Shadows and Sorcery: A Collection of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Novels

by Adkins, Heather Marie

  “W-Wizard?” Elora stuttered. Jeremy smiled, his eyes glistening and his hair waved around perfectly when he said that name.

  “Yes, that is my nickname, but we can talk about this later.” He bent down and scooped her up into his arms and brought her close to him. Elora could feel his heart-beat, and it was fast. So either he was nervous, or he had taken too much of his energy to take down the Zombie. He was taking her away from Nokidora and to safety, and she sighed into his arms.

  And as she rested in his arms, all she could do was stare at him, and at his perfect face. He looked so good, so beautiful, and so perfect. He was such a gentlemen, and had powers as well, and he saved her, unlike Kieran. ‘Kieran who made me go upstairs and check on what a room full of Maniacal Gargoyles were doing, and he told me to try not to get eaten. Why do I like that jerk again?’’

  As she was thinking, Jeremy, or ‘Wizard’, walked back to the camp of the rebels, with Elora in her arms. A Worried Emily and Chaiya were wondering as to why Kieran was not yet running out to find me, but all of them were surprised to see a handsome man, too handsome, walk towards the camp with Elora in her arms. The man, who Kieran noticed was Jeremy Windgate, the man that every single woman compared him to, whom he had heard enough about from the women he enjoyed through the kingdom. But first, Elora.

  “What have you done to Elora?” Kieran ran over to them, intending on taking Elora from him. His heart burned with this unfamiliar emotion and he knew that whatever it was, it was hurting him, hardly. Jeremy smiled uncomfortably.

  “I...am pretty sure I saved her, not hurt her.” Jeremy said. Elora nodded and glared at Kieran. She then patted Jeremy on the shoulder, not knowing where she was patting, intending to let him put her down, but instead ended up patting him on the chest. Kieran fumed with jealousy and anger, not knowing why he was acting as such. His heart burned at the sight and he truly wanted to do some bodily harm to Jeremy, but Chaiya instantly saw the rising tension.

  “I think it will be better to bring Elora to the hut to keep an eye out on her,” Chaiya said, looking at Jeremy. “Can you bring her over?” Jeremy nodded and placed her on the bed gently. Then he wondered what to do and what to tell them. If he told them about what Elora had tried, it wouldn’t end well, so he would have to perhaps lie at them, to save Elora further embarrassment.

  “I heard her cries. She would have ended up inside of Nokidora while collecting supplies accidentally. It was lucky that I was around when she was attacked.” Jeremy said, without stuttering hoping everyone would believe in him.

  “Thank you very much, Jeremy,” Chaiya smiled. “I think you should stay with us for the night, just in case as it is late. And considering you’re a mage and a well renowned one, we would need your help if Lady Sinara decided to pop over again.”

  Then Chaiya looked at Elora and frowned, pointing at her ankle and then back to her. Her face became stern and so did her voice.

  “And you, and I, are going to have to chat about your adventure, as you are going nowhere for a while,” Chaiya said. Elora pouted and looked like she was caught stealing cookies. Her stomach grumbled at the thought of cookies. Now she really wanted to eat cookies. She sighed pitifully at the sacrifices she was giving by living in this strange world. Perhaps she could find someone that baked cookies here? Chaiya turned to Jeremy and Kieran, both whom were avoiding each other.

  “Since we have a shortage of living space here, Jeremy, you will have to bunk with Kieran. He has a lot of space either way.” Kieran choked, full of rage having to spend a night with Jeremy. Jeremy looked at Kieran’s face and smirked cockily. “Sure, sounds great. I need to go to the main road and grab my bag, I threw it to the side when I heard Elora scream. I’ll be right back with it.”

  Kieran gave his sister an angered stare-down, which she refused to back down from. Eventually he huffed like a child and left Chaiya’s hut, leaving Emily, Elora and Chaiya alone. Chaiya looked at Elora’s face and smirked, as Emily took care of her injuries.

  “So, caught between two now huh?” Chaiya said coyly and like a vixen. Elora’s face flushed up red as she started to stutter.

  “W-What? No!? I mean...n-no, t-that’s not the case...I...” Chaiya giggled at the response. “I mean, I don’t know what you are talking about. I only know that I am caught between two choices, as in how to get home.”

  Chaiya looked deep into Elora’s eyes and nodded once she heard the choices and left the hut to let Elora rest. She really hoped that Elora would choose to face her destiny, so maybe her brother would face his fear of loving someone again after what he went through.

  I hope you change everyone, Elora, Chaiya thought. I seriously do.

  Jeremy on the other hand had just got to the other side of the road where he had thrown his bag. His mind was empty and he wasn’t speaking. He breathed a bit to control himself to cross the ward-line that kept the plaque from crossing into their territory. And then he heard a faint cry for help. He instantly jumped around and started to search for where the voice was coming from. He followed the voice as it got louder and louder and louder until he came up to the point where Elora was attacked.

  And there he found the man, that very same man that bit Elora, but there was no more monster. He was an actual villager, looking old and confused, as he looked around.

  Jeremy helped the man up, and before the man could even speak, Jeremy spoke up.

  “Shh... We need to get out of here.” Jeremy spoke urgently. The man nodded and Jeremy led him out of Nokidora, and through the wards where he found his bag lying about. Once they were safe inside of the woods, he turned to the man. “Alright, who are you? And what happened to you?”

  “I...I am Harold Simms, I am a farmer and I honestly don’t recall what happened to me. I mean, I and my family were normal and then we just weren’t. I remember hearing an angry cry, and then nothing.” Harold said. Jeremy was confused. He didn’t recognize anything here, and that troubled him.

  “Do you recall if you attacked a girl not that long ago? You almost bit her, do you remember that?” Harold’s eyes widened and he nodded, feverishly at that.

  “Yes! Yes I do! I remember the girl! She told me something and then she had a fiery glow around her. That is what attracted me from the start, and her words, I don’t know what they were, but they freed me from this plague and shell that I was in, and I was normal again, as if nothing happened.” And that was all the confirmation that Jeremy needed to know why Elora was brought to Tariforma.

  “Alright, you need to go to the town, or somewhere you know you will find civilization, where you can be safe and won’t be attacked.” Jeremy said to Harold, and then got completely serious. “Whatever you do, don’t tell anyone about Elora. Take this and leave.”

  Harold’s face went emotionless for a while, before he nodded and took the few gold coins that Jeremy gave him. Once Harold was gone, Jeremy sighed out loud and palmed his face.

  “So it has begun.” He muttered. It was something that he had dreaded. He had heard about it all, but never had the concrete evidence until now. It was all true, all of it. Elora was the fire key, she was a legend that had come from a different world to save them all. She used her powers to make this plagued man normal again, which meant no matter what he did, no matter what he was doing, he had to guide her, to her destiny, to where she had to save them all. And while in doing so, something she loved the most will have to be sacrificed.

  10

  As Jeremy was walking close to the tent, he decided to secretly transform into Wizard again, so he could check up on Elora. She would be sleeping in Chaiya’s tent, and he would need to look out for her. So he transformed and flew over to the hut where Elora was sleeping, and stood at a distance, looking at her.

  So she’s the key that I’ve heard so much, about Jeremy thought. I remember all the stories about a mysterious girl from another world, coming over to our world to save us all from plight and disaster. I know that she will save the kingdom in need by obtainin
g the power in that kingdom, and then embracing her destiny, but sacrificing someone who she loves and holds most dear. Only then will she ever be able to return home by saving the kingdom, to return where she came from.

  The funny thing about all that was there were actually four kingdoms in this world that had the same story but was written in different ways. Noblethorn, Feather Grove, Claw Worth and Sacan. All of them had a different story portraying the girl from the legend that would come in from another world and save the kingdom from ruin, or drag it to ruin, so the story went. He didn’t know which one of them was true, or if all of them were interconnected somehow. He was sure that there was a connection to the root of all the legends somewhere.

  I swear I am going to protect her, by all that I have, Jeremy thought as he watched Elora sleep. And when your task is done, I will help you get back home, anyhow.

  He sensed that Kieran was slowly coming back to his tent, and perhaps it was time for him to go back to his own tent as well. He didn’t want to be caught. So he instantly flew over to the tent he was supposed to share with Kieran and transformed into his human form. Kieran walked in and saw Jeremy standing there and grumbled curses under his breath.

  Why is he here? Kieran thought. He didn’t know Jeremy Windgate, he just didn’t like him because of the fact that Elora liked him. For some reason, watching Elora with Jeremy sent a burning hot arrow through his heart and he didn’t like that sensation at all. It made him upset and burn inside out, and that was what frustrated him. He didn’t have any problems with Jeremy, but it was Elora’s closeness with him that bothered him, for a reason he didn’t know.

  Kieran sighed and took off his shirt, so he could go and sleep shirtless. It was his tactic, his way of going to sleep with someone. It would intimidate people by looking at his physique, knowing that he was the man that they could never be. And as he did remove his shirt, he saw Jeremy look and admire his physique. He smirked. He knew that this always, always worked. Now Jeremy would be conscious of himself and perhaps stay away from Elora knowing that he was there. But surprising Kieran, Jeremy took off his own shirt.

  Now Kieran was really handsome. His body was completely toned by the years of training that he had done to lead the rebellion. He was strong and his body was sculpted as a warrior’s would. He had nice muscles, bulging and strong, and his stomach was perfectly trimmed by what he knew were called as ‘Abs’. A lot of women took pleasure in admiring his body and his handsome features when they were entwined in passion, and he had seen women wanting to touch his muscles all the time. But Kieran’s body? Yeah, he now saw why women admired him as well.

  His body was like Kieran’s, but unlike Kieran’s who was muscular, Jeremy was rock hard solid. His Muscles had been fully developed and he had a tattoo that went across his shoulder and lower abdomen. Strangely it was of a Flying Squirrel, in black ink, but he didn’t think much about it. But the tattoo was something that did entrance Kieran. He had never seen a tattoo so beautiful and so good. He knew that the tattoo was something that he had to think about, perhaps he should get one himself? He wondered what tattoo he would get.

  “It’s a spell for protection.” Jeremy, who was noticing Kieran’s gaze on his tattoo, said suddenly. Kieran blinked and shook his head, embarrassed that he was caught and looked at Jeremy. “It protects me from unwanted magic and keeps me safe from cheap attacks from the behind or to my mind. It is really helpful, and with the amount of time that I’ve spent in the wild, yeah, I really need that.

  Kieran blinked, wondering what he meant. Jeremy didn’t look older than himself, but he had been hearing that name for a long time. So without thinking he just blurted out what came into his mind.

  “What’s your age again?” Kieran asked, blinking. “You look as old as me.”

  “Oh trust me, I wish I was that young.” Jeremy laughed, amused. “I am actually going to be three hundred and fifty years old in a couple of days.”

  Kieran blinked once again, and his jaw dropped as he stared hard at Kieran. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing, and Jeremy only laughed harder at Kieran’s expression.

  “I am a mage, remember? We live a long life.” Jeremy said, rolling his eyes. Kieran nodded, remembering that fact. But still, he couldn’t believe that the other man was so old. Once Jeremy was asleep, Kieran also laid on the bed, facing the other way from Jeremy so he could properly think about everything.

  He’s too old for Elora. He has a nice body, but he’s too old for her, Kieran thought, sighing in relief. I have nothing to worry about.

  Kieran honestly didn’t have any idea at all as to what these emotions were. Whenever he was around Elora, he would feel hot, as if his heart was beating thumping against his chest and sending hot blood everywhere around his body. He would feel that he wanted to see her, laugh and smile, and see her happy all the time. He felt great, as if he was in the presence of the one person that would always acknowledge him. He didn’t know what that feeling was, but he didn’t like it necessarily, it made him look strange, unsure of himself. It made him look mad. Really, really mad, and made him do things that he didn’t want to do, and made him get strange feelings about every single male that was close to Elora.

  I need to sleep, Kieran thought as he closed his eyes. I can’t think about this. We need to think about what we will do tomorrow either way.

  Similarly, Elora was also lying on her bed in Chaiya’s hut, awake. Chaiya had taken upon herself to make sure that Elora didn’t run away, and she was sleeping right beside, a blanket tied to Chaiya’s leg. It was her punishment, but she could take it. She had made everyone worry so much about her, so much that she didn’t even know of what to do.

  Do I love Kieran? Elora thought, thinking of Kieran. Or am I attracted to him? I can’t fall for anyone, I have to go home after either I find the tapestry, or complete my destiny. I don’t even know what to do right now. B-But...Jeremy is also so beautiful and hot...maybe I can have a fling with someone in this world...maybe I can—No, don’t think about this Elora, you have to stay focused on your task. You can’t have any flings.

  Elora turned to the side in her bed, looking at Chaiya’s young face as she slept. She sighed and took a deep breath and didn’t know what to do now. She really was certain about her decisions, but now, she had no idea, at all, as to what was going to happen.

  I-if it came down to choosing one of them, Elora thought, her face flushing. Would I choose Kieran? Or would it be Jeremy? Whom would I want to be together with? Oh gods, Kieran stole my first ever kiss with a man, and he’s a handsome and caring man beyond all that manly skin of his. But on the other hand, Jeremy, or Wizard, is the one that I feel connected to the most. He’s so beautiful and caring, and also amazing. He wants to look out for me the same way I did for him, and he also saved my life but didn’t demand of anything like Kieran. Should I...no! Elora! Stop! This is not the time and place to be thinking about that! Go to sleep!

  Elora sighed and closed her eyes, trying to sleep again. Her ankle still hurt her, and she didn’t want to hurt her ankle more.

  11

  Elora woke up early next morning. She knew that the time for an inevitable conflict was coming near, she couldn’t sleep properly because of that worry. No matter how hard she tried to remember, no matter how hard she tried to ignore it, the feeling would always return, and it would always, always make her very, very jittery. And she didn’t like that feeling. She didn’t lie it at all.

  She knew that everyone would want to hear and discuss exactly what had Sanotori told her, and it wouldn’t be pretty because she would be on the other side of some serious word-lashing, but she could handle it. Her job was to go home soon, and she had done what she wanted. She wanted information and she got it, and yes she almost did die because of it, but that was for another day entirely. Right now, she needed to dress up and change.

  I wonder... Elora thought as she got dressed in her same blue dress and leggings. Only this time she had an armored jacket. Chaiya ha
d taken her torn off jacket and sewed in some armored parts inside of it, like some hardened skin, so she was protected. I wonder what Bram and Marine would do if they were in my position. Would they simply go ahead and embrace their destiny? Would they sit down and stay hidden? Or would they just give up and jump off the next cliff they can find? I don’t even know what I want to do at this point. I guess I shouldn’t be talking about them, if I don’t know what I want to do.

  Elora sighed once again and stretched, getting up and shaking her head as she got ready for the eventual meeting that was going to take place. As it was obvious, Jeremy, Chaiya and Kieran were already sitting in the center of the tent eating some breakfast. Johan, the oldest camper and warrior, also walked over, undoubtedly to be a part of the meeting, and Emily was coming over as Elora’s choice to be in there, because she deserved to know more about all that was going on in Elora’s eyes, and no one complained.

  “About time you woke up,” Chaiya snorted as Elora hobbled over to the center. “Still in pain?”

  “For now no, these wrappings really helped me out,” Elora said, stretching as much as she possibly could. “I just don’t know what to do now, we have a lot of things to do and we’re stuck making a choice as to what to avoid at this point. And literally everything we need is in the vicinity of the one place we should avoid.”

  “That is true,” Chaiya nodded, sighing. “I and Jeremy were discussing just that right now, about how much we don’t want to go inside of Claw Worth’s areas but eventually we will be ending up there. The Yogi of Velia aren’t things that you wish to go up against, especially because of their distaste towards visitors. But we have no choice.”

  “I think you should sit down, Elora,” Johan said, looking at Elora’s leg. “Right now, before you hurt yourself.”