“You’d really stay behind?” she asks.
“If that’s what you need to prove I’m not trying to control you, then yes.” The words are a promise that I mean completely, no matter how much my dragon rails against them.
Her expression softens. “I want you there. In the field. Fighting beside me, not hovering over me.”
The relief is so intense my knees nearly buckle.
“I can do that.” I pause, needing her to understand. “It’s just been hard to see you in danger.”
Something shifts in her expression, a decision made.
“Those mountains did something to us, Luke. Weakened us. Maybe it would help if I showed you something.” She holds out her hand, palm up, concentration settling over her features. For five seconds, nothing happens. I wonder if she’s changed her mind.
Then fire blooms.
Not a spark. Not a flicker. Full flame, gold and white, dancing above her palm, steady and controlled. My breath catches as the fire takes shape, becoming a miniature dragon that takes flight, circling above our heads before landing back in her palm and resting there.
The scent of magic fills the air; not the smoky residue of normal dragonfire, but something cleaner, more elemental. I stare in astonishment, looking from her palm, then up to her eyes, then back again. The dragon spreads its tiny wings.
“I thought your powers were still new to you,” I manage. “That you couldn’t control them.”
“Something changed.” Her expression is a mixture of wonder and uncertainty. “The mountain suppressed us, yes. But it also… fed me, somehow.”
The dragon becomes flame again, intensifying, splitting into multiple tendrils that dance between her fingers like living things. The control is absolute, mesmerizing.
“I can feel it now. The witch fire and dragonfire aren’t separate anymore. They’re woven together.”
She closes her fist; the flame vanishes, leaving only faint smoke curling between her fingers.
“I’m stronger than I was before we left,” she says simply. “Much stronger.”
The realization leaves me speechless. Whatever happened in those caves changed her fundamentally. The hybrid nature the Syndicate feared; she’s coming into its full potential.
“That’s—” I search for words adequate to describe what I’ve just witnessed. “That’s incredible. And terrifying.”
“Welcome to my world,” she says, wry humor ghosting across her features.
My mind races with implications. This power makes her more capable… but also more of a target. The Syndicate would kill to possess her, to study her. The Circle of Fire would fear her. Vanya might use this as another reason to separate us, to “protect” her daughter from herself.
“If the Syndicate learns what you can do now—” I begin.
“Then I need to be ready.” Her gaze is steady, resolved. “That’s why tomorrow’s mission matters, Luke. I need to face them as I am now, not as what everyone thinks I am.”
I nod slowly, understanding dawning. This isn’t just about revenge or closure. It’s about claiming her power, her identity… just as she’s claiming me.
“Then I’ll be there,” I promise. “However you need me.”
The air between us shifts, burning with something beyond mere attraction. My dragon rises closer to the surface, demanding what we’ve both been circling.
Ember steps closer, her heat radiating against my skin like standing near an open flame.
“So.” Her voice is husky. “Mates.”
“Apparently.” The word seems laughably inadequate.
“What does that mean?” Her eyes search mine. “For us?”
“It means I can’t walk away,” I admit, the most honest I’ve ever been. “Won’t. Even when I probably should.”
