Page 68 of Bound in Flames

I saw the orcs—bloodied, bruised, clinging to life—and it clawed at the edge of my sanity. The endless darkness, the helplessness that had held me back, that fear of failing them all broke under an unbridled wrath.

Heat flared through me as I called on the seductive magic, watching as my veins set my skin alight with a fiery red glow. It radiated off me like waves from a furnace, scorching the air, making the stone beneath my feet sizzle with heat. The orc moved back on instinct, their wide eyes filled with a mixture of awe and fear.

My mate’s voice broke through the haze. “Hold steady!” He barked the words at the warriors around us, his focus snapping between me and the creatures pressing against the line. His axe swung in a deadly arc, cleaving through them with ease.

My heart clenched. It wasn’t just the orcs fighting for their lives—it was my mate throwing himself into the chaos without hesitation, trusting that I would do my part. But the plan wasn’t enough. None of it was enough. The dragon loomed in the distance, its dark magic pulsing like a beacon of destruction, and I knew that every second we wasted brought us closer to death.

“Fuck fate.”

My feet carried me toward the wall before I could second-guess the decision, my steps quick and silent against the stone. If fate wanted death, then it would get it in spades.

A red haze clouded my eyes as I tore down the barriers to the darkness within. Everything inside me screamed for vengeance, for survival, for a way to make the shadows writhe in pain.

I ripped off my shoes, feeling the cold stone of the ramparts bite into my feet, grounding me to the earth below. Power was seared through my veins until I thought I might burst.

I turned away from my mate, ignoring the bond between us that screamed with his fear. My focus was razor-sharp, honed on the dragon, the shadows, the endless tide of darkness that sought to devour everything. The walls crumbled and the rage inside had taken over, the darkness had pushed me too far. It was pulling me deeper, feeding off every emotion—fear, desperation, anger—building into something I couldn’t contain. My hands shook, sparks of energy snapping between my fingers as the glow from my body intensified, shifting into a blazing gold.

With my mate fighting beside me, I was more than just a shaman; I was a force forged in unity and fire. Taking a final step forward, my feet left the rampart, and I let the frenzy consume me as I fell.

Chapter 36

Dex

The air was thick with the stench of blood and dark magic, each breath burning in my lungs as I swung my axe with ruthless precision, the blade cleaving through another of the twisted creatures that clawed hungrily at the stronghold walls. The clash of steel and the guttural roars of battle melded into a deafening symphony of chaos. The ground beneath us trembled with the force of the shadow dragon’s wrath, its power thrumming through the stone like a living pulse. But then, abruptly, the tremors subsided.

I stilled, my grip tightening around the haft of my axe, muscles coiled and ready. Something had shifted. My gaze snapped to the source—Cleo. She stood atop the ramparts, an ethereal beacon against the night, her hands outstretched, her body vibrating with raw magic that radiated in waves. Roots—thick, ancient, and gnarled—burst from the earth below, weaving through the crumbling stone, sealing cracks and reinforcing the stronghold with a force that seemed almost sentient. I could feel the energy rolling off her wildly, a manifestation of the earth itself bending to her will.

The dragon’s roar split the night, a soul-rattling cry that made my bones tremble. Its titanic body thrashed as vines coiledup around its limbs, but Cleo’s power held it fast, trapping it down with a strength I had never imagined she possessed.

But hope is a fragile, fickle thing.

The bond between us flared—searing, blistering, as if the very air between us had ignited. A violent heat pulsed through my veins, staggering me, nearly driving me to my knees. Cleo’s magic surged through our bond, wild and unchecked, a storm raging inside her that threatened to devour me. I could feel her desperation, her need to protect, but beneath it lurked something darker—an insatiable hunger for more. The sharp edge of it clawed at me, filling me with an unfamiliar dread.

I scanned the battlefield as my heart pounded with urgency. There she was, moving down from the safety of the wall, each step radiating danger.

The warriors nearest her, hardened veterans who had faced horrors beyond reckoning, stumbled back, their faces tight fear. Gornak hesitated as she passed, his knuckles white around the haft of his axe. To my left I heard someone mutter a prayer to the Gods. She looked like a goddess of war and destruction, and they did not know whether to bow or flee.

A cold sweat slicked my skin beneath my armor, a raw fear curling in my gut. This power—this terrifying, boundless force—was more than I had ever prepared for. She had warned me. She had pleaded with me to understand, but I had underestimated it. I had underestimatedher. And now, watching her unravel before me, watching her lose herself to this magic, the weight of my failure crashed over me.

“Cleo!” My voice was desperate, but she didn’t hear me.

She moved with eerie grace, power bleeding from her every pore, the air around her thick with magic so potent it made my skin crawl. I couldn’t tear my gaze from her. Every step she took fed the fire within her, the glow intensifying until it was blinding.

The shadow beasts stilled, their grotesque faces contorting in agony as their bodies withered, shriveling into dust that the wind carried away. Her magic was a tempest, furious, all-consuming, and starved for release. It was destruction incarnate, a wildfire burning beyond reason, and I could see it consuming her.

I pushed forward with renewed urgency, my heart slamming against my ribs. "Cleo!"

Her head tilted at the sound of my voice, but her vacant eyes didn’t meet mine. Instead, she took another step forward as golden light bled from her fingertips, magic curling around her hands she fell into darkness.

Chapter 37

Cleo

The battlefield had fallen into a chaotic rhythm—screeches, clashing weapons, and the deep, unending roar of the shadow dragon still thrashing against the vines that bound it to the earth. Exhaustion clawed at my mind, the magic left me raw and stretched thin, but beneath the weariness, something dark gnawed at me.

I had trapped the dragon, bound it with the ancient roots of the earth, but it wasn’t enough. The dark creatures still swarmed the stronghold, their twisted forms crawling over the walls.

My breath came in shallow, ragged gasps, my entire body trembling with power that promised retribution, scorching through my soul. Flames licked at my palms, crawling up my wrists. The heat radiated from my skin, searing the air as flames dripped from my hands like molten metal, each drop hissing as it struck the stone beneath my feet. It was as if my anger and fear had found form in the fire, feeding on me, building into an insatiable storm. I could feel it spreading, burning away the last remnants of my control and leaving only raw power in its wake.

---