Page 30 of Fire’s Resonance (Hearts on Fire #1)

TEN

SPARK

“How long has this place existed?” My voice echoes against ancient stone walls carved with flame patterns that match the ones permanently etched across my forearms.

The sentinel statues tower twenty feet high—dragon warriors frozen in stone, eyes glowing with embedded crystals that track my every move. Stone claws poised to strike. The air here feels different—heavier, charged. My skin prickles.

Safe. Right. Home.

A couple days ago, I’d have run screaming. Now it feels like coming home to a place I’ve never been.

“Since the First Flame War.” Raak’s massive frame blocks the entrance as he secures the hidden door. Gray flames dance around his fingers, casting writhing shadows across the stone guardians. “Last defense—sanctuary within sanctuary. Separate protocols.”

Can’t tear my eyes from him. Every movement predatory—efficient, powerful.

The cavern expands around us. Crystal formations in the ceiling capture Raak’s flames, amplifying them throughout the space. Ancient runes line the walls, pulsing in response to our presence. The entire place feels alive—watchful, protective.

This is the first time since arriving at Emberhold that I’ve felt truly safe.

“Ancients built this as a final refuge,” Raak explains, deep voice vibrating through my bones. “Only Guardian blood can access it.”

“Guardian blood?” I trace one of the glowing runes. The stone warms beneath my touch, almost purring like it recognizes something in my DNA.

“Your blood.” His silver eyes track my movements with that predatory intensity that liquifies my insides. “Our blood. Guardians could activate defenses no other dragons could access.”

The rune beneath my fingertips flares brighter. The copper-red patterns across my skin glow in response—not just markings but active conduits of power flowing through my veins. Alien. Exhilarating.

Becoming. Changing. Stronger.

“And these?” I gesture toward the towering sentinels.

“Last line of defense.” Raak runs his hand along the base of the nearest statue, touch almost reverent. “Legend says they once moved. Fought alongside Guardians.”

“You believe that?”

His silver eyes lock with mine, ancient and knowing. “I believe our clan has forgotten much. Or chosen to forget.”

We establish a base camp in the central chamber. Ceiling soars overhead, studded with light-giving crystals. Raak arranges monitoring devices around the perimeter, setting security protocols.

“No one tracks us here.” His massive hands move with surprising delicacy over ancient control panels. “Stone shields our presence.”

Sweat beads on his brow as he connects power sources. Moisture catches light, drawing my eyes to the strong planes of his face. The mark on my wrist throbs in time with my pulse, our connection humming.

Mine. Almost mine.

“These document sabotage evidence.” He’s unaware of my staring. “Remote monitoring for the devices we found. Anyone tampers, we’ll know.”

I nod, trying to focus on tactics rather than how his muscles flex beneath his shirt. His scent—smoke, cedar, pure male heat—fills the enclosed space. My mouth waters.

Need to taste.

My hand strays to the glass orb in my pocket—the one that started everything. Surface pulses against my fingertips, reactive to my touch in ways glass shouldn’t be.

“Will they believe us? Rogue warrior and human?”

“They’ll believe evidence.” His confidence would be reassuring if I hadn’t seen how deep dragon prejudice runs. “And you’re not just human anymore. Not to those who matter.”

Not human. Not dragon. Something new.

Hours pass. We work in tandem, activating the equipment Raak had stored here for this type of emergency.

The heat between us becomes unbearable in close quarters.

My body hyperaware of his every movement.

Every flex of muscle. Every shift of weight.

Our bond pulses stronger here, away from Emberhold proper.

Temperature rises with each passing hour despite environmental controls. My skin feels too tight. Too hot. Burning from inside out. My thin shirt clings to damp skin, outlining hardened nipples. Draws his gaze whenever he thinks I’m not looking.

But I’m always looking. Can’t stop.

Each time we pass each other, electricity crackles between us. When our hands accidentally touch, tiny copper-red and silver-gray sparks dance across our skin. Visible power building between us.

“Fuck.” I fan myself with a datapad after another near-collision sends my temperature soaring. “Always this hot down here?”

His silver eyes gleam, pupils expanding as he inhales deeply, catching my arousal scent I can no longer hide. “No.” His voice drops to that register that makes my core clench painfully. “Us.”

The words hang between us. Promise. Warning. Challenge.

He puts deliberate distance between us, adjusting a security scanner.

“Temperature regulator malfunctioning,” he growls after several hours. Sweat glistens, dampening his shirt until it clings to every ridge of muscle. Frustration evident in the tense line of his shoulders, the tight control of his movements.

Without warning, he strips off his shirt in one fluid motion. Tosses it aside.

I freeze. Mouth instantly dry.

Holy. Fucking. Hell.

Muscular torso fully revealed—broad shoulders tapering to narrow hips. Defined abs. Powerful arms. But it’s the patches of silver-gray scales that capture me. They gleam in crystal light, spreading across his shoulders, tracing his spine, disappearing tantalizingly beneath his tactical pants.

Try not to stare. Fail miserably. Heat pools between my thighs. Panties dampening embarrassingly fast. My fingers itch to trace those scales. Feel them against my palms. My bare skin. My tongue.

He catches me staring. Nostrils flare, scenting my arousal. A knowing smirk curves his lips, revealing the tips of extended fangs. “Problem, female?”

“No problem.” My voice emerges as a humiliating croak. “Just... checking structural integrity.”

His laugh—genuine, transforming his stern features—makes my heart stutter. “Cave’s structural integrity is the least of our concerns.”

I pretend to study the datapad. Stare at scrolling information without absorbing a single word. Across the chamber, Raak bends over a stone table, examining an Emberhold systems map. The position highlights the powerful muscles of his back. Scales catching light along his spine.

“Focus, Spark.” I force my eyes back to the screen.

Hopeless.

My mind circles back to him. To the heat building between us. To increasingly vivid dreams that plague me each night.

Dreams of his hands on my body. His mouth claiming mine. His weight pressing me into the mattress as he fills me completely. Dreams that leave me gasping awake, core clenching around emptiness, body aching with unfulfilled need.

The opal patterns across my skin pulse with my racing heart, glowing visibly without direct flame contact. The transformation accelerates daily—scales permanently visible along more of my body. Amber eyes now ringed with gold. Canines slightly sharper.

I’m becoming something else. Something more.

And I don’t care anymore. Whatever’s happening feels right. Inevitable. Like finally becoming what I was always meant to be.

I rise to stretch cramped muscles. Dizziness hits without warning. I stumble, reaching blindly for support, finding myself pressed against Raak’s bare back. My palms connect with his skin—one on normal flesh, one directly on spine scales.

The contact is electric. Literal sparks fly between us, tiny flames dancing where skin connects. Visible current of copper-red and silver-gray energy spirals around our joined bodies, illuminating the chamber with brilliant light.

Raak goes utterly rigid. A sound escapes him—more dragon than human. Rumbling growl vibrates through his back into my palms. The sensation travels straight to my core, setting off a cascade of pleasure so intense I nearly collapse.

“Sorry.” Not sorry at all. My hands linger. The scales beneath my right palm feel smoother than skin, warmer, vibrating with energy. “Got dizzy.”

“Bond.” He manages through clenched teeth, muscles bunching beneath my touch. “Accelerating. Making demands.”

Demands. Yes. Take me.

I force myself to step back, breaking contact, immediately missing his heat. “Fine now. Thanks.”

The lie tastes bitter. I’m not fine. Haven’t been since the moment I first touched him. My body burns constantly, an ache nothing satisfies. Self-pleasure brings no relief—I’ve tried, fingers working desperately between my thighs while biting my pillow to muffle my moans.

Only one thing will satisfy this hunger.

We both know it.

Hours pass in tortured awareness. Cataloging evidence. Establishing security. Air charged with electricity. With unspoken need. Each movement brings us closer to the breaking point. The bond pulses between us with increasing urgency.

Mine. Take. Claim.

The thoughts aren’t fully mine. But they’re not foreign either.

I reach overhead to adjust a light crystal, my shirt riding up to expose my midriff. Lustrous scales now shimmer permanently along my hipbones. His silver eyes track the movement, pupils dilating until only a thin metallic ring remains. His nostrils flare, drawing in my scent.

When he passes behind me moments later, his hand brushes my lower back—too deliberate to be accidental. Heat surges through my system. Knees weak. Core clenching. A sound escapes my throat—half gasp, half moan.

He freezes. Heat radiates against my back though we’re barely touching. “Spark.” My name is a warning and plea combined.

“I know.” Neither of us moves away. “I know.”

Something in me finally snaps.

Can’t take it anymore. This constant torture of proximity without fulfillment. Burning need without release. The Guardian Bond demands completion, pulses between us with urgency that can no longer be denied.

“Fuck it.” I toss aside the datapad I’ve been pretending to study. The clatter against stone echoes, emphasizing the finality of my decision.

Raak stands examining a wall map of Emberhold’s security systems. His back to me. Scales along his spine catching light from overhead crystals. I cross to him with determined steps. Heart thundering. Heat building between my thighs with each movement.

Without hesitation, I press my palm directly against the scales on his back. Feel their smooth warmth beneath my fingers. The contact sends visible sparks dancing across his skin, copper-red flame mingling with his silver-gray in beautiful spirals.

He goes utterly still. Muscles tensing beneath my touch. I feel the restraint vibrating through him. His temperature spikes beneath my palm, hot enough to burn a normal human.

But I’m not normal anymore. The heat only feeds the fire inside me.

“I don’t care if it’s the bond or just us.” My voice stronger than expected. Fingers trace sensitive scales along his spine. He shudders beneath my touch. Each scale responds individually, warming, pulsing with his heartbeat. “Tired of fighting this. Tired of pretending I don’t want you.”

The words hang between us. Honest. Raw. Freeing.

No more games. No more denial. Just truth.

My second hand joins the first. Both palms pressed against his back.

Feeling the contrast between smooth scales and hot skin.

I trace the pattern up to his shoulders, then down, following the silver-gray line that disappears beneath his waistband.

His muscles bunch and flex beneath my explorations.

His restraint audible in each carefully controlled breath.

“Say something.” The silence stretches too long. Doubt creeps in despite the obvious tension in his body. “Unless I’ve completely misread—”

He turns with inhuman speed. So fast, I barely register the movement. One moment touching his back, the next facing him. His massive frame looming over me. Radiating heat and hunger and barely leashed power.

Silver eyes dilated completely black with desire. Only thin metallic ring remaining around blown pupils. Scales ripple across his jawline, appearing and disappearing as his control slips then reasserts. His scent envelops me—smoke, cedar, male arousal so potent it makes me dizzy.

Want. Take. Mine.

One large hand rises slowly, giving me time to retreat. I don’t. Instead, I lean into the touch as his palm cups my cheek. His thumb brushes across my lower lip. The caress sends shivers down my spine.

“The full moon rises.” His voice is rough with restraint. Dragon rumble evident in each word. His thumb continues exploring my lip. The tenderness of the touch contrasts with his fierce expression. Makes my heart race faster. “Once I start, won’t stop. My dragon wants to claim you completely.”

The warning should frighten me. Make me reconsider. Send me running.

Yes. Claim me. Now.

I meet his gaze directly. Amber locked with silver.

Refusing to back down despite the intensity of his stare.

A turning point—a moment of choice that will change everything that comes after.

The Guardian Bond pulses between us, demanding completion.

But this has to be my decision, not just magical compulsion.

And I choose him. Choose this. Choose us.

With deliberate slowness, never breaking eye contact, I extend my tongue and lick his thumb where it rests against my lower lip.