Page 69 of Fired Up Love

“Don’t touch her,” he growled at Severin, smoke curling more heavily from his nostrils.

“Or what?” Severin taunted. “You’ll breathe fire? The chains absorb your heat, dragon. The hotter you burn, the stronger they become.”

Zina used their exchange to take two more calculated steps. Her bare foot landed on a tile marked with a worn lioness glyph that pulsed with recognition beneath her skin. She held position, feeling dormant energy hum against her soles.

The blood moon cast long shadows across the chamber floor as it rose higher in the night sky. Light poured more intensely through the skylight, making the ritual circle glow like molten metal.

“The blood moon reaches its zenith in three minutes,” announced the tattooed mage, his voice oddly melodic despite the sinister context.

“Excellent,” Severin purred. “Prepare the final binding. We need Parker blood to complete the triangle.”

The orc lumbered toward Zina, ceremonial dagger clutched in his massive green hand. She backed away, continuing her calculated dance across the chamber floor. Another nexus point trembled beneath her feet, acknowledging her bloodline.

Behind the pillar, the stone panel slid open several inches. Zina caught a glimpse of honey-blonde hair—Bryn followed by Jamie’s darker curls. Their unexpected presence sent a rush of emotion through her chest, thick enough to close her throat momentarily.

They were safe. Well, they were until stepped into the cavern. And how did they find that secret entrance? Did the plants tell Jamie about it? Zina really needed to learn to commune with nature a bit more.

Bryn caught her eye and silently mouthed:Let’s do this!

Jamie reached into the pouch at her waist, fingers closing around something hidden within. Zina gave an almost imperceptible nod, recognizing the herbalist’s prepared stance.

SIXTY-SEVEN

“So this is the grand Madrigal vision?” Zina called, deliberately drawing all attention toward her and away from her friends. “Stealing power that isn’t yours through an ancient ritual you barely understand?”

Severin’s smile hardened. “It’s hardly stealing when you’re reclaiming what was promised to your ancestors.”

“Your interpretation of history seems conveniently self-serving,” she replied, completing her circuit of the room. She now stood directly across from the empty vertex of the ritual triangle—the space Severin had reserved for her blood.

“Interpretation is for historians and cowards,” Severin snapped. “The Madrigals were meant to be sole guardians of Enchanted Falls. The other founding families betrayed my ancestor Silas.”

“Is that what you tell yourself to justify kidnapping your own sister?” Zina asked, nodding toward Luciana.

For the first time, Luciana spoke, her voice steady despite her ordeal. “My brother has convinced himself of many things, Ms. Parker. Reality has long ceased to be a consideration.”

The look Severin shot his sister could have frozen fire. “You don’t understand the responsibility of our bloodline.”

“I understand it better than you ever will,” Luciana replied, her chin lifting. “Our ancestor’s journal spoke of partnership with the other founding families, not domination. You read what you wanted to see.”

Zina caught Luciana’s eye, exchanging a look of mutual understanding. The Madrigal sister hadn’t been a helpless victim—she’d been gathering evidence all along.

The orc mercenary reached for Zina, his fingers stretching toward her throat. She ducked beneath his grasp, completing her final positioning. Jamie chose that moment to strike, flinging handfuls of powder into the air.

The chamber erupted in a cloud of night-bloom snapdragon dust, igniting into harmless phosphorescent petals upon contact with the ritual magic. The botanical reaction released thousands of glowing flowers that pulsed with bio-luminescent light, temporarily blinding anyone who looked directly at them.

Mercenaries howled, swatting at the illuminated blossoms swirling around their heads. The mage stumbled back from his crystals, hands covering his eyes. Even Severin cursed, momentarily disoriented by the sudden floral light show.

“What is this trickery?” he snarled, blinking rapidly.

Zina used the distraction to make her move. With deliberate strides, she crossed the final distance and stepped directly into the vacant vertex of the triangle.

The chamber fell silent. Even the mercenaries stopped their flailing to stare in disbelief. Xai’s expression cycled through shock, understanding, and finally, fierce pride. Across the triangle, Luciana’s eyes widened before a small, hopeful smile curved her lips.

Severin recovered first, his face contorting with triumph. “How accommodating of you, Ms. Parker. Surrendering to spare your friends?”

“You wanted Parker blood,” Zina replied, her voice steady despite the thundering of her heart. “But you forgot something important about the Founding Pyre ritual.”

“And what might that be?” Severin asked, confidence lacing his tone as he returned to his grimoire.

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