BOUND BY FIRE AND DESIRE

CHAPTER 6: The fire within

Emily couldn’t sleep.

The room was dark, quiet, but inside her chest, everything burned. Her dreams were no longer dreams they were visions. She saw fire dancing on her fingertips, felt heat rushing through her veins, and always… Kael. His voice, his touch, his secrets.

The next morning, she stepped outside to find Lucas already waiting beneath the oak tree behind the clinic. His arms were crossed, eyes sharp.

“Your energy is shifting,” he said. “Your power is waking up faster than expected.”

Emily raised her hand. The air shimmered around her fingers. “It’s like it wants to come out. But I don’t know how to control it.”

Lucas nodded. “We’ll train. But you need to stay calm. Fear feeds chaos.”

As they practiced, Emily tried to focus, but every movement stirred memories of Kael’s hands on her skin. His absence gnawed at her.

“Where is he?” she finally asked.

Lucas hesitated. “He left before dawn. Said he had to protect you from something coming.”

Emily’s heart dropped. Why didn’t he tell her? Why now?

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew through the trees, carrying a strange, metallic scent. Lucas’s expression darkened.

They’ve found you,” he whispered.

Before she could ask who, shadows emerged from the forest figures in dark robes, eyes glowing red.

Emily’s body moved before her mind could catch up. Her hands lit up in flames, a deep power rising from within her.

She wasn’t afraid anymore. She was ready.