Spark of Intent
Page 40
“It needs to stop.” Killian’s voice was low. “I’ve never agreed with it. The ranks are ridiculous. I’m not better than others. If there are kids at risk, we have to save them.” My chest warmed and I tossed a smile at my bunny. I knew he’d want to help the kids, it was just the kind of guy he was.
“If they’re responsible for my sister’s abduction, I’ll do anything to get back at them.” Ryder’s voice was emphatic. “I let them comfort me. I let them get away with it for years, buying into their lies. They can’t be allowed to destroy families on a whim.” His last words were nearly a growl.
“It’s going to be dangerous,” Hiro warned. “They do not like when anyone questions them. Would we want to leave? Just try and make it on our own?”
I can’t leave my family. Theo’s voice rang out in our heads. He had been surprisingly silent during this entire exchange. I’ve always known the classism was wrong. I grew up in a sleuth, and I saw how they were treated. Rini’s like a sister to me, and yet she never got the coming out celebration. She’s not welcomed by many of the mythologicals—always treated as less. That’s never been something that was okay with me. If Ryder’s right though, and they took his sister, we have to be very careful. I’ve got my mom and Molly. We’ve all got Rini and her mates and mother. Hiro, your family is deeply involved. Killian, your family would also be targets. Damien…” He trailed off. It was impossible to tell if Damien’s family would be at risk if we elicited the Council’s anger, or if they would stand against us, protected as they backed the Council and it’s corrupt ideals.
“We can’t run.” Damien’s eyes were sad, the lines deep in his face as exhaustion and devastation carved their marks. “We’re far too conspicuous, and far too rare. I don’t want to split up our family. I consider you all brothers.” He took a deep breath, turning his eyes to me. “Nix. You mean everything to us. I know you’re not ready to talk about mating yet.”
I squirmed slightly. In a way, he was right. I was just finding my freedom. I didn’t know if I wanted children, and my place in the shifter word was tenuous at best, especially if we were going to try to change things. I knew I wanted them, but we hadn’t been together for very long by human standards, and while shifters moved faster in their relationships… I still wanted that time to date them—to grow in our relationships. However, I had no reservations about claiming them as mine—of exploring what a future together could look like. I wanted them to belong to me, and I wanted to belong to them. My Phoenix hissed her irritation at me, wanting to mate. “I want all of you. I do. You’re all sexy, sweet, smart. You’re a gift to have in my life as my family. I want to mate with you. In my heart, I’ve claimed you all as mine, but I’m not sure I’m ready yet for mating if that makes sense? Can we keep going the way we are?” I glanced around, my heart pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears. A gentle, damp brush along my face had me glancing at Theo’s tentacle, and I traced my fingers over the colors and the sun shaped mark on it that I loved.
We all care for you. We’ll take you any way we can have you. If you aren’t ready to mate, there isn’t a rush. The others murmured their agreement.
“We need to be smart about this.” Damien reached past Killian to brush his fingers through my windswept hair. “We can’t just immediately petition the Council to change the laws or steal those kids back from the families they’ve been placed with. We need to reach out to other people, but we need to do it carefully. If we don’t, I don’t want to think about what the Council will do.” I shuddered as idea after idea poured through my connection with Damien. Separating us, wiping our memories, restraining us, killing us… The options were all over the place. “Maybe if we reach out to Rini first? I don’t want to put her in danger, but we need more support—greater numbers—before we approach the Council, or even before we try to get back on that island.”
“Will that even work?” Killian muttered. “We need higher ranking shifters, and they aren’t going to want to mess up their pretty little lives.” His words had venom laced in them, disgust and doubt that anyone would be willing to help support changes to their world and leadership. “We have to force people to change. Who knows how many other kids don’t belong to the families they’ve been put in? That have cried for their mamas like these ones did?”
“Rule number four.” Ciarán unfurled from the mist onto Theo’s back as all of us swore and nearly fell over. Killian reached out a hand to grab Ciarán’s arm and it simply swirled back to mist as Ciarán raised a brow. “Stay alert; assume someone is watching. Someone is always watching and listening. You need to make sure it’s you.” He stepped forward, meeting our eyes one by one. “Rule number five. There will always be someone with powers different from yours that you didn’t know they had. Don’t rely on what you’re told. Find out for yourself.” He stopped in front of me and I raised my chin, meeting his eyes directly. He smiled softly at me. “You’ll learn more of the rules as you go. Don’t forget them.” He chucked my chin, his smile sweet. “Welcome to the Revolution, little sister.”
Author’s Note
Thank you for reading Spark of Intent
We hope you enjoyed it!
The next Phoenix Rising book is already in the works and will be out soon! To stay current on our release dates, get sneak previews into the next book, and follow upcoming series by both authors, come join us on Facebook!
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Also By Harper Wylde
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Co-Authored with A.K. Koonce
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Co-Authored with Missy Stewart
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The Selected
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The Chronicles of Stone Haven
Book One
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Also by Quinn Arthurs
The Jeweled Wings Series
The Valkyrie’s Princes
Halloween Between the Sheets
A Reverse Harem Anthology
Work in Progress
(Coming Soon)
About Harper Wylde
Harper Wylde is an emerging author who lives in the countryside of Pennsylvania. As a wife and a mother of two young children, she spends her days chasing after little people and making crazy notes about story ideas all over her home. As a serial entrepreneur, Harper also dabbles in photography and graphic design…but has found that her favorite occupation is the one she’s doing now—writing fantasy and paranormal romance. She loves coffee, cooking, chocolate covered pretzels, and characters with hidden strength and endearing flaws! To connect with Harper, follow the link below to Facebook where you can join her author group and stay up to date on sneak previews, teasers, and new releases!
About Quinn Arthurs
Quinn lives in temperamental Ohio. She is a book devotee, a caffeine addict, an absolute klutz, and a worn out mom. She tries desperately to squeeze out the crazy stories that are always playing in her head between constant emergencies at work and home. At least her kids are always a willing audience for her insane ramblings while they're still little! Please stalk her on Facebook by clicking the icon below!
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