Page 11 of Fire’s Resonance (Hearts on Fire #1)

Fuck. Not possible. Not with a human.

My mind races through everything I know about Guardian Bonds. The legendary connection between perfectly matched dragon pairs that amplifies their powers tenfold. Guardian Bonds require compatible flame signatures. Genetic markers present in less than one percent of dragons.

And they’re only possible between two dragons.

Never with a human.

But as Spark’s body presses against my back, her heat matching my own, the evidence becomes impossible to deny. The magical rebuff. The instant connection. The overwhelming mating urges that plague me day and night.

It all points to one incredible conclusion.

Somehow, this female with fire in her eyes isn’t human at all. She’s a dragon. My dragon. The other half of a Guardian Bond that will change everything.

My destined mate. Created for me as I was made for her.

My breath catches. Muscles tense. Mind racing through implications that will shatter everything I thought I knew about my mission. About her. About us.

“What the fuck just happened?” Spark demands, voice carrying through the stunned silence of the cavern.

She steps out from behind me. Faces the gawking crowd with her chin raised defiantly. “Why is everyone staring at me like I’ve grown a second head?”

I stare at her. Really see her. The birthmark at her wrist glows. The pattern spreading across her skin in swirling flames. To dragon eyes, the meaning is unmistakable—she’s undergoing her first transformation. Accelerated by the presence of her mate.

By me.

Mine. Always mine. Finally mine.

Before I can stop myself, I pull her against my chest. Wrap one arm possessively around her waist. Her back presses against my front.

The contact sends jolts of electricity through my system.

My cock is hard against the small of her back.

She gasps. A small sound that only I can hear.

But she doesn’t pull away. Instead, she melts against me.

Her body yielding to mine in perfect surrender that makes the beast within purr with satisfaction.

“She’s mine,” I announce, voice carrying to every corner of Emberhold. “My female. My mate. My Guardian-bonded. Anyone who touches her answers to me.”

The words are a formal claiming, binding in dragon law. Once spoken, they can’t be undone except through death. The declaration spills from my lips without conscious thought. Driven by instincts older than civilization.

My arms tighten around her. One hand splayed possessively across her stomach.

I lower my head to the curve where her neck meets her shoulder.

Inhale deeply, drawing her scent into my lungs.

Marking myself with it. Unable to resist, I allow my lips to brush against her pulse point. Just once. A taste. The barest touch.

Her reaction is immediate. A small shudder runs through her body. Her scent spikes with arousal. Heat blooming beneath her skin where my mouth touched. My flames, now shot through with crimson streaks, swirl protectively around us both.

Soon, little flame. Soon I’ll taste every inch of you.

A low gong sounds through the cavern. The call to council. From the shadows at the far end of Emberhold, a wizened female dragon emerges. Elder Nyra, oldest of the council members. Her silver scales glint in the crystal light. Ancient eyes fix on us with unnerving intensity.

“Bring the female to the Inner Sanctum,” Elder Nyra commands, voice surprisingly strong for her apparent age. “The council will convene immediately.”

Her gaze drops to where my arm remains locked around Spark’s waist. Then rises to meet my eyes. Something knowing in her expression.

“A Guardian Bond with a human? Impossible.” Her lips curve in a smile that reveals teeth too sharp for her mostly-human form. “Unless she isn’t human after all.”

As Elder Nyra turns away, I feel Spark shiver against me. Not from cold—dragons run too hot for that. From realization. From fear of the unknown. Her scent shifts, spikes with confusion and uncertainty.

“I don’t understand any of this,” she whispers, turning in my embrace to face me. Her eyes search mine for answers I don’t fully have. “What’s a Guardian Bond? And what did she mean, ‘not human’?” She looks up at me, pulse racing visibly at her throat. “I’m human. I’ve always been human.”

My thumb strokes over the glowing birthmark on her skin. The pattern swirls beneath my touch, responding to me. To my flame. My essence.

“No, little flame,” I murmur, the truth settling into my bones with absolute certainty.

My hand cups her face, thumb tracing her lower lip.

The touch sends sparks of heat between us.

She parts her lips slightly on a shaky exhale, and I nearly lose what remains of my control.

“You are dragon. My dragon. And someone went to great lengths to make sure you never knew it.”

The walk to the Inner Sanctum stretches endlessly. My senses are on hyperalert. Cataloging each potential threat. Every shadow. Every watching eye. Every dragon whose nostrils flare as we pass, catching Spark’s unique scent.

Her essence cuts through Emberhold like a torch in darkness. Marking our path as we move through ancient corridors carved with flame patterns that match those appearing on her skin.

My arm remains locked around her waist. Keeping her pressed to my side.

Not for her protection now—for my sanity.

The distance between us has become physically painful.

A burning need to maintain contact at all times.

When my fingers brush the bare skin at her hip where her shirt has ridden up, the contact is electric.

Addictive. Her skin is softer than anything I’ve ever touched. Warm. Perfect.

“They’re all looking at us,” she mutters, eyes darting from face to face. “At me.”

A male dragon passes too close. His nostrils flare, catching her scent. Eyes dilating with interest. A growl builds in my chest. Low. Warning. My free hand curls into a fist, claws digging into my palm. The male averts his eyes. Steps back. Submits.

Good. He fucking should.

“They’ve never seen a Guardian Bond,” I explain, voice low. For her ears only. “Most thought they were extinct.”

She tenses against me. Muscles going rigid beneath my touch. “And what exactly is this Guardian Bond thing that everyone keeps talking about?”

My jaw clenches. Muscles working beneath the skin. No easy way to explain this shit. The most sacred, most powerful connection between dragons. Legendary. Mythic. Now happening to us.

“It’s a connection between perfectly matched dragons.

” My voice drops to a rumble only she can hear.

“Amplifies powers. Creates new abilities through the pairing.” I feel her pulse quicken against my side.

The flutter of her heartbeat like a trapped bird.

“It’s supposed to be impossible with humans. ”

“But I am human,” she insists, stopping abruptly in the middle of the passage.

Dragons flow around us like water around stones. Their nostrils flaring as they pass. Eyes lingering too long on her vibrant hair. On the scales beginning to shimmer beneath her skin.

“I’ve lived in the human world my entire life. I have a business, a foster sister, student loans for fuck’s sake.”

I turn to face her fully. One hand rising to cup her face. The contact sends sparks of heat between us. Silver-gray flames flickering briefly across my fingertips where they touch her skin. She doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t burn. Proof of what I already know.

I catch glimpses of her emotions. Confusion. Fear. Anger at being deceived about her own nature. And beneath it all—desire. For me. For answers. For something she can’t name but has been seeking her entire life.

“Your flame patterns match mine exactly.” My thumb traces the curve of her cheekbone. I notice a small freckle beneath her right eye. A tiny imperfection that makes something in my chest clench painfully. I want to press my lips there. Protect that small vulnerability with everything I have.

“Someone hid you in the human world,” I growl, protective rage surging through me at the thought.

“Separated you from your heritage. Your power.” My thumb traces the pattern spreading across her collarbone.

Scales shimmering beneath her skin. Opalescent.

Beautiful. “But the bond found you anyway. Your dragon found me.”

As mine found you. Made for each other across worlds.

A throat clears behind us. Blaze Zraa, the young clan leader, stands with arms crossed over his chest. His black hair pulled back severely, highlighting the scales visible at his temples. His eyes, pure gold with vertical slits, assess us with unreadable emotion.

I shift my stance. Position my body slightly in front of Spark. Not enough to insult the clan leader. Just enough to establish my claim. My protection. The beast within me is restless. Territorial even around clan leadership.

“The council is waiting,” Blaze says, voice neutral but with an undercurrent of tension. “Elder Varen has joined us as well.”

Something in his tone raises my hackles. The former clan leader rarely attends council meetings since stepping down. His sudden interest in a Guardian Bond can’t be coincidence.

I’ve served the clan for centuries. Followed orders. But lately, something in Emberhold feels wrong. Power fluctuations. Security breaches that don’t match external threats. And Varen’s increasingly erratic behavior that no one seems willing to acknowledge.

Spark straightens beside me. Chin lifting with that defiance that makes my dragon purr with approval. “Lead the way,” she says to Blaze, surprising him with her direct address.

Pride surges through my chest. Unexpected. Powerful. I’ve never wanted a mate. Never thought myself worthy of the sacred bond. But now I can’t imagine a more perfect match than this fierce, defiant female with fire in her eyes.

My lifemate. My destiny.