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COVER SUMMARY
WELCOME TO
SPELLFIRE, TEXAS
Where things aren't what they seem,
The Nineth of the Spellfire Collections
Electra and Alex are celebrating their one-year anniversary
on New Year’s Eve. Yet, an evil from her past disrupts their
celebrations with their friends and family. Can everyone in
Spellfire band together to stop the horrible madness
haunting the town?
A Mission of Thyme, Emery LaRue
The Mayhems and the Jacksons pair up to help Electra.
Discovering the Thyme of Creation does in fact grow near the
Selkie Falls, two rush to retrieve it, as only a Selkie may
swim the falls. While the Jacksons wait to flash it to
Electra with magic. Will they make it in time?
Old-fashioned Jack Taylor discovers the right man to find
the Dagger of Destruction is his wife Rosie. Can he accept
the hazards they’ll face together?
The Will of Warts, Jewel Adams
Dan answers Bess’ call, together with Electra they fight to
obtain the potion needed to save Spellfire. Dan fears it may
cost him…Bess.
Shifting Passions, Leanne Strange
Harpy, Derek, Adam, and Tris must find the Heart of
Knowledge before the clock strikes midnight. Will lurking
dangers keep them from achieving their goal and helping to
save Spellfire from evil?
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EXCERPT
Electrafied, Part One
by
Mae Powers
Chapter One
Electra looked over the ballroom
where hers and Alex’s first anniversary party would be held
tonight. She smiled,. glad so many were going to show up.
She thought about the struggles to get this party off the
ground. So much went into it earlier this evening and a few
days ago.
It had been a tossup where the
party would even be held. Alex’s mother wanted to hold it at
their new restaurant Garnet’s, and others suggested
different places around town or in Houston, perhaps even
Galveston. Electra set her foot down and said Havoc House.
The Havoc Hotel looked grandiose, yet austere. The
semi-Southern, English mansion stood tall amongst lush old
trees and the grounds. All around it were a variety of
intimate garden walkways, flowing fountains, and aromatic
varieties of floral and foliage plant life. It contained the
largest ballroom and party area in town. That’s where she
decided it should be held. The huge room looked festively
decorated, with chairs and tables standing read to one side
of the wide circular room.
There must be at least two
hundred people coming here tonight,
she thought. And that’s not counting the late comers or
party-busters that would straggle in. She’d only wanted a
dozen or so and make it an intimate party, but, after Alex
and his mom, along with others, kept adding to the list of
guests, it drove her nuts and she capitulated.
It would be a wonder if the whole
town didn’t show up. Well it felt like they already did, in
various ways. She had dinners of congratulations all week,
from various friends and business acquaintances, both good
parafolk and seedy ones. Barnabas’ Bar held an Electra night
there, with half the Fae in town, and she even went to their
Underground Festival. They’d gave her some of the most
luscious lover-jewels her and Alex ever saw.
Oh the list of her friends, true
ones, that is, was long indeed. Yet, there were a few she
could have done without tonight. Frightful Frieda and Perry
Normil were two of them. And of course, Horrible Henry
charmed and badgered Alex’s mom for an invite. Then his
cousins the Boodoirs. Talk about a strange ghostly trio. But
she liked them. Henry with all his ranting, booing and
mischief making still held a crystal heart of softness in
him. Just like her Alex.
Alex had been supportive and a
sweetheart through their first year of adjustments to being
married. She’d been close to moving to Houston with him, but
he saw how much Spellfire meant to her. So he closed up,
sold his Houston holdings, moved his staff and himself to
Spellfire, to run his large Internet business. She’d loved
his cooking team, they were the ones doing the catering
tonight. Plus his co-chef Dak Loombottom took over running
Garnets, with her ex manger from Sinful Sundaes, Paula
Vandress, since Harpy now almost completely manages the ice
cream parlor. Electra still lived above the Shoppe with
Alex, using the spare bedroom, a few days during the week
when she needed to work on potions and Sins new ice cream
flavors, otherwise Derek and Harpy occupied the place.
Alex’s base of operations were in the old building,
converted for his use, right down the street near Spellfire
House, an old warehouse building Adam and his family once
owned. It worked out well for them all. Now, Adam and Tris
were even happier, one less
thing to worry about.
Her other newly married friends
were at the party tonight. They just started trickling in to
help with last minute preparations. The party wasn’t
officially starting until about 6 pm and she figured they
would go through at least until just after midnight, since
that’s when she and Alex said “I do” in a simple ceremony in
Sins, last New year’s eve. She loved it and never regretted
it. Now everyone wanted to wish them the best and so the
party became somewhat more than their anniversary party. It
also turned into a New Year’s Eve party for her close
friends and then some of the town’s councils. Spellfire had
a lot of paranormal councils. Well it seemed like it did to
her. There was the Witch’s Board and the Council of Elders
and some more, that were run by werewolves, vamps, faeries,
and an eclectic mix of other paranormal beings. She was
pressed, or invited to have a seat on most of them.
She didn’t figure herself to be
the governing type, but she did become a defender. And she
defended Spellfire. She moved around the room, checking all
the tables to make sure names and arrangements were properly
made. She sighed and waved at a few people there helping
with last minute setups and thanked the ghostly spirits,
seen and unseen, for helping to be servers tonight. She left
the room shortly and headed out the first veranda doors she
came to. She looked up into the overcast winter sky. It
darkened early here and sometimes it looked like dusk before
dusk even got here, in the afternoons, instead of it’s
usually creeping evenings. Yet, Texas had some of the most
gorgeous sunsets and skyline’s she’d ever had the pleasure
of beholding.
Dark blues and Mauves, with smoky
gray, sometimes filtered with the last lingering rays of
orange red, like leftovers of a dwindling sun. They calmed
her soul, and often sung to her heart. Just as the town of
Spellfire did, and just as the secrets
of it’s parameters and citizens did. And through it all,
LifeCore hummed its ever-growing needs to her. She had been
brought up knowing she would be it’s guardian one day. Not
everyone knew it, and there were some other guardians too,
but it was in her very core to be part of LifeCore and the
magic it brought to Spellfire. Spellfire came to be, nearly
as soon as LifeCore did. They were synonymous with each
other. And she loved this town and cared for the essence of
LifeCore.
When it didn’t show its split
personality.
It had always been there for her
and she for it. And it liked Alex. It’s heart sang with hers
when she’d gone down to get it’s approval on her love for
Alex. It glowed with a yes and a hiss that he was meant for
her. Yet, part of it darkened. But that was something she
kept to her self all these long months. That, and she felt
it in her deepest recesses that LifeCore had been developing
some motives of its own.
She’d kept the secret for as long
as she could and humored it, watched LifeCore and kept its
desires at bay. Only a few months back, Maejika and her
friend took a trip back in the past and things concerning
LifeCore’s secrets were now filtering to the open. If she
did not find a way to contain it, the town would be in more
trouble than if Gremlorr showed up unexpectedly.
She shivered at the thought of her
ex-husband Mikhail de-Gremlorr. He was buried, entombed in
the caverns below Spellfire, and the Underground Fae kept
guards around the walled up chambers to ensure he didn’t
escape. She sighed and pushed thoughts of Mikhail out of her
mind.
A Mission of Thyme
by
Emery LaRue
The party of the year had
commenced, and the laughter and well wishes for the New Year
were on everyone’s lips. Electra and Alex danced, and all
could see the love they shared. Not only would this be a new
year, but it was a celebration of the love between Electra
and Alex. It was their first anniversary, and all who knew
the pair loved them. It was an honor to celebrate such an
event at Havoc House.
Laughing into her husband’s
eyes, Missy squealed as he lifted her high in the air. It
was their first real night out since the birth of their
daughter, Kora. It had been hard for her to leave the
precious little bundle, and Garland almost backed out of
coming all together.
Suddenly she stopped, gasping
as a pain sliced through her head. She was very sensitive
to those around her, and something felt very wrong. Before
she could answer her husbands concern, the floor trembled
and rolled, shaking as if it would collapse at any moment.
Mistletoe Mayhem clutched at
her husband. Her eyes searched frantically about the room
for the source of the disruption. The floor shook violently,
and it was all she could do to maintain her balance. Black
smoke seeped through the cracks in the floor, and then the
form of a man, or beast began to take shape. Missy
experienced a sinister feeling of dread seeping into the
room.
“What the hell is that?”
Candy spoke up from beside her.
Mistletoe shook her head at
her friends, Candy and Trevor Jackson. She had no answers.
She let out a sigh of relief that they were unharmed, but
her husband’s eyes were glowing. That meant only one thing.
He was preparing for a fight.
“Garland? What is it?”
“You just stay behind me,
Missy.”
She followed his gaze and
gasped. All around the room, each exit was blocked by
creatures of evil. She could literally feel it, smell it.
Whatever it or they were, evil radiated from them. She’d
heard the stories of the power of Spellfire, and of Mikhail,
but she never thought to see this horror. Electra was very
powerful and she guarded what belonged to her well.
Spellfire was very much a part of Electra.
Electra did all she could to
protect those around her. It seemed it ended as quickly as
it began. Words were exchanged between the lady of the hour
and the thing that seemed determined to end the festivities.
However, Alex was gone. The pain and anger couldn’t have
been mistaken in the magical woman’s scream. The room
trembled with its force.
Everyone gathered around
Electra Spellfire and Maejika Maelstrom, listening as the
two explained what they were up against, offering support
and volunteering for whatever task might be necessary to
bring Alex home and stop the Gremlorr.
Garland stepped forward with
Missy by his side.
“I recall that the Thyme of
Creation grows deep under Selkie Falls. Missy and I can
retrieve the herb, but it will take some time. Getting it to
you in time will be the challenge.”
“I can help with that,” Candy
Jackson spoke up from her place beside her husband Trevor.
“We will wait beside the river. Once you have the herb, I
can use my magic to flash it to Electra or Maejika.”
“Are you sure, Candy?” Garland
seemed skeptical. “That hasn’t been your strong point.”
“Garland Mayhem, I may have
had problems in the past, but I think I can handle a little
flash.”
Her indignant tone was almost
enough to ease some of the tension. Candy had many mishaps
with the one spell she never could quite get the knack of.
Every time she tried before, something went wrong. At one
point, she and Trevor ended up naked on top of a very cold
mountain.
However, this time, a whole
town would be depending on her. Not to mention Electra.
There was no possible way she could do all of this alone.
The look of anger and pain on her face now was enough to
break a heart. But inside those eyes lay a determination to
see this through. Candy wouldn’t let her down.
After Electra instructed them
on what to do, and warned them of the dangers, the group of
four rushed out into the night. This evening had been so
perfect, as most Spellfire evenings were. But tonight, even
the magical town itself seemed darker, almost as if it were
dying from the evil lurking in the shadows.
Nastie Business
by
Anna Fallon
“Electra,” Scott placed his hand on her shoulder, he could
feel Electra’s emotional vibration. “I will find the Soul of
Seers.”
“But you have only been in Spellfire for just over a week,
you have no obligation or required loyalty to me or
Spellfire.” Her voice cracked a little and Scott knew
Electra Spellfire Ruveaux verged on the brink of losing
control. The last thing he wanted was for such a proud and
accomplished lady to be brought down by the evil of the
Gremlorr.
“Electra, ever since the first day I set foot in this town,
you and Alex have made me feel like Spellfire is my home.
You both have helped me adjust to my new life as a faery.
Crikey, without you I’d never have the guts to face me
mates.”
Electra nodded and the others called for her attention. “Be
careful, Scott. Gremlorr is powerful and desperate. He will
not stop until either he controls every ounce of magic in
this town or he is dead. It’s me or him in the end.” Electra
stood tall, her shoulders back, and Scott could see Gremlorr
had a fight on his hands.
“I’ll let you worry about him. I’m going to find this Soul
of Seers thing and get it back here before a quarter to
midnight. Failure is not in my dictionary, and I won’t stand
by and let the friends I’ve made so far get taken down by
some overgrown evil bloke with an overblown sense of self
importance.” Scott clenched his fists in determination.
“Dear Scott Robson, you are a Robson all right. Just like
your uncle, old Virgil. God rest his soul. Stubborn as a
mule and with just enough naivety to make him think anything
was possible. You just had to want it bad enough.” With
that, Electra touched his hand and went to speak to the
others about gathering the Dagger of Destruction and some
wart thing.
“It’s beyond me how a wart can save anything, but there you
go,” Scott said to himself, placing his hands on his hips.
He felt arms encircle his waist.
“Not now, Nancy. Topaz will be back any minute!” he joked.
He heard the familiar giggle of Topaz Sinclair, the faery
who’d won his heart over the past week. Scott couldn’t be
sure if he would stay in Spellfire or if he and Topaz would
have a relationship beyond the here and now, but he sure as
hell wanted Spellfire to be around long enough for him to
make up his mind.
“Scott! Who is Nancy?” Topaz asked.
“Oh, Topaz! It’s you. Oh, Nancy, no one, just a friend I
met,” he answered with a chuckle, “but now you are here she
probably won’t come back to talk to me.”
“She better not!” Topaz let him go and walked around to
stand before him, her golden wings glittering in the light.
Her elvin face held a soft glow, and Scott just wanted to
reach out and stroke her skin.
“I’m going to find the Soul of Seers,” he announced.
“Not without me, you’re not. Do you know how dangerous that
necklace can be?” Topaz placed her hands on her hips now and
looked quite the school marm.
“Oh, how hard can it be? Do you know where it is?”
“Perhaps, but one wrong move with that thing and you could
be struck with many afflictions. Every evil curse ever
inflicted on anyone by demons and the like is contained in
that pendant. If you don’t treat it carefully you may just
end up scarred for life.” Topaz spoke seriously and her
frown looked like the cutest thing he’d seen in a while.
Scott roared with laughter.
“What is so funny?” she asked him, sounding slightly
offended at his mirth.
“In the last week, I have met every weird and wonderful
paranormal creature in existence. I drank tomato juice with
a vegan vampire. I talked to the skeleton in my closet, who
just happens to be the local shrink. I have even discussed
excess hair problems with a werewolf. Now here I am, a
six-foot-four Aussie bloke sporting a thumping great pair of
neon pink wings out my back.” He fluttered them to make his
point. “You can cut off both my legs and give me a hump, it
would be easier to deal with! Trust me, Topaz, nothing can
be harder for me than to have become a faery.” Scott
chuckled a little.
“Well, the neon wings are rare. You are quite lucky,” Topaz
defended the power of the Fae with a steely smile.
“Oh, yeah, leave it to me to be the lucky one,” Scott
answered. Topaz giggled at his humor.
He loved it when he made her laugh.
“Come on. Time is running out, and we need to find this
piece of bling on a string. Electra Spellfire Ruveaux has
always been there for my family, even though I didn’t know
it at the time. Now it is time to return the favor. No
decent Aussie bloke would ever leave a mate high and dry.
Now, where is this Soul of Seers?” he asked.
“Actually not that far away. It’s not so much distance that
will stop us as the evil along the way. I’m not too proud to
admit I am scared, Scott,” Topaz confessed.
Scott knew in that instance that not knowing what awaited
him might well be his greatest weapon. He would protect
Topaz or die trying.
Cuts Both Ways
By
Bridghid Parkinson
“Oh, what a lovely evening to have everything so fucked up!”
James snorted. Sarah swiped her fan in his direction grazing
his arm gently, but giving a clear message.
Jack had to respect her use of the fan. Even in modern
attire, Sarah carried a small fan made of sandalwood and
decorated with a lace trim. When Sarah was nervous, she
removed the fan from her purse letting the gentle fragrance
of the wood float through the air. Maejika once explained to
him how there was a natural magic in the soothing scent of
the wood, and women in the 1800s used a fan as a polite
communication device for less than polite situations.
Jack still felt stunned by what happened in the room just
moments earlier. The Gremlorr dropped his payload of bad
attitude on what should have been a jovial party. What
should’ve been the happy, rowdy chaos of a Texas Style New
Year’s party, became paranormal pandemonium.
Creatures of all kinds spoke of different spells and things
needed to stop Gremlorr. It didn’t make sense to Jack, but
Rosie watched people in the room carefully.
The ray of realization hit. Earlier, Jack overheard a couple
of men talking about the Bermuda triangle today and he
remembered mention of a dagger. Jack had been in his ghostly
form at Barnabas’ Bar and didn’t want to upset the men by
materializing and making them think he had purposefully
eavesdropped on the conversation.
Jack waved to Maejika Maelstrom and she approached them with
the tentative look that made Jack wonder if any effort would
make a difference in stopping Gremlorr.
“I think,” Jack pulled James closer as the girls joined the
two men, “one of the items is in the Bermuda Triangle. It’s
the dagger. They can’t specifically destroy it because it’s
meant for destruction, or something like that. Gremlor may
have sent it to the bottom of the ocean to keep people away.
I overheard something earlier.”
James nodded. “I don’t know about the other items, but you
and I have the better chance of finding that there dagger.
If it’s floating around the Devil’s Triangle or under the
waters like fucker-face plans, we don’t need to breathe to
get it.”
Sarah swatted James again and then went on to fan herself in
a staccato rhythm. Jack didn’t envy the tongue-lashing James
would get later because Sarah disapproved of ‘boy-talk’ in
public.
Maejika’s look of surprise changed to concern as she
explained the spell that could stop Gremlorr, but it had to
be completed quickly. She described a few problems Gremlorr
caused in the past but the new menace was, by far, the
worst.
When Jack and James tried to tackle the Gremlorr, just after
all of the confusion started, they were ineffective.
Anything they tried to do towards him failed. All the works
they completed in the past against armies of people meant
nothing in the face of the Gremlorr. Jack caught himself in
a rueful snicker as he thought how they were as effective as
ghosts against this new magical adversary.
Through the fuss, Rosie remained silent. Jack knew her
normal reaction to fear and fury were the same—silence. When
the Western Union man came with his Army draft notice, she
had leaned against the wall and stood still as a statue.
Now, she leaned against the wall, staring at the floor. He
knew she heard them both mention the dagger and getting it
from Bermuda Triangle.
“You’re going?” she asked.
“Honey, I have to go. If we have a chance to stop this
asshole, I want to make sure it can be done. If we don’t,
and the spells fail, Spellfire won’t be much fun anymore.
That’s not what we’ve worked for around here!”
“I just got you back. It feels like you are going to war all
over again!”
“I know, but this shouldn’t be as long.” He reached up to
the filterless cigarette that manifested at the corner of
his mouth. A long drag always calmed him and the cigarette
manifested at anytime he felt anxious. He was trying to quit
just because it was annoying but during times of high
stress, he couldn’t escape it.
“I—just—I—don’t…” Rosie’s words trailed off. She snatched
the cigarette away from Jack, tossing it aside and letting
it dissipate completely. She stared at Jack, trying to find
the words. “I don’t know what comes after this life. My
faith kept me going so long ago, and I knew I would see you
again in heaven…or whatever. You heard him! He took sadistic
delight in brushing you and James aside like flies at a
picnic. If this dagger might destroy even you, where would
we go from here?”
“Rosie, in case you haven’t noticed…he can’t kill me…”
“Jack?” Maejika interrupted by placing her hand on Jack’s
shoulder. “There is more to the possibility of being
destroyed like the warning said. It’s possible to have the
dagger harm your spirit. We can’t ask you to do this.”
Jack sighed knowing Maejika didn’t have to ask for his help.
They had already helped each other frequently in the past.
“See? I just got you back and now what?” Rosie crossed her
arms in front of her chest. “I had this idea that Heaven is
supposed to go on forever. I get just these last two months
and…and?”
Jack watched her and saw an astonishing transformation as
Rosie began to age before his eyes. In the time since she
arrived in Spellfire, she always looked just as she had
before he left for the war. There were occasional changes in
her appearance, depending on what they were doing. When they
were working in the appliance shop, she looked just like the
days he remembered when watching over her in the shipyards
after his death. When they had gone out for a special
evening, she often looked the same as when he first met her.
Now, tiny lines formed around her tightly pursed mouth and
frown lines furrowed her brow from worry. He reached out and
took her hand.
“Are you sure about this?” Rosie asked.
“I think we can get it strategically and be back here before
the foul odor leaves the room from Electra’s ex-husband.”
Maejika shook her head. “Don’t be arrogant, Jack. There’s
going to be a catch…some trap.”
Jack turned back to Maejika and passed his finger through
her drinking glass without disturbing an ice cube or a
bubble.
“Try that again,” she challenged. Maejika leveled her gaze
on him with defiance.
Jack steeled himself because he was prepared for some
effect. He knew Maejika loved to prove her points, but as
his finger passed into the glass, he felt a jolt—like
electricity—and a ringing in his ears that threatened to
split his head apart.
“He’s not going to let this be an easy pick up. I’m willing
to bet there is some hitch. Gremlorr probably has henchmen
or demon friends guarding it that the new owner can’t see.
It would be like him to set it up so that these henchmen
steal it back in a few days.”
“I have leather packs. Would that insulate me?”
“Maybe.”
“A wood box?” James asked.
“Maybe.”
“Can you give us anything better than a ‘maybe’?”
Rosie asked.
Maejika hesitated. “A witch on the Good side.”
“I’m going with you,” Rosie answered.
Maejika lurched forward and grabbed Rosie’s arm. “I haven’t
had the chance to train you, Rosie. With the holidays, our
schedules have been so busy! You are going to need more than
our once-a-week afternoon teas with Electra! Your Strega
heritage doesn’t guarantee anything about handling the
dagger.”
“Well, I’m all you have…unless you have another witch that
can travel almost instantaneously and not need scuba gear if
we happen to find the dagger on the ocean floor?”
Maejika remained silent.
Jack knew Rosie’s determination. She was going.
Sarah said flatly, “I’m going. I’m not staying behind!
The silence told Jack that everyone felt determined. Even
Sarah stopped fanning herself.
The Will of Warts
by
Jewel Adams
Chapter One
Bess could feel the danger. Twirling in place, she tried to
find the source. Nothing stood out, yet the evil felt like
it kept growing.
Turing about, she searched for Danu’ell and found him in the
far corner of the ballroom. He, too, looked as though he
sensed the evil invading Electra and Alex’s anniversary
party. She spoke to him in silence.
Danu’ell, do you feel it?
He turned and looked at her across the room. Yes, a very
evil presence is close. It feels like the fields, Bess.
Don’t move, I’m coming to you.
She nodded and stayed perfectly still, listening for any
sign of where the evil might be. Thoughts of telling Electra
came over her. When she looked at the woman, she could tell
that she felt it as well. Electra, where is the evil
coming from?
Bess…be careful. I don’t know, but it is growing in
strength.
I am here as well, Electra. Dan placed his protective
hold about Bess, glad now that he let her talk him into
coming to the party. He’d spent too much time preparing for
the war Mother told him would come soon, and right now, Dan
felt the war might be beginning.
Stay by her side, Danu’ell. It is close.
I feel it as well. It is all around us now. Bess
trembled in his arms, and he tightened his hold on her as if
he feared she might disappear.
They both heard Electra’s brother speak telepathically to
her, and they searched for what none could see and only
sense.
The explosion came from beneath them as the dance floor
began to open. A ghostly mist swept through the room from
the veranda, surrounding everyone.
“Danu’ell?”
“Don’t move and stay beside me, Bess.” The last thing he
would allow was any harm to come to Bess. Over the last
month, he knew the war preparations took preference and he
failed to seek her out since she left the farm. Her silent
call to him to come tonight surprised him. Something made
him accept and meet her here.
He could feel the warring heat flooding his body and that of
Bess as the ghostly visions of ghouls and dark creatures
flew overhead.
They watched as the Gremlorr appeared, threatening Electra
and Alex. Electra’s protective shield gave everyone the time
they needed to defend themselves against the ghostly
attacks.
Danu’ell pushed Bess behind him as he hurled electric balls
of fire at their attackers. Bess, too, fought off the demons
with her own magical web of roots, hitting one of the demons
and tossing and pinning him to the far wall.
“Remind me not to make you angry, Bess.”
She gave a small laugh. “That is mild, my Danu’ell.”
He took her words to heart and felt relieved to know she
held no anger for him in her heart. Nary a day went by that
he didn’t remember every minute with Bess. Dan discovered
that he still possessed love in his heart, and it was all
centered on one beautiful nymph called Bess.
No more words were spoken as they battled the Gremlorr’s
army. Many of the demons they saw where those of long lost
legends, and Dan remembered the Mother’s words of broken
trusts. Sadly, he believe this would be the beginning of
many battles to come.
Bess stayed behind Danu’ell as he ordered her to do, but she
too continued to fight against the evil invading the
ballroom. She heard the silent cries of fear from many of
the guests and those fighting back. As an Elfen Warrior,
Danu’ell fought with a vicious ease that sent a chill
through Bess. All she expected and feared she now witnessed
from the man she loved. Mother choose her warriors from the
best. Bess’s heart knew that Danu’ell had seen many battles
in the past. What she feared is what he would now face from
the Gremlorr and his army of demons.
As the battle slowed and the demons left the ballroom with
the Gremlorr, they both turned in fear over the cry coming
from Electra.
Bess felt Danu’ell’s grip tighten around her waist over the
discovery that Alex was missing. When she heard that Electra
needed help, Bess silently told her she would help search
for the Wart of Wills.
Dan joined in with Bess, refusing to let her go alone into
the depths of the Caverns beneath Spellfire. Even if Electra
went with Bess, Dan intended to be with them to help them
find Alex and the Wart of Wills. They might know what they
could face from the Gremlorr and his nasty lot, but Dan felt
leery about the LifeCore that the Mother spoke to him about
and what might happen when they entered its domain.
“The war has begun.”
Bess looked up at Danu’ell, her hand raised to touch his
hardened jaw. “My heart is with you.”
Dan turned his head and kissed Bess’s palm. “As mine is with
you.” He watched her pretty eyes grow large as the meaning
of his words sunk in past the chaos in the room. When she
stared up into his waiting gaze, he told her what he wanted
to say these last weeks. “Yes, Bess, I love you, and I hope
you can forgive this stubborn elf for not coming to you
sooner and saying what my heart knew.”
She raised on tiptoe to capture his lips. In between her
kisses, she spoke to him in silence. I am glad you
finally listened to your heart. My own has held you in love
since that first day in the nursery.
Shifting Passions
by
Leanne Strange
Chapter One
“The party supplies are all put away,” Adam Spellfire called
from inside the huge walk-in pantry connected to the Havoc
House kitchen.
Tristine Havoc Spellfire looked up from the list of things
to do to find her husband emerge with a bag of Pluto
Pretzels and stuff three of the salty twists into his mouth.
Everyone in Spellfire loved Pluto Pretzels, and the stores
always ran out long before the next shipment arrived. Ever
since Adam convinced the distributor, an alien humanoid from
the planet Pluto who came to town on a regular basis, to
allow him to place a monthly order to keep him in stock,
Adam had been much easier to live with.
Tris handed the list to Harpy Spellfire and plucked the bag
from Adam's big hands. She heard Harpy stifle a giggle.
“Wait!” Adam snatched back the bag. “I'm hungry.”
“You're always hungry,” Tris complained good-naturedly and
smiled at the man she loved.
“Just like a shifter,” Harpy said with a laugh.
Adam pulled a frown. “Hey, I resemble that remark.”
The back door opened and the air sorcerer Derek Spellfire,
Harpy's husband as well as Adam's cousin, walked in. “I put
the van in the garage and out of the way.”
“Thanks, Derek,” Tris said.
“No problem.” Derek took the bag from Adam and tossed a few
pretzels into his mouth.
Adam emitted a low, menacing growl deep in his throat. Even
though Derek ignored him, Tris entwined her arm with her
husband's. Adam growled again, and Tris felt it vibrate
throughout his body. She traced her fingertips along his
arm.
Adam swung his gaze from Derek to her. His eyes changed from
annoyance to ardor and glowed deep crimson.
Tris ran her tongue over her lips. The sound her husband
made when threatened and the reddening of his eyes turned
her on. She wished she had time to lead him to one of the
empty rooms upstairs and have her way with him. Maybe if
Derek annoyed him enough, Adam would shift. Then he could
have his demon way with her. Her nipples tingled and
tightened at the thought.
But Harpy and Derek were here and the four of them had much
to do to prepare for Electra and Alex's first anniversary
party. She sighed and patted Adam's arm. “You two stop
fighting over the Pluto Pretzels. There'll be plenty to eat
tonight at the party.”
“It takes a lot of calories and carbs to energize a demvir,”
Adam crammed a couple more pretzels into his mouth. “A
shifter needs more food than average to be able to
transmogrify from one state to another and back again.”
“Don't I know it,” Harpy muttered under her breath.
Tris watched Harpy turn red in embarrassment when she
realized she'd spoken loud enough for Tris and Adam to hear.
She and Harpy had never been friends. Over the years, Harpy
had acted almost hostile toward Tris whenever they chanced
to meet until Harpy and Derek rekindled their romance and
married the previous Valentine's Day. As far as Tris knew,
she'd never done anything to Harpy.
Now, having married Spellfire cousins who were also friends,
she and Harpy found themselves associating more and more.
Harpy seemed to go out of her way to be extra nice to Tris.
Many times, Tris thought of asking her why, but always
decided to leave well enough alone. No need to chance
stirring up Harpy's earlier antagonism no matter what had
caused it.
Derek put his arm around his wife. “You might as well tell
them. They'll find out sooner or later anyway.”
Harpy nodded. “You both know I'm half harpy and half human,
and even though I have wings I was never able to fly – until
Derek gave me some of his wind while he was stuck in
elemental air form.”
Adam remained silent, but Tris nodded. “You told us what
happened at the Valentine's Day picnic. When Derek gave you
his wind, you were able to fly and he turned back into his
human self.”
Harpy looked up at Derek and smiled. “Well, ever since then,
I sometimes shift into a harpy, too. The witch doctor said
it's rare for a half-harpy to be able to shift into harpy
form.”
“That's wonderful...” Tris began, but trailed off at Harpy's
and Derek's serious expressions. “Isn't it?”
“The thing is,” Harpy explained, “it happens out of the
blue. I never know when or where. I've been lucky it hasn't
happened around normal folks or at other inconvenient
times.”
“But there's good news,” Derek said encouragingly. “It's
taken her months, but she's able to shift when she wants to
now.”
“Yeah,” Harpy agreed, but frowned. “I'm still nowhere near
controlling the spontaneous shifting, though.”
“She's working hard on it,” Derek added.
Tris reached out and squeezed Harpy's hand. “Well, that
is wonderful. Sounds like it will take time and work,
but I'm sure you'll eventually learn to control it.”
“Thanks, Tris,” Harpy murmured. Then she laughed. “So if you
turn around and see a hag with wings and claws for hands and
feet, it'll just be me.”
Derek laughed, but Tris saw the worry in his gold-flecked
green eyes. He placed a tender kiss at Harpy's temple, amid
her tumultuous blond curls, before turning her loose.
Tris looked at Adam, and they exchanged secret lovers'
smiles. It was nice to see Harpy and Derek experience the
same kind of devoted love she and Adam shared.
“While we're all here, how about the tour you've been
promising Harpy and me? The museum was finished last week,
wasn't it?” Derek asked.
“Yes, all the construction is done,” Tris answered. “Not all
of the artifacts are in place because some of the donations
haven't arrived yet. Did Adam tell you he's going to have a
museum built at Spellfire House, too?”
Derek nodded. “I think it's a great idea to preserve the
history of the town of Spellfire. The wax museum on the
other side of town is limited to wax replicas of historical
figures and some odds and ends that no one knows the history
of.”
“Electra and Maejika Maelstrom are donating family mementoes
to both museums,” Tris announced.
Derek turned to Tris. “Electra brought some over already,
didn't she?”
When Tris nodded, Harpy's blue eyes sparkled in
anticipation. “We're finally going to clean out the basement
under Sinful Sundaes. I haven't been down there since the
time I tripped over an ancient coffin.”
Adam took the almost empty pretzel bag from Derek. “Electra
has a coffin in her basement?”
Derek laughed and scored a handful of pretzels before Adam
pulled the bag out of his reach. “Electra has all kinds of
weird stuff in that damp, dark place. Now, let's get this
tour started.”
Tris glanced at her watch. “We'll have to make it quick. We
don't have much time before we have to start preparations
for the party.”
“Tris came up with a great setup. I'll be using the same
design in the Spellfire House attic.” Adam put the last of
the Pluto Pretzels into his mouth and tossed the empty bag
into the trash before they left the kitchen.
At the top of the fourth flight of stairs, Tris opened the
double doors to the former dusty attic.
Derek let out a whistle as he looked around. “Wow, it sure
is different than when your cousin Haydn and I hung around
up here when we were kids. It was unfinished rafters and
crammed with trunks, broken furniture, and musty books.”
“It's awesome, Tris,” Harpy praised.
Tris waited while Harpy and Derek looked at the display
cases, shelves, and tables. Tris had gone through every one
of those trunks and recovered a number of Havoc family
treasures to display. When the rest of the donations came in
from the various founding families of Spellfire, the museum
would be a treasure trove of the history of the town and its
people. Everyone had been so generous with their promised
donations that Adam decided to construct a similar museum in
the attic at Spellfire House to catch the overflow.
Harpy suddenly made a sound of disgust. “Whew, what's that
smell?”
Tris watched Harpy follow her nose to one narrow end of the
attic and stop.
Adam sniffed the air. “I smell it, too. I don't remember
that from when I was up here last month.”
“I don't smell anything,” Derek said.
“Neither do I,” Tris said. “But shifters have a keener sense
of smell than us non-shifters.”
Tris, Adam, and Derek joined Harpy in front of several
shelves filled with shadow boxes.
“I think it's coming from this.” Harpy picked up a shadow
box painted black and decorated in silver. She put it to her
nose. “It smells burnt, but there's another, stronger odor I
can't identify.”
Tris took the box from her. Inside the frame lay a piece of
charred woody stem and beside it, a small, dried plant with
gray, fuzzy fern-like leaves. Tris grinned mischievously.
“That's the hearthorn or, as we witches call it, the Heart
of Knowledge.”
Adam growled. “That's not what I think it is, is it?”
“Yes, it's what my great-great-grandmother Hermione Havoc
used to bind the curse she placed on the Spellfire men.”
Tris replaced the shadow box on the table. “Not to worry,
though. Only a few as powerful as Electra, Maejika, or
Frightful Frieda have the ability to use it. And this one is
harmless. Once used in a spell, the same piece can't be used
again.”
“Isn't the Shifting Swamp the only place it grows?” Harpy
asked.
Tris nodded. “But don't let the name of the swamp fool you.
The swamp gas is lethal to shifters. The reason it's called
the Shifting Swamp is because it randomly moves from one
location to another. You enter it in one place then when you
leave, you might find yourself miles away.”
“I drifted over it once,” Derek said.
“Oh, Derek!” Harpy cried out. “The gas could have killed
you.”
“Don't worry, baby. Technically, I'm not a shifter like you
and Adam. I don't transmogrify when I turn into air form. I
disseminate.” Derek grew quiet then said. “I saw something
in middle of the swamp, something I've never seen before and
hope to never see again.”
Tris looked at her watch again. “Well, it's time to call a
halt to this tour. We have a lot to do to get ready for the
party.”
The others went ahead down the stairs while Tris secured the
double doors. An icy chill raced up her spine, and she
shivered, rubbing her arms. She hoped it wasn't a bad omen
for the party, but she couldn't shake the feeling the
evening would not go as smoothly as planned.
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