Firebird (The Fire That Binds, #1)

by Juliette Cross

“I bestow upon you the gift of a sorceress. Like a snake to its prey, you will latch onto any man you choose and pour malice into their hearts. You will be able to force your enemies to feel despair, pain, and loss. You will control them with the magic you hold.”

“I bestow upon you the gift of the siren. Any man whose blood you taste will fall at your feet and do your will. Even if you command him to die, he will do so.”

“I bestow upon you the power of Charon’s kiss. Your lips will breathe death into the mouths of corrupt men. Their spirits will suffer for all their transgressions.”

“Neptune has done you wrong, my child. For his crime, men will suffer. But none who do not deserve it. You and your sisters will go forth and serve me well. You will punish evil men and damn them.”

“When evil men no longer roam this world.”

Some say that Minerva’s mystical gifts have been seeking the right sisters, the ones to right all of mankind’s wrongs once and for all.

To be an empath like me held its own dangers.

But his fire-gold eyes. They told me another story. One of heat and mystery and unmistakable interest.

Not one with a Roman dragon standing in watchful attendance. Best not to dazzle too brightly in the presence of one of them. They liked treasure.

But the witch inside me defied the interloper in our midst. I ignored my sister’s silent protests as the music rose seductively.

Lela was right. I’d never displayed myself quite so provocatively. Why would I do it for him? I hated Romans. Hated their superiority. Their conquering and burning of the whole world, simply because they could. Because no one could defeat dragons.

Only noble-born Romans with the blood of the dragon coursing through their veins could be centurions.

“but this aureus was given to me by my mother, the gold minted by my own father when they married. A wedding gift. I’ve carried this aureus on me for many years.”

“Which again makes me wonder why you would give something so precious away to a stranger.”

“Fortuna speaks to me s...

“She spoke to me tonight. And I knew you’d need the coin for good fortune one day.”

“Indeed.” He dipped his chin. “You are wise as you are beautiful, little firebird.”

“She’s the fucking witch who helped the Celts.”

Jade-green eyes as clear as glass struck me straight to the heart with a piercing sting. “Firebird,” I whispered in utter shock, remembering the young girl I’d spoken to in a meadow under the moonlight, long ago. The one Fortuna had singled out as special. But not only Fortuna. My dragon as well.

Treasure.

He is a vile creature who planned to defile my treasure. He must bleed. He must die.

I open my jaws and snap him in two where he stands, then fling his carcass into the trees.

My female. Her skin is splattered with the blood of the enemy. Pleasure throbs up my throat as I gaze upon her. She stands. A fierce treasure, I have. She wants me to take her away.

Opening my wings, I wrap her in my talons, lift into the sky, and carry her toward my lair. Where she belongs.

I was, after all, the witch who’d kept them at bay three times before.

I’d only stopped an incompetent general and his men until a better one came along. The centurion.

“You will save us all.”

I couldn’t help but stare at the magnificent man he’d become—physically anyway. Over seven feet tall, his body thick with muscle, his manhood hanging long and heavy between his legs as he marched inside.

My centurion from long ago, the man who’d given me a gold coin and hope and dreams of a better future, was now my new nightmare, my new master.

“How do you know my name?” “I’ve always known it.”

“I am Julian,” he stated simply.

“I have a gift.”

“I can control the emotions of others.”

“And what did you do to the...

“I made them feel helpless, defeated, lon...

“That’s why there were so many desertions in the midd...

“Simply because I’m not a trained warrior with all the benefits of a Roman education doesn’t mean I can’t understand the basics of warfare.”

His response gutted me. I felt it like a slap to the face. He wasn’t concerned about my welfare or the fact that his soldier had planned to violate me, likely to the point of death. He was concerned with money. Gain and profit. Of course. He was a Roman.

“You will be my body slave.”

“I have need of a body slave. You will serve as mine.”

“One day, your gift will turn the tide of war. It will help vanquish the enemy. It will strike fear into the hearts of fierce, dangerous men.”

“The master’s name,” she corrected, wearing a deep frown. “No one will dare harm you with his name around your neck. You should be thankful.”

“You may ask me anything you like … in private,”

“Outside of this house, you will be submissive, obedient, and silent.”

“Does it matter what I do with the information? You are mine, Malina, to do with as I will.”

“There’s the firebird.”

“Do we have a bargain? Every night when you serve me dinner, you will answer any question I ask about your mystical gift. Honestly. In return, I will save your Enid. If she is still alive.”

“Yes, dominus,”

“In Rome, you are no longer one of the beautiful Bihari sisters dancing for crowds under the shadow of your beloved Carpathian Mountains.”

“You are no longer the witch who aided the Celts against the Roman legions,”