Daisy Dunn

by Fire's Devotion

  “You don’t miss a beat, Stanley.” Todd almost felt a sense of pride in the usually bumbling oaf. He found the back lane and headed behind the store. Stanley opened the door, jumped out, and pulled his gun out.

  “Keep the motor going, and I’ll take care of the woman.” Stanley shut the door while Todd watched him in the side mirror. He noticed that Stanley’s inner Hunter appeared to come to life, and his movements grew more agile and ready for anything. Now the waiting began again.

  * * * *

  Flame unpacked the last item of inventory from her third box and stacked the item neatly on the shelf. “Skye, I’m glad you remembered to order the essence of lilac oil. We were completely out, and I didn’t even notice.”

  “I sold the last bottle of lilac oil two weeks ago, so I put it on your order list. It seems to be a hot seller lately.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind for the next order day.” Flame began to cut up the empty cardboard boxes to collapse them and put them in the recycle bin in the back lane behind the store. She stacked them neatly and began carrying them to the back of the store when Ethan came out from the back stockroom and stopped her.

  “Here, let me help you with those boxes.”

  Flame playfully swatted his hands away. “I’ve got them. Actually, I need you to do a favor for me.”

  “I’ll do anything you ask.” He leaned over and kissed her neck, sending waves of desire coursing through her veins.

  “Get a room!” Raine cried out, and laughed as she passed the two new lovers in the store.

  Flame watched Ethan straighten up and salute Raine. “Yes, ma’am.” He offered his arm to Flame and continued. “Shall we get a room, as advised by your astute colleague?”

  “You’re terrible.” Flame swatted his ass and giggled. “Now, can you please carry the large box from the stockroom I pointed out earlier and bring it to the front where I unpacked the first shipment? I’ll be back in a moment.”

  “I think I like being your errand boy. It’s kind of sexy being bossed around by a fiery redhead.”

  Shaking her head, she turned and walked away from Ethan and headed out the back door. Once outside, she turned to her right to head toward the recycling bin but noticed a vehicle blocking her way. Dammit, don’t people read signs? This is a no-parking zone.

  A short, chubby man rounded the corner of the vehicle with a gun pointed right at her. She gasped and dropped the cardboard boxes on the ground. “Get in,” he commanded with a forceful tone while motioning his gun toward the SUV.

  Flame’s first reaction had been to use her powers on this man. However, he posed no threat to her whatsoever, since she could easily disarm him and hurt him. He must be a Hunter. He’s not very threatening compared to the last one I met. Something inside of her formulated a plan. Since he didn’t try to knock me out, he must think I’m a regular person. I’m going to let him take me as his prisoner and see what I can find out about their plans to abduct Skye.

  Feigning fear, Flame put her arms up in the air and pretended to be scared. “Oh, my, what’s going on? Who are you?” Nicely acted, Miss Thespian. I think he fell for my performance.

  “Shut up and get in.” He opened the back door of the vehicle and urged her to enter.

  So rude! She climbed into the backseat, and he followed her, shutting the door and pointing the gun in her direction.

  “We’ve got her friend, Todd. Take us to our place.”

  His friend obeyed and floored the gas pedal. She couldn’t be sure she had made the best decision, but with her powerful gift on her side, these two men didn’t stand a chance.

  They drove through town and headed out onto the highway. She thought she’d start trying to find out information by talking to them. “Listen, I know I’m your prisoner for some reason, but can someone fill me in on what’s going on?”

  “Didn’t I tell you to shut up?”

  “Yes, you did, but I’ve had time to calm myself down and now I’m wondering why you two wanted to kidnap me.”

  “I don’t think you really want to know. I don’t like dealing with hysterical women.”

  “Well, if you haven’t noticed, I’ve remained calm, and I’ve done everything you’ve asked me to do so far without hysterics. You could give me the same courtesy.”

  “I don’t have to give you shit. You’re our prisoner, and you don’t need to know anything right now.”

  “So when you say ‘right now,’ you’re implying you will be telling me what this is about in the near future. Why don’t you skip the unknown part and be honest with me?” Flame watched the driver shrug his shoulders. Then she turned back to the man with the gun.

  “Do you really want to know why we took you?”

  “Yes, I do. I’m a curious woman. I think most people would want to know the reason behind their abductions. I think telling me is the polite thing to do.”

  “Are you listening to this, Todd?” The stocky man shook his head.

  “I’m hearing what she’s saying, but I don’t think she realizes who she’s dealing with.”

  “All right, honey, you want to know, I’ll tell you.” He wiggled his finger at her, and she moved closer to him. “I’m a fucking Hunter. I’m one of the meanest and cruelest bastards you’re ever going to have the displeasure of meeting. Now shut the hell up.” Flame felt a sharp pain on the back of her head, and her world faded away to darkness.

  Chapter 8

  Ethan heard Skye and Raine gasp at the same time as the front door flew open, and Ivy came bursting in with Luke and Levi trailing behind her. Ivy cried out, “Something’s wrong with Flame.”

  “I feel it, too,” Raine agreed.

  “Where is she?” Ethan heard Skye ask as he ran past her and headed toward the back lane. A sick feeling raced through him when he opened the door and saw the collapsed cardboard boxes strewn about.

  The women soon joined Ethan, followed by Ivy’s men. He glanced up and down the alleyway, but saw no sign of Flame. Panic set in, and he turned to his new friends, lost and unsure of what to do. “Where can she be?” A lump formed in his throat, threatening to turn into tears.

  Luke and Levi started to move around the back lane. Ethan watched them, transfixed, as they began sniffing the pieces of the cardboard Flame had been carrying and then sniffed the air. Ivy put her hand on his arm and squeezed it gently. “They’re trying to pick up her scent.”

  A couple of minutes later, they returned to the group with their heads down. “We couldn’t track her. I’m sorry,” Levi said quietly.

  “You two followed Ivy’s scent when she’d been taken. I can calm the wind down, and you could try to do the same thing again.” Skye’s eyes seemed to sparkle with certainty when Ethan looked at her, filling him with a sense of hope.

  Luke stepped beside Skye and patted her shoulder. “Unfortunately, we can’t do the same thing this time. When Ivy was taken, they used chloroform on her. The strong smell permeated the air. In this case, Flame’s subtle fragrance has been lost, I suspect in a vehicle that took her away.”

  Ethan’s heart sank deeper. His love had been taken, but without knowing where, he couldn’t even try to find her. The back door opened, and a bewildered-looking Jack appeared. “What’s going on? Why is there no one in the store?”

  “Flame’s been taken,” Ethan choked out, fighting tears of frustration and anger.

  “What? When did she disappear?” Jack questioned.

  Jack appeared calm and in control, but Ethan knew him all too well. He noticed his hands shaking slightly and his jaw clenching. “We haven’t seen her for maybe five to eight minutes.” Ethan couldn’t hide his distress like Jack could. I can’t lose her!

  “Wait a minute,” Ivy interrupted Ethan’s thoughts. “I think we all agree the Hunters are behind her abduction, right?”

  Ethan looked around as everyone nodded in agreement, then turned his gaze back to Ivy. “What if the Hunters are stupid enough to return to the same property we’ve found them at twice
already? My idea may be a long shot, but it’s a place to start.”

  “I don’t know what place you’re talking about, Ivy.” Jack appeared as confused as Ethan felt.

  “We can show you the way,” Skye interrupted. “Can you two fly faster than a car, and can you take passengers?”

  “Yes, we can go faster than a vehicle. As far as passengers go, we can carry one person each, but the extra weight will slow us down a bit,” Ethan replied.

  “Good enough answer for me. Ivy, lock up the store. Raine, you take Luke and Levi in your car to the house, and Ivy and I will fly with Ethan and Jack.” Skye rubbed her hands together and seemed to appear hopeful again.

  Ivy ran inside the store and came out a minute later. “All locked up.”

  “I don’t like the idea of you flying to the house, Ivy,” Levi said as a growl escaped his lips.

  “I know you don’t want me to fly, but I’m sure Jack and Ethan would say no if they felt carrying us on their backs wouldn’t be safe. Now, we’re wasting precious time discussing this matter when we should be leaving. Jack and Ethan, what are you waiting for? You need to start changing.” Ivy clapped her hands at them with an authoritative tone, and they obeyed her with swift action.

  Turning around and stepping away from the group, they hurried to remove all of their clothes and began shifting into their phoenix forms. Two fireballs engulfed them while their bodies transformed. Ethan always loved the feeling of his body heating up and then morphing into another being. But this time, his heart only cared about finding Flame safe. He had a purpose and destination in mind, and nothing was going to take away his focus of getting Flame back from the Hunters.

  Both men, now in phoenix form, turned to face their friends. Ethan read shock on their faces right away, but their gaping expressions quickly disappeared as Raine grabbed Luke and Levi’s arms and took off with the men. Skye and Ivy stepped up to the transformed men, whose size dwarfed the women by comparison.

  “Can you understand me?” Ivy asked as she walked up to Ethan.

  He nodded his reply as he couldn’t speak in his phoenix form.

  “We’ll give you the directions as we’re flying. Now, how do we get on you?” Skye asked after she gathered their clothes and shoes and held on to them.

  Ethan and Jack glanced at each other briefly and then bowed down, trying to get as low to the ground as possible. Ivy climbed on Ethan, and Skye maneuvered onto Jack. Once Ethan felt Ivy had a good hold on him, he straightened up and took off into the sky, awaiting Ivy’s directions.

  * * * *

  Ivy wanted to enjoy the experience of flying through the air, but with Flame’s life in the balance she concentrated on conveying which way for Ethan to turn. Soaring high in the air, she found herself losing her bearings for a minute here and there but managed to regain her composure and find the location of the Hunters’ home.

  “The house is over there,” Ivy cried out as she pointed excitedly to the lonely two-story home nestled in a forested area. She lost her balance briefly, but Ethan seemed to feel her slipping and turned his body enough for her to regain her hold on the red plumage at his neck.

  They soared down from the sky, heading straight for the home. As they flew about thirty feet above the ground, suddenly Ivy noticed Jack turn sharp and head up again. Unfortunately, Ethan did not follow Jack and crashed into some sort of force field, sending an electric current pulsing through Ivy’s hands. Ethan appeared to fight this invisible power, flapping his ten-foot wingspan rapidly while his body contorted under Ivy’s frame.

  Ethan managed to fly away from the protected home, but then his wings stopped flapping and their bodies began to plunge toward the ground. Ivy screamed as she tightened her grip on Ethan, their bodies twisting and tumbling as they fell. Ivy couldn’t focus on anything as they continued to careen toward the earth.

  Great gusts of turbulent wind blew from all directions. Ivy felt their bodies slowing down on their free fall. The wind became so strong that it cradled the two all the way down and gently placed them on the ground. Oh, thank you, Skye. I owe you big time.

  Besides her tender hands from the electric current and her increased heart rate, Ivy stood up, feeling no other ill effects. She knelt in front of Ethan in his firebird form and stroked the top of his feathered head. Sparks flew from his tail and dissipated rapidly. Jack and Skye landed beside them. Skye jumped off Jack and ran to Ivy, wrapping her arms around her. “I was so scared for you, Ivy.” Skye had used up precious energy, and Ivy could feel her teetering in her arms.

  “Thank you so much for saving us. However, you need to rest right now and regain some of your energy.”

  Jack walked up naked behind the women. Ivy guessed he’d transformed when she hugged Skye. “Are you all right, Ivy?”

  “Yes, I’m fine, but I think Ethan’s been knocked out. I felt an electric current running through my hands when he hit the invisible wall or whatever the hell we ran into.”

  Jack knelt down beside his brother and appeared to examine him. “He seems to be knocked out cold, but he’s alive, thanks to you, Skye. Your power is a beautiful gift.” He gently flipped Ethan over onto his back. Ivy watched him feel his wings and body, and she supposed Jack was examining him thoroughly for broken bones. Jack stroked his brother’s face a couple of times and stood up.

  Ivy turned her attention back to Skye and led her to the ground so she could sit down and rest. “You’re very welcome, Jack,” Skye responded. “By the way, your clothes and shoes are over where we landed.”

  “Yes, I guess I better get dressed, and then we have to figure out how to bypass this force field.” Jack walked toward his pile of clothes and dressed quickly. Ivy watched him pick up a couple of stones and return to their side.

  “What are the rocks for?” Ivy asked.

  “I want to see where this invisible wall starts.” He threw one rock hard and aimed low. Sparks flew at about ten feet away from them when the stone hit. Jack tossed the second rock higher and the effect remained the same. “This wall tells me that Flame is inside this house. However, I’ve never experienced anything like this. Have either one of you?”

  Ivy and Skye glanced at each other, shaking their heads.

  “I’m going to try something.” Jack took a few steps forward, held out his arms, and closed his eyes. Ivy saw fireballs appear from his palms, building in size until he released them against the barrier. The fireballs sizzled and crackled against the wall, but eventually fizzled out with the force field still intact.

  “Let me try swirling the wind inside there.” Skye tried to stand up, but fell back down again.

  “You’re too weak, honey. You need to recuperate after using up your strength to save Ethan and me. I have another idea.”

  “What do you have in mind?” Jack looked at her quizzically.

  “I’m not sure if this will work, but let’s pray Mother Nature knows no barriers.” Ivy stood in the same spot Jack had been in and then knelt down on the ground. She began to dig into the grassy soil a few inches down and then plunged her hands deep into the damp mud. “Hear my plea, Mother Nature. Let the trees live, the grass become blades, and the plants protect against evil forces. Find Flame, the child of fire, and save her from the clutches of the depraved Hunters.”

  Ivy concentrated and communed with the plants and the soil they rested in. A giant oak, the closest tree to the house, began to sway and groan. The earth shook and bubbled at the tree’s base until finally the roots broke free from the ground, appearing as if a hundred slithering snakes climbed out of the mud and onto the grass, supporting a massive frame. The tree began to walk toward the house, with its roots becoming sturdy legs. Ivy had never done this before. She knew she asked a lot of the tree, but Flame’s safety concerned her more than anything right now.

  The oak picked up speed and arrived at the back of the house, stopping, she supposed, to wait for instruction. “Find Flame and protect her.” One of the tree’s larger branches became an arm an
d smashed through a second-story window. A minute later, the limb pulled out a chubby, screaming man, who brandished a gun.

  He shot at the tree while trying to wriggle out of the grasp of the branch. The tree tossed the man onto the ground where he was impaled by foot-long blades of sharp grass over every part of his body. The tree continued its search in the house while the man died on the ground beside it. Smashing through window after window, Ivy watched the tree send its long, tentacle-like branches into the house. Every time the tree removed its arm from the house empty, Ivy’s heart sank.

  Catching her by surprise, the back door swung open and a tall, slender man appeared carrying a gun in one hand and a semiconscious Flame in another. He pointed the gun toward Flame’s head and looked at the tree. “Whoever you are, make this thing back off or she’s dead,” the man yelled while looking around the yard.

  “Flame!” Ivy heard Jack’s frantic voice behind her.

  “Step back, tree,” Ivy begged in earnest. She crouched a great distance from the house, but she could see Flame slowly lift her head. Come on, Flame, help me out!

  The man continued to hold the gun at Flame when he started to scream. The metal of the gun became red hot and began to melt instantly. He dropped the damaged weapon and Flame at the same time to grasp his burnt hand. The oak tree moved into action at Ivy’s command, grabbed the man, and threw him on the sharp grass next to the first man. The blades penetrated his body, and he met the same fate as the previous man.

  “Are those all the Hunters you can sense?” Ivy asked the tree.

  The mighty oak nodded its regal branches. Jack appeared by her side and pointed at the cone-shaped object on top of the roof. “Do you see the strange object on the roof, Ivy? I think that might be the source of the force field. Can you ask the tree to destroy it?”