Chapter 23: Fire Doesn’t Leave Quietly
208 Words
Lyra’s hands curled into fists at her sides.
Her fire surged beneath her skin, rising with the emotion she refused to show.
“You don’t get to do this,” she said, her voice low now.
“I already am.”
That calm.
That control.
It made everything worse.
Because she knew him enough now to understand—
This wasn’t easy for him.
And that made it harder to fight.
But she did anyway.
“You think pushing me away fixes this?” she said.
“It removes you from it.”
“I’m not something you remove.”
Kael stepped forward suddenly—
But not closer.
Just enough to make his words land harder.
“You are when you’re the target.”
That stopped her.
Just for a second.
And he used it.
“This isn’t about what you want,” he continued. “It’s about what’s coming.”
Lyra’s voice dropped.
“And you think I won’t be part of that?”
“I think you won’t survive it.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Painful.
Then—
Softer.
More dangerous.
“Then maybe you don’t know me as well as you think.”
Kael’s expression didn’t change.
But something in his eyes did.
Because that—
Was true.
- Writer
