Chapter 8: The Dreaming Flame

Seraphine had never felt anything like this.

Not in her life.

Not in any of the hundred dreams she used to pretend didn’t matter when she woke up aching and alone.

Kael’s hands were on her hips now—firm, confident, reverent. He pulled her down to him like he’d waited centuries to hold her like this. His body was heat and shadow, strength and surrender, and he made no effort to hide how badly he wanted her.

“You’re mine,” he murmured, voice low and rough, dragging across her skin like silk over an open flame.

She straddled him, bare and blazing, every inch of her ignited where his hands roamed. He trailed kisses down her neck, across her collarbone, down to where her breath hitched and her back arched for more.

“I’ve never…” she whispered, breathless. “Kael—”

“I know,” he said, resting his forehead against hers, voice gentler now. “I won’t hurt you.”

“You couldn’t,” she whispered, her voice trembling—not from fear, but need.

One hand slid between them, down the curve of her spine, while the other cupped her face, guiding her in for another kiss. This one was slower, deeper—aching. His tongue swept into her mouth and her fire responded, curling up her thighs, dancing behind her ribs like it wanted to crawl inside him.

And maybe it already had.

His hands moved lower.

She gasped.

Their bodies shifted together, pressed closer, skin to skin, heat to frost, and all of it blurred into something primal. Something beyond thought.

He rolled with her, pinning her beneath him, one hand braced above her head while the other traced slow lines down her ribs, across her stomach, between her thighs. She trembled—not from uncertainty…

But because she had never wanted anything this badly.

Not control.

Not escape.

Not even revenge.

Just this.

Just him.

Kael leaned down, lips brushing her ear.

“Say it,” he whispered.

Her heart pounded. Her fire coiled tighter. Her body arched into his, inviting, open.

“I want you,” she breathed.

And then—

Seraphine’s body jerked against the ground, flames licking over her skin. Kael jumped forward, reaching for her wrist—but froze the moment his senses caught up to the moment.

The scent hit him like a punch to the gut.

Not blood. Not fear.

Heat.

Desire.

His jaw clenched.

She was dreaming—and he knew exactly what about.

Auron surged forward in his mind, snarling in pleasure.

She wants us. She feels us.

She’s unconscious, Kael snapped back. Back. Off.

But the scent lingered.

Her skin was flushed, glowing gold where sweat shimmered over her collarbone. Her breathing had quickened. Her lips were parted, a soft sound escaping them—a whisper shaped like his name.

His throat tightened.

His hands curled into fists against the dirt.

He should look away. He should move. He should not—cannot—touch her right now.

But gods… the bond.

It was alive.

Flames flared from her chest again, not lashing out—but reaching for him. Warm. Wanting.

Kael forced himself to remain still, crouched at her side, muscles locked against instinct. He swallowed hard and closed his eyes.

“She’s burning,” he muttered, voice tight. “And I’m not the fire.”

He didn’t know whether that terrified him more—or made him want to give in.

She writhed beneath him.

Soft gasps escaped her lips as Kael—her Kael, the dream-version that knew every inch of her like a song—kissed a slow, burning path down her body. His lips lingered at her navel. Then lower. She could feel his breath, warm and teasing, against her skin.

She reached down, fingers tangling in his dark hair.

“Kael,” she breathed.

He growled softly—possessive, patient—and slid her thighs open with practiced ease, like he belonged there. Like he’d been made for this.

And then his tongue touched her.

Seraphine jolted in place, her breath catching. She arched instinctively, a soft cry escaping her lips, her hands tightening in his hair. He flattened his tongue and dragged it slowly, deliberately, savoring every response she gave him.

“Kael—” she gasped again.

But he didn’t stop.

He licked her again, and again, then circled her clit with maddening precision. His hands held her thighs open as her hips bucked under his mouth, her fire building fast—wild, relentless, hungry.

He flicked his tongue.

She shattered.

She moaned his name, trembling violently, light erupting behind her eyes as heat bloomed deep and fierce.

And then—

Her body convulsed again.

Kael recoiled as fire erupted from her chest—brighter, hotter, angrier than before. It wasn’t lashing out in pain—it was expanding, spreading like a tidal wave of flame ready to devour the forest whole.

The scent of her release still hung in the air, but it was drowned out now by raw, unfiltered power.

Magic.

Wild. Elemental. Phoenix-born.

“She’s not going to burn out,” Kael muttered, heart pounding. “She’s going to burn everything.”

The ground beneath her shimmered with heat. Trees nearby crackled. Leaves curled and blackened. The air tasted like ash.

He dropped to his knees beside her and pressed both palms to her abdomen, his own skin instantly searing with contact.

“Easy,” he breathed. “I’ve got you.”

His magic surged.

Cold spilled from his hands—not from fear, not from panic—but from him. Ice bloomed along her ribs, curled gently over her thighs, whispered around her wrists. Not to extinguish her flames—

But to hold them.

Balance them.

Steam hissed and whirled into the air as the clash of fire and frost collided around them in a swirling dance of gold and white. Her body bucked once, resisted—but then stilled beneath his hands.

Her fire curled inward.

Contained.

Controlled.

Not gone.

Kael’s pulse slowed as he crouched there, breath heavy, hands still pressed to her skin as frost melted beneath his fingers.

“You’re not dying,” he whispered. “But you’re not burning this place to the ground either. Not tonight.”

She was glowing softly now—her skin warm, but no longer searing. Her breath came easier. The wild flares of her magic had dimmed.

Kael let out a quiet, ragged breath.

Relief spread through him as he realized the flames coming from her body were finally extinguished.