First Flame (Stories of Frost and Fire Book 1) Read online

  I’d thrown fireballs last night, but none of them had hit the target which was okay because I really didn’t want to burn anyone to death, but after spending my nightmares fighting fairy traffickers, I wished I had smoked them both. Sometimes when I tried to throw fireballs, they would turn to snow and fall apart mid-flight in powdery dust which quickly melted in the Alabama heat.

  It was November, and most of the United States had experienced a cold snap. Steelshore sat at the Southern point of Alabama next to the Gulf of Mexico. No snow. Just cold rain.

  When I checked my phone, the call had been from Uncle Levi, who wasn’t my biological uncle. He actually was more of a father figure to me since I never knew my biological father, and my adopted father had died. Levi stepped into that role, but never pushed me to call him that. We knew what we meant to each other.

  I plopped down on the bed and called him back.

  “Good morning, Princess.”

  “Hi, Uncle Levi. You called?”

  “No, but Killian had my phone earlier.”

  “Killian,” I said with a laugh. Killian was my youngest brother. He was Levi and Grace’s biological son. He’d grown up so fast that now he looked almost adult. He adored me. The feeling was mutual.

  “Probably missing his big sister,” Levi said. He never pushed me to come home. Mom did. Aydan did. Callum did. And Killian begged, but I knew I was right where I was supposed to be.

  “May I ask you a question about Mark?”

  He sighed. “You can ask me anything, Winnie. You know that.”

  “He was here last night, but only for a minute. Something was wrong, but he wouldn’t tell me.”

  “Pack stuff.”

  “He said that, but I want to know what exactly.”

  “Winnie, he is of age to mate. His pack wants him to take a wife. It’s not necessary, and he’s not letting them push him around. He will choose when he’s ready.”

  He had already chosen. It was me, but I needed to be out of Shady Grove. I needed to know who I was without the trappings of my mother’s crown, my supernaturally endowed brothers, and especially my Alpha wolf best friend. Sometimes boyfriend, but not lately. “It’s my fault.”

  “No, it really has nothing to do with you and everything to do with the pack and Mark. You are doing good things in Steelshore. Your mother and I are so proud of you. Nick told me you helped save some pixies and brownies, plus a little girl. That’s what you are supposed to be doing.”

  It was, and I knew that, but watching Mark hurt also felt like I wasn’t doing something I was supposed to do. I was letting him down.

  “I need to go check on her. I was pretty tired after last night,” I said.

  “Take care of yourself, and you know I’m here for you whenever you need.”

  “I love you, Uncle Levi.”

  “I love you, too, Winnie.”

  I clicked the phone off with tears in my eyes. Time to suck it up. There was work to be done, and I had to do it.

  Of course, when I got to the office, our local fairy doctor had shown up to examine the girl we had found. Jonet Monteblanc had come to the United States from France. Her name rhymed with Monet. She specialized in a crystal healing magic used by the old Aquitaine fairies. I’d seen it used before by Tabitha Mistborn in Shady Grove.

  I sat at my large metal desk and spun a pencil through my fingers. Leaning back, I sighed and propped my feet up on the desk. My jeans had a fashionable hole at the knee, and I’d worn my favorite t-shirt. It was black and plain. My hair was dark blonde today with orange and red streaks.

  Kyrie walked into the office with his normal sexy smirk. He flipped a small box on my desk that rattled when it hit. I looked at the box of Hot Tamales and shook my head.

  “Morning, Sunshine. Don’t shake your head at me. You know you love them,” he said, then walked back toward the break room and coffee pot. “Coffee?”

  “Sure,” I muttered.

  I picked up the box of candy and opened it. The strong smell of cinnamon floated around me. Kyrie sat my cup of coffee down. He knew how I liked it. Two spoons of sugar and a dash of cream. I threw two Hot Tamales into it and waited for them to melt.

  “So, what’s with the face this morning?”

  “What face?”

  “Yours. It’s somewhere between frustrated and confused.” He grabbed the chair from Nick’s desk and rolled it over near me.

  I bit my lip. I didn’t know whether I should tell him about Mark or not. Kyrie never had a harsh word to say about Mark, nor did anything I ever said faze him. “Mark was in my room last night when I got home.” His eyebrows raised, but he didn’t speak. Instead he took sips of his coffee waiting for me to say more. “Something was wrong with him, and he wouldn’t tell me. I talked to Levi this morning, and it’s pack stuff.”

  “They want him to mate,” Kyrie said.

  “How do you know that?”

  “Just know wolf packs. I’ve been around quite a few. There are several warring packs in New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was always something to do with mating and heirs. Mark is lucky to have Shady Grove as a haven. That pack is different because of their exile status. Any other pack would have killed him by now,” Kyrie said.

  “That’s awful.”

  “Have you ever talked to Nick about why he left home?”

  “No.”

  “Talk to him. He can explain it to you better than I can. But you and I both know that Mark isn’t going to push you to do anything. He’s strong. He has your mother’s blessing. Not to mention, have you ever seen Amanda mad?” he asked with a devious grin.

  “I have.” Amanda was Mark’s mother, and she could have a temper. “How do you know how mad she can get?”

  “I might have taken Mark on an excursion once when we were younger,” he said.

  “To do what?”

  “You don’t want to know.”

  “Really, I do.”

  “I don’t want you to think less of him.”

  “Not possible. Besides, if you got him into it, I’ll just think less of you.”

  “I’m already low tier.”

  I paused for a moment, looking at my box of candy and hot coffee. “No, you aren’t.” I took a sip of the coffee. The cinnamon in it tasted wonderful.

  “I took him to see his first set of real boobies.” I spit coffee everywhere.

  “You what!?”

  “Told you.”

  “When was this?”

  “About six months ago. It was after one of your many break-ups with him. I coaxed him into it. You can blame me. Amanda certainly did.”

  “Where did you go?”

  “That joint in Birmingham. I took Dad’s car and we had a guy’s night. I tell you what. I’ve never seen a man blush like that one. It was fun, for me. He felt terrible after it. During it, I think he enjoyed the jiggling…”

  “That’s enough. I don’t need to know anymore.” I knew exactly when this had happened. It was after one of our many nights of laying on a blanket watching the stars. We talked about our day and listened to the sound of crickets and katy-dids. We were kissing, and he had not so smoothly tried to cop a feel. I’d gotten angry like I always did and left him alone. The worst thing was I ran because I wanted him to touch me, and I hated myself for it.

  “It was harmless. He never touched any of them, but he drank quite a few beers.”

  “How did you get into a strip club?”

  “I know people.”

  Mark and Kyrie both looked old enough to be in a strip club or bar, but neither of them was any older than me. The fact was we were all around 8 years old in human years, but as fairies our growth accelerated. Our maturity level did as well. Our hormones were the worst part of the process. I ignored mine on a regular basis. I didn’t need the confusion of a sexual relationship.

  “Are you mad?” he asked.

  “No.”

  He touched my hand which rested on the arm of the chair. “I never want you to be ma
d at me. I couldn’t stand it.”

  “I’m not mad. I have no claim on Mark Maynard.”

  “Whether you do or not, he is your best friend, and I kinda corrupted him.”

  “I’m sure you didn’t. I doubt he’s ever been with anyone.”

  “You and he? Never?”

  “No,” I said, even though it was none of Kyrie’s business. He didn’t ask the other question that I knew he wanted to ask. He wanted to know if I had ever been with anyone. The answer was no, but it wasn’t like I was saving it for something special. I just wasn’t ready.

  Nick came from the back room with Jonet. Kyrie spun around in the chair to see them. Nick shot him a dirty look for taking his chair, but Kyrie just sipped his coffee.

  “How is she? What is she?” I asked.

  “We will talk about it in a minute. The doc has to go to another call,” he said, escorting Jonet to the door.

  “Thank you, Nick. I’m always here if you need anything.”

  “I’ll remember that,” Nick said, lowering his voice. Nick lived next door to me. He was getting plenty of anything from someone. I hadn’t seen the partner, but I could hear them. Definitely sounded female, but you can’t judge a voice through a wall.

  The glass door shut.

  “She’s hot,” Kyrie said.

  “She’s unavailable.”

  “Oh, so you are kicking it with the doc?” Kyrie asked.

  “I am not. Stop being nosey, and get the fuck out of my chair,” Nick growled. Kyrie hopped up on my desk as Nick rolled the chair back to his desk. He looked like he hadn’t slept.

  “Is Aydan still here?” I asked.

  “No, he went back home this morning.” My brother only joined us occasionally. He had responsibilities back in Shady Grove. Aydan had the uncanny ability to determine when someone was lying and had a deep insight on conflict. He is one of two judges in Shady Grove that process the fairy immigrants who go through to the Otherworld or out of it. “Look. The girl isn’t young. She just looks young.”

  “What is she?” I asked.

  I waited for one of these wiseasses to say fairy, but neither of them did.

  “She’s the child of a dwarf and a human. She’s fully grown and fully matured,” he said.

  “She’s looks like she’s 14 years old!”

  “And thus, she’s being trafficked for buyers who like a younger appearance,” Nick said gravely.

  “Fuck,” Kyrie muttered.

  “Well, she is with us now. Is she going to Shady Grove?” I asked.

  “We will see what she wants to do once we are able to explain it all to her. But, Winnie, you need to know that she’s a little off,” Nick said.

  “Off? What does that mean?” I asked.

  “She’s mentally unstable,” he answered.

  “Was she born that way?” I asked.

  “There is no way for us to know. She’s coherent most of the time, but she has spells. She is asking to see you, plus Soraya needs to go rest. She’s been in there with her all night,” Nick said.

  I picked up my coffee and took another drink. “Want me to go with you?” Kyrie asked.

  “I don’t want you to scare her,” I said.

  “Besides if Kyrie intends to stay and work with us, he’s got to learn to do paperwork,” Nick said.

  “What the hell?” Kyrie protested. Nick plopped a folder full of papers in front of him. I grinned, then kissed him on the cheek.

  I was more concerned with the girl, than Kyrie’s paperwork. In fact, I found it kinda funny that Nick was putting him to work. Kyrie had had a silver spoon in his mouth. He never shied away from work, but he avoided it if possible.

  Leaving the boys behind, I stepped into the back room where we kept fairies that were transitioning to the Otherworld or to Shady Grove. Some decided to just head back out into the world. We couldn’t force them to safety.

  Soraya stood when I entered the room. I embraced her. “You look tired,” I said, stating the obvious.

  “Glad you are here. Can I crash at your apartment?” she asked.

  “I told you that you just needed to move in with me.”

  “If we keep this up, then I may take you up on that.”

  She patted me on the shoulder, and I took her spot in the chair. The waif-like fairy slept on a cushioned cot covered in a warm blanket. I didn’t want to wake her, but I hoped to convince her to stay in Shady Grove, instead of going back into the Otherworld. We didn’t know who plucked her from there in the first place. She looked too fragile to go through it.

  Her eyes fluttered and a weak smile formed on her lips.

  “Hi,” I said. “Remember me?”

  She nodded. “Winnie.”

  “Yes, I’m Winnie. What is your name?”

  “Are you my new owner?”

  “No, we are part of Queen Gloriana’s task force to help fairies who are kidnapped,” I said.

  “Queen Gloriana.” She said the name with wonder in her voice. I decided not to pile on the fact that Gloriana was Grace, my mother.

  “Yes, we will help you with safe passage to Shady Grove which is the edge of the veil. You can live there or go back to the Otherworld,” I explained.

  “No!” she said forcefully, but not loudly.

  “You will be safe.”

  “No, I want to stay with you. You rescued me.”

  “Well, there were several of us there.”

  “You.”

  “We can talk about it later. Will you please tell me your name?”

  Her lip poked out and she shook her head. “I’m thirsty.”

  “Alright. I’ll go get you something. Please don’t try to get away,” I said.

  “I must have an owner. If you don’t do it, I have to find another.”

  “No one owns you.”

  “You have the mark of being an owner. Two brownies.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I can see their touch on you.”

  “Bramble and Briar have been brownies in my family since I was a child. They are in Shady Grove, because my home is in Shady Grove. They are not here.”

  “I am not bound to a home. Just a person.”

  “I didn’t know dwarves were beholden to a master.”

  “We all have masters,” she said.

  I walked across the room to a small fridge and found a bottle of water. The water was mostly spring water from Shady Grove, but it had a touch of fountain water in it. The Fountain of Youth sat inside Shady Grove’s borders, and we used its waters for healing. It granted fairies the ability to stop aging.

  The Tree of Life was also in Shady Grove. It granted everlasting life, but we’d found that to be subjective. It was more like a tool for reincarnation. I gave the water to the girl, who sat up to receive it. She wore a plain tee shirt and shorts. Probably some stuff we’d picked up at the local thrift store. The short sleeves hung down to her elbows, and the shorts were more like gauchos.

  “You don’t have to have one,” I said.

  “I want one.”

  Every fiber in my being hated this idea. Bramble and Briar were not our servants. They were part of our household. We loved them for their antics. I didn’t know exactly what this girl expected of me.

  “I’m sorry. I just can’t. I’ve got work to do here. There are more fairies like you that need help.”

  “And I will help you.”

  “It’s dangerous.”

  “I’m not afraid.”

  “Well, you rest, and we will talk more about it later. Okay?”

  She shook her head while finishing up the water. I took the empty bottle to the recycling bin and sat back down to watch her drift off to sleep. Before long, I drifted off, too.

  The dreams started immediately, as they normally did.

  I walked down an alley alone. My senses were heightened. I knew I was looking for something or someone. A movement caught my eye, then the shadow of whomever it was darted down to the end of the alley and around th
e corner.

  My legs willed me forward toward the running form. I turned the corner to find three people in long black robes. Sanhedrin. I spun around to see two others right behind me.

  “This is the end of the road for you, Wynonna,” Reyna said, as she lowered her hood.

  “I don’t fall under your jurisdiction,” I said.

  “When you killed a fairy, you became part of our problem,” she said, lifting her hand to flash a sparkling arcane circle. I’d seen her cast that type of magic before. My only response to it was fire.

  I snarled at her, then showed her my ball of fire which crackled then turned to snow. I flicked my fingers out again, but more snow.

  “Fuck! Not now!”

  “Wynonna Jones Riggs, the Sanhedrin find you guilty of murder. Your plea of innocence has been noted. Any last words?”

  “She will come for you! They all will come for you! Is this what you want, Reyna?”

  “Your mother needs to learn her place among the enforcement of laws outside of her realm. She does not rule the human world. She cannot touch us.”

  “Do you think that will stop her?” I asked, knowing it wouldn’t.

  “I must serve justice.” She threw the circle at me, and it hit me square in the chest, then lodged itself there. I knew fire, but this was like molten metal, burning through my skin. Screaming as it burned my insides, I watched her cover her head.

  “Stop! No! I didn’t do this! I didn’t do this!” I screamed.

  “Winnie! Winnie! Wake up!” Kyrie’s voice filtered through my screams.

  I awoke completely. My hands were digging into his arms, as he steadied me on the chair. Nick stood between me and the dwarf. Someone else stood in the doorway, but my vision hadn’t cleared.

  “Again,” I muttered.

  “It’s just a dream,” Kyrie assured me.

  “No, this is one of those dreams.” My father had the ability to dream about the future. We’d later found that sometimes he lied about what he dreamed. The first time I had this dream was right after I saved a fairy from the Sanhedrin.

  I’d met Reyna and her crew, dragging away a helpless creature. I wanted to burn her then, but I held back. Well, not completely. I did throw some fire at her, but she ran off leaving the fairy with me.