Dragon’s Mark:His Dragonheart Mate

CHAPTER TWO – “The Fireborn Heir”Rowan woke to the scent of smoke—and something softer.Ash and roses.She blinked, squinting against the warm golden light filtering through stained-glass windows. The ceiling above her was domed and painted with twisting dragons—wings unfurled, mouths open in silent roars, frozen mid-flight. Magic pulsed faintly in the air, like the room itself was breathing.Where…?She sat up fast. Pain flashed behind her eyes, sharp and sudden. She groaned and reached for her head, only to realize she wasn’t in a hospital cot. She was lying on velvet sheets, wrapped in silk, surrounded by floating orbs of fire that hovered silently in the air like sentinels.Definitely not the nurse’s station.A figure shifted by the doorway.She stiffened.Kai Stormrider leaned against the stone wall, arms folded. His black jacket was scorched along one sleeve, and faint golden scales shimmered along the edge of his collarbone. His storm-dark hair hung damp across his brow, and h

⸻CHAPTER FOUR – “Trial by Flame”They called it the Trial by Flame.Rowan called it a death sentence.She stood in the center of the arena, alone and exposed, surrounded by cracked stone and ghostly heat rising from the floor. Black scorch marks covered every inch of the walls, as if they were wounds that never fully healed. The circular platform beneath her boots still hummed with old magic, the kind that left a mark.Above, the stadium seats were packed with Arcadia students—hundreds of them. Robes in crimson and black, eyes gleaming with curiosity, doubt, or something sharper.Waiting.Watching.Hoping to see her break.At the topmost tier, seated like judgment itself, Headmistress Vale loomed in her carved throne of basalt and flame. Her robes spilled around her like molten silk, and the golden dragonmark on her brow glowed bright under the sky.“This trial,” she said, her voice cutting through the heavy air, “will determine whether Rowan Blake possesses the control required to r

CHAPTER SIX – “Ashes and Oaths”The Council Hall felt colder than before—colder than the night of the Trial. Rowan stood in the center again, this time without flames roaring in her hands, but the air still crackled with magic. The half-moon windows let in pale light, casting long, watchful shadows of the dragon elders surrounding her.Headmistress Vale’s voice cut through the silence. “From this day forward, the Dragonheart will remain under Arcadian protection. All activities will be monitored.”“Protection?” Rowan’s eyes narrowed. “Or imprisonment?”A ripple of disapproval spread through the elders. One of them—a tall man with silver hair and crimson robes—stepped forward. “Do not mistake our intent. We seek only to prevent… accidents.”Rowan caught the pause before the last word. “You mean me losing control.”Vale’s expression didn’t change. “You are carrying fire that can raze kingdoms. This is not punishment, Rowan. It is precaution.”“Precaution looks a lot like chains,” Rowan

CHAPTER EIGHT – “Ember’s Secret”Rowan woke to the faint sound of crackling. At first, she thought it was the fireplace. Then she realized the sound was coming from her desk—where Ember, her flame spirit, hovered, glowing brighter than usual.The tiny fireball floated closer, his light pulsing like a heartbeat.“Ember?” she whispered, pushing herself upright. “What’s wrong?”The spirit didn’t answer in words. Instead, a thin, wavering voice curled into her mind—like whispers carried on smoke.Follow.She glanced at the door, then back at the little flame. “Follow where?”Another warm pulse. No answer.Rowan slipped out of bed, shivering as her bare feet touched the cold stone floor. She snatched her cloak from the chair and draped it around her shoulders. “This better not be one of your weird games,” she muttered, though part of her already knew it wasn’t.Ember zipped to the door, hovering until she opened it.⸻The halls were silent. Torches burned low, their shadows dancing across

CHAPTER TEN – “Beneath the Mask”The wind howled around Firespire Cliff, carrying the sharp tang of ash. Rowan pulled her cloak tighter, squinting against the spray of sparks that drifted from the molten cracks far below. Heat licked at her skin, searing and alive, as though the mountain itself breathed fire.Kai stood at the jagged edge, arms crossed, his silhouette outlined by the dying sun. He didn’t move, didn’t even flinch when the ground rumbled. His eyes were fixed on the horizon where the sky burned orange and violet.“You brought me here for a reason,” Rowan said carefully. Her voice was almost lost to the roar of fire below.His jaw tightened. “I shouldn’t have.”She tilted her head. “Then why did you?”For a moment, she thought he wouldn’t answer. Silence stretched, heavy and raw, broken only by the rumble of magma deep in the earth. Finally, he exhaled, shoulders rising then falling as though the weight pressing down had grown too heavy.“Because you keep asking what I’m h