Skyfire Dragon

by Natalie Kristen

“I didn't know how to protect myself in the past. But now I do,” Elle said simply. “I'm a witch. A half witch, but I've learned that I can cast more than just glamour spells.”

  Skinner tried to punch her again but he was repelled by the shield, which was just a shimmering curtain of air between them.

  “Stop trying, Skinner. You can't hurt me. Not anymore,” Elle said. “And…I don't want to hurt you either. I just want you to leave me alone.”

  “Hurt me?” Skinner sneered. “What, you gonna hex me with your half-witchy powers?”

  “No. I won't hex anyone. I don't think I can. But...” She took a deep breath and gulped. Quickly, silently, she weighed the risks of what she was about to do. It was a huge risk, but it might be worth it.

  Her mind made up, she gave a curt nod and said, “I can grant you a wish, Skinner.”

  Skinner's black eyes flashed. “A wish,” he said slowly, calculatingly.

  “Yes. I can grant you a single wish. That is within my power.” She stared at him, half regretting her decision and trying to quiet her fear and apprehension. Was she doing the right thing?

  He might wish her dead this very instant. Or he might wish some terrible harm on Aidan and his family, the people she cared most about. He might wish a plague upon the town or wish for a horrific disaster to befall Broomstick Inn. She wasn't sure if her limited magic would allow her to fully manifest his dastardly wish, but his wish would come true to some extent. So if he wished for her death, her magic might not be powerful enough to kill her but she might collapse and lapse into a long coma.

  But Elle knew her ex-husband quite well by now. She understood how he thought, what he wanted. Skinner was selfish, greedy and calculating. She was pretty sure that he wouldn't waste a wish on her or on anyone else. Wishing harm on others was a waste of a wish. Skinner would use the wish on himself.

  Good intentions, pure heart. The basics of magic.

  Elle's intentions were pure and simple in granting Skinner a wish. Skinner was bitter and violent because he wasn't contented and satisfied with what he had, what he was. His anger and violence hurt everyone around him. If he could finally find peace and contentment, things would be better, for him, for everyone. She had found peace, joy and love, and she did sincerely want Skinner to experience some peace and happiness in his life. He had done jail term and paid his dues. If he could let go of his hate and bitterness, he could have a new life, a good life.

  “Make a wish,” she whispered. “One wish. I can make it come true. Wish for what you want, more than anything else in the world.”

  Do you really want revenge, Skinner?

  Do you really want to hurt me, more than anything else in the world?

  Elle shook her head subtly. No, she didn't think so. She wasn't that important or significant to him.

  He would think of what he wanted for himself.

  Skinner stepped back, and rubbed his clammy palms on his pants. “I'm going to make a wish, and if it doesn't come true and I see that you're just shitting me—” He pointed at her. “—you're dead, Elle.”

  “I'll make it come true,” she said, barely able to breathe.

  She could feel her whole body tingling as her magic flowed from her. She had granted someone a wish and promised that it would come true. The intention was clear. The spell had been cast and the magic was already working. She couldn't take it back.

  Elle tried to stop herself from shaking as she watched Skinner close his eyes and make his wish. His lips moved as he muttered fervently under his breath. He smiled as he stopped speaking and snapped his eyes open. His black eyes were glittering with anticipation. He had made his wish.

  Elle bit her lip to stop herself from crying out as her body quaked with her surging, spiraling magic. The wish had activated her magic, and everything was now in motion. Skinner's wish was about to come true.

  Elle wanted to squeeze her eyes shut but she couldn't look away from Skinner.

  What did he just wish for?

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Elle stumbled back with a cry as she felt her energies drain from her. She knocked into a stool behind her and her arms flailed as she tried to regain her balance.

  Bright sparks and circles were swimming in front of her eyes, and she felt herself swaying precariously on her feet. Reaching out blindly, she gripped the edge of the counter and held on tight. The counter felt solid under her fingers, and she clung to it. She wouldn't fall, wouldn't collapse. She was completely drained, her energies and magic almost depleted, but she wouldn't go down.

  Whatever Skinner had wished for was coming true. Granting him his wish had cost her a lot. She could only hope that it was worth it.

  Blinking hard, Elle tried to get her vision to focus right. She was seeing things. She saw sparks, smoke, stars...and a wolf in her bakery!

  Elle shook her head and blinked again.

  The stars and smoke disappeared, but the wolf remained.

  A slight gray wolf with black eyes stood in the middle of her bakery.

  Elle took a shuddering breath and opened her mouth. Her voice wouldn't work. She tried again.

  “S-Skinner?” she managed to croak.

  The wolf raised its head and stared at her. She saw confusion and recognition in the wolf's eyes. It was Skinner.

  Elle stepped out carefully from behind the counter. The wolf bared its teeth in a snarl and she recognized the expression instantly. It really was Skinner. He had turned into a wolf, a real wolf.

  “Oh!” Elle pressed her fingers to her mouth. “Oh, the wish...”

  This was Skinner's wish.

  He had always resented his inability to shift into wolf form. So he wished that he could be a wolf.

  Elle crouched down and stretched out a trembling hand to touch the wolf's soft, velvety fur. She looked into those large black eyes and saw the light and recognition fade from them. The creature before her was a real wolf, not a shifter, not a man trapped in wolf form. Skinner had wished to be a wolf. And his wish had come true.

  The animal came and sniffed Elle's hand. Elle stroked its fur in wonderment and watched the magnificent creature turn around and pad towards the door. The wolf growled, not liking the enclosed space one bit. It wanted to be let out, so it could run into the wild.

  Elle held the door open. The wolf took off at a run, racing towards the woods at the edge of Shadow Point. Elle walked out and stood in front of her bakery, watching the wolf until it disappeared into the distance.

  She stood there for a long time.

  Skinner was now a wolf. A beautiful, wild animal. He was free at last, and she hoped that he would finally be happy in his new skin.

  Perhaps this was what he was meant to be. A wild beast, an animal. He was ill-equipped to deal with life as a human. He was unhappy, violent, and he couldn't fit in and succeed in society.

  Perhaps as a wolf he would be happier. There were lessons for him to learn, valuable lessons. He would have to learn to survive, how to join a pack, how to obey his alpha and live and hunt as a team. He would learn his place in the pack and in the world. Hopefully, as a wolf, Skinner would be able to find his purpose and peace at last.

  “Mummy, can I have a cupcake? Please?” A little girl was pressing her nose to the bakery window. “I want that one, the one with the pink hearts on top!”

  The chime of her shop door sounded as the girl tugged at her mother's hand and pulled her into the shop.

  With one last look towards the evergreen woods, Elle turned and hurried back to her bakery. She had customers waiting for her.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Across the road, Aidan stood with Gramma and Ne-ma, watching the bakery in silence.

  “Told you,” Gramma said smugly.

  “That girl has a big heart, a good one,” Ne-ma said. “She's a real witch all right. She understands that one must never interfere with another's free will.”

  “Yep. That Skinner got what he wished for. All is well, is it not, Aidan?”

  A
idan finally released the breath that he had been holding. “Yes,” he acknowledged grudgingly.

  “And you wanted to charge in there and go all bear on that pretty little wolf,” Ne-ma tut-tutted.

  “Elle was in danger,” Aidan growled. “And Skinner's not pretty.”

  “Elle wasn't in danger,” Gramma said. “She was in danger before, when she hadn't found herself. She thought she was weak, worthless and unloved.”

  “But now she knows who she is and what she can do. She is strong, secure and loved. She will never feel threatened again. Ever.” Ne-ma smiled and started towards the bakery. “Let's go get some chocolate cake. Glynda?”

  “Right behind you!” As they trotted towards Elle's bakery, Gramma turned and said to Aidan over her shoulder, “That's not Skinner anymore. That's a wolf. And it's a beautiful wolf.” She wagged a finger at him.

  Huffing out a sigh, Aidan called out, “I'm not going to hunt that wolf down. I won't.”

  “Promise?”

  “Yes! I promise!”

  Gramma and Ne-ma nodded. They knew how protective a bear was towards its mate. A bear would kill for its mate, but they knew that Elle wouldn't want Aidan to have that wolf's blood on his hands.

  And Aidan and his brothers never broke a promise to them. In their family, promises were sacred. There was a special kind of magic in a promise, more potent than the most powerful spells. Love was the most powerful magic there was.

  Their smiles widened into grins as they waved him off.

  “Go back to work now, Aidan.”

  “Go do some real police work,” they called out before pushing into the bakery.

  Aidan rolled his eyes as he made his way back to the station. “Why does everyone keep saying that? Staking out my mate's bakery is real police work,” he mumbled.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Elle helped Gramma and Ne-ma clear the table as Aidan and his brothers scurried to the kitchen. Aidan and his brothers had been so fidgety during dinner, whispering and nudging one another. She wondered what they were up to.

  Alisa grinned and winked at Elle. “The boys have a surprise for you,” Alisa whispered as she hurried after the four excited Gray brothers.

  “What surprise?” Elle asked.

  Gramma and Ne-ma shrugged. “They're always up to something.”

  The whole family always came over to the house for dinner during the weekends. Elle had moved in with Aidan, and although Tristan had offered to build them a cozy little love nest, Elle had declined the kind offer. She liked living with Aidan and his younger brothers. Mason and Jackson were fun and rowdy, and she liked having them around. Growing up, it had been just her and her mom, and an endless array of her mom's lovers. She had always longed for a big, stable family, and now it seemed her wish had come true. She had Aidan, who was the love of her life, and she had a wonderful, loving family.

  Alisa tiptoed out of the kitchen and went to switch off all the lights. “What's going on?” Elle asked. “What are you doing?”

  Elle gasped when she saw the blazing candles. Aidan and his brothers came out of the kitchen carrying a humongous cake between them.

  “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you...”

  Everyone burst into the birthday song. Gramma and Ne-ma sang the loudest. Elle stared at the large, lopsided cake, blinking rapidly before the lights came back on. She didn't want anyone to see her crying.

  She was just dabbing the corner of her eye when Alisa snapped the lights back on. Elle stared at the big, crooked cake and sputtered, “Oh, oh, this…this is...”

  “A disaster,” Aidan finished for her. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and scowled.

  “Alisa tried to teach us how to bake. We followed her instructions to the letter. Really we did,” Jackson said earnestly. “We wanted to bake you a birthday cake, since you're always baking all kinds of yummy treats for us. But...”

  “But we suck,” Mason said flatly. “Alisa's a good teacher. We're just bad students.”

  “No, no, you guys did everything right,” Alisa said quickly. She winced a little at the sight of the messy cake which seemed to be collapsing under its own weight. “It's just...”

  “Maybe Gramma and Ne-ma can save it, with a cake spell or something,” Tristan said hopefully.

  “We can try,” Gramma began doubtfully. “But this looks...”

  “Perfect!” Elle clapped her hands. “This is perfect!”

  Aidan's eyes rounded. “But...”

  “I love it! I love it so much! Thank you, thank you for the cake. No one has ever baked me a birthday cake before,” Elle whispered. “I can't bear to cut it, it's beautiful!”

  “Blow out the candles and make a wish,” Alisa said.

  Elle looked at the candles and smiled. “I did make a wish some time back. I wished...for this.” She gestured at them. “A happy family, a happily-ever-after.” She slid her arm around Aidan's waist. “My wish came true.”

  “So...” Elle puffed up her chest and blew out all the candles with one breath. “Now, I wish for a birthday kiss from my mate!”

  Aidan grinned and dipped her low. “Your wish is my command,” he drawled. He kissed her long, slow and deep, ignoring the whistles and teasing from his brothers.

  Elle felt dizzy and light-headed when Aidan finally released her. “Wow,” she gasped, trying to catch her breath. “Just wow.”

  The whole family crowded round eagerly as she cut the cake. Elle took a bite of her birthday cake and licked her lips. “Delicious! This is the best cake ever!”

  “Really?”

  “You're not just saying that?” Mason stared at her.

  “Really. In fact I think this will be a hit with my customers. Do you think you could let me have the recipe?”

  “Of course!” Alisa beamed.

  “What will you call it? Oh I know. Gray's Surprise!” Mason suggested.

  “No,” Jackson said, digging into his slice enthusiastically. “You should call it Aidan's Kiss.”

  “Ha ha, who will buy that?” Tristan made a face.

  Aidan punched his big brother on the arm. “Hey!”

  Elle laughed as the brothers started bickering and challenging each other to come up with a better name for the cake.

  As she cut another slice for Alisa, Gramma and Ne-ma, Aidan came up to her and whispered, “You've already thought of a name, haven't you?”

  Elle nodded. “It's the perfect name. I just know that my customers will love it!”

  “Yeah?” Aidan prompted.

  “This...” Elle held up a slice of the cake. “This is a slice of Happily-Ever-After!”

  SNEAK PEEK

  Here’s a sneak peek at STORMFIRE DRAGON, the breathtaking second book in Natalie Kristen’s bestselling Dragons in Shadow Point series!

  Storm saw lightning streak across the sky as he ran. He needed to go faster but the wet sand made it hard to run. The waves crashed against the jagged rocks with a thunderous roar.

  Thunder boomed and Storm could almost feel the earth tremble. A fierce storm was rolling in, but Storm knew he had to keep going.

  He had to reach that island.

  Storm turned around when he heard shouts behind him. His brothers were running towards him, shouting at him to stop.

  “Storm! Stop!” Sky bellowed.

  “It’s too dangerous!” Seath yelled, his muscular arms pumping furiously. “Don’t be crazy!”

  Storm shook his head. “I have to go. I have to get her. I know where she is.”

  The wind shrieked and lashed at them, but his baby brother’s voice was thunderous. “You’ll die out there!” Seath pointed to the turbulent waves. “And if you die, I will kill you! I swear I will kill you, twice!” He shook two fingers at Storm.

  Sky reached him and gripped his shoulder hard. “Storm, listen to me...”

  But Storm shook his big brother’s hand away angrily. “Wouldn’t you do anything and everything to find Leia?” he said, referring to Sky’s mate.
/>   “Of course.” Sky took a sharp breath and said, “Are you sure, Storm?”

  “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” Storm snarled. “I will give my life for this. For her.”

  * * * * *

  STORMFIRE DRAGON

  Dragons in Shadow Point (Book 2)

  Coming Soon!

  More by Natalie Kristen:

  BEAST BEARS

  Billionaire Boss Bear

  Billionaire Chef Bear

  HEARTS ON FIRE

  The Werewolf's Baby

  The Dragon Tycoon's Bride

  The Dragon’s Match

  The Wolf’s Mate

  STORM DRAGONS (Scifi Alien Weredragon Romance)

  VORIK

  WOLVES HOLLOW

  Alpha Next Door (Book 1)

  Beta's Baby (Book 2)

  Savage Wolf (Book 3)

  BRIDES fur BEARS

  Bad Bear (Book 1)

  Brave Bear (Book 2)

  Brash Bear (Book 3)

  Big Bear (Book 4)

  Mail-Order Bear (Book 5)

  Dating Agency Bear (Book 6)

  Guardian Bear (Book 7)

  GRAY BEARS series

  Marrying The Bear (Book 1)

  Loving The Bear (Book 2)

  Mating The Bear(Book3)

  Tempting The Bear (Book 4)

  Taming The Lion (Book 5)

  Embracing The Lion (Book 6)

  GRIMM BEARS (Fairytale Shifters)

  Red and the Bear (Book 1)

  Snow and the Bear (Book 2)

  Gretel and the Bear (Book 3)

  BEAR HEAT series

  Bear's Bride (Book 1)

  Bear's Kiss (Book 2)

  Bear's Claim (Book 3)

  Bear's Baby (Book 4)

  Bear's Heart (Book 5)

  Bear's Match (Book 6)

  DRAGON HEAT

  Taken by the Billionaire Dragon (Book 1)