Page 23 of Fired Up Love

The line went dead with a harsh click.

Zina stood frozen, the handset still pressed to her ear as the dial tone buzzed. Her knuckles had gone white around the receiver.

“Boss?” Jamie appeared in the doorway, her brown eyes wide with concern. “You look ready to shift and shred something.”

Zina carefully replaced the handset, willing her hands not to shake. “Anonymous threat. They want... what doesn’t belong to them.”

Jamie’s usually gentle eyes hardened with unexpected steel. She stepped fully into the room, closing the door behind her. “My grandma was a hedge witch. Nothing fancy, just herb magic and weather sensing. But she taught me that power nodes choose their guardians. They recognize those who’ll protect rather than exploit.”

“Jamie—”

“The spa chose you, Ms. Parker.” Jamie moved closer, her voice fierce. “Whatever’s happening, we’re in this together. All of us—me, Bryn, even that grumpy masseuse who only works Tuesdays.”

“You don’t understand the danger?—”

“I understand loyalty.” Jamie’s chin lifted defiantly. “Want me to stay late? Safety in numbers.”

Emotion clogged Zina’s throat at her employee’s courage. These people—her people—were willing to stand against whatever came, simply because she’d given them a chance to work in a place that felt like home.

“No,” she managed finally. “I won’t risk any of you. Everyone goes home on time today. No exceptions.”

As closing time approached, Zina ushered her staff out quickly, deflecting their worried looks and increasingly creative offers to stay. She caught Bryn trying to hide in the supply closet and physically escorted her to the front door.

“You sure you don’t want backup?” Bryn lingered on the threshold, her bear shifter instincts clearly warring with Zina’s orders. “I could call Xai?—”

“No dragons.” Zina placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “I can handle this.”

TWENTY-ONE

Her lioness snorted at the lie, but Bryn finally left, throwing worried glances over her shoulder until she disappeared around the corner.

Alone in the spa, Zina moved through her closing routine with mechanical precision. Lock the front door. Set the alarm. Double-check the wards her mother had installed—they hummed with renewed power after this morning’s breach.

Instead of taking her usual route to the town square for dinner, she headed for the back alleyways. Maybe varying her routine would throw off the watchers. She slipped into the narrow alley, immediately regretting her decision.

Multiple lion shifter scents hit her nose simultaneously—fresh ones that hadn’t been there this morning. They’d anticipated this move, laying their trap with patience born of professional experience.

Five massive figures materialized from strategic positions, their coordinated movements blocking both exits. All wore identical black clothing that absorbed what little light remained. The tactical gear marked them as more than simple thugs—these were trained operatives.

The leader stepped forward, the streetlight catching the scar that bisected his left eyebrow. His presence here meant Severin had stopped playing games.

“Ms. Parker.” His voice carried the false courtesy of someone who enjoyed the prelude to violence. “Mr. Madrigal is done playing nice.”

“Five elite enforcers for one spa owner?” Zina forced lightness into her tone even as her lioness calculated angles of attack. The alley was narrow—that could work to her advantage. “Severin must be desperate.”

The scarred lion’s eyes flashed gold, his control slipping momentarily. “Sign over the deed to the nexus property, or we’ll make sure you’re too broken to ever massage again.”

“The power node beneath your spa is wasted on hot rocks and aromatherapy,” another enforcer added, his voice carrying the fervor of a true believer. “Mr. Madrigal can tap its true potential—imagine controlling the magical flow for the entire town. Every ward, every protective spell, every drop of power flowing through Enchanted Falls, all directed by someone with vision.”

The third enforcer moved closer, his tone oddly conversational. “The ley line convergence belongs to Madrigal by ancestral right. Your mother knew that when she took possession of the property.”

The implications crashed over her like ice water. This was about more than simple power-grabbing. This wasn’t just about the nexus, but some kind of historical claim. Severin didn’t just want the ley lines—he wanted to dominate Enchanted Falls itself, using the convergence point as his magical amplifier. Her mother had died protecting this town’s magical freedom. Now that responsibility fell to her daughter.

“No deal.”

The words barely left her lips before they attacked.

Zina’s shift exploded from her skin faster than conscious thought. Clothes shredded as golden fur erupted, her human form dissolving into two hundred pounds of lethal feline grace. Her lioness burst free with savage joy, finally unleashed to do what she was born for—protect what mattered.

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