Beauty in Ashes (Phoenix Rising #7)- Harper Wylde Page 0,76

always amazed me that he was not only able to read my moods, but verbalize exactly what I needed to hear to ease my worry and raise my spirits. It couldn’t even be attributed to his alter—he had no emotional magic. It was just pure Hiro, and that made it all the more special.

“Call it a gift.” He smirked, and I bit my lip.

“One of many.” I wiggled against him, and his dark brown eyes flared with heat.

“Do I need to add another infraction to your record for trying to work me up in public, Nix?” His deep, low tone held sinful promise, and I gave him a cheeky look from under my lashes.

“I guess that’s up to you, sir,” I murmured huskily and then slipped away, tugging him after me as he released a sexy, rumbling growl.

“Keep it up, little mate, and it will be your turn to be denied pleasure at my hands as I torture you until you beg me to let you come.”

My smile was wide and bright as I threw a hungry glance over my shoulder, leading Hiro to the elevator.

“Promises, promises.” I giggled as he chased me inside, kissing me senseless until the elevator doors opened and deposited us on Angela’s floor.

“Just wait, Nix.” His breath was hot against my ear as he leaned over my shoulder, making vows that had me shivering. “I have so many plans for you and that mouth.”

Emersyn’s sobs were still fresh in my ears as we left the lodge, and the heat Hiro had inspired in me earlier had cooled, stashed away for another day. I could still feel her little hands clinging to me as she hugged me goodbye while I promised I’d see her again in a few short days.

“She’s going to be fine,” Damien reassured me, his large, warm palm rubbing soothing circles into my back. The winter jacket was pulled tightly around my body, and my Phoenix let out a burst of heat as we walked to the hangar.

Killian ran through last minute checks before calling Damien and Theo over to double-check the coordinates and flight path. D continuously looked at me, making sure I was okay, but the truth was, now that the hard part was over—saying goodbye to Emy—something was shifting inside me like a change in the winds.

“Do you feel that?” I asked Joshua, Hiro, and Ryder, scrubbing my hands together to keep them warm against the chill that tried to creep past my heat.

“That’s the excitement of battle,” Joshua replied, nestling me against his side to share my warmth while he glanced around the grounds. Shifters, both mythological and animal, converged outside the hangar, mingling while they waited for their transport. The factions were no longer distinguishable, Malachite mixing with Topaz and so on, the way it should have always been. One force, one body, moving against the Council.

“That’s a beautiful sight.” Ryder’s red-rimmed, watery eyes cleared some as he absorbed the atmosphere, feeding off of it as it rebuilt his strength. Saying goodbye to Emy had wrecked us both, but it was time to focus so we could return home to her as soon as possible, prepared to give her the life we all wanted for her.

The life she and all these other shifters deserved to have. One of freedom and equality, unchained from the oppression of those stronger than them. We had the advantage of rage on our side, and I hoped the Council knew they were about to receive the brunt of it for fucking with us.

I, myself, was looking forward to watching their heads roll for the sins of their pasts. Their offenses against my mother, my mates, and me.

“What do you say, boys?” I inquired when Killian opened the door to the plane. I looked from one to the other in succession, memorizing the fierce determination written across their faces. The Council had wronged us all in so many ways, and now the time had come for retribution. “Ready to end this?”

Their sounds of affirmation echoed in my ears as we boarded the plane and headed toward The Landing.

I knew Alaska was vast, but I was suddenly glad we decided to leave a few days before the scheduled battle. The plane ride had taken two hours. I’d never seen so many mountains and so much sprawling water in all my life. My nose had practically been glued to the window while the guys talked strategy, debating the best way to approach The Landing and find