Fire's Flame [Elements Book 1]

by Scholey, C. L.

  As time passed, Flame felt the sadness as the oceans, rivers, lakes and ponds succumbed to pollution. People tried to always remember where they came from; the paradox was they didn’t seem to care they destroyed what they were. Bonding with an element was so intense, Flame felt everything and more. Nimbus didn’t hate humans; he worried for them, he’d helped create them after all.

  As the water lowered past her shoulders, Flame could feel the pull of it as it seeped from her semi-permeable skin, oozing from her pores. She was exhausted and Nimbus held her upright.

  As soon as the water is gone, so will I be. My element has run amok, Flame heard him in her thoughts. Ignis cannot wait much longer.

  “I failed.” She began weeping.

  Nimbus tipped her head back to gaze into her eyes. “You are one of the most courageous women I have ever had the honor of meeting.”

  Then he was gone. Flame crumpled to her side onto the wet ground.

  Chapter 11

  Flame was sitting curled on the floor sobbing, her nude body wracked with spasms in her grief. Ignis burst through the rock, shattering it into oblivion. When he spotted her, he roared in fury. Orange-red shards of flaming fire shot from his fingers and toes as he grabbed her to his chest. Her weeping near broke his element’s heart.

  “I lost her, I lost them both.” Flame sobbed.

  “This was not your fault,” Ignis boomed. Within seconds the heat from his body dried and warmed her.

  “Barkley has Lisa. Why didn’t Nimbus stop him?”

  “He couldn’t my love.” The agony in her voice almost sent him to his knees. “Nimbus needed to control the water or you would have drowned.”

  “But Nimbus is water.”

  “You know that’s not how it works. Water is everywhere and it is used daily. Nimbus doesn’t control it from everywhere, he is not in every sip you taste nor in each pool you swim. Not all tsunamis are his doing, he is not aware of all who drown. It was a miracle he found you in time.”

  “But Barkley has the child. He murdered his ex-wife.”

  “No, Nimbus saved the Barkley woman and she has been reunited with her sons.”

  “She’s alive?”

  “Yes, Nimbus was only able to save the woman before he had to battle, and as we speak Barkley is being followed in his private plane by Ventus. Ventus doesn’t dare crash the plane—if not for the child, he would have sent it spiraling into a mountain. When they land, we will track them. Don’t worry, everything will be fine. I promise you.”

  As soon as Barkley hit dry land he had raced to the airport. With the skies clearing as Father Universe and the elements won their battle, the heavens settled giving Barkley a clean escape. But it didn’t stop Ventus from riding on the bastard’s heels.

  Flame continued to sob against Ignis’s chest as he lifted her into his arms. In his fury, he rode the back of continuous heat lightning, using its bursts as stepping stones into the sky. His brave little Flame never gave up; she only needed to heal her heart. This wasn’t only Barkley’s fault, the constellations had waged war on a human female, trapping her in their mess of frivolous wants; it was atrocious. Ignis heard the communication of the stars and Moon, it was subdued—as it should be. Each and every one of them should douse their glowing lights in shame. Sun burned bright in her rage as she scolded the constellations and Moon, adding more lightning.

  The world was energized with the elements’ wrath—first the battle and now Flame’s misery. Only Father Universe controlled the anger lest the Earth be blown apart in their fury. Flame was considered one of their own, when one took on an element or a loved one of an element deadly dangerous things happened. Did the humans not see this when Mother Nature struck out when they hurt her son Terra? The first of Earth’s weapons scarred Terra, causing his brothers to do damage, and yet Terra had said no. The wars killed enough humans. It didn’t stop the brothers from adding misery to the human’s actions.

  Fulgor sent one last burst of lightning, and as Ignis stepped down onto the rainbow, he laid his little Flame amidst the purplish blue hues with reds and yellows on either side. Ignis had tried to love her as a human man, but the control he needed was too much when fire was so unpredictable at times. Ignis was a free spirit, the brighter he burned, the more stunning the accomplishment. Flame needed him to burn brightest now.

  The stunning rainbow was aglow, adding more light, giving the illusion of a double rainbow. Flame’s entire body came alive with colors—her feet and ankles meshed with reds, her luscious thighs and behind were a purple-indigo. Every part of her took on a new color, a beautiful chameleon.

  Her slender arm rose and she stared at her hand as she twisted it with awe. The droplets of her tears looked like bright colored candy. Her once woebegone gaze was awash with wonder.

  “I’m an element,” Ignis reminded her. “I will get the child back, and I can move Heaven and Earth to do it. Trust me.”

  “Yes.”

  The backs of her fingertips trailed down one of Ignis’ cheeks in a gentle caress. Ignis gripped those slender fingers and brought their tips to his lips where fire danced across the tender pads of her skin before meeting the moistness of his mouth. They were aglow with an assortment of rainbow colors. Ignis licked each finger then drew them one by one into his mouth, laving each individually.

  Deep within Flame’s eyes Ignis could see the pattern of red, orange, blue, yellow, green, shimmering. Her golden red hair flew in tendrils around their bodies, strewn with a multitude of highlights. Both were enveloped in the rainbow, riding its downward descent in slow motion. Flame reached for his cock, marveling that his maleness glowed with every stunning color of the rainbow.

  The mottled background was cool while Ignis brought it to life with his passion. Splashes of bullion droplets spun to form coins, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The droplets were without substance once floating to the ground. Early morning dew was dripped to the ground from the sweat covering Ignis and Flame’s flesh.

  “Can you taste the rainbow?” Ignis whispered.

  “Yes, it tastes like honey and maple candy.”

  “So do you, my love.”

  Flame guided his cock between her thighs; she opened for him. He captured her moan on his lips. Ignis and Flame were part of the rainbow; she was being loved by fire and beauty. Deeper he penetrated, capturing her very being; his essence already flowing through her veins. Her body brightened further with the amazing colors until she glowed from inside out.

  Misty fog bathed them while they rode the color waves. Slipping from red to orange, then blue and yellow and back again. Ignis sucked one ripe red tit as Flame’s back arched offering him more. He curled around her body invading every orifice until she screamed her release, hanging onto him as if he were her life. Tinges of golden hues wove their way through her toes and Ignis grabbed her foot pulling her leg high. Every thrust grew bolder, more powerful until she gasped in air.

  Ignis gripped her slender body to his as he claimed every inch of her. No part of her was left unloved. His fire burned hotter and raindrops sizzled on their flesh to cool her. The colors trailed over her body in a caress. A massive explosion from a lightning bolt sounded when Ignis roared his release. Flame was spent, curled in his arms. Ignis and she picked up speed as they slid down the curve of the rainbow. Without hitting the ground, Ignis caught another bolt of lightning and spirited her away to her home.

  As they stepped through her fireplace Flame stirred. “Fire?”

  “We will get the child back, my Flame. Ventus says the plane has landed. It’s time Barkley and I have a chat.”

  “I want to come.”

  “Then you will sleep first.” When she made a sound of protest, Ignis shushed her. “Ventus is watching the child. The only reason Barkley is still alive is because he is not harming the girl—and the bastard is mine.”

  Flame nodded. Her eyes drooped with exhaustion; she was asleep before Ignis lay her on her bed.

  * * * *


  “You. I was certain you were dead. You’re a fool for coming back,” Barkley said with a sneer.

  “I don’t think so,” Flame replied, feeling her old cocky self.

  In her arms, she held the little girl. The child cowered, with her face buried in Flame’s neck. A storm outside was battering the windows, courtesy of Nimbus. The wild Argentinean air was charged. The old raw stone and wood house was massive. Fires blazed in a few rooms. Flame didn’t want the house burnt to the ground and grudgingly—for the child’s sake—Fire had agreed to be more discreet—for now. The child had been privy to Ignis’ dancing flames before and she wasn’t afraid of him, but Flame would not relent. She went with Fire and to the child’s surprise and her nanny’s, both Fire and Flame had stepped from the burning fireplace into the child’s room. The nanny fled, screaming in terror. The fire retardant material Flame wore was singed but nothing more. She had no intention of strolling through Barkley’s home nude.

  Smiling at the child until the wee tot lifted her arms, Flame had gathered the girl into her embrace and left the room as Fire slipped back into the fireplace. She wandered down the halls until confronted with Barkley. Flame wanted to look the bastard in the eye one last time and show him she hadn’t failed—she had won. It was time Barkley lost.

  The gun Barkley waved made Flame’s lips twitch with a small smile. Poor stupid bastard, if he only knew what was coming. Fire was, well, inflamed with fury; Flame couldn’t control him. After witnessing the man’s all-encompassing evil, she no longer wished to control Fire. The term ‘Hell hath no fury’ couldn’t begin to compete with an inferno of rage. Flame could see Ignis in the fireplace in the room she and the child had been waved into.

  “Kidnapping? You can’t be serious; I can shoot you here and no one would bat an eye,” Barkley said. His devious grin settled onto Flame as he took aim. “Besides, you forget I’m protected by a star. Nothing can harm me. And as long as you hold my kid, you can’t do a damned thing to protect yourself.”

  “Even Jag is no match for a pissed element. Father Universe has promised your lover will never set eyes on you again.”

  “You’re lying.” But he licked his lips warily and waved the gun once more.

  “I’m retrieving the child for her mother,” Flame said, unconcerned.

  “That bitch is dead.”

  “I assure you, like me she is alive and well and sends you regards—your last.”

  “The bitch can’t have her.”

  “Oh, she’ll have her back all right. It’s you who will never hold another child in your undeserving arms again, you bastard.”

  Barkley took aim and fired at Flame’s chest. The bullet was incinerated the second the firewall came up. Only this time the wall did not surround Flame, it stood like a brick barricade before her without harming the child as Ignis controlled it from where he was. The look on Barkley’s face was priceless. Flame smiled smugly for only a second and gasped as the flames before her swirled like a tornado. The room was turning, or was it she who was spinning? Flame could see her and the child disappearing. Fire was stepping from the fireplace. As their bodies were pulled into another dimension, Flame heard Ignis’ voice.

  “Have you ever heard the warning: ‘Never mess with Mother Nature?’ It’s doubly so when you screw with her unborn grandchild. My mother has had enough of your nonsense. So have I.”

  “How the hell? Who the hell are you? What the hell are you?” Was Barkley’s panicked response. He howled in pain when Fire burnt the gun from his hand.

  Flame’s mind felt numb. Pregnant? She was pregnant with Fire’s baby? Mother Nature would know. The force field surrounding her and the child was like nothing Flame had ever experienced. This wasn’t just of Fire’s doing. There was safety—and then there was bubble wrap times ten zillion. Someone was in deep shit; threefold if Flame determined the other presence as being Father Universe. Barkley was thrice damned.

  From her vantage point in the air, Flame shielded the child’s face into her chest when a mushroom like explosion rolled up from the ground from where Barkley’s house once stood. The smoke rose as high as her feet and for a moment she saw the wide grin on Fumus’ face, happy to be included in his big brothers wrath. She heard Lisa gasp and the child’s gaze was flush with amazement. Flame wondered for a moment, had Lisa seen Fumus in his element? If so Flame was amazed. With a wink to the child, Fumus disappeared. There was no way Barkley could have survived the explosion. Melinda Barkley and her children could breathe easier. Flame hadn’t failed at all. She may have had help from the elements, but Lisa had survived because of her.

  * * * *

  “When did I get pregnant?”

  Ignis laughed as he trailed his hand across Flame’s belly. They lay wrapped in each other’s arms in a fire cave. Molten lava dripped a lazy stream down the bubbling walls to follow a slow path into yet another cavern. It was like being engulfed in a womb of safety and safe was what Ignis craved for his little Fire’s Flame. Flame watched the lava inch closer and Fire smiled as its approach was curious, hopeful to be welcomed.

  “When we made love, when I was both a human and an element on the yacht. Mother was too busy fighting to notice before. She was a little pissed I took you to Barkley’s home. She warned me she would turn his house inside out if he laid a finger on a single strand of your hair. This child is very important for obvious reasons, and other reasons. It would seem Mother Nature would like this child of ours to be part human and walk amongst the world, learning ways to help the humans save them from themselves.”

  “Is it possible?” Flame’s look was so sad. “The elements can walk in our dimension among the humans in human form and haven’t been able to reach humans. You’d need an army.”

  “I’m thinking he or she will have the help of many cousins soon enough.”

  “What do your brothers think of this?”

  “They don’t know. But they will in time. For now you’re all mine.”

  “I love you, Ignis, my Fire.”

  “You are the flame that fuels my fire, my love.”

  “I’m glad.”

  Ignis kissed her hard and chuckled when her wall of protective fire surrounded them. Flame gasped in surprise. She shifted and reached out to wiggle her fingers into the mass of blazing inferno. Like wisps of water skimming a lake surface, her hand fluttered making her smile. When she pulled her hand back, the flames danced across her hand in a caress of ownership, claiming her. Flame pulled the searing heat to her lips and when the flames tickled her mouth, Ignis kissed her hard, branding their lips together.

  Ignis heard her groan and his essence followed the trail of the fire’s path throughout her veins to roll intriguingly around her uterus. Ignis could feel his child and knew Flame could too. When their kiss broke, Flame’s look was of sheer wonder.

  “I’m an element,” she whispered.

  Ignis grinned. He’d wondered how long it would take for her to figure it out. “For now. Mother Nature and Father Universe will allow nothing to harm their first grandchild.”

  “And when the baby is born?”

  “You will return to your human state. But make no mistake; my parents are the best in-laws a woman could have. They love you already because of the gift you are giving them and humanity. They love your bravery. Also, there are certain perks. There will be no fighting over who eats where for Holidays, they can babysit any time; they won’t ever care how you look or what you eat. To them, everything created with breath or life is beautiful.”

  “You are beautiful.”

  “We are one.”

  To prove his point, Ignis settled his large body gently overtop of hers. As they rose from the ground amidst swirls of steam, they joined from every orifice. It was now Flame who sought to love Ignis everywhere, and Ignis strove to teach her. They loved with all the fire and intensity of the elements. There was such a thing as being one—and becoming completely one.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  C. L. Scholey

/>   Please call me Connie! It’s been fantastic working with great publishers and following my dream of writing. When I’m not writing, I’m busy looking after my children, husband, grandkids and the family pet, our newest addition, a mastiff pup named Aramis, after the Three Musketeers.

  I’m currently working on way too much, as normal, but I love every second of it. Please feel free to contact me at clscholey@hotmail.com. Look me up on my web page www.clscholey.com or join me on Twitter and Facebook. I look forward to hearing from you.

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