(Caeulm Ashborne)
They passed by a balcony where molten rivers poured in slow, impossible arcs—fire falling upward, not down. Adelaide stepped to the railing without hesitation, eyes wide with awe. The glow from below lit her face from beneath, catching in her hair and turning it into a dark halo rimmed in copper. Updrafts of heated air brushed her bare calves, making the hem of her makeshift dress flutter against her thighs. The scent hit him full force. Warm skin. Soft breaths. A faint sweetness that wasn’t mortal at all— her magic.
His fingers curled against the railing until stone cracked beneath his grip. Control was slipping.
“You like it here,” he said.
She nodded, leaning slightly forward. “It feels… peaceful.”
He let out a low breath, barely audible. “Nothing in Hell is p
