Sealed by Fire: The Nature Hunters Academy Series, Book 2

by Quinn Loftis

  “Let me in,” he whispered as he bit her neck.

  She wasn’t sure what he was demanding because her brain was scrambled.

  “Open your end of the bond, luv. Let our magic bind.”

  She started to respond, but it turned into a moan as Elias did something illegal with his hips. At least, she was pretty sure it was illegal.

  “Tara,” he growled.

  Dude was impatient to have her magic groping his. Noted. She pictured herself opening her hands, releasing the power she felt inside, pushing it into Elias.

  His muttered curse made her smile. He liked her groping magic. Her smile fled as she felt his power in her and then felt his desire through the bond. In her mind, she saw two threads begin to wind around one another until she couldn’t tell them apart. They were one, bound so tightly she knew the threads would never be parted. The threads lit up, engulfed in bright white light as Tara felt Elias move over her. She opened her eyes and stared into his aquamarine gaze. Her breathing was uneven.

  “I love you,” he said. “Forever.”

  His body began to glow, and she could feel the heat on her skin. “Elias.” She tried to suck in air. Tara wasn’t at all concerned their bodies were covered in light. Elias’s hands, mouth, and everything else hijacked any sane thought until all she could do was live in the moment.

  Tara had no idea how long they were lost in each other. She didn’t care that she was pretty sure at some point Liam had banged on the door. She wasn’t concerned that the world was freezing. There was just Elias and his love pulsating through the bond that was wrapped tightly around her soul and tethered to his. There was just his breath against her skin, his hands loving her body, and his mouth whispering his desires and asking her to share hers with him.

  When exhaustion finally took them, he wrapped her tightly in his arms and pulled the covers over them. Tara realized the tight knot of fear that had been growing inside of her was gone. The certainty that Elias was hers and she was his was settled deep inside of her, and she felt complete.

  “Sleep,” Elias said. “I feel your exhaustion.”

  “The crazy stuff is gone,” she whispered.

  He chuckled and then whispered back, “We better make sure after we’ve rested. Just to be sure the bond is solid. Now go to sleep. You’re going to need it.”

  The End

  Epilogue

  “What is your proposal, Viscious?” Osiris asked from his throne, feeling as bored as ever. Since Shelly had left his realm, he’d been especially melancholy.

  “Things have changed a bit,” Viscious said. “This plan has been in motion for a century.”

  Osiris didn’t even blink at that. Time was irrelevant to someone who didn’t die.

  “I started working with the demon, Dolion.”

  Osiris straightened up. That did interest him. “Working with him how?” Osiris asked.

  “He helped me with a spell to cast on the light royals. We took something important from them,” the dark fire king explained.

  “What was it?”

  “It was the knowledge of their soul bonded. They forgot all about them, and the soul bonded pairs didn’t even remember. They stopped using their combined power and were easy pickings. We’ve been taking them out one pair at a time since then. It has greatly weakened the light elementals.”

  “What is the end game?” Osiris asked.

  “Destroy the light elementals in exchange for helping Dolion open the gates to the underworld.”

  Osiris forced himself not to kill the dark fire king because it was Dolion who deserved his wrath.

  “But Dolion has become too powerful,” Viscious said. “He no longer wants to work as a combined force and wants all of us to bow at his feet. Those were literally his words,” Viscious bit out through clenched teeth. “Needless to say, the dark royals have not reacted well to his revelation. He is also able to remain in the human realm without the need for a summons or host.”

  The lord of the underworld didn’t let the shock of that revelation show on his face. “What do you want from me?” Osiris asked. He stood up from his throne and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

  “We still need the gates open and the demons to help destroy the light elementals. Their numbers are impressive. But Dolion cannot be the one to do it. He could claim dominion over the demons who crossed into the human realm and feed off their power.”

  The dark fire king was right. Osiris was nearly trembling with rage as he realized that his boredom and distraction with the female had nearly cost him his throne. “I will deal with Dolion,” he told Viscious. “And I will consider what you have told me concerning the dark elementals and opening the gates of the underworld. There are consequences that you do not know about. I am the lord of the underworld, and it will be my decision whether or not to allow such a thing to come to pass.”

  Viscious didn’t look pleased with his answer, but there was nothing he could do about it. “Very well,” the dark fire king said. He pulled out a short knife and cut his hand. He walked over to Osiris and held out his arm. “My payment.”

  Osiris let the king's blood drop into his hand and absorbed the magic from it. It wouldn’t do anything for Osiris in his own realm, but when he went to the human realm, it would allow him to wield fire as the dark king did, at least for a short time.

  “It is enough,” Osiris said and watched as the fire king left through the portal he’d opened.

  Osiris forced himself to stand still until he was sure he wouldn’t lose control. Even if he did not choose to work with Viscious and the other dark elementals, Dolion had to be destroyed. If he were so full of dark magic that he was able to remain in the human realm without the help of a host or the summons of a coven, he was a threat to Osiris’s reign.

  He knew what he had to do and he loathed it. But he would not give his authority over to someone else. Hell would freeze over first.

  Osiris took himself to his home where he’d been with Shelly. He found the leftover magical signature of the portal through which Ra and Shelly had exited. He reopened it and stepped through, finding himself in a quiet neighborhood. He looked for the signature of Ra’s magic and saw where he’d opened another portal. Osiris walked to it, reopened the portal, and stepped through.

  He was at the base of a huge mountain in Bhutan. The great thing about being the lord of the underworld was that Osiris always knew where he was in the human realm.

  Osiris could feel the pulse of light power. There had to be a light elemental academy close by. Ra was a student, so that’s where he would have gone.

  He pushed out his power, seeking for the wards that no doubt protected the school.

  “What is the lord of the underworld doing in such a remote part of the world where there are no souls to corrupt?”

  Osiris turned at the sound of the voice. A large, dark-skinned man stood holding a sword. Next to him was a slender woman in a black uniform. She wasn’t holding a weapon, but Osiris did not mistake that to mean she was unarmed.

  “I am looking for the royal light elementals,” Osiris told them.

  The man narrowed his eyes on him. “Why?”

  Osiris swallowed his considerable pride as he answered. “I need their assistance exterminating one of my demons.”

  Their heads tilted as the woman frowned. “I’m sorry. What?”

  Osiris reminded himself he couldn’t just go around pointing at irritating people while telling them to go to hell … and then literally sending them there. Though it would make his existence much more enjoyable.

  Twenty minutes later, after Osiris had been asked the same question in fifty different ways and endured having to wait for the female to laugh each time she reiterated that the devil needed help, the male had put his weapons away and was leaning against a tree covering his mouth with his hand. The woman, an insufferable little thing, was laughing, again. At him. The most powerful demon in existence.

  “So you”—she pointed at him—“th
e ruler of all hell”—more laughter—“need help from the good guys?”

  “If I say yes, again, will you stop asking me the same damn question?”

  She held up her hand as she attempted to get her laughter under control. “Okay, I’m good. Sorry. That was unprofessional. Let’s try again.”

  Osiris snapped his fingers and opened a portal to the underworld. “If I stand here any longer with you, I’m going to smite you.”

  “Don’t feel special,” the male said. “She makes everyone feel that way about her at least once a day.”

  Osiris believed it. “I’ll be back in two days at dusk. Do not waste my time by not bringing the royals with you.”

  He stepped through the portal.

  “It was nice talking to you,” the woman called. “Just a little friendly advice: try a timeout. It seems to work well on the small demons called children.”

  Osiris turned and flicked his hand at her. A ball of fire shot out, whipped around her, and smacked her hard on her ass. He heard her curse a blue streak. Osiris laughed as the portal closed behind him. He couldn’t smite her, but slapping her in the ass with hellfire was almost as satisfying. Almost.

  “Crescious,” he hollered to his useless minion.

  The little demon came scurrying. “Yes, my lord?”

  “Find Dolion and tell him his lord demands his presence.”

  The smaller demon swallowed hard and visibly shuddered. Without a word, he disappeared.

  Osiris walked over to his throne and sat down. He raised his hands and sent out a burst of power, causing the walls to shake. He heard the souls and demons scream as his rage burned them. Osiris smiled and did it again and then again until their pain-filled bellows filled all the levels. “That’s right.” He chuckled. “Burn, baby, burn.”

  Thank you so much for taking your time to read Sealed By Fire. If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a review at the link below. They are greatly appreciated.

  Please continue reading for a sneak peak of Cleansed By Water, Book 3 in the Nature Hunters Academy Series.

  Cleansed by Water

  “Dammit, dammit, dammit.” Gabby growled as she paced. It was late, ridiculously late. She had no business being out of her dorm room after hours, but she couldn’t sleep. Her mind simply wouldn’t shut off no matter how much she cursed at herself.

  Why did she have to meet Tara? And why did the girl actually have to be cool? Friends. They were not something Gabby had a use for. She didn’t do close relationships. She’d learned long ago that people couldn’t be trusted, no matter who they were. Her parents had taught her that.

  “Don’t go there, Gabby,” she snapped. The last thing she needed was to remind herself about the people who’d brought her into the world but hadn’t bothered to care about her. Love was not an emotion she was familiar with, and that extended to friendships. Her heart could only handle so much pain.

  “DAMMIT!” She yelled and threw out her hand. A ball of fire erupted out of it, illuminating the night and striking one of the targets standing innocently in the middle of the training field.

  Gabby had never felt that she fit in anywhere. She had always been that girl. The one who stood off to the side, unsure of her place in the world. She kept to herself because she was embarrassed by her body. Not just because she was so thin, which was a result of the lack of food kept in her house. It wasn’t that her parents refused to buy food, it just wasn’t a priority when scarce resources would be much better spent on important things like drugs or alcohol. As long as Gabby could remember, the majority of her nourishment had come in the form of the occasional stolen candy bar or bag of chips from the convenience store a block down the road. Not exactly three square meals a day. But that was secondary to the real issues Gabby tried to hide. What embarrassed her more were the bruises. She hid them well enough. But she knew someone would notice if she allowed them to get close enough.

  “Thanks, mom and dad,” she said bitterly and flung a few more fireballs one after the other. She was sweating, and her clothes stuck to her skin. Gabby hoped she would wear herself out to the point of exhaustion, that she’d be able to sleep without her demons attacking her in her dreams. Just once, she needed a good night's sleep.

  It troubled Gabby that the girl, Tara, was threatening to cross that clearly defined line of arm’s-length acquaintance into a full-blown friend, which would put her in a place she didn’t belong, a place where she would inevitably cause Gabby more pain. But Tara wasn’t really the thing keeping Gabby up tonight. The real cause of Gabby’s worries was him. The water elementalist who was too handsome for his own good. The second she’d heard his voice, Gabby had felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. Then she’d looked at him, their eyes had met, and she’d felt something inside of her reaching out for him. It clawed at her insides, desperate to get close to him. Apparently, according to the professors who’d been teaching them about the soul bonded, it was possible that different types of elementalists could be soul bonded. The thought that she and Liam just might be soul bonded was buzzing at the back of her mind like a pesky fly she was refusing to acknowledge.

  Gabby wasn’t surprised to find out that it was the darkness in one person that would draw the other to them. Professor Fernis had said there were some students who came to the academies missing a part of their soul because of the trauma of their past. Gabby’s life had certainly been traumatic … and painful. Also lonely and full of anger. How could her soul possibly have remained intact after that? For all she knew, she wasn’t missing merely a part of her soul. She could be without the whole damn thing. Gabby knew there was darkness in her. It was always there, deep down, waiting, biding its time. She didn’t know what it was waiting for, but there was never a time when Gabby wasn’t aware of it.

  When her magical energy was spent, and she no longer had the strength to raise her arms, Gabby sat down on the ground and fell back until she was looking up at the sky. She sucked in huge breaths of air, enjoying the quiet that came with the night. She loved it when everyone else was fast asleep, and she wasn’t surrounded by the constant hum of chatter from other people--people had all their crap together. The night was the only time she had any semblance of peace. But tonight, it wasn’t enough.

  She rubbed her hand across her chest, trying to ease the ache that had begun growing inside the minute she’d met Liam.

  “Dammit.” Gabby growled for the hundredth time. Apparently, her vocabulary had dumbed itself down to that one word. She’d been saying it either in her mind or out loud ever since she’d met the water elementalist. How in the world was she supposed to focus on her training at Terra Academy with him around? And how was she going to keep herself from getting too close to Tara when she so desperately wanted a friend? Just admitting that to herself was beyond something she thought she’d ever do. Somehow, in the three years she’d been at Crimson Academy, she’d managed to keep her distance from her fellow students. It was probably why she was bat shit crazy, that and the fact she still carried the rage inside of her that her parents had beaten into her. She’d learned a long time ago there was a certain look she could keep in her eyes that caused other people to keep their away from her. It was a look that was easy for Gabby to maintain. When she realized the power of that look, she’d decided to go big or go home. She owned it as much as every great psychopath throughout history had owned their crazy. And Gabby didn’t apologize for the way she was. Why should she? She’d been a kid, a helpless child, when her parents had starved her, beaten her, and verbally abused her. At first, she’d so desperately wanted their love that she would do anything to try to earn it.

  Gabby had cried, begged, promised to forgive them and love them if they would just love her back. Once upon a time, she’d been a small girl with hope in her eyes. But that hope had been ripped out of her until nothing but a giant hole remained. Something had to fill that hole. That something was the crazy.

  Now, her mind was a chaotic wildfire. The only time it di
dn’t race was when she was using her magic or training. Apparently, violence was her jam. It quieted her mind. Go figure.

  As her mind filled with the memories of a childhood she’d been desperately trying to forget for nearly seven years, tears ran down her cheeks.

  Gabby rarely let herself cry. Her parents didn’t deserve her tears, but the lost little girl inside of her did. So, in the quiet of the night, with everyone else peacefully sleeping in their beds, Gabby let herself mourn for the things she’d lost or never had. Her innocence had been stripped away before she was five years old. The world that she should have been protected from had been welcomed into her home and she’d been thrown right into the middle of the storm.

  Her body shook as the sorrow attempted to suffocate her. She tried to suck in air, but her lungs were so tight she couldn’t get anything inside.

  Gabby rolled onto her side and drew her legs up, wrapping her arms around them and burying her head into the tops of her knees. She didn’t try to silence the sounds, she couldn’t have even if she wanted to. The pain was too much. She didn’t know what was going on between her and Liam. But meeting him had opened the cage she’d shoved all of her past into. Her brief encounter with him had caused the magic inside of her, and something deeper, to cry out with such need that she’d had to turn to the rage to keep herself together.

  But she couldn’t hold it together any longer. In order to be able to face Tara and Liam again, she was going to have to put all of it back in the cage and relock that shit, even tighter this time. There was no other choice. She might even have to request to be taken out of the training program, though it would put a hole in her pride to do so.

  Gabby had no idea how long she let herself fall apart. Eventually, out in the open of the training field, exhaustion allowed her to escape her agony, and the oblivion of sleep took her.