Ignited By Flames

by Day, Vella

  Doing as Greer asked, he took maybe two steps when a blast of cold air hit him. She squeezed his hand and let go.

  “We’re here,” Finn announced.

  “Already?” Sure, she’d told him it only took a second, but he thought she’d been exaggerating.

  “Yup. Come on,” Finn said. “You two can stay at my place, while Kaleena and I stay with my parents.”

  “They won’t mind if you show up this late at night?” Blake asked.

  Finn smiled. “They’re used to late night interruptions.”

  After Finn let them into his place, he showed them where he kept things. “Here’s the spare phone. Just plug it in to charge it. That way, we can communicate. My number is programmed in, as is Kalan’s.”

  “Smart thinking.”

  Finn winked. He and Kaleena then headed out.

  Now alone, Blake turned to Greer. “Finn told us to help ourselves to the wine. We can replenish it tomorrow. Care for a glass?”

  “I would love one, but what I would love more is a kiss.”

  Blake’s heart nearly burst. He hadn’t wanted to sound insensitive, but after mating with Greer, all he could think about was making love to her again. And again. “I’m not sure I can stop with one kiss.”

  She laughed and then wrapped her arms around his neck. “I don’t recall asking you to.”

  “Did I mention that I love you?”

  She laughed. “Hmm. I can’t remember.”

  “Then let me remind you by showing you how much I do.”

  The moment their lips pressed together, Blake’s dragon roared. Scales flashed and then hardened slightly. When his teeth sharpened, he was quite sure the color of his eyes were a dead giveaway to how he felt about this truly amazing woman.

  Just being away from the danger on Tarradon had his soul soaring. Blake’s heart was filled with more love than he’d ever thought possible.

  Greer’s tongue begged for entrance into his mouth, and as he granted it, an overwhelming urge to become one with her took away all other thoughts. As if they both had the same idea at the same time, they kicked off their shoes and managed to undo their jeans and tug them down partway without breaking contact. Only because he wanted her completely naked was he willing to pull away and finish the job.

  “I’m sorry I’m so needy,” Blake said as he shoved off his jeans and briefs.

  “No need to apologize. I’ve been wanting to do this all day. Now that we’re here, I can’t wait any longer either.”

  As if to prove her point, she slipped off her jacket and then removed her shirt. Her arms and chest were glowing so intensely, he bet she could light up a darkened room. Needing to have her naked and his lips on her tits, he unclasped her bra and dragged the straps down her arms.

  Greer slipped his shirt over his head and tossed the material to the floor. Her panties were the last to go, and he happily removed them. They were in the cozy entranceway, and Blake saw no reason to take the time to find a bedroom.

  “Come here, you,” Greer said, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and plastered her breasts against his chest.

  Every cell in his body sizzled. He cupped her ass and lifted her up for more access. As if it was what she’d planned all along, she wrapped her legs around his waist. Blake only had to take three steps forward before her back was pressed against the front door. The wanton nature of making love to her this way had every nerve ending lighting up as lust and desire marched through his veins.

  “I can’t get enough of you,” Blake panted.

  “Then do something about it.” Greer smiled and then kissed him.

  With her pussy against his cock and his emotions swamping his body, Blake’s mind stopped formulating all coherent thoughts. With a quick repositioning, his cock found her entrance. As much as he wanted to take his time and taste her, his dragon was demanding some satisfaction. The first thrust sent him soaring.

  Greer moaned and dragged her palms across the back of his head, their tongues dueling, tasting, and loving. Needing to be one with her, uniting their souls and their hearts, Blake slipped out and then drove into her again. And then again.

  But it was Greer who seemed to need more. She planted her feet on his legs and pressed up and then dropped down, matching his rhythm, almost as if she too had been possessed by the mating draw. Her hands lowered to his shoulders right before she broke the kiss.

  “Take me,” she demanded.

  It took a second for him to understand what she wanted, because they were already making love. She dragged her mouth to the juncture of his neck and shoulder and pressed her now sharpened teeth against his skin. The urge to do the same blocked out everything. When he was in position, he hammered into her while he drove his sharpened teeth into her neck.

  From the tension rippling across his body, along with how Greer’s nails were digging hard into his skin, they’d both came at the same time. Every one of his nerves fired at once, and Blake feared his dragon would finally win the war and emerge.

  Don’t you dare shift, he commanded.

  Grrr.

  He’d never known his dragon to be incapable of a coherent response before.

  Blake slipped out of her, and Greer’s feet slid to the floor. She stood on her toes and licked the spot where she’d bitten him, but by now the wound had almost closed up. Hers too had practically healed. Both of their dragons had done their job.

  He lifted up her up and carried her into the kitchen. After a few attempts, he found a towel and cleaned them up.

  “You still up for that glass of wine?” he asked.

  She laughed. “Sure, as long as you don’t mind carrying me to bed if I fall asleep on the sofa.”

  “It would be my pleasure.”

  The next morning, Greer’s phone buzzed—or rather Finn’s phone. She picked it up. “Hey, we got a text from Finn with directions to his parents’ house,” she told Blake. “He asked if we could meet with Kalan Murdoch. He’s there right now.”

  “That was fast.”

  “No kidding. Uh-oh. Walking there will take too much time, so how are we going to get there? Finn took his car. It’s not like we can fly. It would attract too much attention.”

  He grinned. “Maybe I can cloak myself, now that we’ve mated.”

  She loved his can-do attitude. “Let’s give it a try.” She texted Finn back saying they’d be over as soon as they were ready. She didn’t know how long it would take for Blake to learn this new skill.

  After dressing, they went into the backyard, which was thankfully fenced in and surrounded by trees. Even in their fifteen-foot dragon form, no neighbors could see them.

  “Is there something I need to do to cloak myself?”

  “I guess all I do is think about it. It’s encoded in our genes.”

  He nodded. “Wish me luck.”

  Please let this work. Greer waited until Blake shifted. Three seconds later, she couldn’t see him. While she could sense him, no one else would be able to. “Good job!” she telepathed, proud of her mate.

  A few seconds later, she shifted and immediately cloaked herself. Before Blake lost focus and appeared, she took off. “Follow me,” she told him.

  She flew over the roads since Finn had given her those directions. He must have forgotten they didn’t have a car. When she spotted Finn’s car in one of the driveways, alongside a Silver Lake police cruiser, she continued on, looking for a more secluded spot to land. She would have no problem setting down in her cloaked form and then shifting, but if anyone had been around, seeing two people materialize out of nowhere might be confusing and cause problems.

  She located a small field not too far from his parents’ place. Greer landed and shifted without her dragon form being exposed. Once on the ground, Blake immediately lost his cloak right before he shifted back.

  “Maybe we should hire a cab next time,” she said.

  Blake looked around and chuckled. “You might be right.”

  It took them almost ten minu
tes to walk back to where she’d spotted the house. As they headed up the driveway, she tapped the hood of the cruiser. “Our guest of honor is here.”

  “Nervous?” Blake asked.

  “I’d say more excited. I’ve heard so much about his parents, it’s like I know them.”

  At the front door they knocked, and Finn greeted them. “Come in.”

  A scent what smelled like apple cider permeated the air. Kaleena, along with a man with long light brown hair pulled back to the nape of his neck, were seated on the sofa. He stood, walked around the coffee table, and held out his hand.

  “I’m Kalan Murdoch, detective with the police department and Beta to the wolf and bear Clan here.”

  Greer smiled. “Greer Caspian, Kaleena’s cousin. And this is my mate, Blake Masters.”

  Once they finished the introductions, a woman who she suspected was Finn’s mom came in carrying a tray. “Thank you for suggesting Finn and Kaleena visit us. We miss them so much.” The stocky woman wiped her hand on her apron and then held it out. “I’m Celia, Finn’s mom. Cameron is attending to some Clan business and should be home soon. I baked you all some pumpkin spice cookies, since it’s almost Thanksgiving and all.”

  Greer decided not to mention that Tarradon never celebrated that holiday. “Thank you.”

  For the next hour, the four of them shared their tales of woe about this renegade Changeling.

  Kalan shook his head. “This is worse than I thought. It’s enough of a nightmare that these creatures can transform into another person for a few days once a month, but to do it at will is terrifying.”

  Finn crunched on a cookie and then washed it down with some hot cider. “Do you know which Changeling might be the one on Tarradon?” he asked Kalan.

  “I do. After Anderson came down here and we found one of his people murdered, I did a little research. Mind you I had to call in a favor to do it. I asked my brother’s mate, Ainsley, to sneak into the Changeling headquarters—what there is of it—and do a little recon.”

  “Wasn’t that dangerous?” Blake asked.

  “Not too much. Ainsley has the ability to become invisible.”

  Blake whistled. “We could use her on Tarradon.”

  Kalan chuckled. “No way Jackson would let her go. Besides, who knows if her talent would work there?”

  “Things do seem to be different on the two realms,” Blake said.

  Kalan pulled out a photo. “This is the driver’s license picture of the man we believe is on Tarradon. His name is Richard Donovan, but he goes by the self-given title of Brother Richard.”

  Both Greer and Blake studied the photo. “This will be useful once we show it to Anderson.”

  “I hope so.”

  They’d talked a lot about what Kalan could do to make sure the Changelings stayed where they belonged, but not what they could do to find this guy on Tarradon. “Any suggestions on how to capture this Brother Richard? Does he have any weaknesses? Something he holds dear on Earth we could use as leverage?”

  “All Changelings have a weakness when around pink quartz.”

  Finn snapped his fingers. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of that before. It’s their Kryptonite.”

  “Kryptonite?” Blake asked.

  Finn chuckled. “Sorry. It’s a reference to a classic television show about a superhero whose powers are diminished when near Kryptonite. It’s a stone, which ironically came from his home planet of Krypton.”

  Greer placed a hand on Blake’s arm. “Whatever the reason, if this quartz can block his powers, is there any way we can get some?”

  Kalan smiled. “Funny you should ask. Our Silver Lake is lined with the stuff. I suggest you contact Ophelia, who I’ve been told you’ve met. If you do take some back to Tarradon, I can’t guarantee it will permanently block all of his shifting and identity changing powers, but I’ve witnessed a Changeling unable to hold his shift just being near the lake. If the Changeling on Tarradon can’t stay in his wolf form, he’ll be easier to capture.”

  “I agree, assuming, as you said, this pink quartz has the same effect in our realm as it has here.”

  Blake clasped her hand. “True, but it’s the best idea we’ve had yet.”

  “And yes, I have met Ophelia. She helped me heal Angelique.”

  “That’s great. How about I ask Rye’s mate, Izzy, to set up a meeting?” Finn asked.

  Greer didn’t need an intermediary. “I can contact her directly.”

  Blake looked over at her. “How can you do that?” he telepathed.

  “I have a special scale that allows me to contact her. Long ago, Poppy gave it to me on one of my rare trips to Earth.”

  “Poppy?”

  “One of those special sisters I talked about.”

  “You always surprise me.”

  Not wanting to be rude by talking with Blake telepathically, she faced the group. “I can’t thank you enough, Celia, for your hospitality.” She stood. “And Kalan, you are welcome any time on Tarradon.”

  “Thank you, but between my mate and our two kids, I have my hands full here.”

  “Just know that all of you are welcome to Silver Lake any time.”

  Finn stood and handed them the keys to his car. “I forgot I took your mode of transportation. It’s too dangerous to fly.”

  Greer smiled. “We managed to cloak ourselves, but from now on, we’ll travel the old-fashioned way. Thanks.”

  After they said their goodbyes, Greer and Blake headed out. Next stop: Ophelia’s.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “There she is,” Greer said as she slipped out of the car.

  Blake stepped behind her. “She’s not like I expected her to look.”

  “Ophelia is old. Really old.” No one knew her age exactly, but if Ophelia was Poppy, Primrose, Acacia, and Magnolia’s grandmother, she must be ancient.

  A smile spread across Ophelia’s face as she approached. “So nice to see you again, Greer.” She clasped Greer’s hand and squeezed it with a strength she didn’t expect. Ophelia faced Blake. “And this must be your mate. Such a handsome man. Good catch.” She winked.

  Ophelia sure was feisty today. “We need your help.”

  “Let’s go over to Izzy’s house. It’s empty, and she said I could use it whenever I wanted.”

  The three of them walked across the damp grass to the cobblestone pathway that led up to a cute yellow house. The door was unlocked, and Ophelia led them in. Once they were seated in the living room, Greer told her briefly about the Changeling and the trouble he’d caused.

  “Oh, my, that is a shame. What can I do?”

  “Finn mentioned something about the effect pink quartz has on a Changeling. He thought we could use it against this Brother Richard. We need to stop his abilities.”

  Ophelia smiled. “Ah yes. It’s a brilliant idea to use that against him. We’ll get some pink quartz and then have it fashioned into two knives. Unless you want more made.”

  Greer was thrilled Ophelia would help them like this.

  Blake held up a hand. “Two is plenty.”

  “Finding him is our big concern now,” Greer said.

  Ophelia slapped her thighs and stood. “First things first. We’re going to the lake.”

  “We drove if you want to ride over with us,” Greer said. She had no idea if Ophelia teleported, though she knew the four sisters did.

  “I’m not walking.” She laughed as she headed out the front door and then turned toward the car.

  Ophelia told them which way to go. A few minutes later, she pointed to a small parking lot. “This is as close as we can get with the car.”

  Once they exited, Ophelia led them down a tree-shaded path until a beautiful lake appeared. It’s grandeur caught Greer’s breath. “I’ve been here once before, but it never ceases to impress me.”

  “It is awesome. You said pink quartz lines the bottom of this lake?” Blake asked.

  “Yes. The tricky part is retrieving it. Want to dive in an
d see if you can chip away a few pieces from the bottom?”

  Blake looked over at Greer. “I’ll have to shift and then go in. I can use my claws to break off a piece.” He faced Ophelia. “Will that be a problem? Or should we just buy some?”

  Ophelia lightly punched him in the shoulder. “No, you can’t buy it. This pink quartz is special, and we like to keep a close watch on it. But no, we don’t need someone spotting a dragon shifter. Give me a sec. I’ll retrieve some.”

  The old lady was going to get it? “You don’t need to do that. We’ll go in.”

  Before Greer could stop her though, Ophelia seemed to float toward the water. It was as if she didn’t feel the cold, because one minute she was on the shore walking in, and the next she had disappeared under the surface.

  Blake tore off his jacket. “She won’t survive under there in this cold.”

  Greer clasped his arm to stop him from being the hero. “Give her a second. I think she’ll be okay. She’s more than just some ordinary white lighter.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  They waited ten seconds. Twenty seconds. One full minute.

  “Powerful white lighter or not, I’m going in,” Blake said. “She has to be in trouble.”

  Just as Blake finished shucking off his boots and pants, Ophelia rose out of the water and floated back to shore. Blake just stared.

  Ophelia smiled as she looked down at Blake’s almost bare lower half. With a chuckle, she said, “I do like the reception, young man. Thank you.”

  Not only did Ophelia have two pieces of quartz in her hand, when she stepped onto shore, her clothes were dry. Had Greer not come from Tarradon where magic abounded, she might have freaked. Blake put on his pants and shoes and then rushed over to her.

  He ran his gaze up and down Ophelia’s body. “How is that possible?”

  She laughed. “When you’re as old as I am with ancient Wendayan powers, you’d be surprised what is possible.” She waved the pink stone. “Next stop? The sword maker.”

  In regard to taking away this werewolf’s powers, Greer believed now more than ever that what they were planning would work. Anyone who could walk into a lake, stay under water for more than a minute, and step out dry had to be a goddess. She’d seen a lot of magic in her life, but this one was at the top of the charts.