Page 37 of Bound in Flames (The Savage Hearts #1)

Chapter 37

Cleo

T he battlefield had fallen into a chaotic rhythm—screeches, clashing weapons, and the deep, unending roar of the shadow dragon still thrashing against the vines that bound it to the earth. Exhaustion clawed at my mind, the magic left me raw and stretched thin, but beneath the weariness, something dark gnawed at me.

I had trapped the dragon, bound it with the ancient roots of the earth, but it wasn’t enough. The dark creatures still swarmed the stronghold, their twisted forms crawling over the walls.

My breath came in shallow, ragged gasps, my entire body trembling with power that promised retribution, scorching through my soul. Flames licked at my palms, crawling up my wrists. The heat radiated from my skin, searing the air as flames dripped from my hands like molten metal, each drop hissing as it struck the stone beneath my feet. It was as if my anger and fear had found form in the fire, feeding on me, building into an insatiable storm. I could feel it spreading, burning away the last remnants of my control and leaving only raw power in its wake.

Whispers danced in the flames, they spoke of death—of destruction—of endless war. Choose.

The creatures let out a deafening chorus of screams as they abandoned their assault on the orcs, their monstrous forms moved with inhuman speed as they leapt from the walls, their eyes fixed on me.

“You expect me to just accept this?” I growled, the fire blazing higher in response to my anger. “Is this the justice of the earth? Of the prophecy? Is this what you wanted?” My voice was raw, the words spilling out into the night, aimed at the world, at the earth, at whatever cruel force had decided my life was theirs to play with.

“You gave me power and chained me to it! You gave me hope! What kind of choice is this!”

The power inside me flared in response, rising like a tide, and I felt the earth shift beneath my feet. With a surge of energy, the ground rumbled and thick roots exploded from the soil, twisting and coiling like serpents. They surged forward, slithering across the battlefield toward the creatures, snagging them, grabbing at their limbs with a crushing strength. The creatures thrashed against the roots, their bodies writhing as they tried to break free, their claws tearing at the stone.

The flames roared into an unstoppable force, my heart pounding like a war drum, each beat pushing more power through my veins, too much to contain, too much to hold back. The air shimmered with the heat, warping the night around me, and the creatures let out piercing shrieks as the flames reached them. The fire coiled around their bodies, wrapping them in an embrace that seared their flesh, their bodies turning to ash

“Cleo, Please!”

I didn’t respond to the call through the mate bond. I couldn’t. My focus had narrowed into a single minded goal. Obliteration . The creatures fell in droves, reduced to charred husks and ash before my eyes, and it wasn’t enough. More.

Every breath burned, but I welcomed the pain, letting it fill my lungs until I thought I might combust. My skin was numb, deadened to everything but the power that pulsed through me, dark and intoxicating. I didn’t want to stop. I didn’t want to give it up

I could feel Dex through our bond, an anchor pulling against the tidal wave of rage and hunger within me. His desperation wrapped around me like a tether, a steady rhythm in the storm, but it wasn’t enough to break the hold the power had. His fear echoed through our connection, bleeding into me in shuddering waves, but I shoved it aside, trying to force the connection shut.

“Fight it, Cleo. Fight with me. Don’t let it consume you.” I could hear him begging to break through the firestorm that had overtaken me. In my heart I knew I wasn’t strong enough to stop this. I had bound myself to the flames, giving in to fate, but wouldn’t pull him into death with me.

I had crossed the line that fate had drawn, stepping into a place where control slipped through my fingers, where the fire ruled me. The flames burned with rage and need to protect my new family.

The flames devoured the dark creatures before turning on the earth and slammed against my will, racing for the sanctuary walls, threatening to consume everything we had fought so hard to protect.

Dex was still there, his presence insistent, his strength pressing against the edges of my mind, trying to connect. Against my will, I felt the bond between us strengthen, his steady presence forcing cracks into the chaos consuming me.

Could I control this, or would it control me?

“Fuck your prophecy!” I screamed into the fire, fury and heartbreak bubbling over.