Page 59 of Shifting the Flame

She strutted in a slow circle around Danica, the hem of her crimson dress trailing across the dusty sugar mill floor like a bloodstain. Her heels clicked rhythmically, each step punctuating her gleeful monologue.

"You see, killing you quietly would be so... unsatisfying." Joni's voice dripped with pride as she examined her manicured nails. "A proper coup requires witnesses. It requires spectacle."

Danica's mouth went dry. "You're planning to kill me in public?"

"Precisely! A public execution to demonstrate my strength and loyalty." Joni's eyes glittered with manic excitement. "My followers need to see me eliminate the Alpha's chosen human mate with my own hands. That's how I prove I'm strong enough to lead."

Danica's stomach flipped, not from the grotesque image of her own death, but from the crushing realization that she'd never again feel Asher's arms encircling her, never taste his lips against hers, and never hear those three words she now desperately craved.

"In thirty minutes," Joni continued, reveling in her moment, "an emergency alert will go out to the entire town—well, minus Asher and his most loyal followers. Can't have them spoiling the surprise too early." She checked the delicate watch on her wrist. "The message will claim those wolves from the festival are back, threatening to invade homes. Everyone will be directed here for safety."

Danica's mind raced. "And instead they'll find?—"

"Me. Standing near your tied-up body on this metal framework." Joni's smile widened. "My followers inside, wolvespositioned in the bayou trees outside, ready to attack on my command should anyone object. By dawn, I'll be Alpha of the Ectorius clutch."

A tall, bearded shifter appeared in the doorway, nodding to Joni, who brushed her hands together with satisfaction.

"Well, I need to prepare for my moment of glory. Get comfortable—though I suppose that's impossible in your position." Joni laughed lightly. "Consider this your wake. Reflect on your short, insignificant life."

As Joni sashayed toward the door, her crimson dress shimmering in the dim light, she paused to instruct the guard. "Watch her. If she makes a sound, gag her."

The heavy door slammed shut, leaving Danica alone with the silent guard who positioned himself by the entrance, his eyes fixed forward.

Desperate, Danica scanned the cavernous mill. Rusted machinery offered no salvation. The ancient beams creaked overhead, too high to reach even if she weren't bound. The guard maintained his distance, frustratingly beyond her ability to manipulate or attack.

Minutes ticked by, marked only by the steady drip of water somewhere in the darkness. Danica strained against her restraints until fresh blood slicked her wrists, but the ropes refused to yield.

The reality of her situation crystallized with terrible clarity. There was no escape. No last-minute rescue. No clever plan that would save her. Danica closed her eyes, trying to slow her frantic heartbeat. If these were truly her final moments, she wouldn't spend them in terror.

Instead, she focused on the strange, warm connection she'd felt with Asher from the beginning. That invisible thread that had drawn them together despite all odds. Fated mates, he'd called it.

"Asher," she whispered, so softly the guard couldn't hear. She concentrated on pushing her thoughts through that bond between them, willing her love to reach him across whatever distance separated them.

"I don't know if you can hear me," she continued in her mind, "but if you can... I love you. I love your strength and your gentleness. Your dedication to your people and even that little crease between your eyebrows when you concentrate."

Tears slipped silently down her cheeks as she poured her heart into this impossible connection.

"Thank you for seeing me—truly seeing me. For making me feel whole for the first time in my life. For showing me I'm capable of more than I ever believed."

The warmth in her chest intensified, a glow that seemed to pulse with each heartbeat.

"I wish we had more time," her thoughts continued. "I wish I could've woken up in your strong arms every morning for the rest of our lives. I wish I could've stood by your side for years instead of days."

The connection burned brighter and stronger, and somehow Danica knew—he was listening.

TWENTY-THREE

ASHER

Asher and Caleb crouched in the shadows, the powerful force of his loyal clutch members—eighteen dragons strong—at their backs. The abandoned sugar mill loomed before them, a decrepit monument to forgotten industry, its weathered exterior barely visible through the midnight fog rolling off the bayou.

"Three guards at the north entrance, two more patrolling the perimeter," Caleb whispered, his muscular form tensed beside Asher. "And those wolf shifters in the trees are making this complicated."

Asher barely heard him. The mate bond between him and Danica had ignited like wildfire in his chest, growing stronger with each step toward the mill. Her presence pulled at him, a desperate, yearning tug that made his dragon snarl and claw beneath his skin.

Thank you for seeing me... wish we had more time...

Her voice whispered across his consciousness, fragmented but unmistakable. Not afraid—something worse. Resigned. Heartbroken. Final.

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