I believe this is the second story in Eliza Gayle’s Pentacles of Magick series. Four brothers hail from a long line of powerful witches. Not only do they possess potent white magic, with each being able to control an element, but they can also unleash destructive and uncontrollable dark magic. Only by finding their empathic mate can they hope to break their curses. Unfortunately, their uncle, the Reverend Scott Cunningham, does not wish to see them succeed.

Cash Scott is one of the brothers. Air is his element. On a road trip to Boston, he allows some of his dark magic and its related anger to seep out. Selene, the story’s feisty fire-starting heroine, just happens to be motorcycling by and catches a whiff of his power. It sets off a chain reaction within her, resulting in her crashing her bike and setting his Harley on fire.

And so, Cash Scott, tortured dark hero, meets his redemption, the smart-mouthed fire-starter Selene.

Both have their own issues. A coven of witches for hire is determined to capture Cash. Selene’s running from the mysterious organization she belongs to and a mercenary sent to retrieve her. To add to that, their elements, air and fire, are wildly attracted to one another and seem hell-bent on keeping Cash and Selene on their backs having sex (or against the wall, on the motorcycle, in the bedroom…you get the picture).

The Burning is a well-crafted tale deserving to be read. I hope to see it and the remainder of the brothers’ stories in a nice print anthology someday. The sex scenes are well executed and finely tuned, with an emphasis on the interaction between their magical talents. The light elements of BDSM sprinkled in fit the characters’ personas. Eliza Gayle’s written a keeper. I’ll definitely be watching for her other stories.