Run in the Neon

Chapter 1 Dawn Ellery's point of view The neon sign outside my window flickers with the persistence of a dying star, painting my skin in sickly green pulses that match the throbbing in my temples. Room 13 — because the universe isn't subtle with its omens. I press my fingertips against the lipstick-marked mirror, feeling the static electricity spark between glass and skin. Three days in Vegas, and all I have to show for it is this cigarette-stained coffin of a motel room and the terrifying knowledge that something inside me is very, very wrong. My reflection stares back, a stranger with familiar features. Same brown-and-amber eyes, same scatter of freckles across my nose. The dragon tattoo on my back — a relic of my eighteenth birthday rebellion — itches beneath my shirt, as if responding to the memory I've been avoiding. Four days ago, I was normal. Boring, even. Four days ago, I didn't know I could make light explode from my body. The memory rises like bile, insistent and un

Last Updated : 2025-09-16

The Clubhouse

Chapter 2 Dawn Ellery's point of view The heavy oak doors slam shut behind me with the finality of a tomb. I collapse onto my knees, gasping for breath, as the last traces of my light magic fizzle across my skin like dying fireworks. Around me, a world unlike any I've known materializes through the haze of my exhaustion — leather and chrome, whiskey and smoke, the low thrum of conversation suddenly silenced by my dramatic entrance. Dozens of eyes turn toward me, assessing, wary, curious. I've escaped Sorin, but what exactly have I fallen into? My palms press against smooth wooden floorboards, worn to a dull shine by years of boot traffic. The air tastes different here — thicker, charged with something ancient that reminds me of the moment before lightning strikes. A bluesy guitar riff cuts off mid-note, the silence that follows heavy as a blanket. "Jesus Christ," someone mutters from the shadows. I force my head up, willing my vision to clear. The room swims into focus gradually

Last Updated : 2025-09-16

First Sparks

Chapter 3 Dawn Ellery's point of viewI wake to sunlight spilling through a gap in heavy curtains, painting a golden stripe across unfamiliar silk sheets. My body feels like it's been run over by a truck, muscles screaming in protest as I push myself to sitting position. The room spins briefly, reality reassembling itself in fragments—the chase through neon-soaked streets, the shimmering barrier, Sorin's rage as the doors closed between us. And then... them. The twins with dragon-green eyes who looked at me like they knew every secret I'd ever kept, even from myself.This room is nothing like my motel. Rich mahogany furniture gleams in the morning light—a dresser with intricate carvings, a leather armchair that probably costs more than everything I own. The bed beneath me is massive, draped in sheets that slip against my skin like water. I don't remember how I got here, don't remember undressing or climbing under these covers. The last clear memory is following Riku up the stairs, my

Last Updated : 2025-09-17

Twin Troubles: The Dragons' Dilemma

Chapter 4 Rain Draven's point of viewTwenty-seven floorboards from wall to window. I count them again, my boots silent against the ancient oak that's witnessed centuries of dragon councils. The runic candles cast long shadows that dance across the leather-bound tomes on our desk, their flames responding to my agitation with subtle flares. My dragon claws at my insides, demanding action when restraint is our only option. I turn at the window, catching Riku's amused gaze as he lounges in his chair like this is all some cosmic joke rather than the crisis it truly is."You'll wear a trench in that floor, brother," Riku says, his voice carrying that perpetual undercurrent of mirth that grates against my nerves today. He sprawls in the leather armchair like a cat in sunlight, one leg thrown carelessly over the armrest, his fingers tapping an erratic rhythm that matches nothing but the chaos of his thoughts."And you'll accomplish nothing sitting

Last Updated : 2025-09-19

The Orchard at Night

Chapter 5 Dawn Ellery's point of viewSleep eludes me, a taunting ghost that flits just beyond my grasp. The silk sheets—another gift I didn't ask for—tangle around my legs like living things as I toss and turn, my mind a churning sea of questions without answers. The dragon tattoo between my shoulder blades pulses with a gentle heat, as if it knows I'm thinking of them. Rain. Riku. Twin dragons with matching green eyes that see through me, into me, yet refuse to tell me what they see.I fling an arm across my eyes, as if that might block out the images that cycle through my mind: Sorin's rage as the ward closed between us; the pulsing walls of the clubhouse responding to my light; Rain's cold assessment and Riku's warm invitation. Most of all, that inexplicable pull between us—the bond, as Liora called it, though she wouldn't explain further.Dinner tonight was an exercise in restraint. Apparently, the Black Pistons eat together like some bizarre magical biker family. I sat with Li

Last Updated : 2025-10-01

Terms of Shelter

Chapter 6Dawn Ellery's point of viewA soft knock pulls me from the depths of dreamless sleep, each tap a physical pain against my consciousness. I groan, rolling toward the sound as if through molasses, my body a collection of aches that remind me of last night's orchard adventure. The light filtering through the curtains tells me morning has arrived, though it feels like I've barely closed my eyes. Four hours of sleep after touching ancient magic is not nearly enough.The knock comes again, more insistent this time. I drag myself upright, the silk sheets sliding away from skin that feels too sensitive, as if the rune's energy still courses just beneath the surface. My dragon tattoo pulses with residual warmth between my shoulder blades, a constant reminder of whatever awakened in me last night."Coming," I rasp, my voice a stranger's—thick with exhaustion and something else, something wild that lingers like the taste of those glowing apple

Last Updated : 2025-10-05

Heat in the Hall

Chapter 7 Riku Draven's point of viewI sense her before I see her, my dragon surging beneath my skin as Dawn's scent drifts through the crack beneath the office door. Light magic and apple blossoms, warm skin and something uniquely her—my nostrils flare, drinking it in like a man dying of thirst. Rain shoots me a warning glance from behind his desk, but I don't bother hiding my reaction. Let him pretend all he wants that she doesn't affect him the same way. I know better. Our mate approaches, and no amount of centuries-old promises can change what we both feel in our bones.A soft knock, hesitant. My dragon rumbles with approval—she's showing deference to our territory even as her magic pulses against the ward, strengthening it with every passing hour. Rain calls for her to enter, his voice betraying none of the tension I can see coiled in his shoulders.Dawn steps into our shared office, and something in my chest tightens painfully. She looks exhausted, dark circles shadowing those

Last Updated : 2025-10-13

All Chapters of Shadow And Flame Chronicles Book 1 Ethereal Bonds: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7