Kissed by Fire: Zodiac Shifters: Maidens

Blurb

When you break a curse, you can open old wounds.

Caught up in the supernatural slave trade, mermaid Mila Sealight needs saving, not promises of undying love from a cursed, fire breathing shifter. But allies are scarce, making a down-on-his-luck dragon from Scotland her only hope.

When dragon Niall MacTeine boards the slaver boat with his brothers, he knows they are going to save people, he just never expected to be rescued himself. He's been cursed a long time and has started to give up hope.

Everything changes when Niall is thrown overboard while fighting the slavers and Mila gives him the 'kiss of the sea' to save him from drowning. That's when it hits him—she's the key to his freedom.

But breaking the curse that locks him in his human form requires trust and an open heart. Neither of which Mila gives freely. Niall will have to prove he's worth the risk to claim his fated maiden. And he will pay the ultimate price in the process.

This is book 2 in the Maidens series but it stands alone. You'll have more fun if you read book 1 Kiss the Dragon (which was a USA Today bestseller) but it's not required.

No cliffhanger! HEA ending! Novel length!

Disclaimer

This is a work of fiction intended for adults age 18 and over. Minors should stop here and close the book.

All events depicted are fictional. Characters are consenting adults. Any resemblance to places and persons, living or dead, is unintentional coincidence.

Every effort has been made to provide a quality reading experience, but editors and technology are fallible. Please report typos or formatting issues to MichelleFoxwrites@gmail.com. You’d tell a girl if she had lipstick on her teeth, right? Please do the same for typos and formatting flubs.

Glossary of Scottish Dialect

A special note on dialect: Did you know there's no one authoritative source for how to write Scottish dialect in fiction? I did the best I could with what I could find—referring to sources such as Diana Gabaldon's books, reading critiques of dialect in fiction from book reviewers, searching linguistic publications and considering input from beta readers who live in the UK. Technically, all the Scottish characters should say ye instead of you but I decided that didn't read well and I used you. Donna stands for 'do not' but, in turn, makes it difficult to tell the difference between don't and didn't. So I made executive decision to use donna to ensure reader understanding. For the most part, since there is no predominant standard, I focused on being consistent with the dialect choices I made throughout the story.

Bairn/Bairns: Child/Children

Couldna: Couldn't

Canna: Can't

Dinna: Didn't

Doesna: Doesn't

Donna: Don't

Donna Fash: Don't worry

Havna: Haven't

Ken: Know

Laird: Lord

'Tis: It is

'Twill: It will

'Twould: It would

Chapter One

Before we start... Subscribe to my mailing list for free reads, exclusive sneak peeks and giveaways.

And be sure to check out the first Maidens book, Kiss the Dragon.

***

We've gone too far. I tipped my head back and sniffed the air as the ocean rocked me gently up and down. The sweet scent of rain hit my nose. A black line of clouds spread across the far horizon, dimming the sun and casting a dark promise over the sea. The hot season brought oppressive heat that whipped the wind and water into rebellion. It was already growing colder, the only warning we would get. We should go back.

Siya surfaced next to me and her laugh danced over the water. Come on, Mila. Don't be so serious. Not today. They're just clouds.

But—

She cut me off. Just a little longer. I want pearls for my mating day. She dove away from me, her back long and her tail sleek. A bag made of old fish netting trailed behind her, stuffed full of shells and other trinkets.

I sank underwater and hurried after her. There's a storm coming. My voice trilled through the water, moving too fast for the sea to distort it. Fast, hard staccato bursts were the easiest to understand.

You sound like Kark. She paused and looked at me over her shoulder. Her braid had come undone and her indigo hair floated around her face, an unruly mess. Catching it strand by strand, she tore off a bit of netting from her bag and tied it back. Stay in the coral. Don't go too far. Be careful. I am glad to be leaving that all behind soon.

I am not Kark.

She rolled her eyes and resumed swimming. We live in the sea, sister. Storms don't touch us, so why worry?

Because some storms do.

Not today. I won't allow anything to ruin this. She waved me forward. We're almost there. We'll be done and back in our nooks before the first raindrop falls.

I didn't move.

Mila. She dragged out the sound of my name, impatient and cajoling at the same time.

Siya, I said in the same tone.

I'll go without you if I have to.

I still didn't move.

Is it so bad that I want something to remember Mother by? Pearls were her favorite. Just a few and then we'll go home. Please.

Okay. I'm coming. We were twins, but born on separate days and that had always been the canyon between us. Siya saw too much good in the world to not be stubborn about getting what she wanted. But I was the oldest and I knew the truth. I'd protected her as best I could, but soon it wouldn't be my job anymore.

***

We hunted oysters just off  the coast of a small island, settling into shallow water the same color as the sky to dig them out of the sand. Once we had a handful, we swam up to the shore to smash them against rocks until they released their treasure. A small mountain of pearls went into Siya's bag, carefully wrapped in a broad sheet of kelp.

Are you done? I asked, watching as boats zoomed along the horizon, their engines whining. We're too close to the two-legs here. The island itself was deserted, too small for two-legs to build anything, but there were cities elsewhere. That's where the boats came from.

They're not looking this way. She sank down in the water.

It just takes one.

A boat, its hull as sharp as a knife tip, roared across our side of the island, close enough that we could be seen. I grabbed Siya's tail fin and dragged her into deeper water with me. She shook off my hand and moved to swim with me shoulder-to-shoulder.

That was way too close. Don't tell me it wasn't. My gills fluttered fast at my throat, gulping in seawater. It's not like we can sing them away.

Fine. I'll just take the oysters back home and open them there. She went down to the seabed and stabbed her fingers into the sand, grabbing oysters and tossing them into her bag. I joined her, wanting to finish faster and get away from the two-legs.

We were what remained of the old magic, and long ago, our cousins had chosen to fade. Most had gone back to fairy, but the Mer stayed, counting on our beloved ocean to hide us. We'd locked up most of our magic as well. The old songs—of war, love, pain, the magic with the most power—were too tempting for the two-legs and we'd chosen to abandon them.

But then the boats and submarines showed up. They could see us whether we used magic or not. We'd been playing a long game of hide-and-seek ever since. Sometimes we lost and someone would disappear, never to be seen again. Even though most of the two-legs had forgotten us, a few remembered and hunted what magic they could find.

Ooo. Look. Siya held up a piece of abalone. I think I'll save this for Qitu. I can smooth the edges and make an armband out of it with seaweed. What do you think?

I'm sure he'll like it, I said, the words brittle as driftwood in my mouth.

She patted my shoulder. And once I'm settled, don't worry, we'll find someone for you.

My eyes widened. Siya might welcome her mating, but I had no visions of raising little tails any time soon. Don't worry about me.

Don't you want a mate? Aren't you tired of being alone? She sent a wistful gaze out into the sea.

I'm not alone. I have you. I kept digging, looking for more pearls hidden inside hard shells.

Don't you want more?

I was silent for a long moment. I want you to be happy, Siya. That is enough for now. I handed her a shell I'd just found, the one side a brilliant polished silver that matched the shimmer of her tail.

She took the shell and held it up to the sun streaming into the water. "I am happy. I want to get away from Kark and build a family like we had. Qitu is my...our chance to have that again."

I'd like to get away from Kark, too, I said, my voice soft. When I pictured my freedom, though, it wasn't with the northern tribe. Or a mate. What my future should be, though I didn't know. What could I do in a world where I wasn't supposed to exist?

Are you sure you're okay with this? I took my responsibility as oldest seriously. Our parents would have wanted that.

Can I say no?

We'd have to leave, but yes, you can say no. I looked at the ocean around us, trying to picture where we would go. I would make it work. Somehow.

I like him. And he knows about my... Siya didn't say it but flicked her tail. She'd been born with a soft fin that flopped and folded inward. We'd tried many things to heal it, finally finding the best option to be honing clam shells into thin lengths that could serve as a support. We used barnacle slime to hold them in place. You had to look closely to even see the shells keeping her tail strong.

He says it doesn't bother him at all.

Because it shouldn't. Despite her tail, Siya was the most beautiful among us with deep indigo hair and a silver phosphorescence that sparkled along her scales like the sunlight dancing on water. Her voice was a crown that no one could take away from her. She sang like a soul set free.

And Kark had given her to the Northern Tribe. No doubt he was relieved to be rid of at least one of us. He'd replaced our father as leader of our people and often appeared angry at our continued existence. People had liked our parents and we reminded them of what Kark would never be.

It made me angry, too.

He seems like a good match, I said, forcing my voice to be light. Qitu had been polite and kind so far. But Kark had picked him.

Siya hugged herself and giggled. Can you believe it? By tomorrow's moon, I'll be mated.

And gone. 

You'll come visit?

I nodded.

And stay for a while? She gave a small smile. Maybe even never come back here?

These waters are our home.

It stopped being home for me, ever since... Siya paused, sadness creeping into her eyes. I'm glad to leave. To start over. To have something of my own.

Well, let's get going then. I gestured in the direction of the coral caves that housed our tribe. If we spend too many waves treasure hunting, you won't have time to make your headpiece for the mating.

All right. Last tail there has to pick the seaweed for dinner. She zoomed off ahead of me, lugging her bag, now heavy with treasure, after her.

I held back, giving her the lead. At the last minute, I would catch up and make her work for her victory. She hated it when she thought I let her win and I'd learned to be subtle about it.

I picked better seaweed anyway.

The sea darkened as we made our way back home. I surfaced to check the sky, frowning when I saw the storm roiling towards us. It had gained speed and shoved the water into spiky waves as it went.

An engine whined in the distance. I cocked my head, listening. It too, was coming fast, the sound of it growing louder and louder. Slipping back underwater, I aimed for a deeper depth to avoid both the weather and any boats.

Siya had gone so far ahead of me that I couldn't even see her. She'd been through storms before, though. She would know what to do. Still, I hurried, not liking the idea of her alone in these seas.

At this rate, she might actually win our race.

Siya. Are you there?

Only the swishing back and forth of the water answered me. Then, a scream. Loud and tearing. 

It could be anything. Dolphins. Even whales. Or...

I sang a note, pushing it ahead of me to search for Siya. If she heard it, she would send one back. The note zipped through the water and then fell apart. Nothing was there for me to find.

Another scream.

Followed by a loud bang as a boat engine backfired.

The storm broke, flashing lightning through the water.

Something silver sparkled ahead, moving fast, and I swam toward it. Siya?

Thin dark lines appeared, sweeping in my direction. A net. I dove as deep as my gills would let me, down to the still water that marked the entrance to the abyss.

Looking up, I watched as the net passed overhead and my stomach clenched tight as I saw it wasn't empty.

Help me!

I rose up in time to see her face peering out through the net's webbing. Racing after her, I managed to hook my fingers around the roping.

Hang on. I bit at the net, but my teeth were not sharp enough.

Hurry.

The net lurched upward. They were hauling her in.

I'm trying.

We broke the surface and entered a world saturated in hopeless gray. The wind shrieked and threw cold rain at us while thunder boomed and lightning crackled. A large boat dipped and rolled on storm whipped waves. Two-legs shouted as they ran along the dock, pointing at us.

I held on to the net with all my strength.

They're taking me. Tears streamed down her face. Just like Ndia.

No. I won't let them. I fumbled with her bag which hung outside the net. A sharp shell would work as a knife. I just need a small wave of time.

We came along side the boat. Hands reached for me, weighing me down.

Just let go. She pushed at my fingers. If they take us both...

No. I'm not leaving you. Still searching for a shell with one hand,  I flicked my tail at the two-legs trying to grab me, slapping them back with my fins. They fell and then slid on the wet deck as they tried to regain their footing. Thunder roared a bass counterpoint to the soprano screams of the wind.

You have to. Get the others. You can't fight them alone.

Kark won't come after you, I said, watching to make sure the two-legs didn't sneak up on me. They were fumbling with some kind of stick that had a bright spark at the end. He never came after the others, remember?

Qitu then. He'll come.

I snorted. The Northern tribe owes us nothing until you're mated.

But he loves me.

It's better to save ourselves. I found a shell, pulled it out and hacked at the net. We need more time. Sing.

Sing what?

Anything. Sleep. Hurt. Pain. Battle songs. Sing them to death if you have to.

Her eyes widened and she drew back, increasing the distance between us. The Mer had locked up those songs a long time ago, but our father had preserved them. We'd each been taught the notes and then sworn to never use them. They