Light The Fire: A Reverse Harem Fantasy (Her Elemental Dragons Book 0) Read online

  I can only pray that one of my descendants will find their way back to this temple when the Fire God awakens to carry out our divine mission, even though I have failed as High Priestess. If that is who is reading this, please accept my apology for not preparing you better. I had no idea if this day would ever come, but I trust you will make the Fire God proud.

  And remember this above all else: we serve the Gods, not the Dragons.

  I reread her words over and over as I absorbed everything she’d written. I was descended from both the High Priestess and the Crimson Dragon. I’d always thought the Dragons serve the Gods, but it seemed there was some conflict between them. Now that the Fire God had awakened, would the Dragons become our enemies?

  Falon appeared in the doorway, breathing quickly. “Calla, there’s something you need to see.”

  “What is it?”

  “The Dragons are coming.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  I rushed to the front of the temple with Falon, where the other men were already waiting and watching the sky. As I lifted my eyes, I caught sight of four large reptilian forms with massive wings and terrifying talons descending toward us quickly. With his blood red scales I spotted the Crimson Dragon immediately, leading the charge to his own temple. Beside him was the Golden Dragon, who represented the Air God; the Azure Dragon, who spoke for the Water God; and the Jade Dragon, who was meant to serve the Earth God. The Black Dragon, the avatar of the Spirit Goddess, was the only one missing, for which I was thankful. She was their leader and the most powerful and terrifying of them all.

  As the Crimson Dragon landed on the temple’s shiny black steps, his body transformed back into a man, and I stood face to face with my grandfather. His hair was a shockingly pale color, almost white, and cut in a short military style. I recognized my own brown eyes on him, though his were harsh as they swept over me with a scowl. As we stared at each other, I could tell he knew who I was. But before either of us could speak, the other Dragons touched the ground and shifted back to their human forms.

  I’d never seen the others before. Doran, the Azure Dragon, had long golden hair, a rugged beard, and tanned, weathered skin. Beside him, Isen, the Golden Dragon, looked completely opposite with pale, perfect skin and shiny black hair tied back. The final Dragon, Heldor, had a shaved head and tattoos running down his muscular arms, his massive body an imposing figure even beside the other large men.

  “It’s true then,” Heldor said, his voice low and rumbling. “The Fire God is free.”

  Doran arched an eyebrow. “How can we be sure? All I see is a bit of smoke.”

  Isen snorted. “The volcano hasn’t been active all this time. Why else would it suddenly stir now?”

  I remembered Ara’s words. They’re afraid of what will happen if the Gods awaken. I stepped forward and said, “The Fire God remains absent, my lords. It is only us here at the temple.”

  From the corner of my eye I saw my mates shift and cast strange glances at me, but they didn’t know what I’d found. They hadn’t read my grandmother’s journal, or seen her warning. We serve the Gods, not the Dragons.

  I wasn’t sure what was happening, but I knew in my gut that I must lie to the Dragons and protect the Fire God and whatever he had planned. He’d awakened and brought us here for a reason, and I had a feeling the Dragons wouldn’t like it.

  “Who is this?” Isen asked, casting a dismissive glance at me.

  Sark pinned me with his cruel gaze. “The High Priestess.”

  “I thought this temple was abandoned,” Heldor said, raising an eyebrow at Sark.

  “It was.”

  I swallowed. “I’m trying to revive the old traditions in the hopes it will calm the volcano. It’s been rumbling for some time, though my mother says that is normal.”

  “Has the Fire God spoken to you?” Heldor asked.

  “No,” I lied.

  “Why should we believe you?” Isen asked, before his eyes fell on my mates. “Maybe we should make sure she’s telling the truth.”

  “You think this girl could have awakened the Fire God?” Doran asked, with a haughty laugh. “Even if she did, the others are still bound. He is powerless on his own.”

  “I wouldn’t call a God powerless,” Isen snapped.

  “We’re wasting time here,” Doran said. “I don’t see any evidence of the Fire God. And Sark would know if he’d broken free, wouldn’t he?”

  Sark grunted in response, still staring at me in a way that made my skin crawl.

  “This is your temple,” Heldor said to Sark. “Find out the truth and deal with it. Or Nysa will be forced to come here herself, and you know how she’ll feel about that.”

  With that, Heldor shifted back into his dragon form, his dark green wings glimmering under the sun as he leaped into the air. Though I was sweating, a chill ran through me at his words. Nysa, the Black Dragon, rarely left the city of Soulspire where she ruled, but when she did, destruction and death followed.

  “Return when you have answers,” Isen told Sark, before his golden scales flashed bright as he took off toward the sky.

  Sark grumbled and pushed his way past me inside the temple, leaving me alone with the Azure Dragon. The golden-haired man gave me a quick nod, before shifting and flying off, his glimmering dark blue body quickly blending in with the sky.

  “What was that about?” Derel asked, once they were gone.

  “I’ll tell you later,” I said. “For now, just follow my lead.”

  The other guys nodded and we headed back inside the temple to find Sark. He’d opened the door at the back of the great room, which had been locked up until now. It led to another room with a large bed on a raised platform, almost like an altar. The room was coated in a layer of dust and I got the sense it was meant for some kind of ritual. How odd.

  Another door on the other side opened to the outside, behind the temple. I stepped through it and was hit with a wave of heat coming from the mouth of the volcano, which was only a short distance away.

  Sark stood over the edge of it, looking down into the smoking abyss. He spun around to face me as I approached. “Tell me the truth. Why are you here?”

  I bowed my head. “I serve the Gods, as do you. Isn’t that right?”

  His lips pressed into a tight line. “Of course. That’s why I must know if he’s been freed.”

  I tilted my head. “I didn’t realize the Fire God was imprisoned.”

  He grabbed my chin in his hand. “I can make you talk, you know. I’ll burn off your limbs. Throw your mates into the pit. Turn your entire village to ash. Unless you tell me the truth.”

  “You would truly harm your own granddaughter?” I asked, keeping my voice sweet, even though I was more scared than I’d ever been in my life.

  Behind me, my mates gasped, but Sark’s eyes only narrowed. “You don’t know what you speak of.”

  As his fingers tightened painfully on my chin, I met his gaze without flinching. “I wonder what the Black Dragon would say if she knew you had a child with someone else?”

  He glared at me for a few more seconds, then shoved me away so hard I hit the ground, scraping my palms on the black rocks. Sark then turned to my mates and gave them all a dangerous look. They each stood poised to fight, even though there was no way any of them could win against Sark, the deadliest of the Black Dragon’s mates.

  “If the Fire God awakens, I expect you to send word to me immediately,” he snapped.

  I bowed low. “Of course. I live to serve the Dragons.”

  “See that you do, or everyone you love will suffer for it.”

  Sark’s body seamlessly shifted into his terrifying dragon form before he launched into the air and flew over the mouth of the volcano. He let out a huge blast of fire as a warning, before he flew away.

  Once he was only a tiny speck in the distance, my shoulders finally relaxed. The other men all surrounded me and wrapped their arms around me.

  “Are you okay?” Falon asked.

  I nodded. “I think so.”

  “What was that about?” Blane asked.

  “Let’s go inside,” I said. “I have a lot to tell you.”

  But as we headed back toward the temple, the volcano began to rumble loudly and the ground shook beneath our feet. The air suddenly became much hotter, to the point where it became hard to breathe, and my skin tingled with awareness. As we turned back to the gaping maw, lava and sparks shot out from it as a monstrously large dragon reared up from inside it. This one was much larger and more incredible than the ones we’d just faced, and its skin seemed to be made from lava itself.

  “Calla of the Fire Realm,” the dragon’s deep voice said, while it pinned me with its fiery eyes. “You have served me well.”

  “The Fire God,” Falon whispered, while the ground continued to rumble around us.

  “It’s really true,” Blane said, while Roth and Derel could only gape and stare in awe.

  This must be the Fire God’s true form, only seen here at his most holy place. I bowed my head low, while the volcano surged around us. “I’ve done everything you asked. I came to the temple and brought four men to serve as my mates. Will you calm the volcano now?”

  In response, the glow from the mouth of the volcano dimmed and the ground stopped shaking. “Very well. But there is still more for you to do.”

  I swallowed and glanced at the men at my side, who nodded and gazed back at me with determined eyes. “What would you have us do?”

  “You must prepare for the next Dragons to rise—the ascendants.”

  I tilted my head, unsure if I’d heard him correctly. “The next ones?”

  “The Dragons were created to protect the world, and were meant to bring balance between the humans and elementals. Many years ago that changed and the current Dragons allowed their purpose to be corrupted. Now their time is at an end. The next Black Dragon has been born, and in twenty years she will visit this temple with her mates.” His fanged mouth dipped low. “And you will be ready for them.”

  “But the Dragons have ruled for as long as anyone can remember,” Derel said. “How can they be replaced?”

  “The Dragons were only meant to rule for a short time, before passing the torch to the next generation. Nysa and her mates defied the Gods to gain immortality. Now their rule must come to an end.”

  I glanced at my mates again, the four men I loved, and knew they’d stand beside me no matter what we faced. If our purpose was to prepare for these ascendants, we’d be ready. If we had to defy the Dragons, we’d do it.

  I stepped forward and gazed up at the fiery god. “We’re ready to serve.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Twenty Years Later

  I stood in front of the temple and gazed out across the barren landscape surrounding the volcano. Small figures approached in the distance on horseback, getting closer with every minute. Purpose and determination smoldered inside me, along with the Fire God’s flames. I’d waited for this day for twenty years and it was hard to believe this moment was finally here.

  I turned around and headed back through the temple, where my four mates waited for me. Blane, Roth, Derel, and Falon all wore the red and black robes of the Fire God’s priests and I gazed at each of them with love nearly bursting inside of me. Even after twenty years together, we were still as much in love as when we first came to the temple, if not more so. Every day we’d spent together was a true blessing, and I was so thankful the Fire God chose me—and that these four men had agreed to become my priests.

  “It’s time,” I said.

  “The new Black Dragon?” Blane asked, arching an eyebrow.

  I nodded. “She and her mates are approaching now. They should be here in a few hours.”

  “I’ll start preparing a feast,” Derel said. “They’re going to be hungry after they climb that mountain.”

  “I’ll prepare the bonding room,” Falon said, glancing back at the room with the altar and the bed that we rarely went into, which had been waiting for the ascendants all this time.

  “Thank you,” I told them both with a smile.

  “Any sign of the other Dragons?” Roth asked. “Sark?”

  “Not yet.” I glanced back at the smoke-filled sky. The Fire God had kept his promise and the volcano had been quiet for the entire time we’d lived here—until now. We all knew what that meant, and were prepared to leave on a moment’s notice if needed. “But I’m glad we sent the children to Sparkport, just in case.”

  I’d been blessed with four children, one from each of my mates, which we considered gifts from the Fire God. Our oldest daughter would one day become the High Priestess after me, if she wished to take that role. For now, they were safe at the bakery with Loka and her wife. Once this was over, we’d be reunited again.

  Though the Fire God had never appeared to me again, I knew he’d been watching over us, waiting for this day. He’d given me purpose, and over the years I’d devoured every book in the library and studied up on the Dragons, or what little was left about them anyway, while my mates and I prepared as best we could for the new Dragons’ arrival. Change was coming to the four Realms, but if our plans were successful, we would no longer live under Nysa’s oppressive regime. Soon the new Black Dragon would rise, with her four mates at her side. Only then would balance return to the world.

  While the men took care of final preparations, I dressed in my ceremonial robes and waited for the ascendants to climb the volcano, much like we’d done years ago. Until, hours later, a young woman with red hair took the final steps onto the summit of Valefire, with her mates at her side.

  It was time to meet the people who would save the world.

  Thanks for reading LIGHT THE FIRE! Ready to find out how Calla and her mates help the ascendants defeat the Dragons? Turn the page to read the first chapter from the next book in the series about Kira and her mates, STROKE THE FLAME - plus find out how to get three free books from the author!

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  Stroke The Flame - Excerpt

  Chapter One: Kira

  I crept through the forest in search of my prey, my hand tight on my bow. Heavy rain left a sheen of water on my face even with my hood covering me, and I wiped it off on my already-soaked sleeve. The storm was getting stronger. If I didn’t find a deer or something else soon, I’d have to give up and return empty-handed. Roark wouldn’t like that.

  I made my way toward one of my traps up ahead, stepping carefully through the high brush and keeping my eyes peeled for any game. With the weather as it was, I doubted I would have any luck. All the animals in the forest had no doubt retreated once this sudden storm had come upon us. The only thing left out here would be elementals and shades—and I had no desire to confront either of those.

  When I’d set out a few hours ago, the sky had been clear and bright. Only in the last hour had the storm clouds gathered overhead as if out of nowhere, or perhaps summoned by the Gods themselves. I shivered, and not just from the cold that sank into my bones through my soaked clothes.

  I bent down to check the trap I’d left this morning and breathed a sigh of relief. A large rabbit had been caught inside. Tonight I’d be fed. Tonight Tash would be safe.

  I tossed the rabbit into a sack and loaded it onto my shoulder. When I turned around, I wasn’t alone. I dropped the sack and aimed my bow, my heart in my throat.

  An old woman stood before me, her body hunched over with age, her skin pale and wrinkled. She wore a frayed traveling cloak and frizzy white hair escaped her low hood. I might have heard her as she approached, but the storm drowned out all sound except for the pounding of rain in the trees.

  “Can I help you?” I called out to her, as I lowered my bow and retrieved my fallen sack.

  “Perhaps.” She stared at me and frowned, then looked around as if confused.

  “You must be lost. I can show you to Stoneham, the nearest town.”

  “That’s kind of you.”

  I offered her my arm and she took it, leaning upon me. Her grip was strong, even though she seemed so frail I worried a strong gust might turn her bones to dust. I wondered how she had found herself in the middle of the forest in the first place. She shouldn’t be traveling alone, especially not in this weather.

  “What’s your name?” she asked.

  “Kira.”

  As we carefully stepped through the forest she gazed up at the dark sky, letting the rain wash over her face. “There’s a storm coming.”

  I patted her wrinkled hand where it rested on my arm. “I think it’s already here. But if we hurry, we can get out of it. The inn is just ahead.”

  “There’s no escaping this storm.” She turned toward me and her eyes were like steel. “Not for you.”

  Her words sent another shiver down my spine. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

  She held my gaze another few seconds, then waved her hand. “Just the ramblings of an old woman. Nothing more.”

  I frowned, but continued walking through the wet brush. “We’re nearly there now.”

  “Yes, indeed we are,” she said.

  A rustling sound up ahead caught my attention. I dropped her arm and drew my bow. “Stay back. I’ll make sure the way is clear.”

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