The fire died slowly.
Not extinguished — subdued. Like a living thing forced back into its cage.
Emily could still feel it under her skin, restless and angry, pressing against whatever fragile control she had left. Theodore hadn’t moved to attack. Hadn’t even raised a hand.
That unsettled her more than violence would have.
“You’re not afraid,” she said.
It wasn’t a question.
Theodore regarded her for a moment, head tilted slightly as if examining an unfamiliar specimen.
“Fear is useful,” he said at last. “But only when something can harm you.”
The implication landed like a stone in her stomach.
“So I can’t,” she said quietly.
“You could,” he corrected. “Under the right conditions.”
Not comforting.
He stepped to the side, gaze drifting across the ruined clearing — fused earth, b
