Changed by Fire (Phoenix Rising #6) - Harper Wylde Page 0,165

out of the Kraken.

Risa gripped Ciarán’s arm, holding him back from moving to Killian’s side. The Celt’s eyes flashed dangerously before he misted out of her grip and reappeared a few feet away. “I would join you brother, but…” Ciar gazed back toward Rini’s cabin.

“Go. Keep her safe.” Killian nodded to his brother, giving him permission to choose his mate over their bond as brothers. We all understood. None of us would have left Nix unprotected, even for a blood relative we loved dearly. The mate bond was just that strong.

“Good luck, brother.” Goofy smirk back in place, Ciarán stood at attention and gave a salute before poofing away.

On an aggravated huff, Risa stormed off into the flurry of panicking shifters.

Theo gaped at Cedric before gathering himself and offering the Werewolf his hand, the two shaking on a truce I hoped would last longer than this one day, for Molly’s sake.

“Thank you.” I pushed my Gargoyle back enough to speak, following our small group toward the plane’s side door that Killian had just opened.

Ryder was one of the last to climb aboard, and I grabbed his arm to stop him as he climbed the stairs. “We’re going to get her back. I promise you, Ryder. We are done losing our family to the Council.”

He sniffed and nodded, his panic being drowned by the heat of his fury.

Good. He was going to need to use that anger.

When everyone was on board, Kill and I shut the plane door and took our seats in the cockpits. Taxiing us out the back of the hangar, Killian pushed the plane faster down the snowy runway, sparing me a momentary glance before focusing back on the sky, his green eyes gleaming with the promise of a good fight.

“Let’s go kick some Council ass.”

Thirty-Nine

Nix

Riding in a plane through the middle of a snowstorm was fucking insane. The plane rocked with turbulence as I white knuckled Ryder and Hiro, trying to offer solace while also searching for my own.

My stomach dipped when we landed, and I was so happy to be back on the ground that I could have dropped to my knees and kissed the icy snow.

My Phoenix ruffled her feathers, more than amused at my fear of crashing to the earth, reminding me that I happened to be a shifter with wings. But that wasn’t true for all my mates, nor the friends we had aboard, and there was no way Damien, Ryder, and I could have carried them all safely to the ground in the middle of a crash. Too much precious cargo had been on board to make me feel safe.

Stripping and shifting once we’d landed, we carried our clothing in small bags that our animals could hold as we traversed the distance to Wildon Park. Thanks to Theo’s quick research, we knew we’d be alone here, no humans to witness our group of unexplained misfits. I wasn’t sure humans would ever understand our magic, and if they tried, I had a feeling it wouldn’t bode well for shifters. Visions of twisted labs and needles filtered through my mind, and I shook the disturbing images away as I flew low, staying just far enough above Ryder’s back that I didn’t singe his velvety black fur.

Cedrick’s wolf was huge, and Tao clung to his back as they ran alongside Hiro’s Kitsune, his white and green tails flying behind him.

I landed and shifted back, hurrying into my clothing and sending a wave of heat through the air large enough to warm our group. My Phoenix helped me maintain it while we circled the large clearing at the center of the park, keeping our backs toward each other as we searched the barren landscape.

The sun had already set, and I squinted my eyes into the growing darkness, trying to see. I swore this was turning into one of those movies with terrible fight scenes filmed in the dark where you could barely make out what was happening. The fear that my limited night vision could be a weakness that got me or one of my mates killed tonight settled like a rock in my stomach.

Damien shared my troubles with Hiro. The Kitsune nodded and grabbed a seed from his pocket, funneling his magic to make it sprout. He called upon the earth as he wielded his power, and the vine traveled through the snow, its stalk growing thick under his command until it sprawled along the ground in a crescent that surrounded our group at our