Page 90 of Born in Fire

Vance laughs, a hollow sound tinged with genuine fear. “Who says he hasn’t?”

The implications of that statement hang in the air like smoke. He could be talking shit, but if Malakai already has the Shard and is using it somehow—

The door bangs open, shattering the tension. Mara bursts in, her hair wild as she waves her phone triumphantly; today the blue has been streaked with ebony.

“You guys are not going to believe this!” she blurts.

Luke follows close behind, his huge frame filling the doorway. “I tried to stop her,” he says, exasperation evident in his voice. “She doesn’t understand the concept of ‘restricted access.’”

“Please,” Mara rolls her eyes. “Like a ‘do not enter’ sign is going to stop me when I’ve got three million views and counting.” She thrusts her phone toward Caleb. “Look!”

On the screen, a TikTok video plays—footage of the dragon attack on Craven Towers, but overlaid with flashy graphics and a movie title: “INFERNO: RISE OF THE DRAGONS.” The captionreads: “Exclusive behind-the-scenes from the most ambitious promotional stunt in film history!”

“Three million views in six hours,” Mara announces proudly. “And the comments are gold. Half the people think it’s the coolest marketing campaign ever, and the other half are debating which special effects company pulled it off.”

Vance stares at the phone, confusion evident on his bruised face.

“That’s not all,” Mara continues, scrolling to another video. “I got some B-list influencers to claim they were part of it. This guy has seven million followers, and he’s ‘confirming’ he was hired as an extra.”

Luke crosses his arms, clearly uncomfortable with the entire situation. “It’s undignified,” he mutters. “Dragons reduced to entertainment.”

“It’s working,” Elena counters. “Better to be fiction than fact in the human world.”

Caleb studies the video, then nods. “Good work, Mara. Keep pushing this narrative. The more people who believe it was a stunt, the safer we are.”

“So, about that,” Mara rocks on her heels. “We might need to actually make a movie now. Or at least a trailer. People are asking where they can see it, and—”

“Absolutely not,” Luke interrupts. “We are not making a movie about dragons.”

“Well, technically, it would be aboutfakedragons,” Mara argues. “And it would cement our cover story. Hey! You know what? You could star in it.”

“What?” Luke’s expression of horror is so exaggerated it’s almost comical.

“Yeah.” She’s nodding, a dark wing of hair tumbling into her eyes, which are a bright shade of green. “You could totally pull it off. You’ve got that ‘leading man’ vibe going on and everything.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” he snaps, bristling visibly, though she seems completely oblivious.

As they bicker, I turn back to Vance, who’s watching the exchange with growing confusion. His earlier confidence has evaporated, replaced by uncertainty. Good. Off-balance is exactly where I want him.

“Seems your grand plan for exposing dragonkind is falling apart,” I say quietly. “Humans see what they want to see. And right now, they’re seeing a clever marketing campaign.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Vance mutters, but his conviction is wavering. “Malakai’s plan doesn’t depend on human awareness.”

“Then what does it depend on?” I press, leaning closer.

Before he can answer, something shifts inside me—a sudden, inexplicable pull that has nothing to do with the interrogation. A sensation like gravity changing direction, drawing me toward… what? My heart rate accelerates for no apparent reason. My skin prickles with awareness. The room around me seems to fade as this new sensation intensifies.

I straighten abruptly, cutting off whatever Vance was about to say.

“Dorian?” Caleb’s voice sounds distant, though he’s standing right beside me. “What is it?”

I shake my head, unable to explain the sudden urgency coursing through my veins. It’s like hearing a voice that makes no sound, feeling a touch that isn’t there. Something is calling me, and my body is responding before my mind can process why.

“I don’t—” I begin, then stop as the sensation sharpens into something almost painful. A tug at the center of my being, pulling me toward….

Her.

The thought forms with absolute certainty, though it makes no logical sense. Juno is gone. Ash and memory. Yet every instinct screams otherwise.

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