Born in Fire

There's a moment right before you lose everything. A heartbeat where you think you might make it . . . Then you realize you were never meant to escape.

I'm just a barista. I make coffee, crack bad jokes, and keep my head down. But when Dorian Craven—brother to Seattle's most powerful businessman—strolls into my cafe, my carefully crafted routine goes up in smoke. He's the kind of man who looks at me like he's already won . . . and I don't even know the rules of the game.

I tell myself it's just coffee. Just banter. Just a distraction from the mess of my past. Yeah, right. Because when the world comes crashing down, I do something reckless. I save him. And in the process, I lose myself. Now, I'm something else. Something dangerous. Fire burns in my veins, and shadows whisper secrets I can't quite remember. The way Dorian watches me—like I'm the only mystery he's never solved—sets my skin on fire.

Everyone wants a piece of me. Dragon clans fighting over a powerful relic. Covens hunting for the source of a prophecy. But I'm not just some pawn in their game. I'm the fire they're all trying to control.

The impossible part? Dorian might be the only one who sees me for who I really am. Not the weapon. Not the mystery. Just Juno. The girl who makes bad coffee and worse decisions.

Trusting him, though? That could spark a war. One he'll die to save me from. But when the flames die down, there's only one problem. I'm already dead.