Filed To Story: Secret with Betas Daughter: Skylar Story Series
He chuckles and wraps his arms around me, pulling me back into him and breathing in my ear. “That will never stop being hot, Babe. I will probably have a permanent hard-on just watching you kiss those two.’ My only response is a whimper and the fire grows bright for a second and then goes back to its normal height. I am so screwed.
“Well at least the fire seems to be under your control, Skylar. That is a good thing.”
I laugh sarcastically at Gentry’s comment as we all turn to face her. Oliver shuffles me forward, not letting me put any space between us.
“Yeah, but it changes with my contact with my mates. I’m not really sure I want to publicize what I am doing.”
The rest of my friends laugh and I am just going to have get used to it, no matter how embarrassing. If I show that it bugs me, they will keep making little digs and comments and I really don’t want my barely explored sex life to be a joke. So I have to pretend I was mortified for a second, and now I have accepted that there is a fire sending smoke signals when I am intimate with my mates and I’m completely okay with it.
“I’m sure if it was connected to Sam and Sierra, they would be putting on a show just to see how crazy they could make it.”
My brother laughs and I’m thankful for the attention shift.
Gentry moves over by the fire and sits on the ground, Elena came though the kitchen with a book like my grimoire but this one is a bright blue. She sits next to Gentry and sets the book in between them. “Skylar, come here please. Your mates can stay, but need to keep their distance. We need to see what level of connection this fire has to you specifically before we bring them in.”
Gentry calls to me.
I squeeze Oliver’s hand, he’s reluctant to let me go. He’s seen what magic can do, how sensitive I am to it and is probably more protective of me because of that. I slowly move toward them and sit in front of the grimoire. The fire immediately turns black with a purple tip. I can hear all the gasps around me, but like always with spell work I get lost in it and everyone else around me is a blur. My wolf bristles at the color and energy coming off of the flames.
“It’s a domination spell with an emphasis on control and staying hidden. This is designed specifically for you Little One. I wonder why it hasn’t shown itself before now though? We have all sat in front of this fire for months, knowing about and feeling the magic and never feeling anything harmful, but now it is angry.”
Gentry doesn’t look at me while she talks, it’s more like she is speaking to the fire confirming its feelings like you would with a child.
“Is it here to control the pack, or me, or the pack through me? How do we figure out what it’s meant for specifically? Is it angry with us, with me, with whoever set it?” I ask, not taking my eyes off it either. “Those are all great questions that will take some time to answer. But we will get our answers now that it wants to communicate.”
They both start humming and chanting something I don’t understand, but the flames seem to slow down almost like they’re getting sleepy.
I want to touch it. I have since we came out of the vortex. I’m drawn to the fire now for some reason, but that makes me hesitate too. Am I drawn to it because I can sense it’s my element or because of some crazy spell from Adrielle trying to trap me?
“Does Adrielle know about my connection to the fire? Is that why it’s at the center of the pentagram? Or is that a common thing to place at the center?”
“The pentagram is used for so many things, mostly protection. She has manipulated it to hold you here and control many members of your leadership. The everburning flame is a rarity. Fire needs something of earth to consume making it difficult to sustain. I thought it might have been attached to the former Alpha, but it is still burning. I do not believe it is attached to the former Luna, but that is something we will have to test eventually. But the fact that the flames turned black and purple on your approach tells us it is being used against its will.”
“You keep talking about the fire pit like it has a mind of its own, a personality.”
Mateo says from somewhere to my right. I forgot the rest of our friends were here with us.
“In a sense it does. This flame was set with the intention to help capture Skylar.”
The rumbling growls behind me remind me how much my mates hate hearing that, but they need to get over that sentiment quickly. “But since she has begun releasing the spells that are holding your pack hostage, it wants to be set free too.”
“Is the black part of the flame a curse or protection? It means both right?” I ask, not wanting to get too off track. Magic is a rabbit hole none of us are ready for a crash course in.
“It does.”
Elena replies. “I think it was a curse to begin with, but it wants to protect. Remember magic is neither good or bad, it is the caster that makes it one or the other. In this, case, the magic was set to curse your former Alpha and your pack, nothing more nothing less. But, somehow setting the rest of the pentagram free from the curse gave this flame something akin to a personality and it wants to be set free.”
“Can I touch it? Now that I know I’m connected, will it hurt me if I touch the fire?”
Elena and Gentry look at each other. “We don’t know. And, until we know if it is harmful or helpful, I would advise not making contact.”
Elena pushes my hand down, I didn’t even know it was raised. I look at my hand confused. Why was I about to do that?
“Let’s see if we can connect you to it now that it appears to have a consciousness of some kind. If you can connect with it we can make sure that Adrielle no longer has control which will protect your pack.”
Gentry holds her hand out to me and I take it without any hesitation.
If I can protect my pack and keep all my mates and friends safe, there is no question of me doing everything in my power.
“Wait!” Cam stops Gentry’s chanting. “What can we do? We aren’t leaving her to do this on her own, but we need directions.”
I look around and Cam, Kota and Oliver are only steps behind me, but not making contact like Elena asked. Jena and Mateo are to our left. Sierra and Sam are to our right. Nathaniel, Lil and Wyatt are across from me. None of our team has left me. They are here for anything and everything that is thrown our way.
I look at all of them feeling kind of helpless. None of us know what we are doing or what could happen. I’m so sick of reacting to what Adrielle, the Rogue King and Mike are doing. If they want me they are going to have to f*cking fight for me. I can feel my temper flare and my wolf’s anger at our whole life being threatened. The black and purple fire in front of me flares to match my thoughts. It has gone from a normal height to at least four feet tall. And I can see a red hue crawling up from the center of the basin it sits in.
I can no longer hear anyone, but I can feel all of their fear and uncertainty. I can’t allow those three to inflict so much havoc on us. I watch the red crawl through the black and purple flame and I feel the flames relax as if the red color of my anger is burning away some impurity. Then the base of the flame turns silver. This time eating through the black and purple of the flame leaving an almost invisible flame behind. I keep focusing, letting my instincts guide me. My wolf says this is a clean slate, we can build the protection the way that we want.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.