning him. She was married and expecting her first child. She wanted to come by the hospital and see him but he told her he was relocating and wished her well. Seeing her would have hurt too much and his heart had already been revived multiple times. He also didn’t want to see her pity him. He never wanted that.

The military wanted to find out how he had survived but he made sure that they never knew the full story. Phoenix was given the option to leave the military or stay, but he knew if he stayed his secret would eventually be revealed. Those he called friends would eventually look at him like a freak. The doctors and scientists in the military would want to test his abilities, and he’d had enough of being someone else’s experiment. So he left it all behind.

It took three years of trying to find work that would fit him but all he knew had been taught to him by the military. He eventually took a part-time job fighting for the Galactic Cage Fighter Association, a combat sport promotion company that arranged fighting events throughout the galaxies. He proved himself enough to eventually get offered a full-time position.

He reached for the soap and began scrubbing his skin, hating that even if he cut himself he would heal quickly. Most halfsies had a faster healing rate but nothing like what Phoenix could do. To keep others from finding out how different he was, he would go to a healer for a brief treatment but insist on resting in his room. He never let anyone know exactly how bad his injuries were. There would be too many questions that he wasn’t ready to answer.

After getting out of the shower, he quickly dried himself off and reached for jogging pants and a T-shirt. He wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep so he planned to go down to the gym and work out. Maybe if he ran on the treadmill or punched the weight bag enough times his body would be so tired he would be able to fall asleep again.

Phoenix put on a pair of shoes and left his suite. The hallway was pretty much empty since most would be sleeping at two in the morning. He passed one of the ship’s security personnel as he got on the elevator. The male didn’t look surprised to see him up. Phoenix often had late night or early morning workouts because he didn’t sleep well. He hadn’t had a full night’s sleep since the explosion. He preferred not to sleep at all if he could. The dreams and the nightmares always came and he hated to relive any of it over and over. Once, he was so desperate he tried to not sleep for days. When his body finally crashed from exhaustion, he had relived the worst of his torture. After that he decided he would rather deal with the occasional bad dream. Some of the healers suggested he work with a psychologist to help him with his issues. Instead, he’d found exercise or a good round of sex to help him deal with the ghosts from his past. Most times he preferred the exercise, it allowed him to keep his emotional distance.

It only took a few minutes for the elevator to reach the level the gym was on. He passed a few more security people and, of course, there were security cameras everywhere. The lights were set on low but upon entering the training facility they lit up fully. He continued on to the weights room where free weights and other exercise equipment were located, and headed for the treadmill first.

Once on, he set a steady pace and slowly increased his speed. Twenty minutes later he slowed down. Next he moved on to the punching bags. Sweat was starting to soak his shirt and it was sticking to him, so he stopped to pull his T-shirt off and tossed it to the side. His body strained with every punch and kick. His heart rate picked up and he pushed himself to hit the bag harder. He thought about the military and how they had plagued him ever since he left. He thought about his ex-fiancée who easily found another not even a year after his supposed death. He thought about the tattoos that covered his body that had not been there before the explosion but suddenly turned up and could not be removed. The largest one covered his back and featured a large predatory bird. It was this that gave him the name he now used, Phoenix.

The GCFA council and the fans loved his tattoos and said it made him have a dangerous look. His friend Amelia said it made him look sexy, too. Of course, Amelia’s male, Nigel, wasn’t too happy with that assessment. Phoenix didn’t really care whether females found him sexy or not. He hadn’t allowed more contact with females other than quick sexual encounters that did not involve any kind of emotions. Amelia was the first female who’d had him questioning that decision. She was smart, funny, full of fire, and curvy. He liked curvy. However, she chose to mate with another, and whatever feelings