Page 113 of Born in Fire
“I’m going after her,” Caleb declares, moving toward the exit. “Now.”
“Not alone,” Dorian counters. “This is obviously a trap.”
“I don’t care.” Caleb’s voice is ice. “They have Elena.”
“Lydia,” Dorian projects his voice toward Caleb’s phone. “Get medical attention. Then coordinate with Luke and the others. We’ll need backup.”
“Already on it,” she replies. “Be careful. Serena isn’t herself. It’s like she’s being controlled.”
The call ends. Caleb’s already striding toward the door, a man transformed. Gone is the controlled corporate leader—in his place stands something primitive, dangerous. Even in humanform, the dragon is visible now—in the flash of his eyes, the coiled tension of his body.
“I’m shifting,” he announces once we’re outside. “I’ll fly.”
“What if you’re seen?” Dorian objects.
“It’s dark.” Caleb glances at the night sky. “And I don’t give a damn who sees me. Mara can spin it on her fucking conspiracy channel.”
I watch, fascinated despite the tension, as Caleb removes his jacket and shirt with efficient movements. His skin seems to shimmer, a hint of what’s to come.
“I’m coming with you,” Dorian says, beginning his own preparations.
“No.” The word bursts from me before I can stop it. Three pairs of eyes turn to me in surprise.
“Juno?” Dorian questions.
I step forward, heart pounding. “My vision. You were surrounded by fire, captured. This is how it happens.”
Understanding dawns in his eyes. “Juno—”
“Please,” I whisper. “Don’t go.”
Dorian pulls me aside, his hands cupping my face. “Elena needs us. She’s family.”
“I know.” Tears threaten, frustrating me. “I know she’s important. But so are you. And in my vision, they were waiting for you.”
“Then I’ll be careful,” he promises. “I’ll watch for the signs.”
“It won’t matter,” I insist. “I saw it, Dorian. I felt it. They had you surrounded by fire. They were using the Shard.”
His thumbs brush my cheekbones gently. “If your vision comes true, then you’ll know exactly where to find me, won’t you?”
The statement steals my breath—his calm acceptance of potential capture, his faith that I would come for him. It’s both terrifying and profoundly moving.
“I can’t lose you,” I admit. “Not when I’ve just found you.”
Something softens in his expression. “You won’t lose me. But I can’t abandon my brother or Elena.”
I close my eyes, knowing he’s right. When I open them again, determination has replaced fear.
“Then I’m coming too.”
“Too dangerous,” he says immediately.
“You can’t stop me,” I counter. “And I might be useful. I sensed things in that building that you didn’t.”
He studies me, conflict evident in his expression.
Caleb joins in, already focused on his transformation. “Daniel can drive her. You shift with me.”
