Page 193 of Nobody Told Me Thrift Shops Sell Stolen Dragon Heirlooms

Luke, wrestling with Max, screamed, “Do not ignite him!”

There it was.

Confirmation.

I pointed at Dimitris. “Phoenix reset. Fire makes him stronger, right?”

“Yes,” Rafe said, already understanding.

Luke shoved at Max, trying to reach the detonator with his free hand. “The charges⁠—”

“C4 doesn’t detonate from fire alone,” I shouted. “It needs a detonator. Max, hold!”

Max held.

Rafe moved.

Gold washed through his eyes. Scales pushed over his forearms and up the side of his throat, dark and gleaming under the emergency lights. His hands lengthened into claws as he stepped between the guard and me, caught the man by the front of his jacket, and threw him backward hard enough to send him skidding across the stone.

Then Rafe turned toward Dimitris.

The heat hit first.

Dimitris stared at him, still held at the vault panel, his expression caught somewhere between outrage and anticipation.

“Oh,” he said, and for the first time all day sounded genuinely delighted.

Rafe opened his mouth. Fire roared across the space and wrapped Dimitris in gold.

The thieves shouted. One dropped his weapon and stumbled back. Another fired, but Rafe had already turned, putting his body between the shot and me. The round struck his shoulder and sparked against his scales.

I grabbed the nearest crate lid and swung it at the shooter’s knees.

He went down hard.

“Sorry,” I gasped, shocked at my newfound propensity toward violence. “That was instinct and also feminism.”

The fire around Dimitris climbed higher. His laugh rose inside it.

Luke screamed another spell.

Max released and leapt back at my whistle as the air snapped blue around Luke’s hand. The spell hit the floor where Max had been and shattered the stone.

Rafe turned on Luke.

Dimitris burned brighter.

The room filled with gold light and smoke and the smell of ancient magic waking up angry.

For one second, I saw Rafe in profile, blood on his shoulder, flame in his mouth, eyes fixed on the sorcerer who had threatened me.

The part of me that had been terrified all day went suddenly, strangely calm.

Because I knew him now. He would not run from this.

Neither would I.

Dimitris stepped out of the fire changed.