Bridge Hollow Shifters: The Complete Collection

by Samantha Leal

  He paused and took a breath.

  “We had led to believe that the mine was somewhere up on this mountain. That is why my father settled here with the rest of the dragons. We were entrusted by the founders of this town, the Smyth family, to keep it safe… But what we were never told was, the mine we were guarding was a fake. They had put a dummy mine there for the families of the killed to grieve. They had to take the heat off the actual gateway site. But they misled us too.”

  Elizabeth’s eyes looked sad, as if she felt sorry for him and his kind.

  “My father and the rest of us living up here, we were told we were close to the site where the gateway was located, when, in fact, we were nowhere near. The Smyth family knew how powerful we are, and they thought that as long as there were dragons in Bridge Hollow, the town and all the people in it would be safe. They left clues, and they left an ancient tomb explaining it all at the actual gateway site, but somewhere along the line, their family members died off, people tried to keep secrets, and eventually, the truth was lost. Until recently. What they didn’t bargain on was the gateway being opened again… And that is what has come to pass in the past couple of years.”

  “But how?” Elizabeth’s mouth was wobbling with fear.

  “We don’t know for sure,” Braxton admitted. “But we know we are situated on a fault line… It may have something to do with that.”

  “So, the Smyth family lied to you?” she asked.

  “They paid us vast sums of money to stay here,” he half-smiled. “We already had a great family fortune, but the Smyths were billionaires. Their wealth knows no bounds, and recently, the grandson of the man who convinced my father to protect this place sent some scientists to town to try to figure out what was happening. He knew the gateway had been breached, he had seen the news and the conspiracies online, and he was afraid. Afraid for this world as we know it.”

  Elizabeth moved closer and put her head on his chest. He could feel her heart beating, and he wrapped his arm around her again and held her tight.

  “I know this is a lot to take in,” he continued, “but we don’t have much time…”

  “It’s okay,” she said. “It isn’t too much to take in, I’m just thinking.”

  He smiled down at her.

  “I think I can help,” she said suddenly. “I think I can help you seal the gateway.”

  Braxton’s eyes widened, and he sat forward, taking Elizabeth with him. He stared at her and shook his head, not believing it could be true.

  “You saw what happened in town,” he said. “The vampire, and the way he slaughtered all of those people. I don’t want you anywhere near it. My instant reaction was to protect you.”

  She reached up and cupped her hand to his cheek and smiled.

  “You felt the need to protect me because your instinct knows I can help you…,” she said calmly. “I can see it already. It doesn’t need to have happened for me to see it.”

  Braxton felt a shiver roll over him. She smiled and blushed.

  There it was again.

  So. Fucking. Cute.

  “I’m a witch, Braxton,” she smiled. “I can make those people who were in the bar tonight forget anything even happened. That is, if there are any still alive to remember it. And not only that, but I have a powerful energy. I am sure, if I tried hard enough, I could conjure a spell to make sure the veil was sealed tight, so nothing would ever make it through again.”

  He was looking at her in complete awe. He knew she was so very innocent − he could see it in her eyes and feel it in her touch − and yet she was so very wise. And brave. She was braver than any woman he had met before.

  He couldn’t stop himself any longer. Her leaned in closer to her and touched the side of her face, holding her neck gently. Slowly, he pulled her face to his, and when his lips grazed hers, he felt as if he had been catapulted into space by fireworks.

  The kiss was the most incredible kiss he had ever known. It took his breath away and made him feel alive. The heat and sparks between them were electric, and as she melted into his arms, and his tongue explored her mouth, he knew he was never going to be able to let her go. He had found something in her; something raw, powerful and true. And now, they were going to have to work together to save the world.

  When their lips broke apart, she smiled up at him and her blush was deeper than ever. She bit her bottom lip and grinned.

  “I’ve been wanting you to do that since the second I saw you in the coffee house,” she smiled.

  Braxton smiled back at her…

  And then, he kissed her again.

  16.

  The flames danced in the fireplace and created wonderful shadows and movement around the room. The walls looked alive, and the heat warmed Elizabeth’s chilled bones right through, as did Braxton’s dragon blood as he wrapped his arms around her. His skin was so hot to the touch, it was as if he were a hot water bottle. She felt so safe and protected in his arms that she closed her eyes and began to relax further into her thoughts.

  It had been a wild and crazy day full of revelations. And now, night had come, and they had found themselves on the top of the mountain in hiding and protected from the evil that was raging hell on the rest of town.

  Elizabeth had thought of her mother and willed her to be safe. She knew they shared a psychic bond, and she had the feeling that her mother would have already known that Elizabeth had been afraid and was hiding somewhere. If the news of what had happened in the bar hadn’t reached her mother by now, she would have seen it in one of her methods of divination. Elizabeth could almost see her now, sitting at the table in the cottage by candlelight, breathing in the strong scent of frankincense and gazing into her crystal ball.

  Even with that knowledge deep within her, she still felt the need to text. She pulled her phone free from the tiny pocket on her dress and began to type.

  E: Mom, are you all right? Make sure you protect yourself and the cottage until I let you know anything more. Stay there and put a charm around the land. I’m safe, but down in town a lot is happening. Stay safe too. I love you xx

  She hit send, and within a few seconds she had a reply.

  M: Thank goodness you’re all right, I saw in the cards what happened at the bar. I am fine, don’t worry about me. Stay safe up there with the dragon. He will protect you. xx

  Elizabeth smiled. It felt good to see in writing that her mother had reneged on her prejudice. She looked at Braxton, who was gazing into the fire. She wondered what it must be like to be part fire as well. To have it always raging deep inside you, ready to burst free the moment your anger or fear reaches breaking point.

  Elizabeth knew what it was like to use her inner energy to make things happen, but the thought of being able to breathe fire… It was another level altogether.

  She sipped her wine and let her head rest on Braxton’s shoulder. They had been cuddling beside the fire for hours, and she wasn’t at all tired. She could stay that way with him forever.

  Somewhere behind them, down one of the hallways leading off the grand room they were sitting in, Elizabeth heard footsteps approaching, and she and Braxton sat forward.

  Bishop entered the room wearing a red velvet robe and carrying a tumbler full of whiskey and a cigar.

  “Couldn’t you sleep?” Braxton asked him as his father moved in front of them and went to stand beside the massive fireplace. It was so large; it was as tall as him, and that was saying something.

  “I spoke to Dean and Anson,” he said.

  “They are with the bear pack,” Braxton told Elizabeth.

  She nodded and listened.

  “They said town is on total lockdown. Every single building has been boarded up. The two packs descended straight on the bar, and the vampire disappeared again, but no one knows where he went. He could be up here for all we know.”

  “He won’t be up here,” Braxton shook his head. “Why would be bother? He’s probably been scouting this whole town and mountain area for months. He�
��ll know he can’t get through the gates. And even if he did… We would just smoke him up. He would be no match for dragon fire.”

  Bishop seemed to consider this, and nodded slowly.

  “Yes, I suppose you’re right,” he agreed.

  “He’ll be hiding somewhere close to the gateway,” Braxton continued. “We should have spotters all around the paranormal store.”

  “The paranormal store?” Elizabeth asked with surprise. “What has that got to do with anything?”

  Braxton and Bishop looked at each other, and Bishop shrugged. It was clear they had let her in on so much already, so there was no point in stopping now.

  “The shop on Main Street?” she asked again. “The one run by that lady… erm… is her name Beau? I think I met her once, many years ago. I liked her because she was into things I didn’t know people around here would understand. She sold crystals and tarot, and I loved browsing her store. That was back before my mother and I decided it would be better for us to stay hidden away.”

  “That’s where the gateway is… That’s where the veil was pierced, and the location of the original mine is.”

  Her eyes widened.

  “What? What on earth…?”

  “Exactly,” Bishop said. “We were all pretty surprised too. We had long been led to believe the mine was up here somewhere, but we had been fooled. The Smyth family didn’t protect their family secrets well enough. If they had sense, at least one family member would have been entrusted to carry on the legacy of ensuring someone knew about Bridge Hollow, but it all seemed to die off. Now, no one from that family even knows what happened. They have been working with us and an agency, trying to find out how to stop all of this, but in the end, we decided to go it alone. And a month or so ago, a bear pack member and his girlfriend found something buried deep beneath the shop’s foundations… It was an ancient manuscript explaining the truth about everything, and it confirmed that the gateway was indeed located there. That is why the shop has been sealed for weeks…”

  “Of course,” Elizabeth nodded, her eyes wide. She had noticed when she came out to spend more time in town because of the fair that the store had been closed, and it had been a disappointment. She had thought plenty of regular visitors to the town would also have a lot to say about it. It was a good place for them to go get their spooky, supernatural fix, but it had been completely boarded up and covered, with only an explanation of some kind of infestation.

  “If the gateway is there, and it’s located within the earth, you will need a serious banishment and sealing spell to fix this,” she said.

  Braxton’s grip on her shoulder tightened and he looked at her.

  “Do you really think you’ll be able to help us?”

  Elizabeth gazed from the deepness of his eyes then into the flames of the fire, and felt herself slipping into a daydream-like trance.

  “I think it’s the only way,” she said. “Brute force isn’t going to solve this… No offense.”

  Braxton smirked, and Bishop sipped his whiskey.

  “I’ll need all of you with me, but give me some time, and I’m sure I’ll be able to conjure something to fix this.”

  Braxton smiled and nodded, and Bishop took a puff on his cigar before he drained the rest of his whiskey.

  “I think it sounds worth trying,” Bishop said.

  “Me too,” said Braxton.

  Elizabeth smiled.

  “I know I can do this,” she said. “There’s a lot about witches you likely won’t know… And, at this point in time, I’m at my most powerful.”

  She looked back to the flames and felt her heart dance along with their movement. She could feel it inside herself, the desire to rise to the challenge. To prove her power, and for the packs to know that it wasn’t just shifters in Bridge Hollow now… That witches lived there too, and there was no longer a reason for them to hide away.

  They should be out and proud and part of this community.

  “You’re incredible,” Braxton whispered in her ear.

  She cast her eyes up to him and smiled.

  She really had lucked out when it came to this guy. He was completely perfect for her, and it felt as if they had been in each other’s lives forever, even though they had only known each other a matter of days.

  Bishop stubbed out his cigar in a little dish and wished them both a goodnight before leaving the room. His footsteps gradually got quieter.

  Elizabeth’s mind was spinning. She had so many ideas thundering around inside, but she was also tired and needed to lay down.

  “Take me upstairs,” she whispered to Braxton as she nuzzled into him and stroked his chest.

  He rose to his feet and pulled her with him, holding her hands. As they looked into each other’s eyes, something changed between them. Something even stronger was being forged, and with each step closer they took to consummating their love, it was as if the entire galaxy was pushing them forward.

  17.

  The house was so big and cavernous that the walk to Braxton’s living quarters seemed to take them forever.

  He held her hand tightly, and Elizabeth looked at the art on the walls as they passed through some of the most interesting hallways she had ever seen. It was clear the house was ancient, and the dragon clan had been there for a long, long time, but all the relics spoke of lands far, far away. She couldn’t help wondering what their origins had been, and whether they had come from the far East.

  They climbed the main staircase, entering the west wing of the house before climbing another smaller set of stairs and found themselves in another tall and wide hallway.

  “How big is this place?” Elizabeth joked. “It feels like a maze.”

  “This whole side is mine,” Braxton smiled. “This is just my favorite part.”

  He really had grown up in luxury. He may have been isolated, similar to how she had, but they had had completely different experiences. She thought back to the scanty little cottage in the woods that was her family home. The way her mother and she had sat and drank cider and conjured spells, living off the land and using herbs and crystals to enhance their craft. She had thought it to be a surreal way of living, but Braxton’s life had clearly been so crazy she would never be able to comprehend it.

  He finally stopped in front of a huge, black door and rummaged about in his pocket for a set of keys. Elizabeth looked at them in his hands and could see that they were not the kind of key you could get cut at the store. They had been carved by hand.

  He slipped one into the lock and turned it, and the latch snapped back.

  “Come on,” Braxton said as he took her hand again and pushed the door open, leading her inside.

  The room seemed to echo as they stepped onto the flagstone floor. Ahead of them was only darkness, until Braxton rummaged about on a side table and found a lighter. He flicked it and a flame sprang from the end, illuminating a small section of his face. Elizabeth saw the fire reflecting in his eyes, and she smiled.

  He reached to the wall with the lighter and let the flame lick a thick wick. It caught, and a wall sconce started burning bright with a big red candle. Immediately, the room felt more alive and homey.

  Elizabeth looked at her surroundings as Brax moved about the room lighting sconces. It was a stunning living space sectioned off into different areas, almost like a hotel penthouse. They were standing in the entry, and Braxton had moved further into the living space, where he flipped a switch and a roaring log fire sprang to life. The wallpaper was dark purple and opulent, and there were plenty of golds and reds around the room. His chairs were ornate and traditional, and when she peeked through, she could see that his bed was an enormous fourposter with red velvet drapes.

  “Wow,” she whispered. “I can’t believe this is just your bedroom…”

  He smiled.

  “I have spent so much time locked away in this house, the other rooms of this wing are sort of like entertainment spaces,” he admitted. “I have a big office, a bar in one, and
a dance floor in another, a bespoke bowling alley that one of the other members of my clan designed, and many other different themes stored in each and every space. It’s a strange way to live, I know, but it’s stopped me from going crazy up here.”

  “And what about flying? Do you not shift and go swooping around in the dead of night?” She stopped next to the fire and looked into his eyes. He looked so good when he was next to a flame; it complimented him so very well.

  “Of course, I do,” he smirked. “We all do… But we have to be careful.”

  “Have you ever come close to being discovered?” she asked.

  Braxton paused for a moment and then he shrugged.

  “If anyone has any idea, then I’ve never been aware of it.”

  “And what about me… now that I know?” she mused. “Am I in danger?”

  Braxton took her hands and quickly pulled her against him. Their chests bumped together, and their lips were only centimeters apart as she looked into his eyes. The energy was so intense; it was as if they could spontaneously combust at any moment.

  Elizabeth’s heart was beating hard, her palms were beginning to sweat and deep between her legs, she could feel the throb of want and need.

  She had never been with a man before… She had never made love… And here she was, in the West Wing of a dragon’s mansion, all alone in a bedroom with a man so powerful he could surely destroy her if he wanted to. And yet, she knew he wouldn’t. She felt it deep within her. She trusted him, and she knew he trusted her. He had been right when he had spoken of their fate. It was clear, everything that had happened in their lives, up to this point, had been preparing them for when they finally came together… Right here and right now, at this moment in time… A moment that was going to culminate in this magical union.

  She took little, sharp breaths, her heart beating feverishly in her chest. Swallowing, she let her eyes flick from one of his to the other, and then she rose to the tips of her toes and kissed him on the mouth.