Five years ago, Phoenix lost his lover Gabriel, his angel, in a horrific hate crime. All Phoenix wanted was to follow Gabriel into death, and he struggled a long time trying to get his life back together. All this time later he still hasn’t been able to put the past behind him and forget about the love of his life.<br><br>On the anniversary of Gabriel’s death, Phoenix’s apartment building catches fire. Will Phoenix do the reasonable thing and save himself, or can he rise from the ashes to reunite with his beloved angel?

Angel and Firebird

Firebird. I freeze. I’d forgotten he used to call me that. How he used to say my name was perfect for mebecause my hair looked like a raging fire, just like he imagined the mythological bird would look when it died in a burst of flames.


I open my eyes, but the vision of him lingers. The photo album starts slipping out of my grip, but I clasp it tighter. Something falls out of it and lands on the floor with a faint clinking sound, and I look down.


A circle of silver lies next to my right foot. I blink twice before I understand what I’m looking at.


“Fuck.” The word is expelled by coughs and my eyes water. I bend down and pick it up.


Chapter 4