Page 84 of Taken

The creature—Juno—rises into the air on wings of flame. Three dragons launch forward to intercept her.

They don’t stand a chance.

Golden fire erupts from her wings in a perfect circle, engulfing the first dragon completely. One moment it exists, the next there’s nothing but ash drifting on thermal currents. The other two follow, erased from existence with terrifying efficiency.

Below, Creed exchanges a panicked glance with Serena.

“Retreat!” he orders, already running. “Fall back!”

I feel Serena’s relief as my control shatters completely. The phoenix dives toward Dorian, wings folding close to her body. The flames part as she passes through them, landing beside his broken form.

She touches the chains binding him, and they dissolve into nothing. As she gathers him in her arms, cradling him against her body, I catch a glimpse of her face.

Not just power there. Love. Fierce, protective love.

The vision cuts off abruptly as the connection breaks. I slump forward, the Shard slipping from my bloodied palms to clatter on the table.

“What have you done?” Emerson’s voice cuts through the laboratory, sharp with rage. “You deliberately sabotaged the connection!”

I look up at her, not bothering to hide my satisfaction. “Oops.”

She hits me so hard my ears ring. I taste blood, but it doesn’t matter. Nothing matters except what I’ve just witnessed.

My daughter, fighting back. A phoenix rising from flame. A world transforming beyond anything the Syndicate can control.

“You’ve sealed your fate,” Emerson hisses, face contorted with fury. “Creed will execute you for this.”

I smile through bloody lips. “Probably. Or maybe he’ll keep me… because he sure as shit isn’t getting his hands on my girl.”

The strange thing is, I’m not afraid. I’ve lived in captivity for too long, endured too much. Watching my daughter’s strength, seeing the phoenix emerge—it feels like witnessing the start of something I’ve sensed coming for years.

The old order dies. The new emerges. And I played my small part in it.

Guards drag me from the laboratory, back toward my sterile cell. I don’t resist. My body aches from the backlash of the broken connection, but my spirit feels lighter than it has in years.

I saw my daughter today. My Elena. Strong, fierce, unwilling to be used or controlled.

She is everything I hoped she would become, everything I sacrificed to protect.

And if my death is the price for her freedom, it’s one I’ll pay gladly.

Chapter 23

Talon

I’m halfway down the corridor when Creed’s roar echoes through the facility. The concrete walls vibrate with his rage, and I instinctively check my holster. Dragon temper plus enclosed spaces equals bloodshed. Always has.

“Security management to Operations. NOW!”

Operatives materialize from doorways, their faces tight. Nobody runs—running shows fear—but nobody dawdles either. I fall into step with a group heading toward Ops, keeping my composure despite the anticipation crackling through my veins.

Something went spectacularly wrong.

Good.

The Operations room is a pressure cooker when I arrive. Creed paces at the front, scales rippling beneath his skin. His face is smeared with dirt, one sleeve of his uniform burned into the flesh of his arm. Three agents stand against the wall, theirclothes singed, faces ashen. The stench of burned flesh and terror fills the room.

“A fucking phoenix.” Creed slams his fist into the table. The reinforced steel buckles. “A PHOENIX!”

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