Page 7 of Fire’s Resonance (Hearts on Fire #1)

I trace one claw along her collarbone, watching goose bumps rise in the wake. Her skin flushes wherever I touch, her birthmark glowing brighter in response.

“Tell me to stop, and I will.”

She should tell me to stop. Should scream, run, fight. Instead, she stands frozen, amber eyes locked with mine, her breath coming in short pants. The sweet scent of her arousal fills the air between us, unmistakable to my heightened senses.

My mate.

“I don’t understand any of this.” Her voice is barely a whisper.

“You don’t need to understand it.”

I cup her face in my hand, feeling the heat of her skin against my palm. So soft. So perfect.

“You just need to feel it.”

I bend my head slowly, giving her every chance to pull away.

She doesn’t.

When my lips touch hers, a jolt of pure electrical heat surges between us. Not metaphorical—actual visible sparks dance where our skin connects. She gasps against my mouth, and I take advantage, deepening the kiss, tasting her with a hunger that’s been building since I first caught her scent.

She tastes like fire and honey, sweet and scorching at once.

My dragon half roars in triumph as she responds, her arms sliding around my neck, body pressing against mine.

Gray flames flicker across my skin, dancing along my arms without burning her.

Her mark glows in response, pulsing in time with her racing heart.

Mine. Finally mine.

When we break apart, we’re both breathing hard. Her lips are swollen from my kiss, her eyes dazed with desire and confusion.

“What the hell was that?” she whispers, touching her lips with trembling fingers.

“That,” I growl, “was just the beginning.”

Before she can respond, my senses spike in warning. A scent on the wind—dragon, but not clan. Not sanctioned.

My head snaps toward the window, ears picking up the soft sound of vehicle engines several blocks away.

“We’ve got company.”

I push her behind me instinctively, my body positioning between her and the potential threat. My claws extend fully, my muscles tensing for battle.

Protect mate. Kill threats. Protect.

“What? Who?” Her hand clutches the back of my shirt, fear spiking through her scent.

I scan the street below, enhanced vision cutting through the darkness to spot the black SUVs turning onto her block. “They couldn’t have tracked me.” I curse under my breath.

“Your people?” Her voice shakes slightly. “The ones who sent you to kill me?”

“Not exactly.”

I move quickly through the workshop, gathering her most important pieces. The ones with the strongest flame signatures. I shove the glass artifacts into a bag I find hanging by her workbench.

“We need to leave. Now.”

“Leave? I’m not going anywhere with you!” She backs away, looking around wildly as if searching for an escape route.

I grab her shoulders, forcing her to meet my eyes. “Listen to me. Those men aren’t here to talk. They’re here to eliminate both of us. Your dragon blood is awakening, which makes you valuable. Too valuable to leave in human hands. And I’ve disobeyed orders by not destroying you immediately.”

Uncertainty wars with fear in her expression. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

“You don’t.”

I release her, stepping back. Giving her space to make her choice.

“But I’m your only chance of surviving the night. And you know it.”

She glances toward the window, where shadows move in the street below. SUV doors opening. Figures emerging, moving with the unnatural grace of dragon shifters. Too fast, too silent for humans.

“I can’t just leave everything.” Her voice breaks on the words. This workshop is her life, her identity. I understand that better than she knows.

“You can and you will.”

I grab the bag of artifacts and her jacket from a nearby hook.

“Your life or your stuff. Choose now.”

She hesitates only a moment before grabbing her phone and wallet from the desk.

“Fine. But this doesn’t mean I trust you.”

“Smart girl.”

I pull her toward the back door, away from the approaching threat.

“Trust is earned. Right now, just follow me if you want to live.”

We slip out the back entrance just as the front door crashes open. I catch her hand, pulling her into the shadows of the alley. Her fingers intertwine with mine instinctively, her palm burning hot against mine.

Through the contact, I feel a surge of power—her dormant dragon energy responding to mine. Her flames reaching for my own beneath her human skin.

“Stay close,” I murmur, leading her deeper into the darkness. “And whatever happens, don’t let go of my hand.”

Her fingers tighten around mine. “Where are we going?”

I glance back at her, taking in her flushed face, the glow spreading beneath her skin, the defiance still burning in her amber eyes despite her fear.

My dragon half purrs in satisfaction.

She’s stronger than she knows.

Perfect for us.

My perfect mate.

Mine.

“Home,” I tell her. “We’re going home.”

The Purity Force leader steps over the broken glass, her cold blue eyes surveying the abandoned workshop. She picks up a shard of glass, turning it in her pale fingers. “The defective one has found her,” she says into her communication device. “The Guardian awakens.”

Behind her, the integration team places tracking devices throughout the workshop.

“Do we pursue?” her second-in-command asks.

Her lips curve into a smile that never reaches her eyes. “You can if you want the bounty. But it doesn’t matter. The awakening cannot be stopped now.” She drops the glass shard, crushing it beneath her boot.