Page 84 of Fated By Fire

The thought of it raises a wave of rage inside me, has my dragon shifting restlessly within me. He doesn’t share my inner turmoil over her or the bond. The animal inside me has waited long enough to meet his mate. I don’t think I could stop him now if I wanted to.

I don’t want to. I need her.

I turn my attention back to where Daniel is moving confidently forward. The tunnels are a maze of twisting passages, the walls slick with moisture. Deep carvings catch the flickering light of our phones, ancient symbols that glow faintly red, visible only to those who know what to look for. The air grows thicker, heavier, charged with an energy that makes my scales itch beneath my skin. Every step feels like wading through water, the oppressive atmosphere pressing down on us.

“The main chamber is just ahead,” Daniel whispers, his footsteps silent on the stone floor. “But Malakai will have guards—”

A roar cuts him off, followed by the sound of wings in a confined space. Two dragons burst from a side tunnel, their scales dull in the dim light.

Circle of Fire loyalists.

“Down!” I shove Daniel aside as one of them lunges, claws extended. The dragon’s teeth snap shut where his head had been moments before.

Lydia and Serena shift instantly, their bodies expanding to fill the tunnel. The clash of scales against scales echoes off the wallsas they engage the guards. The females are smaller than I would be in dragon form, more agile in the tight space. I’d be practically useless down here.

Serena’s silver-blonde scales glimmer as she twists and darts, her movements fluid and precise, while Lydia’s darker form moves with brute force, slamming into the second dragon with a deafening crash. Her combat skills are honed; centuries of training have made her lethal. I have no qualms about leaving them to tackle our attackers.

“Move!” I order Daniel, pushing him forward. The bond pulls at me, urgent now.

Something’s wrong.

Elena’s fear surges sharply, and beneath it, I sense something else—a strange, ancient power awakening. A power we haven’t taught her to harness yet.

What the fuck has he done to her?

We sprint through the tunnels, the sounds of battle fading behind us. My heart pounds, not from exertion but from the growing dread in my gut. Every shadow feels alive, every distant drip of water a potential threat.

“What will he do to her?” Daniel pants as we run, his voice strained with worry.

“No idea. But if he hurts her, I’ll tear him apart,” I growl, the words coming out rougher than human speech should allow. My vision blurs at the edges, the dragon within clawing to break free.

“There!” Daniel points to an archway ahead, symbols blazing red around its edges. “The vault access is through there. But Caleb…” He grabs my arm, his grip tight. “You should know—the chamber, it’s different from any ordinary space. Malakai’s been… changing things. Adding old magic.”

I shake off his grip, my focus razor-sharp. “I don’t care. She’s close. I can feel her.”

I burst through the arch, Daniel at my heels, only to freeze at the sight before me.

The chamber is vast, its ceiling lost in darkness above. In the center stands a lone chair, ropes coiled around it like dead snakes. The room feels alive, the very walls breathing with a malevolent energy.

“This is the place,” Daniel says, his voice low. “This is where he would have been keeping her.”

I turn in a slow circle, taking in every inch of the room. They’re gone. He’s taken her somewhere else.

We’re too late.

“No,” I breathe, the word barely human. Through our bond, I feel Elena’s presence growing stronger, pulling me upward. “He’s taken her to the Heartstone.”

Chapter 31

Caleb

The vault door explodes inward. I duck as debris sprays across the chamber, jagged shards of metal embedding themselves in the stone wall behind me. Dust stings my eyes, but I don’t need to see—IfeelElena. Her terror claws at my ribs like a caged animal, the mate bond fraying under the weight of Malakai’s grip on her.

There she is.

Malakai stands with his hand locked around Elena’s wrist, forcing her palm toward the Heartstone. The crystal pulses crimson, casting jagged shadows across his face. Elena’s free hand claws at his arm, her silver eyes wild, her breaths coming in sharp, panicked gasps.

“You’re too late, Craven,” Malakai snarls. The stone’s light glints off his jagged teeth, turning his grin into an animal leer. “Her blood will finish what her coward mother started.”

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