Before I can answer, a distant roar echoes through the trees. My heart leaps into my throat. It’s Solan.
He’s coming.
And if he sees the blood on my face, I know he won’t stop to ask questions. He’ll tear through these monsters, this woman, like a storm, and nothing—not reason, not logic—will hold him back.
“Call him off,” Shanae says sharply, her composure faltering for the first time. “Whatever you think we’ve done, we’re not your enemies.”
Calythra’s voice is tight. “You have no idea who’s coming, do you? That’s Solan.”
At the name, Shanae blanches. “Solan?” Her voice wavers, and the others around her exchange uneasy glances.
“Yes,” Calythra says, his tone almost smug. “And that’s his bonded.” He gestures to me. “So, yeah. You’ve really stepped in it.”
The tension in the clearing thickens, the weight of Solan’s reputation settling over us like a storm cloud. I can’t help the flicker of pride that rises in my chest—ridiculous, stupidly sexy pride. But now is definitely not the time to admit that.
“Stand down,” Shanae orders her group, her voice sharp as a blade. “All of you. Now.”
The roar grows louder, and I step forwards, ignoring the pain in my side. I have to stop this before it’s too late. Before Solan reaches us.
“You need to all back the fuck off and let me handle him,” I say, my voice steady despite the chaos swirling around me. I have little doubt this mismatched band of monsters is part of the rebellion. I can’t afford for them to be slaughtered, and I absolutely don’t want Jamie to be caught in the thick of it either.
The air grows heavy, charged with an almost-electric anticipation. A faint rustle through the trees warns me moments before Solan breaches the clearing.
He’s magnificent.
It’s not just the feral intensity in his eyes or the powerful way he strides into the open—it’s also the flames. Flickering tendrils of fire snake over his skin, glowing orange and gold against the rich red of his…. Fuck me. Are those scales? His movements are fluid and controlled, but it’s the fire—raw, living energy—that draws every ounce of my attention. His eyes lock on me, searing and unyielding.
But I know. Oh, how I know. He doesn’t see the rebels shrinking back or Jamie’s wide, terrified gaze. All he sees is the blood trickling down my cheek, a stark red contrast against my pale skin.
“Solan!” I shout, desperate to pierce through the haze of rage I feel radiating from him. His steps don’t falter. He’s not charging, not yet, but the deliberate, measured way he moves is infinitely more terrifying.
The rebels must think so too. Their leader—Shanae—shouts something in a language I don’t recognise, and the group scrambles back, positioning themselves behind me like I’m their new shield. Most of them do, anyway. One of the rebel monstershesitates, its form too slow or too stubborn to retreat as fast as the others.
Solan’s hand rises, and with it, the fire around him swirls, coalescing into a burning orb.
“No!” I holler, my voice raw and cracking as I lunge forwards, arms outstretched. “Solan, stop!”
The fireball shoots from his hand, streaking across the clearing with terrifying precision. My heart seizes in my chest as I anticipate the strike—already imagining the blood, the destruction, the smell of charred flesh.
Instinct takes over before I can think it through. I hurl myself forwards, my body colliding with the startled rebel just as Solan’s fireball roars through the clearing. The force of it knocks the air from my lungs, but not before Jamie’s scream pierces my chest like a dagger.
I feel the fire hit me square in the chest, and for a split second, I think it’s over.
This is it.
I picture Jamie’s tear-streaked face. Solan’s eyes, full of love and desperation. My heart shatters into a thousand pieces, the thought of leaving them behind unbearable. But then…
I gasp. My lungs burn, but not from the fire.
Holy shit, I’m alive.
Flames lick across my skin, but they don’t consume me. They dance—bright and mesmerising, curling over my arms and chest like living things, almost playful in their movements. Panic claws at me as I swat them, but they refuse to extinguish.
“What the—” My voice catches, my brain unable to process what’s happening.
“Uncle Jack!” Jamie’s scream cuts through the chaos, his small frame hurtling towards me.
“No!” Solan is there in an instant, intercepting Jamie mid-run and pulling him back before he can get too close. “Stay back!” His voice is sharp, desperate.
