Adding Fuel to the Flames

by Cree Storm

  “No!” Wyndingo called calmly. “I know he is your brother, but this is our town now and we will fight any foe. Illan, you and your men stand down,” Wyndingo commanded.

  “At ease, Morgan,” Illan ordered.

  Wyndingo stepped forward as he faced Salem’s beast. “You wanted a fair fight, and no powers were to be used. That included your beast. You are a much older dragon, therefore are able to shift a lot faster than your opponent, then you go to use your fire against him before he has a chance to match you. I always knew you weren’t an honorable man, Salem, but now you have proved it. There is no such thing as a fair fight with you, so I will not give you one,” Wyndingo warned.

  In the blink of an eye Wydingo shifted into a deep rich brown three-headed dragon. Salem opened his mouth wider and blew out a stream of fire straight toward Wyndingo and Day’s eyes widened in surprise as Wyndingo’s dragon shifted and turned gray. He was now a dragon made of pure rock. The flames beat against him, and Wyndingo just stood there, not affected by the assault.

  Salem pulled back his fire and closed his mouth as he huffed angrily. He took a step toward Wyndingo and raised off the ground, taking flight. Before he could ascend higher, Wyndingo grabbed his foot and pulled Salem back, then spun as he whipped Salem in a circle, then released him. Salem flew through the air and crashed into the trees, snapping them and taking them down with him.

  They all watched as the now empty space lay silent and unmoving. Wyndingo moved closer, his gaze focused on the spot Salem had disappeared. Suddenly an orange glow appeared through the trees and began to build

  “Shit! He’s setting the forest on fire!” Day cried out.

  “Men, it’s time to roll!” Chief Nick Holt called out, and Day watched as the bear and his men grabbed their gear and headed toward the fire.

  Trees snapped and flew through the air right before Salem’s dragon took flight and flew over their heads. In a heartbeat Wyndingo morphed again, and was now a Dragon only visible by a ripple of air. He could make out the dragon’s outline, but he was completely invisible. Wyndingo took flight and caught up to Salem quick, slamming into him and forcing him back down to the ground on the other side of the clearing.

  “Should we help Sutton and the others?” Jett asked as he and Zev joined them

  “No, son, let Nick and his boys do their job. They are the new firefighters here. If it starts to get out of control, we will join in,” Illan instructed.

  They turned their attention back to the battle between Wyndingo and Salem, but now Wyndingo was back to his brown dragon and they were each trying to hit the other with their massive wings and heads.

  Salem was able to get a hit in with his feet to Wyndingo’s chest and the dragon came flying towards them. Everyone took a collective step back out of the line of fire.

  Salem flew towards Wyndingo before he could get back on his feet, when suddenly the light beam from the moon shifted and went right to Salem’s eyes, blinding him. He roared as he stopped and threw his head back.

  Everyone looked to Zev with raised brows. “What? He’s not fighting fair, and this battle did start between us,” Zev answered indignantly as he crossed his arms over his chest.

  Jett chuckled and wrapped his arms around Zev, kissing his temple. “That’s my man,” he stated proudly. “And boy what a fucking man you are, baby. When this is all over I’m gonna―”

  “No! For the love of the gods, stop that sentence right there,” Finn admonished. “No one here wants to hear what you two plan on doing.”

  Everyone chuckled as Zev stuck his tongue out at Finn, then smiled.

  A loud screeching sound came from Salem and they all turned back to the fight. Wyndingo was back in his rock dragon form and had crushed Salem’s tail. The appendage was almost flat and oozing blood.

  Salem opened his mouth and the orange began to glow again, but he turned toward them. Fire rushed forward and Wyndingo stepped in front of them, at the same time shifting into a dragon made of pure water. The fire hit the wall of water and began to sizzle and smoke, but it didn’t penetrate. Wyndingo looked to Destrain and nodded. Destrain stepped forward and raised his hands toward Salem, and began to chant. The fire turned and blew backward, hitting Salem in the face and quickly engulfed him.

  Salem threw his head back and roared in pain as the fire grew and became hotter. He tried to run, but was blocked by a two-headed dragon who stood before him and blasted fire at Salem. Day smiled when he realized it was Finn and Jett. They had joined their dragons as only mirror twins could and were using their power of the elements against Salem.

  “We need to create the fire circle as Rhys said and make sure his power doesn’t find him again as Destrain and the others take his dragon!” Illan yelled out over all the noise.

  They were joined by six of Wyndingo’s dragons who had stood back and watched what was happening. Each of the dragons shifted as Dain, Twix, Rhys, Avery, Baldwin, and ten other guards emerged from the tree line and joined Destrain. The dragons circled Salem as his body began to turn black from the burning flesh, and they each called upon their fire and blew. Large balls of light started shooting out of Salem's mouth and chest as his blood curdling screams filled the air. Thirteen streams of flame continued, concentrated on Salem, not giving in to the man's torturous cries. Destrain joined hands with Dain, Rhys, Avery, and Twix, and they began to chant.

  A blue light grew around Salem and became so bright they each had to close their eyes against it. Suddenly everything went silent except for the hiss of their fire streams. Day opened his eyes just as the others did, and they all closed their mouths, stopping their fire.

  A large black heap of ash lay in the center of them as they all shifted back and walked closer. “The fire got so hot it turned him into nothing but dust,” Twix said in awe.

  “You know, we could have handled this without you and your boys, Illan,” Wyndingo said with a smirk.

  “Yeah, but what fun would that be? Plus, I didn’t want you getting a bigger head than you already have,” Illan teased as he wrapped his arms around Avery and pulled him close.

  “What kind of dragon are you?” Ryder asked Wyndingo as he and Pauly came out of the woods and joined them.

  “You saw how when Finn and Jett join their dragons and become one?” Illan asked and Ryder nodded. “They each control two of the elements, but together they control all four.”

  “Okay, so Wyndingo can control all four elements but what he did was…Hell man, he changed into those elements,” Ryder replied.

  “That is because I am an elemental dragon, young one. Not only can I control the elements, but I can take them into me and become one with them,” Wyndingo explained.

  “Well, whatever it is, it was fucking awesome, dude,” Marco said excitedly.

  Finn and Twix went to Marco’s side and hugged him. “I was really worried about using you as bait, baby,” Finn said in a tight voice, then kissed the top of Marco’s head.

  “I know, but it was a great plan. Salem had no idea I wasn’t Rhys. He lifted that beam up to swing at Jett as Ryder snuck up behind him. We each grabbed him at the same time, and I sent them here. He never even knew it was me, or what happened, or how he got here,” Marco said as he shrugged a shoulder.

  “And did you see his face when he turned and saw me? He had no idea who I was and that I had siphoned his powers before I shifted and flew away,” Ryder added.

  “Yeah, he thought I took his powers,” Zev said.

  “The plan worked perfectly, Illan. I bow down to your genius,” Wyndingo said teasingly with a smirk as he bowed his head.

  “Oh, hell no, like his head isn’t big enough, too? Now we’ll never hear the end of this,” Day grumbled and everyone laughed.

  CHAPTER 14

  Marco and Finn were talking to Morgan as Rhys made his way to Twix. "I'm surprised your mates allowed you to be a part of this."

  Twix snorted, "Like they could stop me from helping my favorite cousin."

  Rh
ys bumped shoulders with Twix, laughing. "I'm your only cousin."

  "Good thing, you are a handful. I don't know if I can take on another one," Twix said with a laugh.

  Shrugging, Rhys replied, "Maybe one day my dad will find someone and give me a sibling."

  Twix looked at Rhys, confused. "You would be okay with that?"

  Letting out a deep breath, Rhys replied, "I think dad deserves a second chance at fatherhood. From what he and my uncle said, Dain was pretty good at it until the shit hit the fan."

  Looking at Dain, Rhys said, "It's time to let the anger go and move forward. I understand more now than I did back then. Maybe had he explained things, we could have worked something out, but my dad has always kept shit close to the vest."

  "Yes, but being deceived by someone that professes to love you can't be easy," Twix replied.

  "You knew about that and didn't tell me?" Rhys gasped.

  Shaking his head. "I only learned about it when I kinda went at my dad about how Dain treated you with this stalking shit. When I compared it to how he has always been with you, Dad came clean."

  "My dad and I are by no means the perfect father son team, but I think with some time, we can get there," Rhys replied.

  "By the way, I love that outfit. You look absolutely stunning," Twix replied.

  Rhys swirled around in his black ankle length skirt, with black backless top that fit him like a second skin, smiling wide. "This was a gift from my mates."

  Rhys was still posing left then right, when a bright light, that looked like a falling star, came from the sky and straight into Twix's stomach. Twix gasped and dropped to his knees hissing. As Rhys went to kneel, his abdomen was struck by two more flashing lights, causing him to feel as if an electrical shock zapped though his body, bringing a tingling sensation along with a loud ringing in his ears.

  Both Twix and Rhys dropped onto the ground, rolling over so they were facing the sky.

  Rhys barely made out the sound of his mate, Ethan, screaming, "Rhys! Twix!"

  The tingling sensation slowly receded and the loud ringing in his ears began to retreat into a low hum. Ethan and Day were touching him all over his body, causing Rhys's cock to take a huge interest. "You keep doing that and I can't be held accountable for my actions. Now, typically I wouldn't give a shit, but my dad is standing over you and I don't think he would want to see the show."

  Still looking worried, Dain, muttered, "You are so right about that. Now, tell me what the hell just happened?"

  Turning Rhys saw Twix being helped up by his mates who were cooing all over him. "Twix, are you all right?"

  "I think so," Twix said sounding very confused.

  Rhys went to stand and Day pushed him back down. "Just take it slow, until we know you're okay."

  "For heaven's sake, Day, if a pregnant Twix is all right, then I sure the hell am," Rhys stated pushing Day's hand away and accepting Ethan's hand to help him up.

  "That was damn well strange. Have any of you ever seen anything like that before, Destrain?" Illan asked.

  Destrain looked a bit uneasy, as he gave Dain an odd look. "Brother, did that not look like a blending?"

  Dain became thoughtful. "Kind of, yeah. But we destroyed Salem's dragon and none of us even touched Twix or Rhys."

  "Wait. What the hell is a blending?" Day asked.

  "That's what we call it when we create a shifter. When we came at Salem, we could have chosen to release his dragon and give it to someone else, or even save it. However, Dain and I were more concerned that his dragon had been connected to Salem too long and therefore, we felt it needed to be destroyed along with Salem. That's why he turned to ash instead of a pure human. We used our powers to strengthen your dragon fire to turn them both to ash," Destrain explained.

  "Damn, you can do that? Remind me not to piss you off anytime soon," Jett stated with a snicker.

  Dain turned to Jett with a raised brow. "Then stop trying to put itching powder in my pants."

  Jett raised his hands. "That was so not me. Angelo got that idea all on his own."

  Day turned to Jett, pursing his lips. "Can we please stay on track here? My mate, as well as your brother's very pregnant mate, were just zapped with some kind of energy bolt. I would think that maybe we could stay focused on that for now."

  Rhys gasped, "That's it! That's what that was!"

  When everyone looked at Rhys completely confused, Rhys tossed his hands in the air. "I told you all that the dragon fire takes the powers from the one you use it on. Remember it will either go into who knows where or it might choose a person to join with."

  "But Pixies can't gain powers like dragons have. We are all magic," Dain argued.

  Nodding, Rhys replied, "I know that, dad. However, Twix's child isn't all pixie."

  Twix grabbed his stomach. "Oh, by the Gods! Are you saying that I have a piece of that monster in me? I don't want any part of Salem inside me, Marco. Make it go away! Get that bastard out of our child! Finn! Finn, do something! I'll stand in a circle and you all breath on me or something. Okay, not so much I turn to dust like Salem, but I can handle a little sunburn if I have to."

  Rhys rushed to Twix. "Cousin, calm yourself. There is no part of Salem inside you or your child. Powers are not DNA, they are a gift, you know this."

  "But they were inside that nasty, vile, man," Twix hissed, then turned to Zev. "Sorry."

  Zev gave a soft laugh. "No sorry is necessary. He was a nasty vile man. I just wish I knew what happened to my mother."

  Wyndingo cleared his throat. "Uh, I might be able to help with that."

  "Did he kill her?' Zev asked without emotion.

  Shaking his head, Wyndingo replied, "When I was told about your dad being here, I didn't want any unexpected shit from your mom. Come to find out, she left your dad soon after they left the clutch. She apparently hooked up with some big-time producer, divorced your father and is currently living in Hollywood, California. I can give you her address and phone number if you like?"

  Shaking his head, Zev replied, "No thanks. I want nothing to do with the woman. She stopped being my mom a long time ago. I just want my past to be in the past."

  "Okay, this is all sweet and everything, but I have been violated here and I don't like it. Rhys tell this power thing to go away. Thanks, but no thanks. Hasta la Vista, baby. Adios, au revoir..."

  "Twix, there is nothing we can do. The power has chosen its vessel. I swear to you, no part of Salem is attached to it. Think of it like this, do you like Zev?" Rhys asked.

  Sighing heavily, Twix replied, "Of course I like Zev. He's a great guy and my best friend’s mate."

  "Yes, but he is also the son of Salem. So, that means he has to have evil running through him, at least according to your logic," Rhys replied.

  "Hey! Don't compare my sexy mate to that thing we call a sperm donor," Jett snapped.

  Zev hugged Jett close, kissed his cheek, saying, "Thank you for sticking up for me, baby, but I think I understand what Rhys is trying to say."

  Zev walked closer to Twix, saying, "I may be a product from Salem, but I am in no way like Salem. The powers your child holds were only a part of him because they were gifted to him. They will not, in any way, create a monster. We don't know what you got, but I can honestly say, he had some really great gifts, Twix. Some of which should help keep your child and this clutch safe for centuries."

  Twix looked unsure, but finally nodded. "I get what you're saying. However, Finn, Marco, and I are going to have a very long talk with our young man when he's old enough to understand. I don't want him thinking that he can just go around and sap someone's powers for fun or zap them in the ass with an energy charge."

  Everyone laughed and Finn replied, "Baby, we don't even know if he could zap someone, but I promise when he's old enough to get his powers, I will take him out and show him how we practice so we don't mistakenly hurt anyone."

  Marco kissed Twix, then said, "And with you as his birth father, there is no way in hell he is
going to have a smidgeon of evil inside him."

  Jett scoffed, "Yeah, but he still has Finn's DNA running through his system, so I wouldn't count out the little horns appearing too soon."

  Destrain yawned. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm seriously tired. I say we call it a night and everyone go back to their homes."

  Just as everyone turned to leave, Ethan yelled, "Stop!"

  "What is it, baby? Did you see or hear someone out there?" Day asked while anxiously looking around.

  Shaking his head, Ethan replied, "No, but I have a question. If Salem's powers were being gifted to Twix's unborn child, then what the hell was that that went into our mate?"

  "Maybe it went into the ground and not Rhys?" Illan suggested.

  Ethan shook his head again. "No, I saw two light beam thingies going into my mate. If pixies can't get the powers from the dragons, then what the hell was it that went into him?"

  Rhys knew that beam of light had hit him as well. He could still feel small tingles as well as the slight humming in his ears. However, Ethan had a really good point. He didn't feel any different. There were no voices in his head or urges to zap people with a lightning bolt to their asses.

  Jett snorted, "Maybe he's pregnant, too."

  Rhys gasped and looked at Day’s and then Ethan's shocked faces. Could he be? Well, I mean, as hot and heavy as they had been going at it, it's not like it wasn't a possibility.

  "Are you?" Day asked.

  Rhys drew back. "How the hell would I know?"

  "Well, you knew with me," Twix replied.

  "That wasn't hard, Twix, you were dropping on the ground every other second, puking at the scent of food, and sleeping twenty out of twenty-four hours. I'm not doing any of that," Rhys replied.

  "Day, we're stopping at the nearest drug store when we go home," Ethan insisted.

  Rhys felt a lightheadedness coming on. He could not be pregnant. Absolutely no way, shape, or form was he pregnant. It wasn't possible. Okay, it was possible.

  "Rhys, if you aren't pregnant, then tell me what it is that thing was going for? It can't be you, so why enter into your body?" Twix insisted.