Page 58 of Shifting the Flame

"Kidnapping and drugging aren't exactly friendship bracelets, Joni." Danica kept her voice steady despite the fear coursing through her. "What's with the virgin sacrifice aesthetic? Not really my color."

Joni circled the metal structure, her high heels clicking on the concrete floor. "You know, I almost felt sorry for you when you first showed up in Ectorius." Her fingertips trailed along the rusty metalwork. "A little human party planner, so out of her depth. Playing with dragons."

"I wasn't playing."

"No?" Joni's laugh was musical and cruel. "You actually thought you belonged with someone like Asher? That's adorable." She stopped directly in front of Danica, her green-gold eyes glittering. "He's a dragon Alpha, honey. A king among monsters. And you? You're just a temporary distraction. A novelty fuck."

The words stung more than Danica wanted to admit. "You don't know anything about us."

"I know everything about Asher." Joni's smile sharpened. "I know exactly what he needs in bed. How wild he gets when his dragon is close to the surface. How he likes it rough and dirty and primal." She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "You think your fragile little human body could ever handle what he truly wants to do? You'd break under the force of his passion."

Danica thought about Asher's powerful body moving against hers and the marks he'd left on her skin—marks she'd begged for. The memory gave her unexpected strength.

"Just let me go and no one has to know about this," Danica said, trying to sound reasonable despite her rising anger. "I won't tell anyone what happened to me or what you told me today."

Fresh blood trickled from her wrists where the rope had chafed her skin raw, but Danica kept her expression neutral. Whatever Joni had planned, showing weakness wouldn't help.

Behind her predatory smile, Joni's eyes burned with a jealousy so potent it was almost palpable. Danica realized with sudden clarity that this wasn't just about power or politics. This was about a woman who couldn't stand seeing someone else have what she'd convinced herself she deserved.

Joni finally scoffed, her perfectly manicured fingers flicking dismissively through the air. "Tell anyone? Honey, who would you tell? The dead don't talk."

She circled Danica like a shark, the crimson dress rippling like blood in water. "But let's not rush to the finale just yet. I think you deserve to know exactly why this is happening."

Danica pulled against her restraints again, wincing as the rope cut even deeper. "Let me guess—you're evil and crazy? Or is it crazy and evil? I always mix up the order."

"Cute." Joni's smile never reached her eyes. "No, what I am is ambitious. I don't just want Asher—though I'll certainly take him. I want Ectorius. The clutch. And eventually, the entire shifter community in the South."

"You see," Joni continued, running her fingernail down the metal framework, "as long as Asher is separated from you, he'll never be whole. He's weakened—physically and mentally. A broken Alpha is worthless in our world. The council will see it, the town will feel it, and they'll need someone to step up."

"And that someone is you." Danica's voice dripped with contempt.

"Smart girl." Joni's smile widened. "I was born to lead. Not Asher with his progressive ideas and human sympathies. And once I take control, I'll make him my mate for life."

Danica's stomach clenched. "He'd never agree to that."

"Agreement is optional." Joni's laugh echoed through the abandoned mill. "He'll do what I want, when I want. And trust me, I have very specific desires for that magnificent body of his."

Joni leaned in, her voice lowering to a silky whisper. "Every night, I'll have him pleasure me until I'm satisfied. I know exactly how talented that tongue of his is, and how those strong hands can make a woman scream. And you'll be nothing but a fading memory while I'm writhing beneath him."

The image of Asher with Joni sent white-hot rage coursing through Danica's veins. Her wrists burned as she strained against the ropes with renewed vigor. If she weren't tied up, she'd have launched herself at Joni's throat without hesitation.

"Asher is going to find out what you've done. That you planted the poison that killed Garron," Danica hissed.

"Oh, I'm counting on it. He is very clever and persistent." Joni traced a pattern on Danica's bare foot, her nails grazing the skin. "But by then, it'll be too late for both of you."

Danica tried to jerk away. "You know what I think? I think you're terrified. Because you know that what Asher and I have is real—and you'll never have that with anyone."

Something dangerous flashed in Joni's eyes. "What you have is a fantasy. A fleeting human delusion."

"It's fate," Danica countered. "Something no amount of scheming can replace or change."

Looking back, Danica realized all the signs had been there all along. Joni's too-eager friendship, her convenient appearances at critical moments, and the way she'd positioned herself between Danica and the truth at every opportunity. The note, the poison, the frame job—it had all been carefully orchestrated to drive a wedge between Danica and Asher.

And now here she was, trussed up like a sacrifice in a sheer white dress, waiting to die for the crime of falling in love with the wrong dragon.

"You won't win," Danica said, summoning every ounce of conviction she could muster. "Asher will find me."

Joni's smile was cold as winter. "I'm banking on it, darling. That's exactly the plan."

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