After flying a few minutes longer, Ember landed at the base of a mountain with no signs of civilization in sight. The sun had risen, illuminating the landscape that surrounded them. The grass was a vibrant green and palm trees swayed in the gentle breeze.

Upon further examination, Sarah realized the mountain was actually a volcano.

Ember morphed back into human form and seemed completely unaware that he was not wearing any clothes—not that Sarah minded.

“What are we doing here?” asked Sarah.

“We’re going inside.”

Sarah looked around, but all she saw was nature. No buildings were in sight. “Inside what?”

Ember pointed to a set of doors carved into the side of the mountain.

“We’re going inside the mountain? It’s a volcano, right? I don’t see how that would be even remotely safe.”

With a stoic look, Ember explained, “It’s safe if you control fire.”

Sarah shook her head. “Breathing fire will not protect me from hot lava. You have to remember that I am human.”

“Allow me to explain. As I mentioned, my father is the Dragon King and my mother is Gaia. My brothers and I were all born as dragons, but we inherited power of the elements from my mother. My brothers control earth, wind, and water. I control fire.”

To demonstrate his abilities, Ember cupped his hands together as if holding an imaginary ball. Lava spewed from the top of the volcano and began to pour down the sides.

Before Sarah could scream, Ember un-cupped his hands and the lava disappeared.

With wide eyes, Sarah said, “And now I have a whole new round of questions.”

Ember responded, “Hopefully we’ll have an eternity together so I can answer them all.

“I had the nightmare again,” she admitted to him as they continued to wait.

“What nightmare?”

“The one where I died.”

“Oh.” he didn’t say anything else, but she saw his body tense up. “Same thing as normal?”

“No.” She looked deep into Ember’s eyes. “I believe you.”

“You do?”

“Yes. I believe we were married and I believe what you said about being soulmates. I feel it. In my dream, my feelings for you were so deep and they haven’t changed since I woke up. I can’t explain what I’m feeling, but I’m drawn to you and I trust you implicitly.”

Before she could blink, he grabbed her around her waist and was tossing her in the air happily like a kid tossing around a favorite toy. He lifted her with such ease, that his strength was unmistakable. He crashed his lips against hers and Sarah melted in Ember’s arms.

She felt color rise to her cheeks. “I didn’t expect you to have such a strong reaction.”

“I’ve been trying to find you for one-thousand years, and you’ve just told me that you feel the same connection that I feel. What did you expect?”

She couldn’t help smiling at his obvious delight.

He winked at her seductively as he lowered her to the ground. “C’mon,” he said. “Let’s get out of here. Roland and his brutes won’t be able to do anything to us soon enough.”

He grabbed her hand and walked towards the barely-visible doors. Her feet were sore. She needed a shower desperately. There was a headache starting in her skull. But despite all that, she felt inexplicably peaceful. It was a wonderful sensation. She leaned her head against his shoulder affectionately.

“I thought you said Roland wouldn’t stop trying to kill me.”

“He won’t. But he can’t come after you in my domain. He’s a wolf and can’t win when faced with fire.”

“But I thought you said Roland was powerful like you.”

He led them across a crosswalk. “He is. Not anywhere near as strong as me, but he’s a wry little bastard. He’ll track us with his drakes, but they’ll just report back that we’re out of his reach.”

Feeling nervous about Roland, she reached into her jacket pocket. She’d somehow managed to hold onto the chrome gun he had given her back at the hotel room.

He took them inside the doors, which surprisingly opened into a large lobby. Just before she went in, she saw a red dragon head on the doors—the same image she’d spotted on his car just outside her apartment.

The lobby was elaborate with black marble floors and smooth, luxurious couches. The lighting was dim and the walls were dark, so it took Sarah’s eyes a moment to adjust. Another surprise was that there were people inside. Guards with large guns stood guard at the hallways leading out from the lobby.

Sarah tugged on Ember’s hand and whispered in his ear, “Who are all these people.”

“They’re dragons, mostly, and part of my kingdom. Some are soldiers and some are civilians. Everybody has a role.”

A hush came over the room when the other people noticed their presence. Some of them bowed, while others saluted. Five serious-looking beings shimmered into existence. Two of the creatures were orcs, from what Sarah knew of orcs, who stood tall and regal. Two of the beings looked like humans—one man and one woman—who were dressed in suits. The fifth was a red-skinned woman with a tail and tiny horns protruding from her forehead. They each had earpieces and bulges under their jackets, which Sarah assumed were guns.

“Oh my,” she said, suddenly feeling rather intimidated.

The beings, who Sarah could only assume were part of his security detail, bowed in respect to Ember as he walked past. The big ones, even while on a knee, stood as tall as he did. She scampered after him. They watched her silently.

“What’s going on?” she hissed. “Who are these people?”

“My top guards,” he replied, giving them a thankful signal. They stood up and once again shimmered out her line of sight. “They keep unscrupulous people out.”

“There are only five of them…”

“There are only five you saw,” he replied. “This place is shielded in magic from the floor to the roof. They can handle anything.”

“All to protect you?”

“Well…yes…and no. All to protect my region. Without me, fire would take on a life of its own.”

“Oh, are they part of the EDJ?” She had remembered Ember talking about the Enchanted Department of Justice when they first met.

“No. The EDJ protects the magic underground, and they also deal with rogue beings, such as Roland. Hopefully, they will catch up to him someday.”

Well that’s not confusing at all, she thought sarcastically, but kept that to herself.

Ember held her hand and guided her to an elevator before pushing open the door and gesturing for her to move in. “Please.”

She stepped inside the seemingly ordinary elevator. “I have a feeling that this is about to blow my mind.”

“You’re probably right.”

She swallowed nervously as he pushed the button that closed the elevator. There was no music. Just the sound of their breathing. She was vaguely aware of the elevator moving.

“Are we going up the mountain?” she asked. “It feels like we’re going up.”

“Well… not exactly. We’re going up and down, and left and right.”

“Ah. That makes sense.”

He laughed. “It’s a spell. It never makes sense.”

The elevator stopped. He put his hands over her eyes, blocking her vision. “Are you ready?” he asked.

“I hope…”

“Are you sure?”

“Probably.”

“Are you—”

“Just show me,” she said while slightly raising her voice in mock annoyance.

He pulled his hands away to show her…nothing. She hadn’t turned and the elevator was still shut.

“So exciting,” she droned.

“It opens on the other side,” he told her.

She turned to see where Ember called home.

Whoa.

“These are my private quarters,” he said. “And if you’ll have me, this will be your home, too.”

A huge, spiraling marble staircase led to the second floor. A stunning chandelier was high overhead, casting an iridescent light over the foyer of Ember’s home. Where there wasn’t white and gold marble was solid stone, lending the whole place a strange mix of beautiful regality and brutal humbleness. What appeared to be molten lava glided through the walls, giving a wonderfully warm feel to the room.

“This place is amazing!” she said as she stepped out from the elevator. “Are we underneath the volcano?”

“Not really. It’s hard to explain.”

He showed her around the mansion, and it felt familiar. Hazy memories from her past life began to form in her mind. She remembered the way to Ember’s bedroom and knew how to find the kitchen, and although the décor was different, the structure was the same.

Finally, after a tour of some of the mansion, he led her down a long, mirrored hallway. The mirrors were painted with scenes depicting enchanted heroes from long ago. Walking down the hallway, she almost felt like she was part of the art with so many mirrors reflecting the golden light. She was surprised to see windows. She’d assumed from the stone that they were underground, but apparently, they’d emerged.

When she looked out of the windows, the view took her breath away. They window was high above a massive, sprawling city, surrounded by a pine forest that stretched for as far as she could see. The city itself looked ethereal, like it belonged in a fantasy movie, with towering buildings that somehow held an artist’s touch.

“What is this place?” she asked.

“It’s Flamma Regno,” he replied with a smile. “A kingdom for all the enchanted creatures. Only five of these kingdoms exist and my brothers and parents rule over the other ones. From this kingdom, I control heat.”

“Hold on. Let me act like I know what you mean.” She gave him a smirk before making a stunned face, cupping her open hands around her mouth in mock surprise. “Oh my! You’re so important!”

He laughed at her. It was a comforting sound, one that she automatically wanted to hear again

“C’mon. I’ll give you a better view.”

He placed his hand at the small of her back and guided her down another hallway.

“So,” she asked, “What about Roland?”

“Roland,” he repeated.

“Yes.”

“Is there any way you could be slightly more vague, please? I could almost understand that, and if you could make it slightly more confusing, that would be great,” he responded with sarcasm laced on his tongue.

She punched him playfully on the shoulder. “Jerk.”

“Ow,” he said.

“That didn’t hurt,” she accused, laughing. If anything, it had hurt her. It was like punching a brick wall. She wasn’t sure, but she suspected that he had flexed when he saw her punching.

She kept walking through the seemingly endless mansion. “So, is Roland a dragon too or just a wolf? Is that even a thing? Can you be a dragon and a wolf?”

“Roland is not a dragon. Roland’s a wolf, but also has the powers of a sorcerer, which makes him very dangerous.”

“Will he keep coming after us?”

“Likely. Like I said, we have been at odds my whole life. But he can’t enter Flamma Regno. When we leave the city, there’s a possibility that he might try to attack, but we can take precautions.”

“Like what?” asked Sarah.

“You have me to protect you. I also have a full security detail and he is one of the EDJ’s most wanted.”

“Why wasn’t your security detail with you when you came to find me?” asked Sarah.

“I don’t need to be protected,” he said confidently. “But they are at your disposal whenever you need them. Besides, I have put my best people on the task of finding him. It shouldn’t be long now. And… there’s one more precaution we can take.”

“Oh ya?”

“If you decide to stay, one day you will be a dragon.”

She sighed, running a hand along her face. “I have no words.”

“Then don’t say anything at all,” he replied jokingly, slapping her butt playfully with his open hand. It startled her, making her jump.

“Easy, tiger!” she exclaimed. “Don’t hurt your hand, big fella.”

“You never run out of jokes.”

“Never.” She grinned.

The more they wandered around, the more she felt at home. Memories kept coming back her. They were small little teasers at first, just mere flashes. But some of them were more concrete.

“Whoa,” she said, stopping and pointing at a bench lining the windows. “I remember this bench! I remember tripping over it and hurting my teeth! Right?”

He winced. “Yeah, that was bad.”

She frowned, staring at it like it was an old pal, an old pal that she’d faceplanted into. “What happened? I can just barely remember it.”

He barely spared it a glance. “You tripped running through the halls. You were late to something, as I remember. You chipped your front tooth.”

She ran her tongue along her teeth. Smooth. It was a strange sensation to see something that had obviously messed her up, and yet feel no damage. There were perks to reincarnation. “Did I at least make it to whatever I was late to?”

“You probably didn’t,” he said. “You were always so rambunctious. Some of the staff called you Khutan bug.’”

“What is that?” She wasn’t entirely sure if she should be offended or not. It sounded like she should be. If it was a bug, it probably wasn’t a compliment. “Is that a good thing?”

“Well, kind of... It means you never run out of energy.”

“Boy, they’re wrong there.”

They came to a balcony on the side of the palace, which was larger than most homes. They stepped out into the open air, which was nice and clean, which was strange because she thought they were inside of a mountain.

The scenery was beautiful and took her breath away. Hot lava flowed through fields of grass like a river. A city was off in the distance. The heat should have scorched the earth and ruined the vegetation, but it didn’t. Sarah figured that nature must work differently in Ember’s hidden world. It felt like nature was giving them a hug and sending wonderful scents just to make sure that everything was perfectly sublime.

“So what now?” Sarah asked, watching Ember come to a stop at the edge of the balcony and looking out at the sun high overhead.

“This.”

He closed his eyes and looked out towards the city. He started humming, closing his fists and flexing. Arcane glowing symbols formed on his bare skin like he had a flashlight on the inside of his body. Sarah stepped back, not entirely sure what to expect.

Ember opened his eyes. They were glowing the same hue as the symbols on his skin. The vein on his temple throbbed and he let out a grunt of exertion as his raised his arms. He stared at the flowing lava.

“Come to me,” he snarled.

Sarah panicked. Whatever he was doing, it was obviously going to be impressive, and she had no idea what to expect. She looked up at the sun, swallowing nervously.

“Should I be scared?” she asked.

“You’re safe,” he grunted, shaking with effort.

She looked at the lava and instantly regretted it. For a second, she completely forgot to look away from the glaring, painful light that only got brighter as Ember continued to control it.

She noticed something spiraling wildly within the lava flow. At first it was just something small, then it was huge. The fireballs twirled around ferociously and floated up to the height of their balcony. The fireballs continued to put on a show, and Sarah couldn’t take her eyes away.

“It’s beautiful!”

She felt like she could dive for cover or at the very least panic slightly. “How are you doing that?”

It was intoxicatingly magical to watch the fire split up and dance before her eyes. She couldn’t stop staring despite it hurting ever so slightly.

Ember gasped and pulled out of his trance, letting the markings and his eyes fade to their normal colors. The monumental fireballs got sucked right back into the lava.

“How did you do that?” she cried. “Isn’t that dangerous?”

“No,” he said, snorting smoke. “The sun heats the earth from the outside, but I can heat it from its core. I can also control volcanoes and even something as small as a house fire.”

She stared at him, then back to the lava. “I don’t even know what to think!”

Sarah had previously thought the most amazing thing was people that could do was magic tricks. She couldn’t figure them out. And here she was, faced with a man that could literally control fire and the heat of the earth.

She felt like she might easily pass out, or throw up, or both. Hopefully not both. Hopefully not either, really. Somehow, all the weight of the last twenty-four hours had caught up with her all at once.

“What a day!” she muttered as the feeling began to pass.

“I imagine it’s been a bit of a change,” he said with a smile.

“So, what else can you do?” she asked. “And please, don’t show me! Just…tell me.”

“Technically, I’m the Keeper of the Flame. Anything that has to do with the heat of the earth is mine.”

“Quite an inheritance,” she said.

“It’s a big responsibility.” For just a second, she heard exhaustion in his voice. “Sarah, I need to ask you something. I don’t want to lose you again, but I would never ask you to do anything against your will.”

“Are you asking me to marry you?” asked Sarah.

“No. We’re already married. I’m asking you to stay here with me.”

She knew she was making a big decision; probably the biggest one of her life. The choice of where to attend college was nothing compared to this one. He was asking her to commit to an eternity together.

She might miss the outside world. But would she really? What had the world given her? She had friends, sure, but she could visit them.

She looked at the fairytale-like land before her that stretched on and on, hiding countless mysteries. In this world, she also had a handsome man completely devoted to her. And as the memories continued to appear, she knew she loved him.

In the real world, she had college debt, she had to deal with irritating traffic, and she would likely have to keep running from Roland and his men until Ember’s security caught him.

Here… she breathed in the fresh spring air. Here, I am free.

Staying with Ember felt like the right decision. She was protected. They could stay in the blissful land as long as they wanted, in their mansion high on a hill, completely ignoring the outside world for as long as they wanted.

Besides, if what he said was true about Sarah becoming a dragon, she’d have an eternity to leave Flamma Regno and explore the world.

“What about my mom?” she asked. “She’s still out there. Roland might come after her.”

“We’ll bring her here,” he replied. “She’ll be safe. Roland wouldn’t go after her, anyway. He only wanted to make sure we didn’t end up together.” He paused. “But do you think she’d want to move here?

“I have no doubt. I’m her only child and since my dad died, she’s been so lonely.”

She almost asked what do about her coffee shop? Then she figured she really didn’t care about that anymore. She was with the Keeper of the Flame, some dragon that could control the heat of the earth! If she wanted to start a shop, she could do it there, in paradise.

“So how about it?” Ember pressed. “Will you stay here?”

She didn’t hesitate when she took Ember’s hands and nodded. “I will.”