Faye and the Heart of Fire

It only takes a spark of unrest to ignite an inferno of treachery. 

Faye thought the worst was behind her when the war ended. But leading a race of wary dragons comes with unforeseen challenges. She believes she has everything under control until an attack shatters that illusion, leaving her with an injury and the knowledge that a traitor is concealed among those closest to her.

Needing a personal guard she can trust, she turns to Alec.

Alec is all too happy to swap his lackluster days teaching music for a more thrilling opportunity. But what seems like a simple task escalates when he enters the searing flames of the dragon culture and attempts to uncover the traitor.

Faye’s magic is building up, threatening to erupt and enemies are closing in. Can Faye control her powers? Can Alec work with allies to prevent another attack? Or will the traitor destroy Faye’s reign?

Author Nicole Bailey masterfully delivers gripping fantasy laced with suspense in Faye and the Heart of Fire, the fourth installment of the highly anticipated Faye and the Ether series.

I lifted my hand to the Ether and drew the clothes.

Tight-fitting garnet leather.

Sleeves that slid down my arms and stretched between my first and second fingers. Pants that hugged against my curves and ended in matching moccasins. At the hip, a half skirt flowed out behind me and whisked against the floor.

So much like my selkie cloak.

And yet, so different.

I ran my hand over my midnight-dark hair Zemin had pulled into a braid for me, lacing in red agate beads. 

I twisted a stick of crimson lipstick up and glided it over my lips. The color reflected in the golden puddle of candlelight flickering over the dark wood of my dressing table.

The stool scraped against the floor as I stood. I took a deep breath and opened the door.

Telanes leaned against the wall in the hallway—wood paneled like every room in the compound—his eyes trailed over me. “Chin up.”

I lifted my chin, rolling my shoulders back. “Good enough?”

He smirked. “You know my answer to that already.”

A smile touched my lips before I drew it away, and I slid my hand into his. The leather of his outfit—similar to mine, but darker, more streamlined, and ending in boots—grazed over my fingers. He had pulled his sandy hair back, wrapping it with a long strap of leather, as many of the dragons did.

We strode down the hallway, not talking. I dropped his hand as we approached the double doors, pulling both of them open. The dozen beings sitting in the conference room snapped to their feet. I skimmed over them before walking in, Telanes trailing me, his face expressionless. 

We walked up to the head of the table. Walnut wood made up the furnishings, the walls, and even the molding around the fireplace in the room, and only the stretch of large windows kept it from being a shadowy space.

Ete had one eyebrow cocked up. Her ebony hair sat in dozens of braids pulled away from her dark skin. The tension across her shoulders harbored bad news.

Odim tightened his eyes, their hazel color catching a glint of light from the sun over the ocean just out the window. And whatever news Ete came bearing, Odim had opinions on it. I clenched my teeth.

Marrim shifted her mocha braid behind her shoulder, her eyes averted like she wished to avoid the confrontation that buzzed through the air between us all.

I paused for another moment. “You may all sit.”

Chairs rasped across the floors as everyone dropped into their seats, some shuffling papers.

“I believe it’s pressing that we begin with discussing the dragons that are dissenting.” Ete placed both of her muscled arms on the table, interlacing her fingers. “I know you don’t wish to take drastic measures; however, I believe you should reconsider.”

“I’ve made it clear how I feel on that topic,” I said.

Ete’s expression tightened. “More dragons have dissented this week. We must give a firm response.”

I cocked my head to the side. “Beron?”

“I agree with Ete.” His eyes flared with flecks of peach that contrasted against the warm brown of his skin. “These dragons could destabilize our race. I don’t believe their dissension is innocent.”

“They have done nothing yet to prove otherwise,” I said.

Ete’s lips pursed, tension wrinkling around them like lines in a spiderweb, but she nodded. Odim smacked his hand on the table, his mustache drooping with a frown. “I will not sit here and be silent. This is a foolish decision and not how dragons handle things. We should put these dissenters down without mercy.”

“No,” I said. “We need to rise above that. We should address them, but not execute them.”

Odim hissed. “Rumors ran through the halls that a spineless selkie took the dragons over. I suppose they were true after all.”

I stood and kicked my chair behind me. It clattered against the floor. I threw my hand back. The chair caught on fire, smoke curling around the ceiling, the board members illuminating in flickering orange light.

“Let me make something perfectly clear,” I said through my teeth. “You are welcome to disagree with me and share your opinions. But you will not sit here and demean any race, and most certainly not the race of my mother.”

Eyes dropped to the table. Tension rippled through the room.

✨ Magical Realm

🧚 Fairytale Creatures

🌹 Slow Burn

🔮 Prophecies

🔀 Twists & Turns