Changed by Fire (Phoenix Rising #6) - Harper Wylde Page 0,164

to her feet, then we all gathered our things, rushing out of the cabin and into the snow.

Meet me in the hangar, Killian grunted through the line. I need your smooth talking, D. This Risa bitch is pitching a damn fit about me readying the plane, and I don’t have the time to explain what the fuck is going down. I’m in pre-flight.

Nix hurried to keep pace beside Ryder and Hiro, tangling her fingers with theirs.

The hangar door was open when we reached Killian. He had a pen in his mouth and a clipboard in his hand as he inspected the plane to make sure it was safe for flight. I knew better than to fuck with him when he was busy like this, so I stepped in front of Risa who attempted to follow him, cutting off her path and glaring down at her. I had no qualms—none at all—about getting in her way or pissing her off, especially after the way she had taunted my mate into a fight she didn’t understand.

“Just what do you think you’re doing? That’s rebellion property, and he has not been sanctioned to use that plane!” she fumed, clearly pissed off by Killian’s don’t fuck with me attitude. Her eyes went wide as she took in the features of my partial shift. “What’s happened?” she asked, finally clueing in that something was going on to prompt our theft.

Theo stepped to my side, clamped his hand on my shoulder, and filled the previous Opal representative in, talking for me when I couldn’t get more than a grunt out thanks to the fangs filling my mouth.

“No.” She paled, shaking her head. “No, you can’t leave! We need you here. We’re not prepared to fight the Council yet. It’s why we haven’t waged our own attack. Our fighters are spread out among our encampments. Some of our strongest warriors aren’t even here.”

“You’re absolutely fucked in the head, lady, if you think we’re not leaving right this damn minute. That’s my niece we’re talking about. She’s only fucking six!” A half crazed Ryder gestured furiously, and Hiro and Nix reached over to pull him away and soothe him with reassurances that we would get Emersyn back.

“And I’m sorry about that. Truly, I am. I may be a leader”—Nix cleared her throat to correct the woman— “but I’m not heartless. However, she’s as good as dead if she’s in Ishida’s grasp, no more than a pawn in his chess game to lure you in close enough to kill.”

“That won’t happen,” Nix stated firmly, her shoulder straightening and eyes flashing amber with the power of her Phoenix. “I’ve killed a Council member before, and I’ll do it again.”

Risa glared at her doubtfully. “You’re all fools! Not only are you marching into your deaths with your heads held high, but you’ve doomed us all by letting Ishida know that we’re no more than an hour from him! You don’t think he’ll be watching for your arrival? That his spies aren’t taking notes on exactly where you come from so they can attack us here next?” Her gaze was wild, her magic swirling just under her skin. Her eyes glowed blue to Nix’s amber, the scales of her Water Nymph shimmering along her arms and up her cheeks.

“I take it you wouldn’t be open then to sparing some warriors to accompany us and aid in our fight?” Theo questioned, always politically correct. He was unmoved by her tirade, solely focused on how to get us from here to victory.

“Not when I need them here to protect the innocent! You’ve forced our hand! We need to pull out, move as many as we can to our other headquarters,” Risa spouted, voice harsh.

She began barking orders, waving her hands as she instructed shifters to prepare to leave immediately. They hesitated, eyeing Nix—who nodded—before they rushed off to do her bidding as Ciarán, Tao, and Cedric emerged in the doorway.

“I’ve brought you some reinforcements.” Ciarán was all business, his playful demeanor tossed aside for once.

“We will fight with you.” Tao threw his hand over his chest and bowed his head to Joshua, while Cedric comically followed Tao’s lead, awkwardly bowing and dipping his head, though he didn’t look nearly as regal doing so.

“Like hell you will. You serve the rebellion,” Risa snapped, jaw tight with her anger.

“No,” Tao said, and he and Cedric moved to join our group, increasing our numbers. “I stand with Joshua.”

“And I stand with Theo,” Cedric declared, shocking the hell