Sacred Flame: Bound to the Dragon Kings
After escaping the torment of an orphanage, you find yourself in the treacherous land of dragons, the most feared and ruthless creatures in existence. Each day, you eagerly anticipate the moment you can finally break free as an adult. Just when you thought you had caught a lucky break by landing a job in the palace, you quickly realize that your employers are none other than the Royal Trio - a trio of brothers who take pleasure in making your life a living nightmare.
But everything changes during the Trio's Grand Ceremony, a lavish event where dragons discover their fate and choose a mate. Will your life take a turn for the better, or will it spiral further into chaos as the Trio's attention shifts towards you? Prepare yourself for a thrilling tale of unexpected twists and turns as your tormentors and others set their sights on you.
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Chapter 3
As I am awaiting Cassius's toast to pop up out of the toaster, to accompany his huge breakfast of five poached eggs, three sausages, and a pile of bacon, I iron an identical shirt to the one Clint had complained about. I know I ironed his other shirt, but I will not go into his room until I have to. The triplet's respective dragons have also become more irritable as of late. It still freaks me out to see a human and his dragon standing side by side; as a dragon, itself, wasn't scary enough, now you must contend with his human, as well. That is why I keep my head down and pray to any god who listens, that I can become invisible long enough to escape this hell.
I remember when I wanted to believe that only humans existed. I was around six years old, living at the orphanage. My teacher would read us stories on all sorts of fantastical things, from witches to vampires and dragons, and she would tell us about the brave souls who would slay them. This one boy, named Tim, and I would often exclude ourselves from the group and fantasize that we were the valiant slayers. On one such day, I was hiding in the woods waiting for Tim to come slay me. I tripped over my shoelace, but when I tried to stand, I felt claws tearing at my shirt, as a huge paw pressed down on my back, leaving thin, bloody lines. I screamed and threw dirt at the creature. As I stood, I saw glowing silver eyes staring at me from a dark green dragon with dark purple, almost black, horns. It was the size of a small horse, but to the child in me, it was the size of a house. That was the day I learned that dragons exist, and my fear of them began. I never told anyone that a dragon attacked me, only that I fell into a patch of bayberry bushes. Now I work on the things I fear the most.
Just my luck, the stupid toast sticks to the side of the toaster and begins to burn. I turn off the iron and hang up Clint's shirt before I remake Cassius's toast. Once I get everything ready, I go back up the five flights of stairs. This palace is a massive labyrinth and far too extravagant for just the few that dwell here. This is yet another dragon trait that I will never understand. They attribute success to opulence and quantity of possessions, nd, yes, servants like myself are considered one of those many possessions. I hate feeling like a thing. The servants are kind to me, and they respect my devotion to duty. At least I am wanted. Just no by the Trio; that's what I call them.
After using my foot to knock, Clint opens his door. I hold up his freshly ironed shirt. Inspecting every inch, he looks it over. "This will do, but do it right the first time," he grumbles. I bow and quickly leave as he slams the door closed. I know that I did it right the first time, but I also know not to talk back to the Trio.
I tried once a few years ago...
***Flashback***
I had just left my adoptive parents' home as I was headed to the palace. It was a nice day until I literally ran into the Trio. "Look who we have here, guys. It's a field mouse," Clint mocked. He spoke in a combination of his voice and Carter's, his dragon. I knew that my day had just gone to shit because I feared that their verbal tirades would turn violent.
"Looks more like a bug to me," Cassius sneered.
I tried to get around the m, but it was no use. They shoved me around them like they were playing Hot Potato. I am not sure what came over me, but I raised my hand and slapped Cassius. He threw me to the ground as he commanded his brothers, "Hold her, this bitch needs to be reminded of her place." After he said that, he opened the fly of his pants and proceeded to urinate on me. I screamed for help that never arrived. Cassius had each of his brothers urinate on me as well. However, he was far from satisfied.
Cassius ordered Clint to grab me. I was carried into the barn where I was coated in excrement and pigs' blood. Then Cassius had Conner and his dragon, Caleb, fly me into the woods a few miles from the palace. Conner's eyes had a glimpse of remorse before he abandoned me. I had no choice but to try to hurry back to Naga before I became dinner to one of the beasts that inhabit these woods.
****End Flashback***
Out of all of the brothers, Cassius has always treated me the worst. I might never figure out why, because I try to avoid him, just as I do the rest of The Trio. I know that he hates that his parents chose me, but I had no control over their decision. The brothers view me as their nanny, not as their assistant. I am mature for my age, but that can't be why I was chosen. I am thankful for the pay, but not the duties. I wish that the King and Queen had chosen someone else.
I bite my lip before I knock on Cassius's door. As I lower my chin to my chest, I raise the loaded breakfast tray. I hear his dragon, Asher, growl, and I immediately know that something must not be to his liking. A Aclawede, deep red hand knocks the tray and its contents to the floor. "Clean it up," he commanded, as he moved quickly so that he could lift his right foot and kick me into his room. This is the last place that I wanted to be today, alone with Cassius and his pissy dragon. Fuck my luck! Will I ever catch a break?
All dragons are moody, even the ones that adopted me. My adoptive parents, unlike many others in the tribe, rarely let their dragons out or even shift, because they know that it terrifies me. The Trio simply don't care, and I am certain that they do it on purpose to frighten me. They want me to run and abandon my duties, but even if I did, I would be dragged back here. I have to stay until I graduate, and then I can give my adoptive parents a portion of my earnings and flee this place forever and go back to live among humans. Now I need to focus and avoid Cassius's and Asher's wrath.
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8.0
I threw a latte on the most dangerous man in New York and lived to tell about it.
Dante Vitiello. The Capo dei Capi. A man rumored to cut out tongues for interrupting his dinner.
Instead of a bullet to the brain, he handed me a black card and a terrifying ultimatum.
"I need a fiancée," he told me, his eyes dead cold.
To save my failing journalism career and my life, I signed a contract with the devil.
I had to wear his massive diamond ring, smile for the cameras, and pretend to be the love of his life to stop a political mafia marriage.
The rules were clear: Absolute obedience. Total exclusivity. And absolutely no feelings.
But the performance started to feel dangerous.
When a rival Don insulted me at a gala, Dante didn't just play the part—he threatened to butcher him in front of three hundred people.
When I saw the jagged scars on his chest in the dead of night, I didn't see a monster; I saw a lonely protector.
My investigation was supposed to expose him, but I was the one getting stripped bare.
Then his cousin Rocco stormed in, calling me a disposable whore and a temporary pawn.
I stood my ground, defending not just myself, but Dante too.
Dante looked at me then, not as an asset, but as a woman he wanted to devour.
He stepped closer, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through my bones.
"I think we are going to have a problem with the clause about 'no feelings'."
7.2
Aria was born with a fire in her soul a mysterious ember that hums with a power even she cannot control. Ordinary life was never meant for her, but when shadowed creatures rise from the Veiled Realm, kingdoms teeter on the edge of war, and an ancient prophecy stirs from the depths of forgotten magic, Aria discovers that her gift may be the only thing standing between life and annihilation.
As she struggles to master her abilities, Aria is thrust into a world of ruthless warlords, cunning sorcerers, and dark beasts that hunt from the shadows. Every ally she meets could be a traitor, every enemy may hold a secret, and every choice she makes carries the weight of a realm cloaked in mystery and danger.
Amid the chaos, a forbidden bond ignites with a warrior whose strength matches her own, a connection that could either become her greatest strength or her deadliest weakness. As love, betrayal, and destiny collide, Aria must confront the shadows of her past, embrace the power within her, and decide whether she will rise as the savior of the Veiled Realm or fall and let it burn.
Embers will flare. Secrets will awaken. And one girl's courage will shape the fate of a hidden world forever.
8.9
Ava Kidd just wanted to escape her abusive stepmother when she got drunk at a high-end club and stumbled into the wrong hotel room.
She woke up the next morning in a luxury penthouse, lying naked next to a terrifyingly handsome man covered in her scratch marks.
Recalling rumors of the hotel's secret underground concierge, she immediately assumed she had accidentally slept with an elite male escort.
Desperate to settle the bill, she offered him her only debit card with a pathetic $1,800.
But the man, who was actually Garrison Terry, the ruthless billionaire CEO, was deeply insulted by the cheap plastic.
He trapped her against the bed, coldly demanding a half-million-dollar service fee.
When Ava frantically offered her dead mother's tarnished locket as collateral, he cruelly dismissed it as worthless junk.
Ava was humiliated, her heart pounding with absolute terror.
She didn't understand why this arrogant gigolo was acting like a deranged extortionist, demanding a fortune from a broke girl who had clearly made a mistake.
Furious and refusing to cower, she sneaked out, put on his oversized designer shirt, and aggressively ate his $800 truffle breakfast.
Having no money left, she grabbed her cheap red lipstick, wrote a defiant IOU on his expensive linen napkin, and fled the hotel.
She thought she had escaped a criminal, but upstairs, the billionaire traced her lipstick-stained name with a predatory smile.
"Ava Kidd, I will absolutely find you."
7.7
I thought I was the luckiest Omega in the world when the Alpha of the New Moon Pack chose me.
I was pregnant with his heir, sleeping in his bed, believing the warmth I felt was love.
But then I found the medical report hidden in his desk.
"Subject: Scent Modulator. Dosage: High."
It wasn't a fated bond. It was a drug. He was chemically forcing me to love him.
My best friend dragged me to a restaurant window, and I watched him kiss my cousin, Olivia.
Through the glass, I heard the words that shattered my soul.
"Just a few more months," Ethan told her, caressing her hand. "Once the incubator drops the brat, we'll dispose of her. Then we raise the heir as ours."
I was never his Luna. I was livestock. A walking womb chosen for my bloodline compatibility because his mistress was barren.
My father had tried to warn me with his dying breath, but I had been too blinded by the synthetic scent to listen.
Grief threatened to kill me, but the White Wolf inside me woke up screaming for vengeance.
I went back to the house. I didn't pack a bag. I went straight to the kitchen and brewed a tea of Wolfsbane and Mugwort.
I drank it all, weeping as I felt the bond to the baby snap.
Then, I walked into our bedroom, left the divorce papers on his pillow, and whispered into the mind-link:
"I, Ava Miller, reject you, Ethan Cole, as my mate."
As he screamed in my head, I blocked him and walked into the rain.
He thought he broke a weak Omega. He didn't know he had just unleashed a White Wolf.
9.6
For ten long years, Gloria put up with Victor' Anderson's cold heart, his cheating, and the shame of being a wife he didn't want anymore all to protect their daughter, Annabel. Then one day, she snapped. "I want a divorce," she said. Victor laughed at her, like a cruel joke. To him, Gloria was nothing without his name, his money, his control. Her family depended on him for survival. She came from poor roots and would go back to nothing. "You'll come crawling back," he said with a mean smile. "You always do." But this time, she didn't. With no money, no job skills, and a child to care for, Gloria left her fancy life for a hard, unknown world. She promised to start over, no matter how tough it got. The real world was dark and cruel. Jobs turned her away. Money ran out. Bills piled up. Fear for Annabel's future choked her like a tight grip. In her desperation, she went to the one man she knew was dangerous Lukas Anderson. Victor's younger stepbrother. He was a rich boss, a famous womanizer, a man who broke hearts as easy as he signed deals. For years, he had wanted Gloria, staring at her body, dreaming of her in secret ways. Helping her was simple. Owning her? Even better. "You need money. I need you," he whispered, his voice low and tempting, his hands brushing her skin. "Work for me... and I'll give you what your husband never did. Safety. Power. And pleasure you can't imagine." Now Gloria is stuck between two bad men: the husband who broke her... and the stepbrother who wants to take her body and soul in a storm of dark, hungry sex.
7.2
I was dying in a rusted warehouse, paralyzed in a wheelchair while the man I loved and my own stepsister watched with smiles on their faces. The air smelled of old oil and damp concrete, and my vision was fading into a milky haze.
Dillon, the man I’d sacrificed everything for, smoothed his custom suit and pulled out a syringe filled with a clear, lethal neurotoxin. Beside him, my stepsister Bianca toyed with my mother’s sapphire ring—the one they’d just pried off my hand while I was too weak to even make a fist.
She leaned in and whispered that my father’s trust fund was already offshore and that they’d sent my husband, Kade, to the wrong coordinates to ensure he’d only find my corpse. Dillon slid the needle into my vein with the chilling efficiency of a man who had done this before.
"This will stop your heart in thirty seconds," he said, sounding as bored as if he were explaining a tax form. Ice flooded my chest, and my lungs seized, fighting for oxygen that wasn't there. As the warehouse lights blurred into white streaks, an explosion echoed in the distance. Kade had come for me, but he was too late.
I died staring at the ceiling, my heart giving one last violent kick of pure, unadulterated hatred. I had been such a fool, believing Dillon’s lies and running away from the only man who actually cared for me. I died with a single thought: if I ever get another chance, I will drag you both to hell with me.
Then, there was nothing. And then, there was air.
I sat up gasping, my silk pajamas drenched in cold sweat. The rusted beams were gone, replaced by a vaulted ceiling and the glittering Manhattan skyline. I grabbed the digital clock on the nightstand—it was five years ago, the exact night I first tried to run away with Dillon.
The bedroom door slammed against the wall, and Kade Mullen stood in the doorway, looking dangerous, furious, and very much alive. I looked at my shaking hands, then at the man I had once hated. This time, I wasn't going to run. I was going to make sure Dillon and Bianca lost everything.