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“I said we’re leaving,” Creed hisses. “This battle is lost.”

Through Serena’s retreating gaze, I watch Elena collapse into Caleb’s arms, exhaustion finally claiming her. The tenderness in his expression as he holds her makes my throat tighten.

“This isn’t over,” are the last words I hear Creed mutter before I lose contact again.

“We’re losing the witch!” Emerson snaps. “Strengthen your control!”

I feign strain, pressing my palms harder against the Shard. “I… I can’t! The connection is too weak.”

It’s not entirely a lie. My control over Serena is fluctuating, perhaps because I’m not strong enough right now or maybe because her own motives are so conflicted. I feel like a passenger as she hurries to keep up with Creed, who’s moving through the dark maze at speed.

“Change of plans,” Creed snarls, turning to his team. “Find the other Craven. The brother.”

“Dorian?” Serena asks, my control slipping enough for her true self to emerge.

“If we can’t leverage the witch, we’ll leverage family,” Creed says, cold calculation replacing rage. “Find him.”

The scene shifts rapidly as they move through a hive of underground levels, following intelligence about Dorian Craven’s location. I watch in dismay as he walks straight into their trap. Dark-haired, fierce-eyed, the family resemblance to Caleb is unmistakable.

Dorian fights with dragon ferocity, taking down two operatives before they overwhelm him with specialized weapons. Chains that burn his skin on contact, forcing him back to human form.

They drag him upward, through service corridors, toward an exit. He’s bleeding heavily, weakened by whatever magic the chains contain.

Outside, in what appears to be a construction site adjacent to the office towers, they form a circle around him.

“Your brother will come for you,” Creed tells the wounded dragon. “And he’ll bring the Heartstone to save you.”

“You’ve miscalculated,” Dorian chokes out. “Caleb’s duty to the clan comes first. He’ll come… to end you.”

“Perhaps.” Creed gestures to his followers. “But we’ve added insurance.”

The dragons around him inhale deeply, then exhale in perfect unison. Flames erupt in a circle, creating a barrier of fire.

Dorian continues to fight while Creed watches with amusement.

“It’s only a matter of time now,” Creed says. “Soon, the only Cravens left will be the ones who join our order.”

That’s when I see her.

A small figure approaches through the night, moving with purpose toward the flames. Even through Serena’s eyes, I recognize what’s happening before anyone else does.

This is the woman from my visions. The one I’ve glimpsed rising from ash and fire.

“Juno!” Dorian cries out, struggling against his chains. “Stay back!”

But she doesn’t stop. She walks directly into the flames.

For one terrible moment, I think I’m witnessing her death. Then something extraordinary happens.

The fire doesn’t consume her—it embraces her. Flames curl around her body like living silk, responding to her presence. Herskin begins to glow from within, illuminating delicate features with amber light.

“What the—?” Creed turns, sensing the disturbance, eyes widening in shock.

Light explodes outward, blinding in its intensity. I see the woman at its center, her body transforming in ways I’ve never witnessed. Not dragon—something else entirely. Something ancient. Something reborn.

Wings unfurl from her back, feathered with light rather than scaled like a dragon’s. Her arms extend, fingers elongating into golden primary feathers that shimmer with fire.

Holy shit… A phoenix!

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