Her Fire

07 ~ Lupines

Dawn of creation…

Deirdre was in the underworld, urging the molten rocks to flow towards the surface of the seafloor. In just a few hours, a seamount would erupt and create a new island down in the south of the mainland. It was hard work but intensely satisfying and she loved doing it. She adored watching something be created through heat, the liquid fire slowly solidifying and growing life, albeit after a very long time.

“Daughter.” She turned to look and found her mother, Light, hovering nearby.

“Mother. What brings you here? You hate the underworld,” she teases. “I am very upset with Destiny! She is taking you away from me!”

Deirdre frowned. Her mother was not making any sense but she sounded so distressed that she stopped what she was doing.

“Please calm down, Mother… No one is taking me anywhere without my consent.”

But Light merely wept bitterly. “Then all is lost because you will consent… you will have no choice.”

“You’re not making any sense, Mother! I—”

“Destiny has created an unbreakable mate bond for the elemental deities!” Deirdre steps back as if hit by something. “What..!?”

“To secure life, she said. To make sure everything works like clockwork… and that you cooperate better. You are fated to the sky god Ouranos!”

Horrified, Deirdre could not even produce a word.

Fated!?

Somebody else decided who she will love!?

“You will have no choice… When you next see him, you will fall in love with him and the mate bond will always and forever bind you to him.” Light repeated, sobbing inconsolably before disappearing.

No choice… NO CHOICE!?

Her mother could not have used worse words! It triggered everything in Deirdre’s soul for she is fire, and fire is free. And of all the things that fire hates, being trapped is her worst nightmare. It would stifle her until she ceased to exist.

“...when you next see him, you will love him and the mate bond will always and forever bind you to him.”

“When I... see him next…” Deirdre muttered to herself.

Did it mean that if she didn’t see him, the mate bond would not... be activated!? Because if so, then all Deirdre had to do was… not see him. She had never actually seen the sky god before. Deirdre had been created much later than the other elemental deities and while her territory borders next to the earth goddess’s, she had only ever had a glimpse of Gaea from afar and Deirdre had yet to socialize but she had been too busy helping out, stoking the earth's fiery core underground…

Squaring her shoulders, she went back to what she was doing, brimming with extra energy from her determination and fury. No one was binding her to someone she didn’t choose, not now, not ever! Deirdre would stay in the underworld for as long as necessary until Destiny comes to her senses.

And yet, it was true, what they said, that one cannot escape one’s fate. The fire goddess’s own need for freedom was her downfall and after some time, Deirdre was already getting fidgety, being cooped up in the underworld. The place is vast but without the wide open space, it was stifling her and somehow, it was suddenly making her anxious. She knew Destiny had something to do with it so she fought it for as long as she could, until one day, she simply couldn’t take it anymore and she simply…exploded. In her fire form, she lost her control while pushing lava out of an erupting volcano.

Everything was fine, she was simply restless, like any other day, but she was handling it quite well up to a certain point. Closer to the surface, though, she watched with envy as the fiery molten earth got out and she suddenly became upset.

With Destiny, above all else, for creating the mate bond in the first place.

With Ouranos, the sky god and her fated mate, for existing…

With herself for being jealous of the stvpid lava being freer than she would ever have been.

Why was she even hiding underground in the first place like a coward, when she had done nothing wrong!? She was the daughter of Light and a gifted and powerful goddess in her own right! Surely, she had the fortitude and strength to resist that cursed fated bond!

“You will not have a choice…” Mother had warned her.

Deirdre snorted. Lose herself over someone!? NEVER!

“Fvck it, who cares about the blo0dy bond!” She growled and clawed her way out of the earth’s surface, exploding with uncontrolled fury and defiance. As soon as she felt the cool air, Deirdre immediately felt relief and rejuvenation.She closed her eyes to savor the feeling and took a deep, calming breath. Yes… this is so much better…As she cooled down a little more, she began to hesitate about the wisdom of her actions. While she believed herself perfectly capable of resisting the mate bond, why push it?Perhaps it was better to be more prepared when she did resurface, and not be as vulnerable and emotionally out of control. Yes, maybe it’s time to go back to the underworld. Not out of cowardice, mind you. Merely as a precaution.Taking one last deep pull of air, Deirdre turned to go back down the hole she had previously come out of, but before she could jump back in, she froze as her eyes connected with those of the one being she never ever wanted to meet.

“Mate.”

Deirdre blinks away the memories that suddenly assaulted her out of nowhere, in the most inappropriate moment.

“Sorry, I didn’t… I didn’t realize someone was here. I was just… following the… wolf.”

'Wait… Where have I seen him before..?'

The man stares at her intently for a few seconds, and Deirdre marvels at his extraordinary blue eyes, before nodding and simply walking away.

“Hey, wait!” Deirdre calls him and grimaces at her impulsive reaction.

Why the hell did she call the stranger back!?

She doesn’t really know why but somehow, she doesn’t want him to go. Not yet, at least.

The handsome stranger stops walking but doesn’t turn to look at her, merely waits for her next words.

Deirdre can feel her face burning with embarrassment. “Um, did you… by any chance… see where Flint… I mean, the wolf… went?”

“No.” he answers quietly.

“Oh,” she hesitates. "Well, okay, then, sorry to have bothered you—”

“Come with me.”

Taken aback, she frowns. “Excuse me?”

“I know where he might go. Follow me… if you want.” He walks away again, without waiting for her and Deirdre hesitates.

Following a stranger is never advisable, no matter how good-looking.

This villa is supposed to be safe, but Mattia hasn’t mentioned another tenant or someone else’s presence.

Mattia.

She immediately takes her phone out of her pocket and calls his number.

“Hello?”

“Yeah, um, hi, Matt… sorry to bother you… I just… I met a man while exploring the vineyard…tall, light brown hair… sky blue eyes…”

There is a few seconds of silence from the other side before Mattia speaks again. “Oh, yeah, sorry…forgot to mention him… He’s uh… He’s…” There is silence again before he coughs to clear his throat. “Sorry, I had something in my uh… Anyway, yeah… He’s alright. He’s another… um, guest, but he stays in the main villa…. Is he bothering you?”

“Oh, no, no… I just wanted to make sure I’m not following a serial killer or something.” She jokes and Mattia laughs awkwardly from the other side of the line.

“You’re following him?” He asks, sounding amused.

“Well, actually… It's Flint I was looking for. He ran off somewhere after barking for me to follow, and this man said he might know where Flint went so here I am following a complete stranger and I just wanted to run it by you first. At least you know who I was with last in case I just disappeared off the face of the earth.”

Mattia seems to choke before clearing his throat again. “Oh, it’s fine, you’re quite safe with him… Just call me again if you need any help going back to your cottage.”

“Why? Is he going to leave me in the middle of nowhere?” She teases again.

Mattia laughs. “Well, you never know. He’s pretty… unpredictable.”

“That doesn’t make me feel very safe, you know.” She mutters, craning her neck trying not to lose sight of the man they’re talking about.

“Oh, you have nothing to worry about. He won’t even hurt a flea.”

She chuckles. “Don’t you mean a fly?”

“What? Oh, yeah, sure. Flea, fly… Anyway… call me if you need anything.”

“Alright, thanks, Matt!” She sighs and immediately follows her fellow guest, feeling a little bit giddy and excited, as if embarking on a new adventure.

The man turns left and Deirdre loses sight of him behind the tall trees so she runs, trying to catch up to him.

“Wait up!” She calls, annoyed that he doesn’t stop to wait. She turns left, in the direction he went to and gasps at the view that suddenly appears behind the curve.

Hills upon hills of purplish blue wildflowers in the sea of green grasses.

“Oh, wow…”

The man stands a few steps away, admiring the view as well and Deirdre walks towards him, to stand beside him.

“It’s so beautiful…” She says, taking a deep breath. “What are those flowers?”

“Bluebonnets. From the Lupinus genus.” He answers quietly, his voice low and unassuming. “You’re just in time to see the last blooms. They will be gone soon, as the temperature is starting to drop.”

Deirdre blinks in surprise. “Are you a botanist?”

The man looks at her and gives her a small smile. “No.”

That’s it. No explanation at all.

She looks back at him, studying his face. He seems to be just slightly older than her, perhaps in his early thirties. He’s certainly taller, just the right kind of muscular. He has light brown curls, with a three-day scruff beard the same shade as his hair, and stunning sky-blue eyes.

Everything about him is attractive but he seems withdrawn and reserved, even guarded.

“I’m Deirdre,” she introduces herself.

“I know.”

She frowns. “How did you know?” She asks suspiciously.

“Matt told me someone is occupying the cottage.”

“Oh.” She takes a deep breath. “And you are..?”

It takes a few uncomfortable seconds for him to answer. “My name is Davide. David if you must.”

Deirdre nods. “Pleased to meet you… I guess.”

“The pleasure is all mine.”

They stay for a few minutes of somehow companionable silence, staring at the beautiful scenery, before Deirdre remembers why she is even there in the first place.

“Oh my gosh, I forgot about Flint! Where could he be? I thought you said you knew where he was?”

He smirks. “Don’t worry, he’s here somewhere. He’ll show himself… when he wants to.”

She doesn’t really know what to say to that so she simply nods, wondering why the hell he invited her to follow him in the first place.

Silence.

Deirdre clears her throat. “So… how long have you been here? In the villa, I mean. You know, as a guest.”

“A while.”

And then again, silence.

He seems comfortable in it but Deirdre sighs as she thinks she might as well have been alone. Rolling her eyes, she actually starts to consider taking Matt’s offer to be picked up, if this goes on.

“Are you always this… standoffish?” She asks. “Maybe I should just go?”

He seems to stiffen before turning his face away. “You may go if you wish, of course.” He murmurs.

She is about to do just that when he mumbles something else, in a voice so low she almost missed it.

“Or… you can stay. And just enjoy the peace and quiet with me.”

Peace and quiet.

Something tells Deirdre he isn’t being unfriendly, cold or unforthcoming on purpose. He’s probably here for the very same reason that she is.

To take a break from the outside world, enjoy some time in relative tranquility and just… breathe.

Deirdre sighs again… Peace and quiet it is then. It actually doesn’t sound so bad.

She glances at David, frowning a little.

Something about him seems familiar but she can’t quite put a finger on it.

The thought bothers her so much that she just can’t stop herself from asking him.

“I’m sorry… Have we met?”