Phoenix Rising (Arthurs & Wylde)

I always knew I was different. I'd thought it had to be hidden-to stay a secret. I didn't know my secret would become the key to my survival. Turning eighteen and getting accepted into college brings me everything I need to escape from the nightmares of my past but I never could have imagined my nightmares-and dreams-were just beginning. Finding myself thrown into a world of fantasy, politics, friendships, and rules that are nearly impossible to understand, I feel like I'm drowning in a world of shifters I never knew existed. As I struggle to find my place and prevent my nightmares from tearing me apart, I find myself surrounded by an unusual group of sexy men. With Hiro, Killian, Theo, Damien, and Ryder I'm trying to become the woman I've always wanted to be, if my past, and my future, will let me. Contains mature themes.

My nightmares have started closing in. Now I'm just trying to survive them. When my past comes back to haunt me, I find myself relying on the men I've come to care so much about. With their help, and the help of my best friend, I'm trying to navigate the threats-old and new. When I'm summoned to go before the Council, I have no idea what to expect. Thrust into a world of politics and status I'm not sure I agree with, my unease grows as I struggle to find my place. When my powers develop with the help of my Phoenix, I feel more prepared to take on the unknowns stacking up against me. Will my guys and I be able to face the trials in our path, or will the secrets of a world that's Hidden in Smoke destroy us before we've even started? Contains mature themes.

The things of nightmares haunt my dreams. Secrets lurk around every corner. The world I've entered isn't all it seems, but as a newcomer, questioning the Council isn't the safest move. Not when my guys are so entrenched in a world that I find dangerous. As Theo, Hiro, Ryder, Killian, Damien, and I try to find out how we fit together, we must also decide where we stand among the politics, class, and half-truths. While we each battle with our own demons, the ties that bind us together strain. With the Gala right around the corner and the Council's rules threatening to break up my family, the arrival of a new shifter at our front door adds more stress-and more humor-to our already complicated lives. As everyone struggles to find where loyalties lie, we find that not everybody is who they appear to be. When the secrets around me turn deadly, will I let them break me or will they become my Spark of Intent? Contains mature themes.

No one asked me if this was what I wanted. To be a harbinger of change. To motivate those around me to join a rebellion. To become a symbol of hope and rebirth in a war that's not my own. Yet, the duty has been thrust upon me, and it's not one I can refuse. Challenged from all sides, I'm forced to make increasingly harder choices as I learn to trust my gut and the powers that burn within me. As my past and my future collide, Damien, Ryder, Theo, Killian, Hiro, and I are all pushed to step up and take on responsibilities that none of us have prepared for. When life and death hang in the balance, decisions must be made that will change the lives of everyone around us. Can we find the strength to choose the right path as our family is Forged in Flames? Or will we falter when it matters the most? Contains mature themes.

Politics are a deadly game, and things are heating up. As winter sets in, my mates and I are in a careful dance as we try to avoid the Council's suspicions and gain acceptance into the rebellion. Every secret we uncover is more deadly than the last, as the truth of the Council is brought to light. It's not just the Council we have to watch-the rebellion is hiding secrets of their own, and the challenges they set may be enough to break our family to pieces. Will we be able to make it through the trials whole, or will we go up in a Blaze of Wrath? Contains mature themes.

Death. War. Pain. Hope. I'd thought running from the Council would keep my family safe. Instead, it has exposed new dangers-undercurrents I never knew existed. With Joshua left behind enemy lines and threats emerging from all sides, I have to do all I can to protect my mates and bring my newfound family together again. As Damien, Theo, Ryder, Hiro, Killian, and I work to find our place among the rebellion and face the Council, I can't escape the feeling that something else is coming for us in the dark, Alaskan winter. Secrets and conflicting beliefs may just crumble what we've worked so hard to build, but I won't lose a war that hasn't even started yet. Especially not before I've been able to claim the six men that were always meant to be mine. But fate is a fickle beast, serving up more than any one person should have to handle. In the end, will we be broken by the new lives we are trying to create, or will we be changed by fire? Contains mature themes.

There's nothing pretty about war-blood, death, pain ... that's all it brings. And this one has already taken its sacrifice. But there's no choice anymore, we need this new world and fighting is the only way. Damien, Theo, Killian, Ryder, Hiro, Joshua, and I face more challenges than ever before, death a shadow over us that even I'm not safe from. One by one we'll turn our questions into answers as old enemies emerge and new alliances are forged. There's too much at stake to lose now, and my Phoenix will set the world on fire to help me to protect my friends and the six men I've fallen for, because sometimes family isn't the one you're born into, but the one you choose. With the rebellion on our shoulders and war on our doorstep, I'm done waiting. I will claim the men I love as mine and seal our mating before I face the final flames as my mother did before me. Together we'll make our stand against the forces of darkness as the battle rages around us. Are we destined to see our future burn away in flames, or will love transcend death to reveal the Beauty In Ashes? Contains mature themes.