Page 12 of Fired Up Love

As he stepped into the hall, he noted movement out the window. His body went preternaturally still—the deadly stillness of a dragon preparing to defend territory.

A sleek black car idled at the curb outside. Through the half-lowered window, Xai could clearly see the driver—Severin Madrigal. The lion shifter’s predatory smile as he observed Zina through the glass sent an unexpected surge of possessive rage through Xai’s veins.

MINE.

The dragon’s roar of ownership echoed through his mind with such force that Xai nearly staggered. The temperature around him rose dramatically as his control slipped, his eyes shifting to molten gold. Small objects on nearby surfaces began to vibrate slightly from the magical energy radiating from his tightly coiled form.

Never had he experienced such an overwhelming territorial response. His inner dragon had marked Zina Parker as his mate with absolute certainty, and now it perceived a direct threat to that claim. The primal impulse to eliminate Madrigal—to reduce the rival male to ash with a single breath of dragonfire—struck him with frightening intensity. It took every shred of his centuries-honed control to suppress the draconic rage.

Madrigal’s real estate empire had been expanding aggressively throughout Enchanted Falls over the past year, specifically targeting properties near magical hotspots. Just yesterday, the council had received reports detailing his latest acquisitions—all suspiciously located along the town’s primary ley lines.

Now here he was, watching Zina’s spa with the calculating gaze of a predator assessing prey.

The intensity of Xai’s reaction to this perceived threat still confused and alarmed him. His draconic nature had somehow already categorized Zina as his mate despite all logic and social propriety. Yet he couldn’t dismiss the primal certainty that Madrigal’s interest in Purrfect Oasis went far beyond normal business competition.

When Zina followed his gaze and tensed at the sight of Madrigal, Xai’s suspicions solidified. Her reaction wasn’t mere business rivalry—there was genuine unease there.

As Madrigal’s window slid upward, concealing him from view, Xai made a silent vow. Whatever game the lion shifter was playing, it wouldn’t unfold without draconic intervention. Long life had taught him to recognize threats to the balance of power in Enchanted Falls.

And somewhere deep in his ancient soul, his dragon had already decided that Zina Parker was not merely another business owner in his jurisdiction. She was something more—something his draconic-self recognized even if his rational mind hadn’t yet accepted the implications.

That realization would require serious reflection later. For now, he had a spa to inspect, a report to file, and a lion to watch very, very closely.

But more urgently, he needed to understand why this sassy, competent lioness had awakened something in him that centuries of life had never touched—and what, exactly, he was going to do about it without setting the entire town on fire in the process.

ELEVEN

Zina stared at her phone as if it might spontaneously combust. Her reflection in the breakroom mirror revealed a woman on the edge—hair slightly mussed from running her fingers through it repeatedly, a smudge of lavender essential oil on her white blouse from a client session.

The invitation to the Enchanted Falls Charity Dinner sat on the counter, its gold-embossed lettering catching the afternoon light. Beside it, a text message from her intended plus-one glowed on her phone screen:Sorry, Z. Food poisoning. Rain check?

Perfect. The most important networking event of the season, and she’d be attending solo—broadcasting to the entire supernatural community that Purrfect Oasis Spa lacked even the basic support system other established businesses enjoyed.

Her mother’s voice whispered from memory:“Connections are everything in this town, kitten. No successful business stands alone.”

Zina picked up her phone again, scrolling through her contacts. Most names she passed without consideration—acquaintances, suppliers, casual friends who’d read too much into a business dinner invitation.

She paused at the “E” section.

Xai Emberwylde.

Her thumb hovered over his name while her mind conjured his image—tall and imposing with those piercing golden-brown eyes that seemed to evaluate everything they beheld. During the spa inspection last week, he’d watched her with intensity. Her skin had heated when he’d stepped close to her.

“This is ridiculous,” she muttered to her reflection. “He’s the dragon elder. Town council member. Not some random date.”

That was precisely why he made perfect sense as her plus-one. Business connections. Networking. Political alliances.

Nothing more.

A glance at the clock decided her—four hours until the event began. Before she could reconsider, she pressed the call button and brought the phone to her ear, her heart thumping with unexpected force against her ribs.

One ring. Two rings. Three?—

“Emberwylde.” His voice rumbled through the speaker, deep and resonant like distant thunder.

Zina straightened instinctively as if he could see her through the phone. “Mr. Emberwylde, this is Zina Parker from Purrfect Oasis Spa.” She pressed her free hand against the counter to steady herself. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything important.”

A slight pause. Papers rustled in the background. “Ms. Parker. This is... unexpected.”

---