LOGINShare
Chapter 6
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56When Sarah lazily opened her eyes and recognition blazed through them, Luke found himself petrified in front of her.
How was it possible that she knew what she was to him? he wondered.
To his utter surprise, Sarah’s hand found its way to his cheek and for a moment, a second, Luke let himself enjoy the feeling her hand brought. That moment was all he could afford before the memories of all the sufferings without her in the past rushed back and anger took place of all of his other feelings.
Sarah didn’t miss the sudden change in him, and it confused her.
“You hate me,” she whispered her conclusion, retracting her hand and stepping backward. “You don’t even know me… why would you hate me?”
He stood there, watching her with hate and amazement, his breath rigid and labored. He looked like he couldn’t get enough oxygen in his lungs like he was drowning…
“Why do you hate me?”
Related chapters
Rise of the Phoenix Chapter 7
“Here. This will be your room while you stay in the villa.” Luke opened the door on the first floor and Sarah followed him.It was a spacious but simply furnished room although she didn’t mind it a bit. She was never the one to pay too much attention to furniture in the first place… a place to sleep peacefully was always more than enough and the bed that was dominating the room seemed comfortable. There was also a paravane in the corner she could use to change her clothes and a dresser right next to it, although she had no plans of unpacking.“There is one bathroom at the end of this hall, and the other is downstairs. This is an old type of building and unfortunately, I wasn’t able to adapt it to modern standards.” To Sarah, Luke sounded like he was apologizing. “Anyway, get your
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Rise of the Phoenix Chapter 8
"All right... How do you want to do this?" After some nagging from Sarah, Luke gave in. He could tell she was serious and that she would indeed leave, and he didn’t want that. No matter what, he didn’t want her to be in danger…Sarah pulled him by the hand, and he followed her out of the house. She didn’t stop until they reached a particular tree in the garden, the one she saw when they passed by earlier. She sat down on the grass right where the shade of the tree was the most comfortable, and she motioned to Luke to do the same.Luke rolled his eyes, but either way sat down, not too close to her. Holding her hand for less than a minute was temptation enough. For now, he shouldn’t push himself too far.“Well, I was thinking something like asking questions… you know… I ask something and you answer and then you ask something and I answer…&rd
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Rise of the Phoenix Chapter 9
What the hell was he doing? Kissing her like crazy? After everything!And what was she doing? Kissing him back?He should stop, Luke knew he should stop, but he couldn’t detach himself from Sarah. Her lips were so soft and inviting and the way she responded to the kiss, the way she responded to him… it was crazy! It was unbelievable!He has entranced, he was not himself, he was not controlling his own body, he was completely under her spell. Bewitched!Never in his life has he felt like this before… so… so… he couldn’t even find the words to explain what he was feeling right now. Passion, desire, pain, hurt, love, acceptance… everything! He was feeling everything at the same time.It was exactly what he was missing his entire life. The other part of his soul, a place where he belonged… and he finally found it. He found all of it in this silly girl!And judging by her reaction, Sarah felt
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Rise of the Phoenix Chapter 10
“I don’t understand what’s wrong?” Sarah was confused by Luke’s reaction.“What’s wrong?! You ask what’s wrong?!” he started pacing around the living room.“Yeah! Because I don’t understand your reaction. Do you know my father?” Sarah tried to keep her cool, but something was telling her this will not end nicely. If she were forced to choose between those she considered a family and the one that’s supposed to be her world, she wouldn’t have to think twice.“Start talking!” Luke was in front of her, inches separating them. “And start from the beginning!” he roared.“What the hell is wrong with you, ha?” Sarah snapped. “I don’t know if that’s how you usually interact with people, but I have to stop you right there! I don’t care who you are or who you are supposed to be to me, but I won’t allow you to act like
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Rise of the Phoenix Chapter 11
Sarah didn’t like remembering that part of her life at all, in fact, every time a thought of it would creep onto her, she would give her best to push it down in some deep corner of her mind where it will be locked for some time.There were times when she couldn’t control her thoughts, like when she was sleeping and when her memories would sneak upon her in a form of a nightmare that would wake her up drenched in a cold sweat, trembling and crying, and every time something like that happened, Sarah would be scared to go to sleep for days… terrified of another involuntary trip down the memory lane.It happened a lot when she was younger. Now those episodes were rare. She learned to control her feelings about this subject...But she did it intentionally this time. She poked the wound that never stopped bleeding… she did it because of him. She did it for him… she bared her soul before Luke and told him about the most painful part of
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Rise of the Phoenix Chapter 12
Sarah didn’t come from her room that day, not for lunch, not for dinner. Even though he worried, Luke didn’t go to see her. Wasn’t she at least hungry? Or maybe she didn’t want to come down because she didn’t want to see him… that thought caused a strange ping in his heart, the one he didn’t like at all.But after he checked on her earlier that afternoon and barely found the strength to leave the room, Luke didn’t go into her room again. He used the time to work in his home office and settle as many things as he could from there. It wasn’t every day he was selling all his business, but it also wasn’t the first time. Every 10 years or so, he would sell the business he developed in a city he was living in at the time and move. Maybe he could’ve stayed here a year or two more, but Sarah showed up…Luke also used a chance to reach out to people he knew in the USA, giving them a
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Rise of the Phoenix Chapter 13
Luke wasted no second. His first instinct told him to get his girl to safety, and he happily obliged. He grabbed Sarah by the hand and dragged her to the nearest café, just a few yards from where they were sitting.And Sarah followed without a word, not having trouble to keep up with his long strides. She wasn’t scared, no. But her instincts were telling her to rely on Luke and his assessment of the situation.They walked into the busy café with no vacant tables and no one seemed to pay any attention to them. Luke stopped just for a second, scanning the surroundings, looking for something while Sarah was busy looking at him. A moment later, he pulled her again and headed to their left, where Sarah spotted a Lady’s Room sign. They entered and luckily; it was empty.She was now even more confused? What were they doing here? Hiding? Sarah never took him for a coward… she was just about to ask what he was doing
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Rise of the Phoenix Chapter 14
The next two days for Sarah passed in a blur. Luke was busy with selling his company, and apparently, you can sell a successful shipyard in two days without problems, but he didn’t fail to spend time with her.Now that his breaks were all gone, he was speeding right down the road he was supposed to be on long ago, centuries ago.Luke was still fascinated with how fast and easy his change was… how it crept on him without him noticing… the acceptance of having her by his side, not being alone anymore. It was strange but good strange.Now that he had spent some time with Sarah and got to know her better, he was disgusted with himself and his initial impression of her. How could he ever have thought that she was anything less but magnificent? Sweet and caring, beautiful inside and out with an immeasurable amount of patience for him and his demons.She cared for him even before the bond they shared took full swing on
Last Updated : 2024-10-29
Latest chapter
Rise of the Phoenix To my readers
Love. Because love refines your soul and will make you worthy of being loved. Forgive. Because we all make mistakes, and we all deserve second chances. Trust. Because life has a way of making things right even when everything seems like a dead-end. Don’t give up. Because you never know what good thing is waiting for you just around the corner. Thank you for sticking with me until the end of this journey and I if you enjoyed this story, consider leaving ratings and review. It would help the algorithm recognize it and share this novel with more people. Also, check my other books here that have been completed. Maybe you like them… I’ve been juggling with a certain idea in my head… Michael’s and Anna’s story is itching to get out since the majority of the story would be set in the 19th century and it would have a different tone than the previous novels. All the announcements will be posted on my social media,
Rise of the Phoenix Epilogue 2
5 years laterSarah and Luke spent their days and years in the castle where he was born, and every new day seemed like a dream. They understood each other perfectly, knew what the other felt, wanted, and needed without words spoken aloud… but that didn’t stop them from fighting a couple of times. And when they did, oh boy, those quarrels were epic, and they all ended the same way… in their bedroom.After that first year when Sarah was learning to control fire, and when her family was not visiting, well… as soon as she was sure she wouldn’t accidentally hurt them, they came to visit every often. Sometimes all of them would come at once, which created chaos of shouting and laughing, talking at the same time and yelling at kids that didn’t listen to a word their parents told them, and sometimes Sarah and Luke would announce coming by for lunch to either Henry’s house in the mountain, Michael’s villa
Rise of the Phoenix Epilogue 1
The past year has been challenging for Sarah. It was more complicated than she expected it to be. From the day she discovered she could invoke fire from nowhere, start it by her own free will, things went downhill. After everything that happened with her biological parents, the serene day they had was just the calm before the storm. Once the spark found its way out, there was no way back. Fiery energy wanted out, and she could do nothing about it. It didn’t help the fact that Sarah had a problem with controlling herself, controlling her emotions, and that caused a fire to burst everywhere at any given time… while they were walking through the forest, while having lunch in the kitchen, while making love… once she even set a curtain in the bedroom on fire in her sleep as she was dreaming of Luke… or when she unintentionally cremated the chicken she was stuffing for dinner. There were times when she felt like losing her shit over h
Rise of the Phoenix Chapter 50
The first day upon arrival to their new home, Sarah wanted to explore but didn’t get the chance to see much as Luke showed her around, explaining things and sights until they arrived at the master bedroom. That’s where they stayed for the rest of the day and the following night.They even ordered dinner from the nearest restaurant; however, until it came, it was almost cold, but they didn’t really mind.“You’re the new owners everyone’s been talking about?” delivery guy was friendly and curious.“Yes. And we’ll be seeing each other more often from now on.” Luke answered and generously tipped the guy.Guess everybody in the surrounding villages and towns knew someone bought the Lone castle since Luke arranged it to be cleaned and stocked up from Maine. Perks of modern times and the internet, ha… over the years, he never failed to take care of the castle no matter wher
Rise of the Phoenix Chapter 49
It was long past midnight when Johnson’s mansion dove into silence. After guests left, they all worked together to clean up the mess left behind, and Luke had nothing against helping. On the contrary, he enjoyed every second. In the process, he figured the best way to thank Richard and Adaline for what they did for him, for his girl… for saving Sarah’s life… when he should’ve been the one to do that. But back then, he was still one hell of an unjustified proud jerk that wanted to stay away even though he felt Sarah’s deep distress.What amazed Luke the most is how little time he needed to feel like he was part of the family, that he was accepted… and he truly appreciated every second he spent with them. And it also brought a wave of sadness because he realized he would never have a chance to have the same with his own parents as they long ago ceased to exist. He will never have the chance to… anything&
Rise of the Phoenix Chapter 48
While Sarah was helping Adaline in the kitchen prepare desserts and salads for the upcoming barbecue, Luke was outside with Richard setting the tables in the backyard. Aside from the chairs, Luke volunteered to add table cloths and flower arrangements Sarah so carefully prepared.He was in some weird, hectic state of mind where he felt like he could fly, not literally, though. He even caught himself waiting for the twins to show up so he could tease them and make them giggle as he remembers them too. And the best thing of all, he didn’t have that feeling of not belonging, of being out of place… being here was the most natural thing for Luke.Every now and then, he would go inside to find his girl and kiss her longingly, which always made her smile and return the kiss with the same vigorousness.And seeing Luke like this, acting all-natural and relaxed in the place she loved the most on the planet, amongst her family, caused Sa
Rise of the Phoenix Chapter 47
Throughout the night, Sarah kept waking up. Her newfound peace was not enough to give her night calm, good night’s sleep because every time she would snap out of her dreamless state, she would feel Luke being awake beside her. The tiredness she felt made her involuntarily doze off, no matter how much she fought it to stay awake with Luke.Every time Sarah would wake up, Luke would kiss her temple and mumble something like ‘Go back to sleep, honey,’ or ‘Don’t worry so much,’ but she worried…When morning finally came, Sarah woke up to sleeping Luke that used her chest as a pillow while his arms were wrapped around her waist. Knowing that he had just recently managed to rest his mind and sail into a land of dreams, Sarah decided to stay still and not disturb him.As she was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling above her, Sarah used the opportunity to think about everything once again. This time arou
Rise of the Phoenix Chapter 46
Sarah was dumbfounded with everything Celia told them. After everything that happened in the last couple of days, this was a straw that broke the camel’s back, and Sarah gave up trying to stay sane.Nausea that started in her stomach quickly spread all over her body, clouding her mind and pulling her into the darkness. Sarah lost her consciousness and would have fallen down if there wasn’t for Luke that scooped her in his arms and carried her to the nearest two-seater, but she didn’t stay like that for too long. As soon as her back touched its leather surface, Sarah snapped and broke away from Luke’s hold.They all watched as she reached for the bottle of whiskey that was oh so conveniently left on the table. She grabbed the first glass she saw, not caring that it wasn’t unused because whoever of the present people drank from it was her family member, and she wasn’t about to be disgusted. She poured good two fi
Rise of the Phoenix Chapter 45
Why the hell couldn’t they have one peaceful night? Just one! Was that too much to ask? Sarah wondered while walking alongside Luke and her parents.They were all excited. Even Luke was taken by the atmosphere that Celia’s discovery brought. Only Sarah wore her frown with pride. She hated this; she hated it from the deepest pits of her soul, and she had no intention of pretending it was any different. She hated prophecies, and she hated that this was the second concerning her.“You were fast,” Richard commented once they all came into his library. “Your daughter had trouble with it, and she got only bits and pieces.” He had every right to be suspicious. In the end, it wasn’t every day they dealt with something like this.“Oh, my friend….” Celia couldn’t contain her excitement. “If you knew how much of my early years I spent studying ancient languages… anyway, K
