Fire's Flame [Elements Book 1] by C. L. Scholey

headache.”
    Ignis sighed and pulled her into his arms. “You might—I mean about burning the house. Your pubies, as you call them, will be safe, no worries. Never mind, I think tonight I’ll take you to where you’ll be safe and cannot harm others.”
    Ignis took her hand and walked her into the fireplace, Flame groaned as her clothing burnt to ashes. He took to the skies after opening the dimension into his world with the help of the flames that followed. She groaned louder when he set her down, after reaching his destination a short time later, crashing from the sky and striking the ground with a crack of lightning. Flame walked effortlessly from the lightning onto soft foliage which smoldered only briefly. The ground was saturated; the air was warm and humid.
    “A rain forest? Oh come on. You can’t be serious. Ignis, is this really necessary?” She watched as an agouti scrambled past her. Just gazing around, she knew she was in an undisturbed section of the forest because of the Brazil nut trees. The canopy trees were perspiring. All right transpiring, same difference.
    Ignis kissed her forehead. “It’s for the best for now. I’ll be back later to check on you. For now, my brother, Nimbus, will watch over you.”
    “Your brother? You do realize I’m buck naked?”
    “You do realize you have gone skinny dipping before, surrounded in my brother’s element?”
    Oh, well there was that one time.
    “And you shower and bathe…”
    “Point taken.” It was a little unnerving understanding every element had most assuredly seen her nude at one point or another. Weird, creepy.
    Fire chuckled and chucked her under her chin with a finger. As he walked away, a flash of lightning burst near to him and he was gone—riding the brilliant streak into the Heavens.
    As the rain drizzled down her bared breasts, Flame settled back into a pile of soft, moist leaves which cooled her hot flesh. There was no way she could get home from here alone. The water did feel good. She spread her legs and let the dampness drip between her lower lips, she watched the droplets sizzle and spit when they collided with the lava-like substance. It was an odd sight. No doubt it would freak out a mortal man. Nevertheless the water felt wonderful, cooling. Flame drifted to sleep. She was certain the water caressed her nether region. The droplets swirled around her breasts. Her body was massaged into slumber. She felt safe. She let the elements care for her needs and drifted to sleep.

Chapter 5
    Ignis studied the sleeping woman from his vantage point of the flames. She was curled up on the couch in the small living room in front of a fire Ignis had breathed new life into. The rustic cabin she and her children were hiding in was quaint, rural, with two tiny bedrooms, an eat-in kitchen an ant would have trouble maneuvering in and an old outhouse that had seen better days. A cup of ice cold coffee sat on a table next to the couch where the woman had succumbed to exhaustion. No doubt she had been keeping vigilance for days, trying to protect her family. Ignis wondered how she had come across this ratty dwelling.
    The woman, Melinda, Flame had informed him was her name, slept fitfully, kicking off her one threadbare cover; her pillow fell to the dirty wood floor. Her eyes were moving rapidly behind her eyelids and Ignis knew she was dreaming. She mumbled a few frightened words, moaned, tiny hands twitched, she then settled. Her tousled light brown hair was askew and un-kempt. With no indoor plumbing, the family was forced to wash at the cold river or pump water from an old well. Needless to say, the petite female was looking a little worse for wear.
    Ignis and his brothers had sealed off the woman’s escape, while seeking to stop unwanted visitors—no one in—no one out. It was easier to guard her little family this way. Normally, Ignis stayed out of mortal affairs unless it had to do with the misuse of his gift. This woman’s husband wasn’t an