To her amazement, she ran for nearly twenty minutes without seeing any sign of pursuit. She glanced nervously over her shoulder from time to time, checking for the telltale signs of flames or dark leather-clad warriors giving chase, but none of those signs appeared.
Her lungs started to burn as she ran and she could feel cramps starting in her calves and thighs. A twinge of pain started in her shoulder as she pushed herself on, a result of staying so tense in her neck and back as she ran. She knew her body couldn’t sustain much longer at the pace she had set, yet she was hesitant to slow. She’d almost rather them find her facedown in the sand, having collapsed from exhaustion, than catch her standing by the side of the road, having given up in defeat.
Past the pounding in her ears, she caught the sound of a low rumble starting from behind her. Her first instinct was to hide, thinking it was Fire Warriors driving one of their cars as they searched. As she turned, however, she saw a small, brightly colored Volkswagen Bug driving down the road. It seemed far too small and conspicuous for the normally proud Fire Warriors.
She stopped her running and tried to yell but her lungs burned too strongly from the effort. Instead, she simply waved her hands over her head in an attempt to get the driver’s attention.
She knew the chances of him or her stopping was slim. She knew how she looked. Her blonde hair was no longer in its long braid down her back and it was greasy from her time in captivity, both with Abraxas and later at the castle. The thin clothes she wore were stained with soot and dirt, as was her face and hands. Had she been carrying a bag of any sort, she knew that she’d look like a drifter. Instead, she just looked like a crazy woman by the side of the road.
The Bug drew closer and she could see the driver and passenger pointing at the disheveled woman by the side of the road. The rumble of the car’s engine dropped into a lower gear as the car started to slow. Sammy allowed herself a moment of relief, knowing that if she got into the car there was a chance she could put enough distance between herself and her clan that they’d never find her again.
A hiss of flames reached her ears moments before multiple jets of fire struck the Volkswagen. The car caught fire moments before its undercarriage exploded, flipping it into the air. The car crashed down onto its hood and skidded across the middle road before coming to rest less than twenty feet from where Sammy stood in disbelief.
Despite knowing the danger, she couldn’t bring herself to run as the Fire Warriors emerged from the desert around her. Defiant tears ran down her face as they tied leather straps around her wrists and elbows, pinning her arms painfully behind her. Even as their hands closed over her shoulders and started pushing her back the way she had come, her eyes never left the scorched and burning ruins of the car and the memory of the two Samaritans within who were only going to offer her a ride.
Dozens of Fire Warriors lined the inner courtyard of the keep as they dragged Sammy back to the castle. They watched with abject curiosity, pointing and whispering amongst one another as she passed. It wasn’t animosity in their expressions—it was anticipation. There was a heaviness in the air, as though everyone realized something remarkable for the Fire Caste was on the cusp of occurring.
They marched through the towering front doors of the castle but rather than turn toward the spiral staircase leading back to her prison cell, they dragged her through the throne room doors.
The secret door on the far side was already open. Sammy planted her feet on the ground but her resistance did little. The warriors on either side lifted her arms upward behind her, pinching her shoulders and sending waves of pain radiating down her arms. The toes of her feet bumped along the uneven stones of the floor as they continued dragging her forward.
With the narrow tunnel ahead, one of the guards released her, leaving her lifted arms held entirely by the burly Fire Warrior behind her. As they entered the passage, Sammy saw her opportunity to fight back. She kicked backward, slamming her heel into the man’s shin. He howled in pain and released her arms. Before she could turn, though, the warrior in front of her struck the side of her head with his elbow, driving her face into the rough, stone wall. She felt blood trickle from the edge of her scalp as it reopened a wound given to her during her battle with General Abraxas.
“Hold her this time,” one of the warriors growled, though Sammy was having trouble focusing as the tunnel swam in her vision.
The firm hands behind her reasserted themselves and her arms were lifted even higher than before. The angle forced her to lean forward and she released an involuntary cry of pain.
The rest of the march down the tunnel was unpleasant. Sammy’s head rang with pain from the open wound on her scalp. Every time she tried to slow her pace, her arms were lifted slightly higher and someone shoved her in the small of her back.
Before long, the tunnel gave way to the dragon’s chamber. The room was already lit and the massive, scaly body dominated her view as she entered. Jets of flame roared from its nostrils excitedly at the sight of her and its enormous vertical slits of eyes blinked in rapid succession.
“Welcome home, fleshling.”
Sammy didn’t have a witty or sarcastic response. Her voice felt frozen in her throat, even as beads of sweat formed on her brow. In the presence of the Fire Elemental once again, she forgot the blood trickling down her face or the bruise already forming against her left temple.
The draconic eye drifted toward the left of the room. Sammy had been so caught up in her own dreadful position she had failed to notice anyone else in the dragon’s chamber. Against the leftmost wall, two Fire Warriors flanked a third man, who was kneeling awkwardly on the stone ground. Around his neck, he wore a yoke like she would expect to see on an ox. His arms were lashed to the ends of the yoke, stretching his neck forward while pulling his shoulder blades backward.
“I’m disappointed in you, Lord Balor,” the dragon hissed. “I had such hopes for your future when first you swore fealty to me.”
Sammy’s mouth opened in surprise. Despite his promise to give her more time to escape, she never expected he’d be discovered and captured so quickly. The guard behind her let her hands go and her arms fell limply against her back. Blood flowed back through the limbs and pins and needles exploded down their length. The pain was exquisite but she pushed it aside as she walked forward until she could see around the bulk of the yoke.
Her father’s face looked horrible. He was haggard and drawn from the pain he was experiencing. Beyond that, he had obviously been beaten severely. Bruises were glowing an angry purple in the torchlight and his right eye was nearly swollen completely closed. With his head angled forward, blood dripped from his bottom lip and pooled on the ground in front of him.
“Please let him go,” Sammy cried. “He didn’t do anything wrong. This is all my fault. Punish me if you have to but please let him go.”
“He’s hardly without blame. I know he helped you escape. Did you think anything happened in my domain or to my servants without me knowing? As for punishing you, I’d never do such a thing. You have far too great of a future as my host.”
Sammy’s throat swelled and she had trouble swallowing. She didn’t know what it meant to be a host but her imagination ran rampant with possibilities, none of which ended well for her.
“In fact,” the dragon said as it shifted its reptilian head toward her, “untie her. I’d hate for anything to happen to her body.”
A Fire Warrior stepped behind her. His knife slid easily through the leather thongs holding her arms behind her back. Once cut free and feeling returned, Sammy felt the marks on her wrist and upper arm where the leather had cut into her skin when she struggled against it.
“Take Lord Balor and hang him as he is from the front of the castle walls. Let his slow death be a reminder of what happens to anyone who betrays me.”
“No,” Sammy screamed. “Please, you can’t kill him.”
The dragon’s forked tongue flickered between its rows of razor-sharp teeth as it reveled
in Sammy’s fear and sadness. “I can and I will. The Fire Caste doesn’t need water as often as regular humans,” it mocked her, “so he’ll be able to last for more than a week hanging crucified from the parapet. It’ll be excruciatingly painful on his body but nothing is too severe if it reminds the rest of who their master is.”
The dragon lowered until it hung just above the ground, mere inches from Sammy’s face. The smell of brimstone was overwhelming and she had trouble catching her breath between hitched sobs. She was paralyzed in the Elemental’s presence, unable even to move as the Fire Warriors dragged her father away. Her sobs only increased as they pulled awkwardly on the yoke and her father let out a cry of pain.
“You might have had more time to prepare for this great honor of serving at my host but your boyfriend has left me no option. He’s claimed the power of the Wind Elemental. The line of the Wind Warriors is dead, which makes it my turn to rule.”
Firm hands grabbed her arms and held her in place as the dragon’s head pulled away. The Elemental rose to its full height, its head and wings brushing the ceiling in the tall chamber.
“This is a great honor, becoming my host,” the dragon said as the membranes of its wings melted into flames. “Few ever get chosen for such a task. You should count yourself lucky.”
Sammy struggled against the grip of the muscular Fire Warriors but her fighting was to no avail. Their grip was unwavering. She turned her head upward as the scales on the dragon’s tail lost their composure and burst into living flames. The transition spread up the length of its body, consuming its back legs and torso as it flowed over the beast.
“I should warn you, I’ve heard this is a very unpleasant experience.”
The flames rippled over the dragon’s head, leaving behind a sheet of flames in the outline of a massive dragon. The blaze poured forward as the head seemed to dive straight toward her.
She opened her mouth to scream but the flames poured into her mouth and nose. The heat was unbearable as the fire rolled down her throat, taking refuge in her lungs and stomach. Sammy tried to breathe but the blaze stole the oxygen from the air.
Her body stiffened as the Elemental flowed into her. She could feel its saturation as the mystical flames soaked into every cell of her body, washing away the woman she had been and replacing it with the Fire Elemental’s essence.
The thought of Xander appeared in her mind and she fixated on the memory of his face. The sadness within her faded as the Elemental took her as its host. The edges of her memory of Xander burned in her mind’s eye, like a photograph tossed into a roaring blaze. The image blackened and curled away from her conscious mind as the dragon overwhelmed all that was Sammy.
She said a silent apology to Xander before her consciousness faded away.
When the flames died, the room was cast into a deep darkness. The fires that had illuminated the room had been swallowed by the Elemental’s transformation.
With a flick of her arms, the two guards holding Sammy in place were tossed easily aside. They crashed into the walls and slumped onto the hard ground.
As she turned, her eyes smoldered with red and yellow flames, casting a faint glow into the dark room. The Fire Warriors near the entrance to the chamber ignited their fists and placed them over their hearts as they bent on one knee to their master.
“Gather the warriors,” the Elemental said through Sammy’s mouth. “The time has come for the Fire Caste to lay claim to the world.”
The first enormous thank you has to go to all the fans that have made the World Aflame series a best seller! Nothing could be done without your support. If it weren’t for you buying the book, supporting my releases, and berating me to finish the next in the series, this would just be a hobby that no one else really enjoyed. You’ve made this series a success and I can’t thank you enough.
A special thank you has to be shared with my fellow Clean Teen Publishing authors. You have created phenomenal stories, with complex worlds and even more complex characters. I hope every one of you enjoys incredible success with your releases.
This series has been successful first and foremost because of my editor, Cynthia Shepp. When I talk about fans berating me, you’re the loudest voice and I appreciate all you’ve done for me. I continue to learn and I promise to limit my use of the word “tacky”.
The biggest thank you has to be shared with a special group of ladies. Beckie, Courtney, Dyan, and Marya, who are the heart of Clean Teen Publishing. You’ve created an exceptional cover (it still looks like a movie poster), interior (even though you have to listen to the demands of a diva author), and marketing/distribution plan that has really made me successful. I can’t thank you enough.
This has been a wild ride so far and the series isn’t done. I’m so excited to show you how the first story in this world wraps up.
Clean Teen Publishing
www.cleanteenpublishing.com
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In a war between the humans and the inhabitants of the sea—humans will lose. Xanthus Dimitriou—the most lethal Dagonian to rise from the ocean—is on a mission to save mankind from annihilation. But first there’s one small thing he needs to do… kill a beautiful young woman in a wheelchair.
Killing her doesn’t start out as part of his plan. He entrenches himself deep in the human world. Aligning himself with his enemies, he prepares to send them to Triton to face their punishment. Then Sara Taylor rolls onto the scene. Xanthus knows at once she’s a criminal. And her crime? Being born. She’s a human/Dagonian half-breed, an abomination. Killing her should be an easy job. All he has to do is break into her apartment, slit her throat, and feed her body to the sharks. Simple, right? Wrong. If only she weren’t so beautiful, so innocent, so sweet...
Saving the world may have to wait. It appears Xanthus has a woman to save. But protecting her may cost him his own life.
Available Now!
Rosa never thought she’d make it to sixteen...
When being unique puts you in danger and speaking your mind can be punishable by death, you might find yourself fighting to survive. Sixteen-year-old Rosa lives in one of the eight enclosed cities of The Woodlands. Where the lone survivors of a devastating race war have settled in the Russian wilderness because it’s the only scrap of land left habitable on the planet. In these circular cities, everyone must abide by the law or face harsh punishment. Rosa's inability to conform and obey the rules brands her a leper and no one wants to be within two feet of her, until she meets Joseph. He's blonde, fair-skinned, green-eyed, and the laid-back complete opposite of Rosa. She's never met anyone quite like him, and she knows that spells danger.
But differences weren't always a bad thing. People used to think being unique was one of the most treasured of traits to have. Now, the Superiors, who ruthlessly control the concrete cities with an iron fist, are obsessed with creating a 'raceless' race. They are convinced this is the only w
ay to avoid another war. Any anomalies must be destroyed.
The Superiors are unstoppable and can do anything they want. After all, they are considered superheroes by the general public. But not everyone sees them this way. When they continue to abuse their power by collecting young girls for use in their secret, high-tech breeding program, they have no idea that one of those girls has somehow managed to make friends even she didn't know she had. And one man will stop at nothing to save her.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Flame Caller Page 24
