Her Fire Mates: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (Shifters Of The Elements)

by Lark Sterling

  Suddenly the Stag's head came up, its ears perked, its eyes wide. Brighid tilted her head to the side, narrowing her eyes and watching as the fur began to stand up on the Stag's back. From the left, the voice screamed out again, but this time she heard it very clearly.

  “Watch out!”

  Before she could turn to see, the Stag swiped its head to the side, pushing her to the ground before darting off. Brighid didn't have time to lift her body up before seeing an arrow shoot past her face. She could feel the wind from it against her skin and she let her arms collapse back down to the ground. Rolling onto her back, she pulled her arms to her chest and looked left and right, but she didn't see anything. Very slowly, she stood up, her body tense, her Shifter on the watch.

  To her left, the arrow that had barely missed her was burrowed in a tree. Carefully she walked over and studied it. There were crisp black feathers attached to a black onyx body. The shimmer from the feathers of the arrow was almost mesmerizing. Very slowly, she reached up, carefully touching the edge of the feather and running her finger down it. As she reached its tip, the arrow turned into a black mist that blew away with the breeze from the forest.

  Brighid gasped, grabbing the front of her gown, digging her fingers into her chest as the entire forest went dark, and she was overcome by fear and dread. The emotion was thick, so thick she felt she couldn't breathe. She put her hands on her knees, attempting to take long, deep breaths. In front of her, she could hear a loud squawking sound, and she shot up straight, squinting through the darkness. She couldn't see whatever bird was making the sound, but she could see a bright ball of light streaming straight for her. It was coming so fast she didn't have a chance to move. Instead, she screamed out, putting her arms up and clutching her eyes shut, bracing for impact.

  She felt engulfed by the light, and very slowly lowered her arms, opening her eyes. Suddenly her mind was clear, and she was no longer in the forest, but instead woke in her bed staring up at the ceiling. She sat up quickly, her hands still clutching her chest. It had been just a dream. But it felt so real. As her eyes fell down to the comforter, she realized that smoke was gently rolling around her and her bed. In her fear, her Dragon must've tried to shift but it was unable to because she was just in a dream.

  It was strange that she even had that type of reaction, it was very rare that her Dragon ever shared dreams with her. But deep down inside, she could feel it, the fear and anger still surging through her Dragon. "Shhh. It's okay. It was just a dream. We are safe."

  She said the words, but she wasn't sure that she believed them herself. It had felt like much more than a dream. So much so that her Dragon was trying to protect her. The sound of a horn blared wildly in the distance, and she hurried out of bed, jogging over to the window. It was already daylight, and though her dream didn't feel like it took more than a few minutes, she had been stuck in that strange world all night long. Out the window, she could see the boat of tourists in the water on the horizon, heading for the island.

  "Shit," she hissed, turning to grab her clothes.

  Just then, a loud pounding echoed from the front door, Thomas's voice bellowing from behind it. "Rise and shine."

  Brighid hopped across the floor, buttoning and zipping her pants before throwing open the door. Thomas chuckled, but his face quickly fell, noticing the smoke rolling out of the house around her. He waved his arm in the air. "What in the world is going on? Is there a fire?"

  Brighid had completely forgotten about the smoke. She glanced around her and shook her head. "I, uh, I burnt oatmeal this morning. I'm just not in my right mind right now."

  Thomas lifted an eyebrow. “You know they make things called microwaves and instant oatmeal.”

  Brighid looked at him strangely for a moment, not used to him being so quick-witted. He immediately cleared his throat and looked at the floor, pointing over his shoulder. "The tourists are almost here."

  Brighid nodded. "Can you go down and meet them, greet them, and get them ready for the trip? I'll be down in just a few minutes. I just need to get my head wrapped around what I'm doing."

  Thomas clapped his heels together and saluted her. “Sure will. And make sure your oatmeal’s not still on fire before you come down. As much as the tourists like dramatic shows of theatrics, we don’t want it to be your house burning to the ground.”

  Brighid rolled her eyes and nodded her head, swinging the door shut in Thomas’ face. She leaned up against it, and closed her eyes for a moment, rubbing her chest. She still couldn’t get that feeling of fear and dread out of her system. It felt like it was eating her alive.

  She took a deep breath and shook her head, grabbing her boots and slipping her feet inside. "What a way to start the day."

  Chapter Three

  "If you look to your left, as we climb toward the peak, you'll notice a vibrant purple flower that blooms in early spring," Brighid said to her tour group. "That specific flower looks so majestic and enticing, and it's supposed to. In reality, that flower is deadly to any small insect or rodent that gets near it. It's a cousin of the Venus Fly Trap, and even humans have been hospitalized after breathing in its toxic fumes. So, if you see any of those along the trail, I would suggest you don't lean over and take a whiff."

  “All that glitters is not gold,” one of the tourists said, laughing at his own joke.

  Brighid put on a fake smile, having heard that joke about a million times over the years. The dads always thought they were funny. Thomas took the lead, while Brighid stayed in the back to make sure no one walked off-trail or fell. The climb was steep but short since they had already had a slow incline up to the peaks of the volcanic island. Walking ahead of her was a little girl, maybe no more than seven, and her older sister, who was obviously an angsty teenager. She shuffled up in front of Brighid, her headphones dangling from one ear, her phone constantly in her hand.

  The little girl tugged on Brighid’s hand. “I heard that there are fairies here.”

  Brighid smiled, but the little girl's older sister rolled her eyes. "Please, isn't it time you grew up and realized that fairies aren't real?"

  The little girl looked distraught, and Brighid stopped, bending down on one knee to talk to her. "What your sister doesn't realize is that when she says that, it echoes through the whole island, and the fairies take notice. I, in fact, know that fairies are real. I live here year-round and late at night, in the middle of summer, if you look out into the forest and listen really hard you can hear them singing. In the dark, you can see the trails of their magic sparkling as they dance with each other through the flowering bed of the forest. But that's a secret between you and me."

  The little girl mimicked as if she were zipping her lips with excitement in her eyes. The truth was, fairies were real, but they weren't anything like what was portrayed in the books and movies the little girl looked for so eagerly. The faeries were few and far between on the Enchanted Islands, and the ones that were there were kind of a nuisance. They up-turned the ground, destroyed the flowers, and would annoy the hell out of Brighid whenever she was out on one of her evening hikes. Nonetheless, Brighid figured there was no harm in telling the girl that story because most likely, she would never come in contact with an actual fairy. Brighid didn't sense any kind of magic or Shifter ability in the little girl, and only the fantastical with magical abilities were capable of seeing the faeries with the naked eye.

  Brighid patted the little girl's head as they climbed higher up the mountain. When they reached the top, there was an overlook with a wooden railing that she had built herself. The last thing she wanted was for one of her tourists to fall off the edge, and she was never surprised at the stupid things they would attempt to do.

  She gave everybody a moment to collect their breath and take in the beauty surrounding them. "This is my favorite place on the island. Beyond the fairytales and folklore, this is truly why I believe it's called the Enchanted Islands. No matter what time of day you stand here, you can see life permeating from
the forest that covers the ground below."

  Brighid turned in a circle pointing in every direction. "You can see the entirety of the island here, and on a clear day, you can even see farther out to sea than you could ever imagine possible. When the sun sets, it casts an orange glow on this pedestal, and the beauty of the sky reflects all around you in the ocean. It almost doesn't seem real when you're looking at it. And on cloudy days, the haze can sink so low that it feels as if you're walking on clouds. I think that's why this peak was named Heaven's Peak. If I were to imagine an afterlife, it would be standing here walking on clouds during a beautiful sunset."

  The tourists always liked that part of the show. You could hear the oohing and awing of the older crowd as they put their arms around each other and peered out in different directions. Brighid stood to the side, letting everyone have enough time on the peak to be satisfied. As she stood there, she heard a small giggle and quiet scurrying among the leaves. She narrowed her eyes and looked down, finding a little woodland creature, fantastical in nature, creeping toward her pant leg. It was a Wood Nymph, a mouse-like animal with no fur, a long tail, and large ears. At first glance, it was kind of cute, but they were also incredibly annoying and were known to steal things. She kicked at it, keeping her eyes on the tourists, hoping that nobody would see.

  “Get! Get out of here,” she whispered through clenched teeth.

  “This is going well,” Thomas said as he approached Brighid, surprising her.

  She continued to kick her leg outward, keeping a fake, forced smile on her lips. Thomas furrowed his brow and grabbed a bottle of unlabeled spray from his belt loop and began to spritz it all around Brighid's legs. "The bugs can be bad. I swear this homemade bug spray is the best thing ever."

  Brighid's nose curled, and she coughed, waving her hand in front of her face. "Stop that. You're going to give everyone here a disease. I don't care how good it keeps bugs away, it smells terrible. Like a mixture between rotten eggs and mulch."

  Thomas sniffed the bottle. “I suppose it does have quite a pungent odor. Oh well, I tried.”

  Brighid patted him on the shoulder and walked toward the tourists. Thomas turned his back to everyone and narrowed his eyes, looking out into the forest. Brighid cleared her throat to get his attention, and he quickly turned around, clipping the spray to his belt and hurrying over to her. She put her arms up in the air. "As much as I would love to keep you here all day, we have quite a hike back down to the boats. Let's make this an easy trip back, go at your own pace, and I'll hang back if anyone needs any help. Thomas will be leading."

  Everyone looked saddened as they always did when they had to leave the island, and Brighid completely understood. They made their way back down the steep part of the incline with everyone talking and laughing as they gingerly walked toward the boats. Brighid called out to everyone as they headed toward a very narrow passageway at the base of the peak. "Remember everyone, this is very narrow and steep, so make sure you take it slow and don't push anyone. I don't want to have to go after you if somebody falls off the edge."

  “The faeries will catch me,” the little girl yelled out.

  Brighid tapped her nose and pointed at the little girl who grinned widely as she made her way down. Her sister rolled her eyes and put her other headphone in, crossing her arms as she took it sideways and slow. Just as the people in the front were reaching the bottom, the earth began to shake beneath them. Brighid put out her arms, and her eyes went wide, never having felt such strong quake on the island before. They had small ones here and there because it was an active volcano site, but nothing like this.

  Thomas corralled the people at the bottom down onto the flat area ahead. At the same time, Brighid carefully maneuvered herself to scoot toward those that were crouched and squatted on the narrow passageway. "Everyone be still, don't move until it's over."

  The teenage girl looked around wildly, but she hadn't heard anything that Brighid had said because her headphones were still in her ears. She scooted backward toward the edge, and a piece of ground broke off beneath her foot. She screamed out, her arms flying straight up in the air as her feet slid off the edge, and she began to fall. Brighid mustered her magical strength and, as nonchalantly as possible, darted toward her with incredible speed. As the girl's fingertips disappeared over the edge, Brighid grabbed her hand.

  Cries and shrieks echoed across the island as the ground stopped shaking. Brighid groaned and fell back on her butt as she pulled the girl up over the edge into her arms. The girl breathed wildly, and her little sister ran up, throwing her arms around her. The teenager let out a smile, shaking her head. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

  Brighid panted, not from physical exhaustion, but from the shock of it all. The girls got to their feet and hurried over to their family while Brighid picked herself up. "Is everyone all right?"

  The ground shook slightly under their feet for just a few seconds more. Brighid's eyes shifted up toward Thomas, and she nodded. "All right, I think at this point we should move quickly. I'd like to get you on the boats and off the island. There've been no other warnings that this volcano will erupt, but I'd rather be safe than sorry since this isn't a normal occurrence. Everyone just stay calm though, we're moving away from the dangerous area, and there's no reason to get hurt on the way out."

  The tourists clung together, making their way toward the end of the island. Brighid put her hand over her chest and rubbed it, feeling her heart beating wildly. She could sense that something was going on, something beyond the ordinary geological wonders of the Enchanted Island. All she could do at that point though, was to get the people off the island and then look into it.

  When they reached the boats, Brighid put her hand on Thomas' shoulder. "I want you to ride back with them and make sure everyone is okay. If there are any issues, you know how to handle it."

  Thomas nodded. “Do you think you should come too? Just so you’re safe.”

  Brighid glanced back at the peak. "No, I'm going to stay here and make a couple of phone calls and find out what exactly could cause the earthquake. Believe me, I'll be fine. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

  Thomas nodded nervously as he boarded the boat. Brighid stood on the pier, her arms crossed, watching as the ship pulled out and disappeared out of sight. As soon it was gone, she stripped down and shifted into her Dragon, jumping from the pier as her human and shifting in midair. She took flight, circling around toward the island, using her magic to shield herself from view. She didn't usually shift into her Dragon during daylight due to the number of boats carrying tourists.

  Gliding through the air, she flew around the volcano, spotting a crack at the base. Her Dragon narrowed its eyes, puffing smoke from its snout. That crack didn't look natural. It was too perfect, too random of a spot. She took a spin around the top of the volcano and then soared down lower, skimming the ground with her claws. Her heart began to beat faster as she looked at the imprints in the ground. It was almost as if the indentations were enormous fingerprints on each side of the crack as if someone had opened the ground from beneath.

  Come on Brighid, that’s ridiculous.

  She just about laughed herself out of the air, thinking such an off the wall thing. She had lived on that island for years, and she knew every single inch of it. Fingerprints that large would have to belong to a Giant and Giants weren't very good at hiding. Not to mention the fact that it had been known for generations, the Giants had gone extinct, and if one were living beneath her island, she was pretty sure she would know about it.

  She put the thought out of her mind and took a couple more passes before heading back up toward the cabin. As she descended, her wingspan wide, her body shifted into its human form, landing on one knee in front of her cabin. She opened her eyes and looked around, finding that it was a lot less painful to shift into her Dragon this time. She shook her head, assuming that it had something to do with adrenaline and walked inside.

  Checking all of the websites, she couldn't fi
nd anything substantial about the quake they had felt. It definitely registered, but the volcano didn't look any more active than it usually did. She leaned back in her chair and put up her feet, shrugging her shoulders. Brighid could only assume that it had to have just been the lava flow that ran beneath the island. She had seen a lot of magical things, but never anything capable of doing something like that.

  "Not everything is magic," she said out loud. "Some things are just natural."

  Chapter Four

  The night air on the island was cold but comforting. Brighid wasn't an average human, her body temperature ran very high, all due to the fiery belly of her Dragon. The cold air suited her just fine.

  She sat out on her porch as she always did, her feet propped up, using a small knife to cut off chunks of apple and toss them into her mouth. Her Dragon loved apples, and it calmed whatever anxiety that was radiating through her core. Though relaxed, there was a ball in the pit of her stomach that remained. She tried to ignore it and explain it away, but she had no idea why it was there. It was very similar to the nervousness she felt that morning, as if she were expecting something to happen.

  When she had shifted earlier that day, she could tell that her Dragon needed a day out to fly. She tried to do it as often as possible, but with everything going on, it was challenging to find the right time to take a flight without getting caught or seen by someone. That night, she was exhausted as well. Between her dream, everything with her mother, and the earthquake, her energy was at an all-time low.

  Before coming outside, Brighid had clicked on the radio, needing something more than just the sound of the forest to soothe her. She tuned it to one of the AM channels, listening to the sound of the 1960s trumpets and instrumental big band music. She twisted her knife around the apple, creating a spiral out of the skin. Picking it up, she bounced it up and down and held it over her face with her mouth open. However, as her eyes went up toward the apple peel, they stopped, and she froze for a moment. Slowly her hand came down, and she leaned forward, bringing her feet to the ground.