Her Elemental Dragons: The Complete Series

by Elizabeth Briggs

  "Maybe we should just do it already to get them off our backs,” he said, as his hand slowly smoothed down my back.

  I let out a sharp laugh to hide how shocked I was at his words, and how much I didn't hate the idea when it came from him. Too bad I knew he wasn’t serious. How could he be? We hated each other—always had, always would. "Is that your version of a romantic proposal?"

  "I’m going for practical, not romantic. But if romance is what you want..." His smoldering eyes met mine in a way that made my breath catch, especially as he pulled me tighter against him. My gaze dropped to his sensual mouth and I thought, not for the first time, what it would be like to kiss him. As his fingers curled around my chin and he looked at me in the same way, I knew he was thinking about it too.

  I shook my head to break the spell he’d cast over me. "Definitely not. I’m never going to marry you."

  Was that disappointment flashing across his face before it returned to his normal, disinterested look? Surely not. "Probably for the best. We’d break poor Falon’s heart."

  "Falon?" I laughed. "Only because you’d spend less time with him if you were married."

  He gave me a look dripping with disdain. "If that’s what you think then you’re more clueless than I thought.”

  My smile fell. "What is that supposed to mean?"

  “Nothing.” Derel shook his head.

  Was he suggesting Falon had feelings for me? That was certainly news to me. Falon was our best friend, the one thing in common we had besides our parents, but he’d never been anything more—much to my dismay.

  “This dress you have on is quite alluring,” Derel said. “Are you sure you’re not looking for a proposal tonight?”

  “Maybe I am, but not from you.” None of the men I wanted would propose to me tonight, so it didn’t really matter. But I definitely hadn’t worn this for Derel, of all people. “What did you mean about Falon?”

  He idly touched the lace at my neck. “The quality is quite fine. Let me guess, Krea made it?”

  “No, I did.” I shoved against his chest, stepping away from him. I knew he was purposefully baiting me to change the subject, but he always knew exactly how to get under my skin and I couldn’t help but respond. “Why are you always so impossible?”

  His lips quirked up in a wry smile. “You just bring out that side of me, I suppose.”

  Chapter Two

  When the song ended, Derel took my hand and led me over to Falon, who sipped something hot and steamy from a metal cup. Falon was just as handsome as Derel but in an entirely different way. Where Derel was lithe and toned, Falon was broad and muscular. While Derel was dark, Falon was bright. When Derel was rude, Falon was kind.

  "It's your turn," Derel said to Falon. "I'm done dancing with her."

  "And so gracious about it," I muttered.

  "Don't pretend you didn't enjoy it." He gave me one last smoldering look before stalking back to his parents' stall.

  "Shall we dance?" Falen asked with a smile, offering me his hand.

  My nerves instantly calmed as I entwined my fingers with his. "I'd like that."

  Falon led me back into the square amid the other revelers. He rested his hand on my waist, but kept his distance from me. I tried not to hide my disappointment, especially after Derel had sparked the idea in my head that Falon might have feelings for me. But that was ridiculous. Falon and I had been friends ever since his family had moved to our village when he was five, but there had never been anything more between us. Unfortunately.

  Falon's family worked as carpenters, and his strong, rough fingers felt good against my own. He was a large man, the kind who'd gained his muscles working long hours, and I wished he would pull me against his chest like Derel had done. I'd secretly harbored feelings for Falon for years, but he'd never shown even a hint that he saw me as anything more than a friend. If only he would give me a sign he wanted more, maybe we could ease the awkwardness between us. But he never did.

  “You look beautiful tonight,” he said, making my heart skip a beat. “That dress is lovely.”

  “Thank you. Krea designed it for me, although I all the sewing,” I admitted. Unlike Derel, Falon didn’t judge me or tease me. I could tell him anything.

  “No doubt the Fire God will smile upon your efforts. Did you throw a wish in the brazier?"

  "Of course. Did you?"

  He nodded. "What did you wish for?"

  I gave him a teasing smile as I played with the collar of his shirt. "You know we're not supposed to tell."

  "Oh, come on. We're best friends. Surely you can tell me what you wished for."

  There it was. Best friends. That was how he saw me, and that would never change. "Definitely not."

  His blue eyes danced with amusement. "Let me guess. You wished for love."

  "Love?" I said, with a short laugh.

  "That's what everyone wishes for."

  "Not me. I asked the Fire God to show me what my path should be. To give me a hint about my role in this town and what I should do with my life." I tilted my head. "What about you? Did you wish for love?"

  "No, of course not," he said a little too quickly, before looking away. "I wished for the same thing as you, pretty much. To have a good future."

  "Uh huh." I smiled at him. "Who's the lucky lady you have your eye on?"

  "There's no one." He fingers tightened around my waist. "You're the only lady I ever spend time with, after all."

  That was true. But if he'd wished for love and I was the one he wanted to be with, why didn't he just tell me so? Was he worried about Derel? He must know I could barely stand to be in Derel’s presence, even if my body was physically attracted to him at times. Or was Falon concerned we'd ruin our friendship? Or that I didn't feel the same for him?

  Maybe he needed a little hint as to my feelings. I pressed my lips to his cheek as the song ended. "It's okay if you did wish for love, you know."

  He turned his head toward me, so that my mouth nearly touched his own. I felt both of us breathing heavily, locked in a close embrace that had somehow shifted from friendly to more. I slid my fingers up into his short blond hair while he looked at me in a new way and opened his mouth. Hope rose up in my chest that he might finally confess his feelings, but then a hand landed on my shoulder and ruined the moment.

  "My turn," a low voice said.

  I looked up at Blane in surprise as he swept me into his arms in a lover's embrace, so different from the way Falon had been holding me and even more intimate than the way Derel had danced with me. I should have pushed him away or told him to stop, but instead I found my traitorous arms sliding around his neck and my heart racing as we began to dance. I glanced back at Falon, who gave me a friendly smile and a nod, before the crowd swallowed us up.

  "When did they let you out of jail?" I asked Blane, mainly to distract myself from the way he felt. And smelled. And looked. Everything about Blane was irresistible, from the sexy drawl of his voice, to his dark tousled hair, to his tall, muscular body. And trust me, I’d tried to resist.

  “Jail” was really the basement of the chandler's house, since Sparkport was too small to have an actual prison and Blane was the only person who was ever thrown into it on a regular basis. Usually by Derel and Falon, who acted as the town guard on most nights.

  "This morning," Blane said, with a roguish grin. "Falon took pity on me. He didn't want me to miss the Fire Festival, after all."

  "What was it this time?"

  He lifted one shoulder in a casual shrug. "I appropriated some wine from that grumpy old merchant Carik. He had plenty, trust me."

  I sighed. Carik was known to cheat people out of their money, but that didn’t excuse Blane’s theft. "I shouldn't even be dancing with you."

  "Why not? Embarrassed to be seen in my arms?"

  "Something like that."

  "Too bad you like it so much." His lips brushed against my neck and sent shivers down my spine. The worst part was, he was right. Blane was the village bad b
oy, always getting into trouble, but for some reason I couldn't resist him even though I knew it was wrong. My family would never let me be with him, and Blane wasn't the type who'd want to get married anyway. But I couldn’t stay away.

  Blane was the one of the two men I'd kissed in my life, and I knew he wanted more from me too, but I'd held myself back so far. It was difficult though because the man practically oozed sexuality. Just being around him made me damp between my legs. And his touch? It made me crave more every time.

  “You wore this dress for me, didn’t you?” he asked, his lips trailing down to the spot next to my pendant, dangerously close to my breasts. I gasped, worried about people watching us, though I was finding it hard to care at the moment.

  “Don’t be silly,” I said, though my breathless voice gave me away.

  “You look so very tempting in it. The only way you’d look better is with it pooled at your feet.” His hand ran down my back to rest on my bottom possessively. "Will you meet me later tonight?"

  "I can't."

  "That's too bad." He took my earlobe between his teeth and I let out a gasp. "I can't stop thinking about you."

  "Well, you should. Stop, I mean." Gods, Blane made me flustered in a way no one else did. "We both know we don't have a future together. My mother is pushing for me to marry soon, after all, and—”

  He pulled back, his eyebrows darting up. "Why don't we have a future? Because I'm not good enough for you?"

  "No! I just.... I mean... I didn't think you were the kind to settle down.”

  "I might surprise you. I could be convinced to settle down…with the right woman." He gave me a look that made me melt, and I thought for sure he would kiss me right there in front of everyone, and I imagined all the things my mother would say afterward and how we'd be gossiped about for weeks or even months, and I decided at that moment I didn't care one bit because it would be worth it for another kiss from Blane. But then he released me. "I've got something to do, but I'll find you later. I promise."

  I nodded and swallowed, unable to speak. As he left, I told myself it was for the best that he’d walked away. I could never truly be with Blane, and I didn’t believe he really wanted a serious relationship. Best to put him out of my mind entirely from now on.

  But who was I kidding? I’d be counting down the minutes until he returned.

  Chapter Three

  I looked for Falon again, but he was dancing with one of his sister's friends, and then my eyes caught sight of a dark man standing in the corner with his arms crossed. My mouth fell open at the sight. Roth was here! I didn’t think he would come. How long had he been standing there? Had he seen me dance with the others? Was he jealous? Or did he no longer care?

  I approached Roth in the shadows with a tentative smile. From this angle I could only see one side of his face, which was devastatingly handsome, as if he’d been sculpted by the Gods themselves. High cheekbones. A perfect masculine nose. A strong jaw. And the rich, auburn hair that was so highly prized in the Fire Realm, which I desperately wanted to run my hands through again.

  But when he turned toward me the rest of him became visible under the torchlight, revealing a horrible burn scar that ran down the other side of his face. I knew it bothered him, but to me it only highlighted how beautiful he was. If anything, the imperfection only made him look better to me. Especially since I’d been there when he’d gotten it.

  “Calla,” he said in a tone that made it clear he wasn’t happy to see me. “Why aren’t you dancing?”

  “I was hoping you’d dance with me.”

  “You know I don’t dance.”

  “You used to.”

  “I did.” He look away with a scowl. “Before.”

  Roth had always been rather serious and quiet, but after the accident he’d turned downright brooding. Now I barely ever saw him, and when I did, he tried to push me away. The only times I ever spoke with him was when I found him working on the docks or on the rare occasions he brought crab to the bakery. I was tired of him avoiding me.

  I gave him a hesitant smile. “Everyone is dancing. No one will stare, I promise.”

  “No.”

  I sighed. “All right. Then why don’t we get something to eat? It’s been ages since we talked.” My voice dropped into nearly a whisper. “I miss you, Roth.”

  He ran a hand over his face, hiding his scars, a sure sign he was dismayed. “You’re very kind, Calla, but I shouldn’t have come tonight. I think I’ll just go.”

  “No, please.” I took his hand and sparks danced under my skin. Once I’d thought Roth and I might marry. We’d always been close, and two years ago it had flared into more. He’d confessed his love for me at that Fire Festival, and then invited me out onto his family’s boat the next night.

  When we were out at sea, we made love for the first time, and I’d never felt so happy before. I was certain he was going to ask for my hand, but then we were attacked by a water elemental. Here, in the Fire Realm, of all places.

  The elemental covered my face with water and nearly drowned me, but Roth stepped in to defend me with a torch he’d lit. He managed to save my life and defeat the elemental, but the boat was set on fire in the process. While trying to put out the flames the left side of his body was badly burned, including his face. We were forced to abandon the boat, and I was so weak from nearly drowning he had to pull me back to shore, where he then passed out from the pain.

  After that, he hid himself from the world—and from me.

  I took a step closer to Roth. “I wish we could be friends again, at least. You know I don’t blame you for what happened. If anything, I see you as a hero. You saved us both and—”

  “I nearly got you killed and I destroyed my family’s boat at the same time.” He gestured at his face. “Not to mention, I got a nice reminder of my failure, which I have to see every time I look in a mirror.” He turned to leave, but said over his shoulder, “Trust me, Calla. You’re better off without me in your life. And now I must go.”

  “No one’s leaving yet,” Blane said, with a devious grin. Falon and Derel stood behind him, watching Roth with interest. “Not until I show you something.”

  Roth cast him a skeptical look. “What is it?”

  “Come with me and you’ll see. I promise it’s worth your time.”

  Derel snorted. “Last time you said that we got so drunk we spent the next day vomiting.”

  Blane offered me his hand. “Fine, I’ll take Calla by myself. We can have a romantic moment together while you three stay here with the crowd.”

  “Where are we going?” I asked, intrigued despite myself. Blane was always getting us into trouble, but we all secretly liked it. There wasn’t much to do in a small village like this, but Blane always managed to keep things interesting.

  “To the beach.”

  Falon sighed. “Well, now we have to go to make sure Blane doesn’t get Calla in trouble.”

  “True,” Derel said. “Or we could arrest him now and save ourselves the trouble.”

  Blane rolled his eyes. “You already arrested me once this week. And you let me off, too.”

  “I’m starting to regret that decision,” Fallon said.

  Together we all walked over to the docks at the end of town, where I saw Loka dart off with another girl, both of them holding hands and giggling. I smiled, hoping she’d find some happiness tonight.

  Blane carried a torch and led us to the beach, where the dark waves were slowly lapping at the shore. I held up my skirt as we stepped into the sand, but then arms swept me off my feet from behind. I found myself in Falon’s strong arms and let out a gasp.

  “Didn’t want you to ruin that pretty gown you’d worked so hard on,” he said with a smile.

  “Thank you.” First the dance, and now this. I wasn’t sure Falon had touched me so much in my life before this night. Not that I was complaining.

  Blane kept walking through the sand until he reached a cluster of rocks, well away from the lights, sou
nds, and smells of the festival. He bent down to remove a hidden sack and opened it up to reveal a dozen long tubes with pointed ends. Fireworks.

  “Where did you get these?” I asked.

  “In Flamedale on my last trip.” Blane was the only one of us who had ever left the village. His mother died in childbirth, and his father died ten years later after years of being an alcoholic. After that Blane took whatever jobs he could get in order to keep food in his stomach and a roof over his head. He was the best fighter in the village and often worked as a mercenary for traveling merchants or whatever else was required of him. Rumor had it he had joined up with some bandits at one point too. But he always came back to Sparkport.

  “Did you steal these?” Falon asked, as he picked up one of the fireworks.

  “It doesn’t matter how I got them,” Blane said.

  Derel crossed his arms. “Do you even know how to use them?”

  Blane shrugged. “You light this end with fire and aim it at the sky. How hard can it be?”

  “You’re going to get us all killed,” Roth muttered.

  “Then Calla had better kiss us first, just in case,” Blane said.

  My jaw fell open. “All of you?”

  Blane grinned. “Why not?”

  I was speechless as I glanced between them, though I couldn’t help but imagine it. I knew how good it felt to kiss Blane and Roth, and I’d just been in Derel and Falon’s arms while we’d danced. I pictured moving from one man to the other, or all of them surrounding me, their hands and mouths sliding across my skin…

  The five of us had once been best friends and practically inseparable. When you grew up in a small village it was natural to form close bonds with the other people your age, and for me it was the four of them. But when we got older my feelings for each of them shifted and grew into more. We began spending less time together, especially as we all became busy learning our trades, though I wondered if there was more to it than that. Sometimes I wondered if it was because of me.

  I had the opposite of the problem my mother had when she was younger: I had four men I could see potentially marrying, but my relationship with each one was complicated and in the end I was with none of them. Besides, how could I ever pick one when I had feelings for all of them? Yes, even Derel, though I hated to admit it to myself.