Changed by Fire (Phoenix Rising #6) - Harper Wylde

Prologue

Molly

If I didn’t get to have sex soon, I was going to kill someone. At the rate things were going, that someone was going to be my brother. I was done caring that Theo was mated to one of my best friends. He had always been protective of me, especially after we’d been forced to flee to the rebellion to escape the Council’s reach, but this was getting ridiculous. No matter where I went or who I was with, he seemed to be around every corner.

Sighing, I pulled open the dresser drawer and shoved a stack of clothing inside with more force than necessary. It was bad enough that I’d just turned seventeen and had to share a room with my mother to conserve space at the newest base we’d relocated to, but feeling like I had a personal babysitter every time I tried to interact with the male species had worn me out and left me frustrated.

I knew Theo’s overprotectiveness came from a place of love—and given the threats against us, it wasn’t completely unwarranted—but this was supposed to be my time to find myself and the mates who were supposed to be mine. How in the world was I supposed to do that with a kraken cockblocking my every move?

Returning to my suitcase, I double-checked that it was empty and zipped it up before looking around the room for a place to stash it. I hoped I wouldn’t need it again for a while. This was already the third base we’d been to in two months, but if the rumors were true, this one would be home for the foreseeable future. And I wouldn’t lie, the stability sounded nice.

When Nix and Joshua had been taken by Councilman Williams on Thanksgiving, Rini had been quick to spread word to the rebellion as well as our families and friends. I wasn’t sure if she’d been able to smell the fear wafting off the Councilman, or if maybe her bond with Ciarán had spurred a touch of prophecy inside her. Either way, she’d been prepared for the worst, though I wasn’t sure any of us could have predicted the terrible events that happened that Thanksgiving night.

Cedric had been visiting me that day to help prepare meals for the less fortunate shifter groups on the island when Rini had burst in, her eyes wild and frightened though she remained composed as she insisted it was time to pack and spread the word to flee. Cedric hadn’t even hesitated, launching himself in front of me, his lips pulled back in a snarl as though he expected council members to pour through the door after her to try and take me away from him.

The soft mattress dipped under me as I sat on the bed, remembering that fateful day. It had been terrifying and yet... a smile curved my lips as I thought about Ceddy. I hadn’t said anything to Theo yet, but I thought he might be my mate. I’d hoped some alone time with Cedric would let me decide for certain, but once Theo gathered my mom and me and had gotten us off the island, alone time had been a rarity. I was just glad Cedric and his family had escaped with us. Leaving him behind would have been awful.

Truthfully, I wasn’t sure how Nix had done it with Joshua. Every day I saw the toll it took on her and the rest of her mates. I’d never seen her so unsettled.

Flopping backward, I stared at the ceiling as I let my legs dangle over the side of the bed. Part of me felt guilty for even thinking about sex with everything we had going on with the rebellion. More and more shifters were finding their way to our ever-changing outposts. We couldn’t risk staying in one location for too long for fear that Council spies might bring our whereabouts to their attention. That the Council had brutally destroyed one of its own had many who’d previously been on the fence about joining our cause uprooting and joining us as we fled. It was either that, or their fear of remaining on the Council’s side and going up against Nix. Her notoriety had risen nearly as high as the Council’s, though her fame, and the reason for its existence, hadn’t thrilled her.

Even here, amongst the rebellion members, some watched Nix with eyes filled with fear instead of awe. She’d incinerated a council member, seemingly as easily as breathing. Add in Ishida’s lies