A/N: This chapter is part of the old version, but edited with a little extra added. Brand new chapter coming up next!

Chapter Six

It turned out Roran's "someplace safe" was a dark, slimy cave behind a waterfall. The torch he carried caused eerie shadows to bounce off the walls, making it look like something out of a horror movie. A tattered old hammock hung in the back, tied between two stalagmites, but the rest of the space was pretty bare. The only indication that he spent any time here was the small stack of sharpened stones and various bones that were in the process of being fashioned into weapons.

Thea swallowed hard and questioned the logic of trusting this man (for about the hundredth time in the past few hours). If he had the strength to take down three huge wolf men then he would have no trouble making mincemeat out of her. What if that had been his plan all along? Maybe he had lured her here to kill her!

"Calm down, Thea. I'm not going to hurt you."

Her eyes widened. "How did you know what I was thinking? Can you read my mind?"

She backed further away from him, the spray of the waterfall hitting the back of her neck.

He chuckled. "I don't have to. You look like you're about to faint."

Letting out a half-hearted scoff, Thea crossed her shaking arms and tried to look brave. "Pfft. No, I don't."

Smooth, Thea. I bet he is super impressed.

As if reading her mind again, which he claimed to be unable to do, Roran smirked and shook his head. He sat down and leaned back against the wall and motioned for her to sit on the opposite side of the cave.

His eyes glowed brightly in the dark, and much like a moth; their glimmering flame drew her forward almost against her will. Before she even realized she was doing it, Thea had walked forward and was sliding down the wall to sit across from him. His features were partially shadowed, but it was the first time she had been able to really look at him face to face. His deeply tan skin stood out in stark contrast to her own, which looked to have gotten even paler during her stay here. His features were masculine and rugged, and despite his unnatural eyes, Roran was still the most attractive man she had ever met.

He cleared his throat and she realized she had been staring. Quickly averting her eyes, she stared at her hands and tried to figure out something to say.

After several awkward seconds Roran spoke up. "Look, you asked me for help, right? You chose to be here, I didn't force you, so I'd appreciate it if you stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?" She somehow got up the courage to say.

"Like I'm a serial killer or something," he said in return.

Thea shrugged and gestured around the cave. "It kinda looks like you're a serial killer, dude. Who lives like this?"

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "No one, Thea. We're literally in the afterlife."

Narrowing her eyes at his sarcasm, she snapped, "You know what I meant. What kind of person exists in an environment like this? Serial killers. Crazy psychopaths. You."

"If I'm so terrifying, you are welcome to leave," was his curt reply.

Thea squirmed. While this cave was scary, she still had so many questions that needed to be answered. And while this guy was also scary, he was capable of fighting off any monsters nearby. Maybe it would be okay to stay...for now.

She peered over at him and eventually decided it was probably best to figure out what type of monster she was dealing with first before making decisions.

"So...the question you never answered earlier. What are you?"

Roran frowned and hesitated. It seemed like he disliked that question, but she wasn't letting him off the hook.

"Well?"

He sighed and ran a hand over his face. "I'm what your kind refers to as a phoenix."

"A phoenix?" She asked in disbelief. "So you're a giant, flaming bird?"

Roran looked offended. "What? No. Is that what you think phoenixes are? Birds?"

"Um, yes, Einstein. Because they are birds!"

"No. We're not," he replied, his tone filled with anger. "Phoenixes are a humanoid species just like all other monsters - vampires, lycans, shapeshifters, goblins. We are all mutations of ordinary humans. Some have good mutations and some have...well, you've seen them. Or at least the mutation thing is the popular theory. There are others. Especially among my kind."

"Okay, so you're mostly human. Then why are there tons of stories depicting phoenixes as birds?" She asked, still skeptical.

"I wouldn't know. I've been here for...What year is it now?"

"2014."

"I've been in purgatory for about 500 years now. So my best guess is that all of the real phoenixes are here or in hiding and the humans have no idea what we actually look like."

She couldn't help but stare at him in an attempt to figure out how he could possibly be different. He looked so...human. Ordinary. Well, exceptionally fit and strong, but ordinary.

She ticked off what she knew on her fingers. "So vampires suck blood and never age, lycans turn into furry wolf men and are super strong, shapeshifters morph into whoever or whatever, and I'm guessing those bitey things with claws and yellow eyes were goblins. What can you do?"

Roran picked up a stone blade from his weapons pile and Thea shot up from the floor, ready to bolt.

"Skittish, aren't you?" he asked, laughing at her under his breath.

Thea glared at him, but relaxed once she realized he was only sharpening it to keep his hands busy while he spoke. She took a deep breath to calm her racing heart and sat back down.

"Phoenixes are a lot like vampires in that we never age, but unlike vampires it's not because we are undead. Upon reaching adulthood, phoenixes gain the ability to continually regenerate and heal, so our bodies don't deteriorate over time We also have some magical ability. Just a little."

"That's awesome!" She interrupted, trying to look apologetic when he looked up and glared.

After a few seconds of awkward silence he continued, "As I was saying, phoenixes heal constantly so it is incredibly difficult to kill us. It can be done, but only by someone who knows our weakness. We only have one—"

"Well obviously someone figured it out or you wouldn't be here," she pointed out, not caring that she had interrupted him again.

Roran frowned, but didn't reply to the observation. Instead he continued where he had left off, like she hadn't spoken at all.

"--but there are so few of us that every death impacts our kind greatly. And if what you say about humans being unaware of phoenixes is true, then there may be no more of us left at all."

He sighed and tossed the blade back to the pile. For several minutes he sat unmoving, staring at the ground like he wanted it to open up and swallow him. She didn't want to disturb his self-loathing, but she was more curious than ever and needed answers.

"So why do your eyes glow? Does it help you see in the dark? I thought I would be able to see in the dark once I found out I was a vampire, but I think I'm pretty much the same as I always was. Well, aside from being undead," Thea rambled, unable to stop the word vomit from spewing out of her mouth.

"And aside from drinking blood, you mean," Roran replied, grinning slightly.

She shook her head. "No, I haven't done that. I mean I've kind of noticed that I want to drink blood. Ugh. But I managed to stop myself in time."

Roran stared, doubt written all over his face. "You have to have drank some blood. All vampires do."

"Nope. Not me," she argued. "And if I have any say in the matter, I never will. It's disgusting."

"You won't have any say in the matter," he said. "The thirst will take over eventually and you won't be able to control it."

Thea shrugged, refusing to believe it. There was no way she would let that happen. After all, she had problems just drinking out of the same cup as another person.

In an attempt to change the subject she said, "You didn't answer my other question. Why do your eyes glow?"

Roran rolled his eyes. "It's just how my kind are born. And, yes, we can see in the dark. Can I continue with the lesson or are you going to keep interrupting?"

She gave him a sheepish grin and asked, "Can I please just ask one more question?"

He grunted and she took that as affirmation.

"How do you speak modern English if you've been here for over 500 years? You don't sound like you're from the 1500s. And where do you get all your leather, clothes, and shoes, is there a market or something?"

"That was two questions, Thea," he snapped. "But fine. I speak many languages. Here in purgatory you have to adapt to survive. If my enemies are speaking a language I am unfamiliar with, it puts me at a disadvantage. So I learn. And I'd rather not tell you what I have to do to get my clothes."

"Do you skin people and wear their meat suits?" She asked, her eyes wide.

Roran stared at her like she was insane. "No, I don't skin people! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"You're the one who said I wouldn't want to know how you got them! It's not my fault you made it sound so ominous!" She argued, looking away from him in embarrassment.

"I thought the idea of me stealing the clothes off dead bodies would make me seem immoral and make you trust me less! I never thought you would think something like that!"

"Oh." She looked around the cave, too embarrassed to meet his eyes.

This is why you don't have conversations with people, Thea. You always say inappropriate things and everyone thinks you're a freak.

"Look, let's just continue where we left off earlier," he said, trying to diffuse the tension. "What else do you want to know about purgatory?"

She hesitated, afraid to ask him something else inappropriate, but after a few seconds her mind settled on a safe question.

"Is there a way out of without agreeing to the king's soul bartering deal?"

Roran snorted and shook his head. "Do you think I would be here if I knew that? No, I haven't found a way out yet. The king is the only one who knows, and every time I corner him and try to force the secret out of him he sends in his loyal followers to attack me and escapes."

She held up her hands to stop him from talking while she processed that information. "Wait, wait. You mean you've tried to challenge him? The king of purgatory? Fangs, claws, scary guy? Good thing you're already dead, right?"

Roran returned to his self-loathing position, staring at the ground with sullen expression. She wanted to say something positive, but she wasn't sure what she had said to offend him. Spending eternity here would be a special kind of hell, so it could have been the reminder of that.

"Now, I'd like for you to answer my question," Roran grumbled. "Do you plan on taking the king's deal?"

Thea shrugged, then shook her head. "I don't think so."

She heaved a heavy sigh before adding, "I won't deny I've thought about it. This place is a constant nightmare. But I don't want to hurt other innocent people just to save my own neck."

Roran nodded, and a small smile appeared on his lips, as if she'd said just the right thing.

Without warning he stood up and made his way toward the cave exit. Thea watched him carefully; still not convinced she could trust him.

Looking back he said, "I'm going to find you some clothes, since the ones you have don't look like they'll last much longer. No matter what you hear, stay in the cave. If anything other than me walks through the waterfall use one of those blades and kill it. Are we clear?"

She nodded, but then immediately changed  her mind. "Wait. Why can't I come with you? Wouldn't I be safer that way?"

He shook his head and walked closer to the waterfall. "No. The water masks our scent from any other monsters patrolling the area, so you should be perfectly safe here. If you were with me you would slow us down and probably get yourself killed."

She crossed her arms, deciding that if he could be bad-tempered then she could too. "It's not like you would care if I died. I don't even know why you've brought me here," she grumbled.

Roran sighed and rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. "Listen. Most of the creatures here are evil. They deserve to be here, to suffer for the things they've done. It's just nice to finally find someone in purgatory who isn't a monster."

For some reason his odd compliment made her smile.

And without another word, he turned and walked away.
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