Silence.
The hallway light flickered—once, twice—before staying on. My pulse jumped. Every step toward the back door felt heavy, like I was trying to walk underwater. I pushed it open a crack. The alley glowed under the streetlight, dumpsters, asphalt, the quiet curve of an empty road.
And then I saw it.
A scrap of paper pinned to the doorframe. Its edges charred. Burned.
My stomach dropped into ice.
I pulled it down with shaking fingers.
From ash, the Flame is born anew.
The world tilted. My vision tunneled, breath caught somewhere sharp and unforgiving under my ribs.
No. No, no—
I could pretend this was a prank. A coincidence. But my hands—trembling—told the truth. They were out there. Still watching. Still wanting. I shoved the paper into my pocket and forced my fingers steady long enough to lock the door.
Footsteps sounded behind me.
Fear surged, then dissolved the instant the scent hit: Leather. Warm skin. Smoke that didn’t choke. Chain. Relief rushed through me so fast it hurt.
“You alright?” His voice was low enough to slip down my spine before it reached my ears. That deep, solid tone that always seemed to find the weak spot in my armor.
“Yeah.” Another lie.
His eyes cut over me, intense, assessing, protective. The kind of look that made my heart thump too hard against my ribs.
“You’re lyin’,” he said, stepping closer without touching me, but close enough that heat rolled off him and brushed my arm.
I couldn’t answer. So I grabbed my purse and moved toward the door. He followed immediately—close, matching my stride, a shadow that would’ve felt suffocating from any other man, but from him felt… safe. Steady. There.
At the bike, he hesitated before offering the helmet, his eyes thoughtful.
“You wanna get outta here?” he finally asked. “Grab somethin’ to eat? Just you and me.”
The question took me by surprise, knocking my balance for a heartbeat. I wanted to say yes. God, I wanted to. Chain’s eyes were warm, intent, like he wasn’t just offering food. Like he was offering… him. I opened my mouth—
A shrill squeal cut through the lot.
“Chain,baby!”
A woman nearly bowled me over as she launched herself onto him, arms wrapping around his neck. “I’m back in town and ready for some fun like you promised.”
Chain stiffened. “Brianna, I’m not—”
She didn’t even glance at me. Maybe she thought I’d fade into the background.
Instead, something old and fierce rose up inside me. Not jealousy—resolve. The kind the cult had tried to burn out of me.
Do. Not. Shrink.
When Brianna finally pretended to “notice” me, her eyes skimmed my scars, my simple clothes, my unshakable stance. She smiled with her teeth.
“Oh. Didn’t see you there.”
“I’m not so sure,” I said, voice calm as still water.
