Page 119 of Born in Fire

I launch upward, wings spreading wide, Dorian secure in my arms. The city spreads below us, a tapestry of light and shadow.I fly with instinctive precision toward Caleb’s building, sensing the Heartstone’s location as clearly as a beacon.

Dorian’s heartbeat falters against my chest.

No, no, no!

I push faster, wings burning with effort. When Caleb’s apartment block comes into view, I don’t bother with doors. I aim directly for the penthouse balcony, the armored glass evaporating into steam as I pass through it.

The Heartstone sits on its pedestal in the center of the room, pulsing with gentle light. As I enter, still cradling Dorian, the Stone flares brilliantly—recognition and welcome pouring from it in waves of energy.

“Daughter,”it seems to say, though not in words.“At last.”

I have no time to question this strange greeting. I lay Dorian gently on the floor beside the pedestal, my wings folding against my back as I kneel next to him. His breathing has grown more labored, face contorted with pain even in semi-consciousness.

“Help me,” I say to the Stone, reaching toward it.

The Heartstone’s glow intensifies, tendrils of light extending toward my outstretched hand. As they touch my feathered skin, knowledge flows into me—how to channel, how to heal, how to restore.

I place one hand on the Stone, the other on Dorian’s chest, over his heart. Energy flows through me, using my body as a conduit. The sensation is overwhelming—power beyond imagination coursing through my veins, seeking the broken places in Dorian’s body.

His back arches, a gasp tearing from his throat as the healing begins. I watch in wonder as his wounds close, color returning to his face. The Heartstone pulses in time with both our heartbeats, creating a three-point harmony of energy.

Minutes pass, or perhaps hours—time loses meaning in the flow of power. Finally, the Heartstone’s light dims to its normalglow. Beneath my palm, Dorian’s chest rises and falls with strong, steady breaths.

My transformation recedes, wings dissolving into light that sinks back into my skin. I’m human again—or at least, human-shaped. And naked, I realize with distant surprise. The fire that embraced me consumed my clothing, but left me unharmed.

Dorian’s eyes flutter open, finding mine immediately. “Juno,” he breathes, reaching up to touch my face as if to confirm I’m real.

Tears spill down my cheeks, landing on his chest. “I thought I’d lost you.”

He sits up slowly, his own transformation having left him similarly unclothed. His hands cup my face, thumbs brushing away tears.

“Juno,” he whispers, wonder rather than fear in his voice. “You’re a miracle.”

“Not a miracle…” I hesitate. “A phoenix.”

His eyes flicker. “The rebirth from ash. The fire. It all makes sense now.”

I nod, memories slotting into place—not just of my life before death, but something deeper, more ancient. “I remember more now. Not everything, but enough.”

“You saved me,” he says, pulling me against him. “You walked through fire for me.”

I wrap my arms around him, feeling his heartbeat strong against mine. “I would do it again. A thousand times.”

We hold each other, skin to skin, heartbeat to heartbeat. When he finally pulls back, his eyes have darkened with emotion and something else—a hunger I recognize immediately.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” he says. “Something about us.”

I nod for him to go on.

“There’s a connection. I felt it,” he says, voice rough. “When we were separated. The pain.”

“I felt it, too,” I admit. “Like something tearing inside me.”

“It’s a mate bond,” he says abruptly, as if he’s not sure how to share this with me.

“A mate bond?” I frown at him. The words make sense, though I’m not exactly sure what they mean.

“It happens to us. Dragons, I mean. When we find our true match, there’s an instant connection.” He glances down, fingers tracing patterns on my bare shoulder. “I felt that with you the first time we met.” He looks up again, our eyes locking. “Iknew, Juno. I didn’t know what it was, but I knew then that there was something about you. My dragon sensed it, too.”

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