WELCOME TO

SPELLFIRE, TEXAS

The Tenth of the Spellfire Collections

Spellfire Hearts 2

Constant Cravings by Bev Haynes

Psychic healer, Coreena Martinez’ life in Spellfire, TX is about to change as sexy Tomas illuminates the path to his heart and to the other side.

Purrly…Gnome Magic by Jewel Adams

Molly’s move and new start begins the moment she conks Karl Novac over the head. Can a gnome find true love with—a cat shifter?

Endless Love by Juilette Ashton

Dell’s fears his Angel will never adjust to life in Spellfire. Shellena loves Dellance, yet knows she must prove herself worthy to the wolf in Dell.

That’s Normil for Spellfire by Bridghid Parkinson

Abby ran for Mayor against her brother Perry, but disappeared before the election. Rumors of foul play abound in Spellfire, but her fiancé still searches.

Sweet Freckles by Starla Malone

Kisses from Terra Dapples left their mark on Willie Sphinx, Earth Sorcerer. Can he find a cure for the chaos of loving a Freckle Fairy?

Back to the Top

EXCERPTS

CONSTANT CRAVINGS

By

Bev Haynes

CHAPTER ONE

Psychic healer Coreena Martinez lifted the sage smudge stick from the large conch shell filled with white sand and lit the end with a wooden match stick. The dried leaves caught fire and spread the heat to the heart of the stick evoking the magical call to cleanse.

 Corey blew out the fire and the smoke rose in a large spiral toward the ceiling of the healing room at Scared Spaces, her newly opened healing and massage center.

As the smoke billowed, it formed into a shape near the corner of the room. Fighting back an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach, Corey called out to the spirit, “Anything not from God be gone.” She then crossed herself with the familiar movement she learned at her mother’s side as a child. Raised a Catholic Christian, she combined being a spiritual medium and healer with faith. This combination drove her from the border town she called home for twenty-three years and brought her to Spellfire, Texas. 

Apparently, the shadow wasn’t going to harm her because it still remained there. This wasn’t the first time she confronted this shape. Something about it screamed male and now, she suspected this entity followed her here to Spellfire. Boy did he feel like a man. Waves of sexual desire poured over her body. She felt the coil for sexual release tightening in her core, she wasn’t afraid, but it became unsettling. Why was he here?

As she watched, the filmy shape became more distinct. It definitely looked like a man, a very handsome one at that. He stood tall and lean. As the shadow began to clear, she saw black, collar length hair, dark eyes, full lips that took her breath away. A ghost? A spirit? Her soul mate in spirit form?

She hoisted herself onto the massage table in the middle of the room and just stared at him.

He moved closer to her, causing the vibration in the room to rise and her skin to feel as if electric shocks surrounded her body and gently touched her. “What do you want?”

You.

Corey hadn’t seen his lips move, only the word shriek through her mind. If he could read her mind, he would find that she wanted him as well. Desperately.

“How do you plan to do that? And say, who the heck are you anyway?”

He shook his head and, as suddenly as he appeared, he began to fade away. Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest. This life of hers was so darn lonely. Only a couple of weeks from Valentine’s Day and she still had no one in her life to love.

When her sexy visitor disappeared, Corey hopped off the massage table. Shocked, she felt the moisture puddled between her legs. That man certainly could arouse her, but then it had been months and months since she made love to anyone, what did she expect anyway.

Actually, she felt afraid to love anyone. How could she handle “knowing” scary things about her lover? What if he cheated on her, or fell out of love with her? No, she would just keep her distance from men.

The past three months she’d been in Spellfire, her share of men invited her out, but there was just something odd about the men around here. They didn’t “click” with her. Certainly, she couldn’t read them, but the feeling she did get said that they had huge holes in their hearts. Nothing warm to wrap her arms around.

“Yeah, right, Corey, like your ghost man in the corner!” She spoke aloud, shaking herself from her painful thoughts. What a delusional woman! She needed to have a ghost make contact with her heart, and boy did he. She never felt so much warmth from…smoke!

All she wanted to do was her healing. That would satisfy her and make her life worthwhile. At a young age, she became fearful and apprehensive when suddenly she “knew” things before they happened. Her bother Benito was two years older than her young five years when she awoke screaming in the middle of the night. Her mother rushed into the bedroom and held Corey as she sobbed into her mother’s welcoming embrace. After much coaxing, she choked out the dream where she saw Benito huddled in a corner of a burning room.

Her mother calmed her, but the worried look on her face did nothing to halt Corey’s deep fear that the dream was more than just a nightmare. Suddenly, she heard a pounding at the front door and mother loosened her embrace, looking at Corey with a deep, somber stare. “To sleep with you little one. I’ll get the door and come right back.”

Corey somehow “knew” a policeman would stand behind the battered old door. She crept to the hallway and watched as her mother collapsed to the floor in shock and tears. Benito died at his father’s house that night and Corey witnessed it. That proved to be her first experience, but not her last. It did become easier to see the unseen, but there were times she would give nearly anything to be normal.

Dragging her attention back to the present, Corey spoke out loud, hoping the entity still lurked in the corner. “Please, tell me who you are and why you have followed me here.”

No reply circled in her mind. Smiling, she walked to the door, clicked off the light at the switch and closed the door. She’d had enough for this day!

* * * *

Early the next morning, Corey just finished pouring her first cup of coffee as the telephone’s jangled shrill echoed in the small living room. She was fortunate to have the apartment directly above her business.

Taking a sip of the hot liquid as she walked the short distance to the phone, she answered, “Corey here.”

“Coreena, I have a date for you to auntie Lillia’s Valentine Day bash.”

She groaned inside herself while pasting a smile on her face, a trick she learned early in life. You just can’t sound unhappy, or upset when you smile. “Chissie, I don’t want to go out with anyone. I’ve told you that several times now.”

An indignant response greeted her. “But you have to, Corey! For your business. Everyone in town wants to meet you. They’ll come in for appointments after they meet you.”

“But…”

“No buts. That’s the way it works around this town.”

Chissie was the first person to befriend her when she moved to Spellfire. “So who’s my date supposed to be?”

“Really?” Chissie cried, “You’ll really go?”

“Now, that depends. Who did you hook me up with?”

Chissie hesitated then said, “It’s…Dom DeLord. He’s the most sought after, sexiest man in town. He’s nearly as new around here as you are, so I thought he would be a good fit for you, you both are stunning people.”

Coreena didn’t know what to say. He really was a beautiful man. Glistening blonde hair, startling blue eyes…everything a girl could want, but… Something about him just didn’t set right; he made her feel queasy. New as she was here in Spellfire, she’d heard around that all the women were throwing themselves at him. “So how did you pull off that one?”

“Actually, he came to me. He asked if you had a date to Lillia’s party. He knew we were friends.”

Corey dropped into her chair and put her feet on the ottoman. “Well that hasn’t happened since high school.” This time her smile was real. Possibly, it wouldn’t be so difficult for her to attend the party. Something bugged her though. Why was Dom DeLord seeking her out? As far as she knew, she’d only seen him at a distance.

Shaking off the uneasy feeling, she and Chissie discussed what to wear and where the best place in town would be to buy their new party dresses.

By the time the conversation ended, Corey felt good about the party. Meeting Dom would be the hard part. Why was he so interested in her, anyway? It didn’t take long, only a minute, for the anticipation to dissipate. Sighing, she went into the bedroom to get dressed.

The room bordered the stairway leading down to the shop and on down to the basement area under the shop. Since so few places in Texas possessed a basement, at least she wouldn’t have to worry about the huge storms during the summer.

Dropping her robe, she reached for her clothing just as a shadow formed in the corner. Seemed her spirit had something for corners. He always showed up that way. Grabbing the robe from the floor, she pulled it up and around her as quickly as it dropped.

“We meet again,” Corey said. Her voice quiet and filled with bitterness at the intrusion. “I wish you would knock before entering my room. This is a sheer invasion of my privacy.”

The shadow seemed to bend at the waist in a bow, then disappeared.

Corey shook her head in amazement. Not knowing if she wanted to bathe or just get dressed at this point, she opted to stay in her robe. She didn’t have an appointment for two hours.

Suddenly, she heard a taping at the door. She swallowed past the lump of fear in her throat. Before she’d always blown off these sounds made by this ghost or whatever he was.

Steeling herself for the worst, she offered, “Come in.” The shadow man entered. He no longer looked transparent, but a full-bodied man. Tall, dark and handsome.

“I suspect you have been following me around,” Cory chided. “So, why are you showing yourself to me now…like you are doing at this moment?” A quick sob caught in her throat. This was very upsetting. All her life she’d been trying to escape from all this…supernatural stuff…and just when she felt free from it all, this man came back in her life.

He shook his head and took on this look that told her that he felt sorry for her, sorry for distressing her. I can tell you very little. His words rolled lushly through Coreena’s mind. I’m not supposed to show myself to you, my love, nor make contact with you, but I always have, from when we were little. I was the friend you secretly played with when we were both five. And through our teenage years, I was the one you talked to alone in your room. I’ve always been there for you, and I’ll be here now. Watching, waiting to help you.

Coreena remembered. This was still that same person? “Then how can I deny you access to my room now? You’ve seen all of me then. You are free to be here with me. Free to protect me.” Corey wondered what he had to protect her from in this quiet, nearly boring town.

He began to fade. “Oh please, before you go—can you tell me your name?”

“Tomas.” He tipped his head, then disappeared.

“Tomas,” she spoke aloud…the sound  rolled from her lips and etched a picture in her mind. Her Tomas.

A guardian angel, then? If he had been with her that long, surely that’s what he must be.

Corey finished her morning routine then went down to the shop. With an hour remaining before her first client of the day, she checked her supplies and grabbed an armload of towels, sheets and thick robes to wash down in the laundry room in the basement.

Her arms were full, but with a free hand, she took the bottle of massage oil from its shelf so she could refill it from the large pump bottle.

As she sat the bottle on the shelf, it fell off and rolled to a dark corner. Coreena didn’t notice that the wall didn’t stop it, but the bottle kept rolling through the wall and on to the other side.

With the white towels and robes in the washer, she turned to fill the bottle. It wasn’t there. She looked on the floor, behind the washer, everywhere, but she couldn’t find it. Maybe she hadn’t brought it down after all. But she knew she did. Sighing, she opened a box on the shelf and took out a new bottle and refilled it, then trudged up the stairs as the tinkling bell on the front door sounded. Her client must be early.

PURRLY…Gnome Magic!

By

Jewel Adams

CHAPTER ONE

“Where should this one go, Molly?”

She glanced back over her shoulder before putting the box down. “The owl, let’s see, just place it on the window sill for now, Stella.”

Molly slowly pushed the box on the table over, just enough, to balance the box she held.

“Here, let me move it.” Stella lifted the near empty box out of Molly’s way. “Are there more boxes?”

“Nope, this is the last one.” They both turned to survey the apartment and their handiwork in getting Molly moved in. “I like it, Stella.”

“There sure is a lot of room. You’ll be able to set up your exercise equipment.”

“Thought I’d put it over in that far corner, the morning sun warms that area…” She felt Stella’s hand on her shoulder, her own raised and covered her friends. “I’m okay Stella.”

“Well, I’m not, I am torn in two pieces. We’ve been together since 8^th grade.”

Molly turned to look at her life-long friend, “You are in love with a wonderful man. We both know this is the best decision, your apartment is too small for three.” Molly smiled and started unpacking the last box. “Besides, I think it is time I had my own place.”

Stella’s laughter filled the large loft. “And would one certain Doctor have anything to do with this new attitude?”

She smile at her friend. “I’ll never tell. Besides, have you seen that Australian hunk, Barry?”

“Oh yes, the friend of the Boo bar owner, he’s a looker all right.”

She wasn’t really listening to Stella. In truth, she didn’t care about Barry, no, her cat senses were only interested in one man, doc Roger. The doc may have guessed that she was a shifter, but she wasn’t sure if he fully understood the extent of her personal magic. They barely knew each other, Molly wanted to change that situation, having her own place was a step in that direction.

Molly wondered when she bought the building for her salon what she would do with the open loft above the salon. It seemed that fate once again played its hand in her decisions. She smiled to herself, knowing that she did like the openness of the loft. The special items that she ordered from the Shifters Specialties company should arrive today. Once her tree was in place then it would feel like her own space.

Her claws flexed, impatient to knead the special wood that could withstand some rough treatment, then magically restore itself. She also ordered those thick wall panels that she hoped would work when she wanted to run and jump from wall to wall while in her cat form.

She loved running outside at night, but her last night out proved disastrous. The memory of how scared the merfolk were at Selkie Falls wasn’t one she wanted to repeat. She guessed that seeing her as a full black leopard frightened even the paranormal folk in Spellfire. Her exercise area would have to sustain her urge to run. When she did need to go out she would remember to use an invisibility spell on herself.

“Molly, I need to take off, Noah should be back from the therapy session.”

“How are his legs coming?”

“He’s doing very well, down to just a cane now.”

“I know he will be fine, Stella, I bet he walks down the isle on his own for Valentine’s.”

Stella gave her a hug. “I hope so, Molly, but I’ll take him any way he comes to me.”

Once Molly shut the door, after Stella left, it seems as if a silence fell over the place. She immediately went over and opened up some windows, allowing a cool breeze to filter into the loft. “Too bad I don’t shift into a bird.” Her silly laughter filled the place as she went back to finish the last of her unpacking.

Gathering up the last of the boxes Molly started down the back stairs to take them out to the dumpster. The boxes kept getting caught on the rail and nearly made her miss a step, so she threw them all down the stair well.

“Hey! What are you trying to do? Kill me!”

The angry male voice seemed to echo off the walls. Molly wasn’t sure if she should run to help the voice she didn’t recognize or go lock herself into the apartment. “I’m sorry…” She called down as she started down the stairs, knowing she must be sure he wasn’t hurt. “I didn’t know anyone was here, opps!”

“Opps, is it, I ought to…” Karl turned around ready to fight the person that just rammed into him, but who he saw staring at him, with as much shock as his own, halted his assault in mid-air.

“Ohhh, I’m so sorry, really I am.” Molly’s lips refused her order not to smile, nothing could have prepared her for the man that stood…yes, he was standing, before her. Only problem she saw was that his eyes seemed glued to her breasts, making her wish she didn’t have on the cut off tee shirt. She automatically tried to pull it down, realizing he could see up and under the material and she wasn’t wearing a bra.

“Too late, I forgive being hit with the horde of boxes for the beautiful look I just took.” He smiled over the rush of deep pink flooding her cheeks. It always surprised people to see him the first time, being a gnome had its down side, but right now it sure carried an up-side.

Molly’s giggle escaped and when his joined hers, she stepped back ending his lavish view of her unencumbered breasts and planted herself down on the step behind her. She couldn’t help but laugh over his disappointed look, at least now they were the same height. Dang, but he is cute.

“I’m Molly.”

He took the hand she held out to him. “I’m Karl Novac, I own the other side of the building.”

“Oh yes, the Spooktacular Drug Store.”

“That’s the one. You must be Molly Purrly of Purrly For You Salon?”

“One and the same, I’m moving in above the salon.”

“I heard you were.” He smiled at the questioning rise of her brow. “News travels like lightening through Spellfire.”

“It must, I just decided on the move a couple days ago.”

“How do you like it, so far?”

“It’s nice, a lot better than I’d first thought. I still have so many things to move in, but it is coming together nicely. Would you like to come up?” She couldn’t believe she just invited him to her place. It seemed Mr. Novac brought out a lot of unexpected actions from Molly.

“I would love to, my replacement should be coming in for his shift in about half an hour. Do you mind if I come up then?”

“Not at all, it will give me time to freshen up.” She automatically crossed her arms over her breasts when his gaze fell to them.

“A shame, I suppose you won’t be wearing another top like this one.”

She grinned, “I think I’ll find something long and thick, cover up head to toe.” With that she turned, laughing her way up the stairs. His groan followed her, she looked back to see him still watching her. She gave him a quick wave and left him standing there.

Once the door shut, Molly leaned back against it and blew out her breath. “He sure doesn’t lack in the sexual appeal department.”    

ENDLESS LOVE…

By

Juilette Ashton

CHAPTER ONE

“Can you help me?”

“Sure, what do you need, pretty lady?”

Shelly could feel the blush filling her cheeks. “I am supposed to meet a Mr. Lucas at Sinfuls?”

“That would be Sinful Sundaes the ice cream shop. You go right down the street and you’ll run into it.”

“Thank you.” She watched the rather short man leave with a wave. “He’s a gnome.” She heard the awe in her whisper. It seemed that Spellfire had some very unique residents, making Shelly wonder if everyone saw them or just other magical beings. She would have to ask Dellance about it.

She found the town square fascinating as she walked down the busy sidewalk. More than once she found herself turning full circle to take in another site. Living out in the inner Planes for so long, she forgot how much she missed experiencing in everyday life.

The lump in her throat made her brush off the sad thoughts of her father’s passing. Instead, she reminded herself that it was his final wish that she come to Spellfire and marry Mr. Lucas. Dellance Lucas, she wasn’t sure what to expect. She lost the argument not to come here at all, during the long bus trip to reach Spellfire.

Right now weariness became all she felt. Traveling required her to hide her true self and she still existed in her camouflage state. The strong temptation to change made her steps slow, but Shelly thought she better not risk it, not yet, she needed to be sure.

The man’s directions were right she couldn’t miss Sinful Sundaes, not by all the people coming and going from the place. She stopped outside and looked in from the large window. Her gaze searched the customers, wondering if she would know him…her search stopped. Oh yes, it must be him, those dark brooding eyes and that large frame caused her heart to skip a beat. “Dell…”

So many years passed since she first saw him. Of course, he wouldn’t remember her, she was considered only a child at the time of the life mate contract. She bit her lip, wondering if he still wanted to go through with the contract. Her shoulders came back as she straightened, watching as he slowly turned as if he felt her concentration on him. An electric shock couldn’t have been more powerful than the force of his gaze meeting her own.

Her body actually rocked as if he were pulling energy from her. She refused to draw away or show him any weakness, instinctively knowing he tested her. She caught the slight rise of his lips as if he might smile, but of course he wouldn’t. If anything, she did remember how stern a man Dell Lucas could be.

She didn’t move, waiting as he paid his bill and walked out of Sinfuls to come to her. Rigid as a tree, she stood and accepted his invasion as he scanned her mind.

“You are tired, Shellena.”

Such a deep, rich voice, it made her want to lean against him, absorb some of his strength. “Yes, it has been a very long trip…Dellance.”

“You need to reveal yourself, it is safe here, in Spellfire.”

She looked as two fae walked past them. The touch of his hand taking hold of her elbow, drew her attention back the powerful presence now beside her.

“Only those that are magical or believe, can see our true selves. The town is special and for beings such as ourselves.”

Shelly didn’t interrupt him as he told about Spellfire’s special protection, one that would now keep her safe. No more hiding?

“That’s right, you won’t have to hide any longer.”

He read her thoughts, she wasn’t used to his presence inside her. Many years that only consisted of her father’s presence, sharing thoughts with this man might take some time to get used to.

“I will try not to intrude, Shellena.”

“It is all right, I just need to adjust.”

“Of course, I will have you home shortly.” Dell stopped in front of his truck and opened the door for her, taking her bag he put it in the truck bed. One bag for a whole lifetime, he realized she must have cast a spell on it to carry her belongings with her.

He helped her up into the truck, realizing how small and delicate she felt. She needed rest and to change to her true self. He could feel the exhaustion she fought off from having to hide her Aasimar heritage. Flashes of how he remembered her as a child filled his mind as they rode in silence. He liked how she looked now, knowing once she unveiled herself he would see the real beauty she naturally possessed.

Dell wondered again of the wisdom of following her father’s decree. He wished he could have stayed close to her, but he was needed here in Spellfire to help watch over the balance of good and evil. Shellena would be a strong force to help him, if need be, take an active role concerning the changes now occurring in Spellfire.

They barely knew each other, yet he always believed she would be his mate in life once she reached the proper age. He did promise himself to give her time for her decision and he would abide by it, even if she broke the contract, though he ground his teeth over that possibility.

Shelly caught the flex of his iron jaw and wondered what upset Dell. Thoughts over the contract and her doubts filled her once again. She wondered if that is what bothered him. She would release him, she knew it would be unfair to force this union on anyone, let alone a Guardinal and a Lupinal at that. No, the wolf side of him would rule against her in this man and she could never live in that kind of an unwanted relationship.

Her shoulders ached, she tried to rub the soreness away, but she needed to release her wings. They had been hidden for over two days, discomfort turned to pain this last day. She never kept her wings hidden this long.

“You can change, Shellena.”

She closed her eyes, realizing she’d been too obvious, he would see it as a weakness and Lupinals didn’t hold any patience with whiners. “I am fine.”

Dell heard the lie in her voice and wondered why she felt the need to be so stubborn. He reminded himself that she hadn’t been away from the Planes since her childhood. He knew all too well of her heritage, it often made him wonder why her father wanted her to be contracted to him. Though both their races were guardians of the good, he came from the outer Planes, his wolf-man bloodlines direct from Lucan. Shellena’s angel bloodlines were from the highest order, her powers were renowned in the Celestial Planes.

When he signed the contract he swore to protect her with his life and he would, whether they wed or not. She became his responsibility the day her father passed on. He nearly went to get her on his own, worrying about her, he wasn’t used to waiting and not taking action.

Now that she was finally with him, there remained the question he waited for the answers to all these years…can she adjust to life in Spellfire?

“There is the house, Shellena.”

“It is beautiful, Dellance and so large.”

“We have many visitors. I added rooms for them.”

“Of course, the Guardinals.”

“No one is here, now, and I don’t expect any visitors for a couple weeks. The ranch hands are out branding the herd.”

Dell lifted her bag out of the back and helped her down from the truck, he would need to get a running board put on the truck for her. They walked together to the house, he watched as her hand reached out and floated over the tall border of cosmos and hollyhocks along the walk. He sensed she would like them and felt glad that he thought to plant the flowers for her.

“It is all beautiful. Everything is green and alive, I like the colors and smells.”

She used the rail to walk up the porch steps, reminding him of how tired she must be. She would have her wings soon. He gave her time to take in the living room, dinning area and kitchen. The way her eyes gleamed over the kitchen he could feel her pleasure and wondered how she would feel in his arms. When they made love they would join on so many levels, he felt his desire to show her all the wonders they would experience.

Shelly kept her surprise to herself over the thoughts he failed to hide from her. Did he want her know his feelings? Maybe he really did want this joining.

The smile on her lush lips pleased him. “I have made this room ready for you, for now.” She looked at him in question and Dell decided to tell her. “Our room is at the end of the hall.”

“Then that is where I shall sleep.” Shelly hoped her bold act wasn’t a mistake as he followed her to the door and reached around her to open it. She resolved that if this is where they, as a couple were to be, it would begin now.

The room thrilled her as no other. Light filled the room from the all the windows in the circular room. A very large room, it shined in all the shades of green and blue, with bright yellow, lilac and fuchsia highlights reminding her of home.

Shelly didn’t wait another second, closing her eyes she bowed her head and crossed her arms over her chest, in a low voice she recanted the spell, allowing her true self to appear.

Dell couldn’t remember seeing anything as beautiful as Shellena coming into her true form as a golden angel. The large diaphanous wings stretched out to catch the light. They shimmered as the sun’s rays moved through the delicate wings turning them a soft vibrant gold. From the wings the gold spread over Shellena until she glowed in gold dust sparkles. The large vibrant wings flexed and spread as he watched this beautiful woman come into her own. Beautiful beyond words, the angel woman appeared just as he remembered.

As she soaked in the sun from the circle windows put in just for her, he saw just how much of a woman Shellena became as all her clothes disappeared. No longer a child, those sensual curves and swells tore through him with a passion as wild as his ancestry, igniting a fire inside his body that he feared even her golden rays couldn’t extinguish. Did she realize how dangerous he could become with her in this room, sharing his bed?

“Shellena…”

She kept her eyes closed, letting the husky, almost growling lust in his voice roll over her, warming her more than the sun, in ways never spoken of…But the glory, oh the pure earthly craving that she sensed from him made her skin shimmer in a way that set her female instincts on fire.

His nostrils flared and his fangs pushed down, refusing to remain passive as his hunches flexed in wanting. Her scent filled his senses as no other female ever came close to achieving. Wolf or man, both were keenly aware of the delicate wild pulse pushing her golden blood through her veins. Dell inhaled deeper, pulling in the fresh scent of her excited sex and still she kept her eyes closed, yet he could feel her rush of desire, the heat of her arousal teased his wolfen lust.

When at last she looked at him, her eyes flashed in wanton come hither as she softly hissed her pleasure over his response. He forced himself to hold perfectly still, knowing these instinctive feelings were new and unexplored territory for his mate. Angel blood may flow deep in her veins, but she also possessed all the elements of nature and they were a powerful force to awaken. It seemed that Shellena just set hers free.

Only his eyes moved as he watched her move slowly around him. Those beautiful wings of hers were straight back, making her look fierce and wild. A tantalizing mix for his animal senses as the feathery wings shimmered past him, releasing a soft pheromone from their tips as she move behind him. His shoulder blades flinched as she ran her nail down between the tense muscles.

“Dellance, you are so strong, so large, should I fear you?” Her fingertip moved around his ribs as she came back to stand in front of him.

He waited for her beguiling silver eyes to rise and meet his glowing gold ones. “I would never harm what I cherish, Shellena.”

The touch of her finger, trailing down the front of his shirt made his chest expand, straining the buttons. “I must know now, Dellance Lucas, do you want this contract to remain?” She placed her finger over his lips, preventing his answer. “Shhh my powerful wolf, I must say this now, for I will not remain if you want your freedom. My father meant well, but many years have passed since you signed those papers in his study.”

The way her gaze moved over his face, one that he knew now showed lines of his wolf side, felt like the sweetest caress in the world.

“I am a woman now, though I do remember you well, Dellance, I remember how ruggedly handsome you were and are even more so, now. Your power always vibrated off of you, I felt that you touched me with your force that day, wrapped me in its protective folds to keep me safe for this day. I have always sensed you, even at a distance, as if I were able to see through your eyes. I have yearned to be with you, Dellance Lucas.”

Shellena allowed herself to smile into his questioning gaze. “Oh yes, I have always felt you…my wolf, my protector, my mate?” She stepped closer almost touching his chest with her breasts’ hardened nipples. His control felt awesome, yet she sensed he neared its end and soon the wolf would rule, she must have her answers before that happens. “Are you my life mate, Dellance Lucas?”

With infinite slowness her finger slipped from his lips, down his chin until her hand rested over his heart. He swallowed hard against the emotions and havoc she played over his dueling senses. That she didn’t waver before the fire behind his gaze told him how much she understood him. He also felt her conflict and desire to know his feelings, not the lust that would consume him and her with him. “You are bold and play a dangerous game, Shellena.”

He caught her brow flicker over his growled statement, betraying her nervousness, intensifying his desire to take her. “I have struggled with your father’s wishes for some time, but hear me Shellena and listen well.” He took hold of her arms, reminding himself to gentle his touch.

“I have wanted you for my life mate since the first time I saw you in the garden at your house. Your essence seeped into my blood like a bloodlust after a hunt.” He refused to soften his words. “I too swore that I would release you, should you want to be free. But hear me well, I have waited for you to come to me all this time, now that you are here, touching me, my feelings for you have never faltered.”

He wanted to shake her, wishing she would show him some response to his honesty, yet she stayed placid and also blocked him from her thoughts. He gave her a half smile, knowing the focus and control she used. “I want you, Shellena. I desire you as no other. You have been my life mate before I signed those papers, so no, I don’t want to be released from you. I want to love you, protect you, live with you, battle with you, fight at your side if need be, but never, never will I leave you.”

She stared at him for what seemed an eternity, when at last she spoke, he finally breathed and when he inhaled he could smell her scent and it was clear and enchanting, no longer stinging with tension. Even her wings began to open behind her, he watched in amazement as they glowed like a thousand rainbows brushed in gold and he realized she looked happy.

“Then I accept you Dellance Lucas as my life mate. We are and will be one.”

“And I accept you, Shellena as my life mate, to be one with you, forever.”

His lips crushed hers, claiming her and she felt as if the world finally came into balance for her. In her heart she wanted to be one with this man her whole life and now it was happening.

Dell couldn’t help but gather her up in his arms, careful to bring his arm up under her wings. Lifting her, he cradled her to him, twirling her around and around within the sun light she reflected. The feel of her arms about his neck and her smile of wonderment did some strange things to him. He could feel the wolf rise, overtaking him and yet he maintained control and his male form for her, something that surprised him.

The feel of her head against his shoulder became enough to drive that wild lust to take her to the surface. Dell felt the battle rolling inside him, tearing him in two when he felt the touch of her palm on his cheek.

His wild eyes looked in wonder at her and she smiled up at him. “It is all right, Dellance, I’m not afraid, let both sides be one.”

As her fingers moved over his face as if softening the hard edges of his struggle he felt himself relax. His hold tightened on her as his heart raced in feelings for this special woman. She pulled herself up in his arms and took his lips to hers, kissing him, running her tongue over the full length of his fangs. When she pulled back to look up at him, she whispered, “Make us one.”

That’s Normil for Spellfire

By

Bridghid Parkinson

James Dallingham walked around town as the bars closed. He wasn’t guarding a camp against Apache raids, but in this day and age, even legal social events were dangerous.

His darling Sarah encouraged his efforts to keep an eye on Spellfire, but the look in her eye, each time he got out of bed for his bar closing patrols of the town, was sad. She always explained it as, “I’d love to feel selfish and keep you here in bed all to myself.”

Her birthday was coming up on the day after Valentine’s Day and James already arranged that an old friend would take over his little patrols for two nights. He looked forward to getting out of bed and starting to get dressed, only to pop up with her Valentine’s Day gift one night and her birthday gift on the other. He planned to stay in bed with her on both nights. James started feeling randy all over again just thinking about it.

Monday nights stayed quiet. A few bars were open and James wandered to the areas, where he knew people might need help.

On the backside of Barnabas’ Bar, in the ally, James heard a trashcan overturn. He rounded the corner and called out, “Danny?”

Drunken mumbling and swearing started coming from the alley, followed by the cackle of laughter.

“Danny?” James didn’t have to ask. He knew the identity of the inebriated slurs and he knew why he drank.

Daniel James Nightshade, a human with a mixed heritage in witchcraft, made a living as a prominent architect for the Trolls and Gremlins construction company. He became engaged to Abigail Normil seven years ago and began building her a house that could possibly rival anything existing in Spellfire, even the Inns.

Wildly in love with Abby, Danny fully supported her run for the office of Spellfire Mayor, against her own brother Perry. The entire town figured she was a shoe in for the office because of the demeanor of her cheating brother and his friends.

Success seemed assured, until Abby disappeared.

Danny kept campaigning for her. He fully believed she might have gone to see her friends in Indiana.

Everyone in the town knew the smile on Danny’s face stayed there only by an act of will. He quietly told a few friends that she never told him her reason for leaving town, but he had faith in Abby, insisting that he knew she would return at the first instant she could.

Three days after she mysteriously left, he put in the missing person’s report, calling every one of her friends and family that he could think to call for any information.

One week after the disappearance and two weeks before the election, Perry smugly announced through the news services that his sister left town because she could no longer handle the stress of the campaign. He demanded that she step forward or, if she would not, she should be removed from the ticket.

Now, almost seven years later, Abby’s ‘Missing’ poster still graced most of the telephone poles in Spellfire. Danny still maintained a weekly ritual of posting fresh posters with her picture. The investigation into her disappearance uncovered enough evidence of suspicious behavior to declare that foul play was involved, but all leads turned cold.

James knew it wouldn’t be long before she was declared dead. He suspected that she never made out will. Because she wasn’t yet married to Danny, everything would go to her family, namely her brother, Perry. Rumors in the town quickly spread about large insurance policies.

Perry became mayor of Spellfire. The posters announcing his run for a third term appeared the telephone poles and bulletin boards next to Abby’s posters. Perry’s underhanded cheating seemed to assure him many more years in office.

Danny drank to forget his doubts and heart aches.

The Nightshade House stood on the hill at the outskirts of town. The pillars and walls covered in vines weaving their way around the stonework like a spooky shroud around a mausoleum. Inside, the furniture draped in white sheets looked spectral and the items not covered were layered in years of dust. The brand new home stood to be one of the most haunting visions in Spellfire.

Danny moved his necessities into the garage of the house, where he lived like a hermit ever since. An old metal garbage can managed to make it to the curb, when James helped him. Stacks of newspapers served as a place to sleep on the nights he couldn’t stumble far enough to reach the bed. Piles of clothes lay around the floor. When Danny couldn’t be bothered to wash his old clothes, he bought new clothes. He didn’t bother shaving and even started braiding his beard.

No one in town complained because they sympathized or pitied his anguish. A trustee handled the taxes and utilities through the construction company. He didn’t drive; he simply walked or staggered everywhere. A special edition Corvette kept him company in the garage, protected under an old parachute from the military surplus store. It served as another bed on the nights he became too inebriated to make the final steps into his bed. He never displayed belligerence or anger, he sat quietly with his drinks, listened to music in the bar, even spoke to a few people.

Danny still owned the construction company. He set up a board of directors and showed up for meetings once or twice a week.

Most nights, he stumbled home from Barnabas’ Bar. James escorted him home to make sure he made it indoors, safely. Danny served as the Spellfire town drunk, in hundred-dollar khaki’s and two hundred dollar loafers.

“Hello-o-o, James.” Danny finally greeted him.

“I’ll walk you home, Danny.”

“Preach-e-ate it much, kind sir…” Danny staggered forward on unsteady legs.

Tonight wasn’t bad and Danny never gave him problems. The walk would be peaceful, although James thought he had reason to be very angry. The two men would walk quietly to Danny’s home with a couple jokes about James walking through a tree, rather than around it. James felt honor bound to walk him inside and make sure he lay down on something other than the cement of the garage floor. He’d stay long enough to hear Danny starting to weep about Abby.

James offered many prayers to the stars above Texas. He prayed most often, thankful for his newfound love with Sarah, standing on the driveway of DJ Nightshade’s home.

Sweet Freckles

By

Starla Malone

Willie opened the windows of the house and let the greenish smoke escape from his laboratory. The green parrot squawked and beat its orange tipped wings inside the large corner cage.

The cauldron simmered, smoke billowed out of the mixture that brewed. He removed his gloves. “I should’ve expected that!”

The parrot beat his wings again, “Schlimazel!”

“Knock that off!” Willie reprimanded the bird. “I could open the screen and you could fly away from your never ending supply of matzos!”

“Shlump!”

“We have to work on your language, B’Shira.” Willie seldom used the bird’s formal Yiddish name, meaning song, unless he was annoyed with the large parrot.

“Oy, Vay!”

It seemed the parrot knew it, too. Just my luck to inherit the parrot of a Jewish Rabbi. He nags from right to left! In truth, he missed the old Rabbi Ganapol and their weekly debates in college, about spirit and magic. The bird was as obstinate as the professor of Spiritual and Magical Ethics.

In the distance, the sound of the volunteer fire department alarms began to wail an alert.

“I should have expected, that, too.”

A green glow spread across the surface of the liquid, glowing even through the smoky fog in the room, and the magical aura extended upward as the potion churned, blended and grew stronger.

Willie removed the heavy latex gloves he wore for protection from the base ingredients of the potion. As a precaution, he reached out to the cauldron, but only brought his hand close to the level of the magical aura. He could feel the energy of the formula, it felt strong and vibrant, unlike the previous failed attempts. He could feel the shielding energy pushing upward.

Now, he needed to test the formula—on himself.

The wail of the fire trucks drew closer.

“I might as well try this now, since I have emergency crews on the way that could scrape me up and take me to the hospital if it fails.”

“Mazel Tov,” the parrot said.

Good luck. “Right—smart ass.” He lifted a small glass ladle from the shelf and forced it through the magical aura. The shielding energy was strong and Willie took it as a good sign. He raised the broth like substance to his mouth.

“L’Chayim!” The parrot said it for everything he drank.

“Bottoms up!” Willie answered.

* * * *

The little foal rose on unsteady feet in the stall of the vet clinic.

“You have got to be out of your mind!” Terra screamed out. She looked over the assignment paper and discovered why the task description field was blank. Her assignment was born only a half hour ago.

“You are a freckle fairy? Terra Dapples, right? This poor little thing was born without her freckles!” The vet tech looked to her expectantly from her clipboard.

The ‘poor little thing’ was a dark appaloosa foal with a large white area all around her tail but no spots at all. “Do you realize what I am going to have to kiss? On a horse?”

The grey haired vet tech just looked over her glasses and shrugged her shoulders. Her green eyes flashed with a need and this new little patient was important. “I see lots of strange stuff in Spellfire, honey. If that’s the weirdest thing you have ever seen or done…you are my hero.”

Terra worked several calls from the clinic because animals that should have freckles were born without them. “Haven’t you ever noticed that even on a red-headed freckled human that they don’t have many spots on their…well, you-know-what. That’s the stuff they do to pledges in fairy sororities and frat parties.”

“Well, on an appaloosa horse the spots are all over their hind quarters. Besides honey, I never got close enough to a red head to inspect. My husband is African American. He has white spots instead of freckles.”

“Vitiligo. Don’t look at me. Other fairies take away color.”

“Fairies work for just about everything, right?”

“Yep. Even in the traffic lights,” Terra said. “You wouldn’t want the job, the pay sucks.”

“Wouldn’t that be funny? Fifty years old, prancing around on a light pole in downtown Spellfire in gossamer dresses with little wings? I don’t think so, Dearie.” The tech thought for a moment before asking, “How can I get the light fairies to help me down town?”

“If you are in traffic and go through a yellow light, blow a kiss to the light. The fairy will recognize you later and hold another yellow light for you if she sees you coming through. Just be friendly.”

“Well, do me a favor, just be friendly to this little horse. Look at her mamma! You can see all the freckles she has. Normally, the horse is born with them.”

Terra giggled about Dalmatian puppies, a common gag gift among young Freckle fairies. The white puppy grows his own spots in time, but the fairy often kissed the dog black by time it reached adulthood.

Terra looked into the foals eyes.

Its shaky legs were hardly holding her up in the stall, much less holding her steady. The little filly, with big dark eyes, regarded her carefully before she stepped forward and shook her tale.

“You are a brand new filly, and you were just born without spots.”

The foal looked up and shook her tail, her head jerked up and down.

“Ok, but I want to start with one special spot.” Terra reached to the horse’s chin and pondered the white blaze on its nose. A large diamond shaped flash of white extended upward between its eyes towards the mane. Her first kiss went to the middle of the blaze. Slowly, a darker spot materialized in the blaze with almost the same shape as the blaze. Terra was proud of the work. The little horse nickered. “You like that? Ok, you are about to get several more. Hold still.”

The horse steadied herself on the shaky legs. The spot on the blaze darkened and the hair around it changed color to blend.

“I just want it clear that I am not lifting your tail.”

The foal nodded again.

“I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone,” the vet tech said.

“Gee…thanks,” Terra answered.

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