Page 37 of Born in Fire (Dragonblood Dynasty #2)

Dorian

The mate bond thrums between us, a constant warmth in my chest as Juno and I make our way to the kitchen where Caleb waits. She’s wearing one of my brother’s guest robes, the silk making soft sounds as she moves. Even in borrowed clothing, she carries herself differently now—more certain, more powerful. Subtle golden light seems to emanate from her skin, barely noticeable unless you know to look for it.

The kitchen smells of fresh coffee, the aroma soothing after the supernatural intensity of the past hour. Caleb stands at the counter, his back rigid with tension as he pours four mugs. Elena sits at the dining table beyond, surrounded by maps and documents, her dark hair falling forward as she studies something intently.

“Well?” Caleb asks without turning, his tone deliberately neutral. “Care to explain why the Heartstone nearly blew out every window in the building?”

I clear my throat. “Juno and I have completed the mate bond.”

That gets his attention. He turns, eyebrows rising as he takes in our matching marks, already healed to silvery scars. “About damn time.”

Elena’s head snaps up, a genuine smile breaking through her exhaustion. “Congratulations! Both Craven twins mated—who’d have thought?”

“Not me,” Caleb mutters, but there’s warmth beneath his gruffness. He hands us each a coffee, gesturing toward the table. “Now, can we discuss the actual crisis at hand?”

We settle around the table, Juno naturally gravitating to my side. Under the table, her knee presses against mine, the contact sending pleasant ripples through our new bond.

“What happened back there?” I ask, noting the fresh cuts on my brother’s knuckles, the tension in his jaw.

“Found Elena in the old merchant district tunnels,” Caleb says, voice clipped. “Minimal resistance. I imagine the bulk of their power was centered around you.” His fingers tighten around his mug. “Mara’s already working on a cover story in case anyone spotted anything… unusual during the extraction.”

I nod, then share my own capture—Serena’s betrayal, Alastair’s arrival with the Shard, telling me that they planned to use me as leverage to get Caleb to hand over the Heartstone. My brother laughs darkly at that, though I don’t take offense, carrying on with my story. Juno’s hand finds mine as I describe being chained and dragged to the construction site.

“I would have died there if it weren’t for Juno.” I raise her hand to my lips and kiss her knuckles. “She walked through fire to save me. Blew them all away.”

“And I’d do it again,” she reminds me, our eyes locked.

“Wait a bit,” Caleb interrupts. “Walked through fire?”

“She’s a phoenix,” I say simply. The words feel right, explaining everything from her rebirth to her power over flame.

Elena’s eyes widen. “But phoenixes are myths. Legends.”

“So are dragons, to most people,” Juno points out. “And witches.” Her fingers trace patterns on the table’s surface, leaving faint trails of light that fade quickly.

“Fair point,” Elena concedes.

“Fuck.” Caleb is looking at Juno thoughtfully. “A phoenix. You don’t see those every day.”

“You don’t see them ever ,” I correct him. “Juno is amazing. A miracle.” I feel my heart go warm again and press another kiss to the back of her hand. “I love you,” I murmur to her.

“I love you too,” she whispers back. I lean forward to kiss her lips.

“Okay, okay, let’s not go down that road again,” Caleb stops us.

“Sorry,” I say wryly, turning my attention back to the matter at hand. “What I don’t understand is how they could be controlling the Shard,” I say. “Because I’m pretty sure they were using it to manipulate Serena. She wasn’t acting of her own accord.”

Caleb shoots a look at Elena, who nods. “That’s what we need to discuss urgently,” he says to me. “Elena thinks she knows how they’re doing it.” He pauses. “They have Lila Ross.”

“Who?” asks Juno.

“My mother,” Elena says hoarsely. “She’s alive. And they’ve got her.” Her throat works.

“Your mother? The one you said was gone?” Juno says.

Elena nods. “I always knew she was still out there. I knew it!”

“Fuck,” I say. “How did you find out?”

“They told me. When they took me, I said they would never get me to cooperate, and they told me they didn’t need me to. They already had someone who would use the Shard for them.” She pulls in a breath. “That someone is my mom.”

“It could have been bullshit, Elena,” Caleb says. “They might have been toying with you.”

Elena shakes her head. “They have her, Caleb. I know it. Here.” She puts a hand over her chest. Caleb glances over at me, his silent look speaking volumes. Elena so desperately wants to believe that her mother is alive, she might be grasping at straws.

“But if they have your mom, why do they want you?” Juno asks. “Sorry if that sounds callous.”

“It’s a good question,” says Elena.

“Probably so that we wouldn’t be able to use the Heartstone,” I say. “Not as a weapon.”

“They’re preparing for war,” Caleb states flatly. “With both artifacts and two Rossewyn witches, they could control every dragon clan in existence. And even if we had the Heartstone, without Elena, we wouldn’t be able to use it fully.”

“Actually, we would,” I say. “I think Juno can channel it.”

“What?” Caleb says sharply. “How?”

Juno looks down at her hands almost shyly. “I think it’s connected to me. I don’t understand it, but I feel it. Like it’s part of me somehow.”

“That’s impossible,” Caleb says. “The Heartstone responds only to Rossewyn blood.”

“It called me ‘daughter,’” she says, her eyes distant.

Caleb looks disbelieving. This seems to be too much for my big brother to process in one day.

“And I know she can channel it because she used it to save me,” I tell him. “Those fuckers messed me up pretty badly.”

“I thought you were going to die.” Juno’s voice breaks as she says it.

“But you saved me,” I say firmly. “Using the Heartstone.” I turn back to my brother. “I think that if Juno can use it to heal, she probably has other ways to use it too.”

“You think? ” says Caleb. “You’re setting a lot of stock in guesswork.”

“I suppose we’ll only find out if we try,” says Juno.

“I agree,” Elena says. “Let’s face it, we’ve only scratched the surface of what I can do with it.”

“Okay,” Caleb exhales. “You have a point.”

There’s silence as we contemplate the information that we’ve just shared within our small group. This is a lot to take in. But we don’t have the luxury of time to adjust to it all. We need to take action.

“What’s the plan,” I say. “We’re not going to just let this slide, I imagine.”

“Well, I would have thought that would be obvious.” Elena narrows her eyes at me and then Caleb. “We rescue my mom.”

“Of course,” Caleb replies immediately. Then he pauses, and I can practically see his brain ticking over. “We move in forty-eight hours,” he says. “Elena needs rest, and you two need to adjust to the mate bond.”

“I’m fine,” Elena protests, but her exhaustion is visible.

“Two days,” Caleb insists, his tone firm. “Then we’ll find Lila. We do this right, or we don’t do it at all.”

As we finalize plans, I feel Juno’s quiet strength beside me, our bond humming like a living thing. Whatever comes next—war, family reunions, ancient mysteries—it feels good to have a shared sense of purpose. Especially with a woman who can walk through fire.

I’ve spent a lifetime not knowing what I needed to complete me. And now that I have her, I feel invincible. If finding Elena’s mother means defending our dragon way of life and my newfound happiness, I’ll do whatever it takes to do it.

We’re coming for you, Lila Ross.

And God help anyone who stands in our way.

Read Lila’s story in “ Taken by Fire .”