Chapter 191

THIRD PERSON’S POV Flames still crackled softly around Olivia, who stood—no, towered—like a living inferno. The wings of fire on her back unfurled slightly as if stretching with anticipation. Dominic and Derek were still trapped in glowing rune circles, the magic restraining them pulsing faintly. They were both conscious, barely—but neither could move. “We’re doing this to protect everyone from you,” the lead witch—a woman draped in tattered emerald robes—declared. Her tone was laced with defiance, but her magic flickered under pressure, as though unsure if it could survive another wave of heat. “We have nothing against your mate.” The phoenix tilted her head slowly, eerily. Her voice was Olivia’s, and yet it wasn’t. It was laced with ancient rage, laced with centuries of forgotten fire. “Then if I kill you to protect my mate,” the phoenix said, her voice a low, rumbling whisper that seemed to shake the air itself, “that should be fair too.” The witch’s bravado wavered as she took a sh