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

by Lark Sterling

  In the distance, out in the dark of the island, she could see lights flickering as if sparks were coming through the trees. She set her apple down on the table and flicked her knife closed, putting it on her belt. She hurried inside and opened the drawer, grabbing a flashlight. She had to investigate, as a fire on the island would be devastating. If the island caught fire, it would be cinders by the next morning.

  She headed down toward the forest and took a right before the tree line, heading up the steep hill to the Hot Springs. It was far enough above the trees that she would be able to have a clear view without having to hike all the way to the top. As she reached the plateau of the cliff, her feet slowed, and her mouth opened wide. All along the ground were deep cracks with steam billowing out of them. A red glow from the lava deep down beneath lit up the dusty ground.

  She shook her head, rubbing her eyes as the heat radiated toward her. Had she been an average human, she wouldn't have been able to stand the temperatures coming from the cracks in the ground. Her body had a regenerative ability in its human form, almost as if the scales that lingered deep within her soul protected her delicate human flesh.

  The ground began to crumble beneath her boots as she stepped to the edge and peered down. Far below, she could see the lava bubbling and rushing like a river. It wasn't out of the ordinary, she knew that the lava flows beneath the island were shallow and often lingered just a few feet from the ocean floor. Nonetheless, the cracks hadn't been there the night before or before she left even, and she hadn't seen any sign of them when she had taken her flight earlier.

  Looking up, she found the Hot Springs bubbling as if they were boiling. It was a strange sight to see, but she assumed that some of the lava had spouted up, creating incredible temperatures right below the surface. Brighid took a step back and stopped, dropping the flashlight on the ground. She put her hands to her face and groaned slightly, feeling everything around her begin to spin. She was incredibly dizzy, and she had to clench her eyes shut, pushing her fingertips into them to try to stop the world from tilting.

  She held them there for several moments, finally feeling herself back on solid ground. She opened her eyes and looked around, but she was no longer on the cliffs. Instead, she found herself back at the Castle hundreds of miles away from the island. Part of her was confused, but part of her felt as if it was a dream state, comfortable with the beautiful landscape of the Castle. She heard the sound of laughter and turned quickly to find her sisters standing amidst the Rose Garden across the lawn. Her heart fluttered, and the part of her that was caught in her dream began to quickly take over. She put her hand up in the air and waved, but her sisters didn't see her.

  She shrugged and began to run toward them. Just a few steps in, something hit her hard from the side, and she slammed into the ground, skidding across the rocks and stones of the cliff. With her palms down on the warm earth, she shook her head, opening her eyes. She didn't know what was going on. One minute she was at the Castle and the next minute she was back at the cliffs.

  A rush of air drew her attention to the left, where she found a beautiful crimson and gold Phoenix flapping its wings right over the edge. She opened her mouth to say something, to call to it, but before she could, she heard a low vibrating growl. Her head snapped back, and she narrowed her eyes, looking at the path back down toward the forest. It was dark, and the shadows from the piping hot lava covered the front of what looked like a large man standing in front of her. She quickly tried to climb to her feet, but as she struggled, an enormous Wolf lunged from the side, slamming into the stranger.

  Brighid gasped, getting her footing and looking over for the Phoenix, but it was gone. She looked back toward the man as a strange glow emanated from his eyes a moment before he disappeared into a slow hissing dark mist that whipped around the trees and off into the moonlit sky. The enormous Wolf stood and looked at her, tilting his head to the side before disappearing down the path. Brighid took off after it without hesitation, running as fast as she could. When she reached the bottom, she looked right and left, but the Wolf was gone, far too quick for even her and her Dragon to keep up with.

  Brighid tilted her head towards the sky and listened with the acute hearing of her Dragon, but she couldn't sense anything. The Phoenix and the Wolf had all but disappeared into thin air like the shadowy figure that sent chills down her spine. For a moment, she wondered if this was real or if she was dreaming again? The sound of her radio up on the hill caught Brighid's attention, grounding her, letting her know that she hadn't imagined any of it. What exactly it was, she wasn't sure.

  Brighid had never seen a Phoenix before, but she knew an awful lot about them. The Phoenix were some of the most coveted Shifter species in history. They were few and far between having been killed off one by one through the ages. They weren't fighters but were incredibly loyal to each other, sometimes to a fault. They would never walk away when one of their own was in danger, and through the use of dark magic over the ages, they had led themselves into many traps. The Phoenix were incredibly intelligent, they knew precisely what danger they may be walking into, but their loyalty remained.

  Blinking, Brighid could see the small circles of light from her glowing eyes, expanding out in front of her. Her Dragon was bursting at the seams, wanting to protect her. She had dropped her flashlight up on the cliffs, but she wasn't planning on going back for it, at least not that night. She couldn't get the sound of that growl out of her head. That Wolf, it was enormous. It was larger than anything she had ever seen before, especially on the island. While it had beautiful silver and gray four, its eyes a vibrant golden color that lit the path around its feet, it was also more the size of a Bear than it was a Wolf.

  Brighid turned to walk back up to the peak where her cabin sat, shaking her head. "How in the world did a Wolf get on the island? This island hasn't ever been known to have Wolves. The land is too far away for them to have swum here."

  She was perplexed and knew there was a lot more behind it than what she had just seen. As she began to climb back up toward the cabin, her foot slipped, and she reached out, catching herself on a boulder next to the trail. She pulled herself to her feet and chuckled at her clumsiness, wiping the mud off on her pants. As she continued, the ground began to shake even more violently than what she had experienced earlier that day.

  Behind her, she could hear the cracking of trees as the branches swayed unnaturally. Stones and small boulders rolled down toward her, and she jumped out of the way, watching as they smashed into the wood line below. It felt as if the shaking would never stop, but Brighid didn't sense any influx in heat or a deeper vibration. It felt as if the earthquake wasn't coming from the epicenter, but instead, the island itself was shaking back and forth.

  Suddenly, bellowing out above the sounds of cracking stone and wood, a deep and echoing voice reverberated through her chest. “He is not welcome. He has broken his chains. You will all die.”

  Chapter Five

  "Well, we sure had a full day," Brighid said in an exhaustive tone. "There was another quake last night, so I think it's best if we don't bring any tourists on the island. You're already on the mainland, so I need you to call them all off and let the ship captains know that we won't be needing them today."

  Thomas was silent for a moment and then let out a deep sigh. "And let me guess, you're going to stay on the island by yourself."

  Brighid rolled her head back and forth, cracking her neck. "What good would it do for me to come to the mainland right now? The lava fields haven't risen, the volcano isn't smoking, so I think there's something else behind this. I'm in touch with all of the geological associations, and they know what's going on here. They'll keep me informed if they sense anything or see anything on the radar. This isn't an emergency, it's just a proactive measure. We don't need to lose a tourist down a fissure."

  “Fine, but if the volcano erupts and I find you Pompeii style sitting at your desk, I’m gonna tell you I told you so and then create a garden
just to stick you in.”

  Thomas sounded dead serious, but Brighid couldn’t help but laugh at what he said.

  She could tell that her laughter was irritating him, so she reigned it in and took a moment to gather herself. "I appreciate your concern. And you can call me and text me to check on me as much as you like. I just need you to handle the tourist stuff for today, please. I'll call you in the morning, and we'll take it from there."

  "All right, I'll do it," he said reluctantly. "Call me if you need anything. I can get one of the boats to come out and get you if we need to. If the volcano starts erupting, jump in the ocean and start swimming."

  Brighid lifted an eyebrow. "I don't think that it'd work out that way. On top of that, there's no sign that there'll be an eruption. Look, don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

  "Famous last words," Thomas replied. "Alright, I'll text you in a little bit. I just want you to know if you don't answer me because you're you, I will send out a search party."

  Brighid smiled, thankful that she had Thomas regardless of how awkward he could be at times. She hung up the phone, and her smile quickly faded as she stared down at the sheets of data that had been faxed over from the mainland. The second quake was a lot heavier, but just as she had suspected, they couldn't quite pinpoint the epicenter. The geologists assumed that it was somewhere off the island in the deep ocean, and they would eventually find it, but Brighid wasn't so sure.

  She felt as if everything was coming to a head, her senses were going wild, and then there was the appearance of not only a Phoenix but an enormous Wolf as well. The voice she couldn't even reconcile, but at the same time, she had just gotten done hallucinating and nearly ran right off of a cliff. To her there was no doubt, there was obviously something more nefarious behind what was going on, but she had no idea where to even look.

  Brighid had the geologists running in circles even though she knew the quakes weren't natural. She figured it would keep them busy and prevent any of them from coming out to the island for a little while. She needed answers, and she knew that she couldn't find them herself. There was only one person that would be able to help her.

  Brighid bit the inside of her cheek for a moment and then stood up, closing her laptop and taking the phone off the hook. She walked over to the window and looked out for a moment before pulling the drapes shut and blocking out the light. She walked over to the cabinet and opened it up, bending down to the fourth shelf, where she moved several books aside and pulled out a wooden box. She tossed all the pillows from the couch and the bed into the center of the floor. She carefully took out a dozen small candles, setting them in a circle around the cushions.

  It was the best that she could come up with for a meditation circle, especially since she knew that it wouldn't just be meditation. She had never tried to contact someone in the Fields of Moribund before, but she knew that she was capable of it. She lit each candle and walked over, latching the front door before slipping off her shoes and stepping into the mound of pillows. She crossed her legs and sat up straight, setting her hands on her knees, palms up.

  Brighid did as her mother had always taught her, listening to her own breath, concentrating on that breath, allowing her mind to clear. Soon, her focus moved away from her earthly body, and she began to spiral into that space between wakefulness and sleep.

  When Brighid's consciousness no longer attached her inner self with her human body, she rose from her human capsule and floated toward a shimmering gray veil that led to the Fields of Moribund. She could've gone anywhere, but that was her focus, and she knew that her mother would be close by. As she approached the shimmering veil, she could feel the sensation of Omera calling for her, pulling for her. She headed straight for the veil, but as she made contact, she slammed into it as if it were a brick wall.

  Suddenly the veil in front of her began to clear, and it rippled as her mother stepped forward on the other side. "Mother. I can't get through."

  Omera nodded and smiled sweetly at her daughter. "That's because you're not dead. Unfortunately, I'm not able to cross at this time. We're going to have to talk this way. I've been trying to send signals to you, to speak to you to bring you here, but I've been struggling to do so."

  Brighid put her hand up to the veil, and her mother did the same. She could feel the electricity moving between her and her mother’s spirit. “I can feel the fear in you, mother. What did you need to tell me?”

  Her mother closed her eyes and waved her hand in front of the veil. She made a fist, and her eyes closed tightly.

  “You must find the Dragon Alpha,” her mother said in a melodic tone. “Ask him to tell you about the Keepers.”

  Brighid shook her head. "I don't understand. What's a Keeper? Why do I need to go all the way to the Dragon Alpha? Do any of the other Shifters know about these Keepers?"

  Her mother's eyes sprang open, a light blue glow fading from them. She looked over her shoulder nervously. "I can't tell you more, I must go. I'm not supposed to be here. The Ancestors worry that I'm meddling too much in your journey."

  Brighid huffed. “Okay, I’ll go see the Dragon Alpha. Mother, when can I see you again?”

  Her mother put her hand back up to the veil and gave a smile. "Soon. I believe in you, and remember that I'm always with you."

  A small tear rolled down Brighid's cheek as the veil began to change back into a shimmering wall. She could hear her mother's voice calling out from the other side even though she could no longer see her. "It's time to return to your body. They're waiting for you."

  Before she had time to think about what her mother had said, her body flew backward as her consciousness soared through the space between earth and the veil to the Fields of Moribund. She landed back in her body and her eyes sprung open wide, her lungs gasping for air. She put her hand on her chest and looked around, finding that the candles she lit had burned all the way down. She hadn't thought that she had been in her meditation that long.

  A cascade of shadows across the floor drew her attention toward the front, finding her front door wide open. She could tell from the feel of the cool air drifting through the room and the glow coming from her porch that it was nearing evening time. Her mind struggled to grasp how she had spent so much time meditating in the morning, yet had only spoken to her mother for a moment. She stood up from her meditation circle and blew out the remaining candles that flickered and stretched her arms and legs.

  Her body felt as if it had been sitting there for a long time. “I guess I should’ve paid more attention when I was meditating as a child.”

  Through the open door, she heard the sound of footsteps walking down the steps of her porch. Her hand immediately went to her side, searching for her hiking knife, but it was missing. She had forgotten that she had changed into more comfortable clothes for meditation and that all of her things were on the coffee table. As quickly as she had reacted to the noise, a calming feeling surrounded her. For some reason, she didn't fear what was outside, but curiosity was beginning to run rampant in her mind. Carefully she stepped across the cold floor with bare feet, stopping in the doorway. She blinked wildly for a moment, letting her eyes adjust to the bright lights outside. When her vision cleared, she stepped out onto the porch finding the white Stag, the Phoenix, and the Wolf sitting calmly at the base of the steps. Her eyes shifted from one to the other, taking them in, studying them, searching for anything that would tell her what was going on.

  Unlike when she had seen them before, she could immediately sense them as Shifters. They were all part of her sigil, a fiery aura around them.

  “Who are you?” she asked.

  The Wolf, the Stag, and the Phoenix all looked at each other before beginning to shift into their human forms. Brighid watched in awe as each of them changed without force and seemingly without pain. They were fluid in their motions, and when they were done, three strong and stout men, fully naked, stood before her.

  She blinked at them for a moment and then crossed her arms ov
er her chest. "Alright, which one of you is going to tell me exactly what the hell is going on?"

  Chapter Six

  Nudity had always been a natural and normal thing with the Shifters. Brighid grew up seeing naked body after naked body but had never thought twice about it. There were very few who could shift from their animal into their human form and be clothed. In fact, the only ones she knew of were of deep magical background. Nonetheless, she found herself slightly embarrassed and uncomfortable as the three men stood at the base of her steps completely nonchalant and baring it all.

  The one that had shifted from a Wolf smirked, and Brighid shook her head, turning her eyes to the man in the middle, the Phoenix. He was tall, lean, with bright red hair, a square and strong chin, skin tanned to a golden brown. At his feet, a drawstring bag sat, propped against his legs. He had been holding it in his beak when she walked out and had put it down before he shifted.

  Brighid pushed the nervousness from her chest and watched as the Phoenix Shifter squatted down and opened up the bag. He pulled out several pairs of clothes, tossing them to the other guys before grabbing his own. Each one quickly dressed, and the Phoenix pulled on a pair of white linen pants that he tied at the waist and a gray V-neck T-shirt. He then pulled out a pair of sandals and slipped his feet into them before tossing a pair of boots from the bag toward the Wolf, and a pair of tennis shoes toward the Stag.

  Brighid could hear the questions simmering in her brain, but she wanted to give the guys a chance to steady themselves after shifting. She knew how annoying it was to have to answer questions right after going through that change. The Phoenix watched the other guys waiting until they were fully dressed, and their boots and shoes were laced up. He cinched his bag and threw it over his shoulder, looking up at Brighid. His eyes were a beautiful green, almost electric in color, and his stare gave her instant comfort.