Changed by Fire (Phoenix Rising #6) - Harper Wylde Page 0,154
was living in. “Ciarán Dougald O’Connor,” I scolded, and he groaned, throwing an arm over his eyes.
“Why the fuck do you know that?” he asked without heat, the burr in his voice far more evident than normal. I wondered if he was drunk or merely exhausted.
“Because I’m your sister, that’s why,” I reminded him. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Attempting to sleep, if it wasn’t clear,” he drawled. “You’re the mad female who decided to storm into my rooms and use the horrible name my parents stuck me with for no reason other than a desperate desire to punish me.”
“No reason?” I didn’t know whether to gape at him or throw something. Not that I thought it would really matter, since he was willing to live in this disaster zone. “I have plenty of reasons, though I think being your sister is a damn good one.”
“Not my sister yet,” he slurred. Yep, definitely a bit drunk. I wondered how much liquor it took to get the giant Celt smashed.
“As good as. That’s what a mate is, isn’t it?” I knew the words were a barb, and they hit their mark when he growled at me.
“I’m taking the day off. If you have something to report, go to Valleria,” he muttered, tugging a stained pillow over his face and nearly making me gag.
“You are taking this day to go apologize, on your damn knees, and get your mate back!” I yelled at him.
Ciarán tossed the pillow aside and sat up slowly. His green eyes were hot as he glared at me, and my Phoenix hissed. I’d always known something dangerous lurked beneath that playful exterior, but he was clearly done hiding.
“You don’t talk to me about my mate,” he warned quietly.
“Why not?” I challenged him. “You’re the one who went and brought Joshua to me. You’re clearly not staying out of my mating with all your fluffle talk.”
He snarled, “It’s different with Rini, and you bloody well know it.”
“It’s different with Rini in that it’s not a joke,” I pointed out. “She’s in pieces, even though she’s doing a damn fine job hiding it. You, not so much. She’s going to mate them,” I told him firmly. “You’re going to lose her.”
Fear flashed for the briefest of moments across his face before fury replaced it, his lip curling upward in a snarl and his hands turning into fists. “Get out of my home, Annika,” he hissed at me, pushing to his feet. The tank top and shorts he wore covered little and were clearly stained. I didn’t think the smell in here was entirely from the room either. Gross.
“I will after you get showered and changed, and I haul you across the courtyard to go beg for her the way you should.”
The man moved fast. I’d barely finished the sentence when he had me pinned against the wall with fury on his features as he yelled, “I’ll not do it! I know she’s going to mate the bloody bears, and I’d rather they just get it over with!”
I should have been afraid, terrified even. Ciarán was huge and powerful. Yet I wasn’t truly afraid of him. Some part of me knew he’d never hurt me no matter what he might threaten to try and keep me at arm’s length.
“You’re a liar!” I screamed back at him, my nose only inches from his. “You love her so much you’re falling to pieces before our eyes. What fucking good are you to anyone holed up in here getting drunk?”
Ciarán pushed away, scrubbing his hands over his face. “Just go, Annika. You don’t understand.”
“You’re damn right I don’t understand!” I poked a finger into his chest. “You may have the rest of them fooled with your lackadaisical behavior. Hell, you may even have some of my mates on your side, believing you’re doing the ‘honorable thing.’” I rolled my eyes at that stupid, misogynistic notion. “But I’ll tell you what. You’re not doing the honorable thing. You’re doing the terrified thing.”
“I’ll hurt her!” he shouted at me, his hands knotting in his copper curls. “I’m a risk, I’ll always be a risk. You think once this stupid battle is done, we’ve won the damn war?” He threw his hands up before pacing, kicking trash aside with every step. “Of course not! Even if we win, if we all survive, there are going to be pockets of resistance. Supporters of the Council. Others who want to step up and take those roles. We’ve still got