Changed by Fire (Phoenix Rising #6) - Harper Wylde Page 0,166

back and sides. With a twist of his hands, the vines began to wilt until they dried out and browned. Wiping a sheen of sweat from his forehead, Hiro readjusted his glasses and nodded to me encouragingly.

Pulling my flames into my fingers, I let a small burst fly, watching the dead plant spark to life as the fire consumed it, lighting up the night with an orange glow.

Not a minute later, a mad cackle echoed off the rock and snow, sending a chill up my spine like creeping fingers. All of us snapped to attention, searching everywhere for Ishida.

The celestial Kitsune crested the top of a ridge that sat about half a football field away, with a shifter I’d never seen before at his side holding Emersyn in a painful looking grasp.

I wanted to shoot straight at her and rip him limb from limb for hurting Emy, and Ryder looked a fraction of a second away from doing the same. Snapping his arm out, Hiro gripped Ryder’s arm, steadying him before he acted on instinct.

This is a marathon, not a sprint, Damien warned us. Hold steady and do not react to the taunting I’m sure he will do.

There have to be more than just the two of them. Theo glanced around nervously, his fingers twitching with the need to act. The Council would never send him in unprotected. The others are probably coming at us from all sides.

I can feel their minds. Theo’s right. Be ready, but do not engage, Damien ordered, though he bared his fangs at the Kitsune in warning.

Shadows shifted in the night as five more shifters—all mythologicals—emerged, two at our back and the others spread out around us.

I recognized only one of them—Griff’s leer was just as inky as the shadows that surrounded us. His brown hair spiked up in odd directions, and his eyes flashed golden with the presence of his Griffin. In a lewd gesture, he scrunched up his face and stuck his tongue out, flicking it in fast movements that looked like he was trying to give oral sex to the air. I rolled my eyes at him and sent him a glare in return, refusing to give him the pleasure of seeing me squirm from how many powerful shifters encircled us.

Hiro let out a string of curses, his tongue flowing smoothly over his native Japanese language.

What am I missing? I questioned, as Ishida stalked toward us, his arms thrown wide in welcome. The Harpy followed close behind, toting a wiggling Emersyn.

“What did I tell you?” Ishida taunted, his eyes crinkled in the corners from his lecherous glare. “It has been much too long since we’ve had a reunion, so I thought what’s one more? I’m sure Hiro would be delighted to see his dear brother again, isn’t that so?”

Brother? I gaped, eyeing the man who had his eyes fixed on my Kitsune. Now that I was paying more attention, I could see the resemblance. They had the same eyes, golden skin, and dark hair. Where Hiro’s body was toned and muscular, his brother was lean, obviously not relying on physical strength. Somehow, that didn’t make me feel better, alluding to how secure he felt to trust his alter’s powers alone to keep him alive and give him the upper hand. Was this dude another celestial kitsune? God, I hoped not. How was I supposed to beat two of them? Taking on Ishida was going to be hard enough, let alone having to cut down the mythologicals surrounding us. Nerves tangled in my belly, making me nauseous as I debated what this turn of events meant for us. Could we, in good conscience, kill Hiro’s flesh and blood?

I didn’t think so, no matter how evil he might be, and given the sneer he was sending to his brother, I had no doubt he held no love for my forest Kitsune—renouncing him the same as his cold-hearted parents.

But such decisions hinged on whether we’d emerge victorious today. At the moment, it felt like we were lambs to the slaughter, playing directly into Ishida’s hand as he pulled the strings.

“We’re here, Ishida. What is it you demand of us?” Damien stepped forward, the clear leader among our ranks.

“That’s Councilman to you.” Ishida’s voice grew dark, his eyes flashing white with the power of his Kitsune. “As for your other inquiry…” Ishida grinned, the sharp teeth of his fox showing through in his partial shift. “You should already know the answer. I want your pretty Phoenix’s