Chapter 59
720 Words
Sleep eluded me. My body tossed against the sheets like something inside was pulling at me, shaking me awake each time I managed to drift off. The fire in my chest burned hotter than usual, restless and wild, and I could almost swear I heard whispers at the edge of my dreams calling my name. Adriana. Over and over, soft but sharp, like a warning.
When my eyes snapped open again, I found Devon leaning on one elbow beside me, his eyes glowing faintly in the darkness. His hand brushed my damp hair back from my face.
“You were trembling again,” he murmured, voice low, protective. “Talk to me, little flame.”
I swallowed, ashamed that he had seen me this way. “It’s nothing. Just dreams that feel too real.”
His thumb traced over my cheek. “Dreams don’t leave you shaking like this.” His eyes searched mine, sharp and unyielding. “What did you see?”
I wanted to lie, to tell him it was shadows and smoke, nothing more, but the look in his eyes broke me. “I keep hearing voices. They whisper my name like they’re trying to reach me. And… there’s fire everywhere. Sometimes it feels like it’s not even a dream. Like it’s waiting for me.”
Devon pulled me into his chest, his warmth wrapping around me like a shield. “Your powers are stirring again. That’s all it is. You’re stronger than you realize, Addy. Stronger than anything haunting you in the dark.”
I pressed my ear to his heartbeat, letting the steady thrum calm the racing in my chest. But the unease didn’t fade. My happiness with him had been so sharp lately, so bright, that it almost felt wrong. Like the world wouldn’t allow me to keep it.
“Devon,” I whispered, “what if this is too good to last? What if it all burns away?”
His arms tightened.”
The way he said it should have been enough to silence the doubt clawing at me, but the whispers returned the moment I closed my eyes again. This time they sounded closer, almost curling around the bed, and my body tensed until Devon’s hand slid under my chin and tilted my face to his.
“Look at me.” His command was soft but carried that Alpha edge that always stilled me. “You’re not alone in this. Whatever comes, whatever tries to touch you, it has to go through me first.”
I let out a shaky laugh, trying to lighten the heaviness between us. “That sounds like a death wish.”
His mouth curved in a dangerous smirk. “Not a wish. A promise.”
I tried to smile but the fire in my chest flared again, making me wince. He felt it, I knew he did, because his gaze dropped to where his hand pressed over my heart. For a long moment, he didn’t speak, only studied me as though searching for something I couldn’t see myself.
“Your aura is changing,” he finally said, almost to himself. “It’s like the bond is feeding your fire.”
The words made my stomach twist. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
He leaned closer until his forehead rested against mine. “It’s power. And power is only dangerous when you let it control you. That’s why I’ll keep you close, Addy. We’ll master it together.”
His certainty steadied me more than anything else could. I wanted to believe him, to let myself melt into the safety of his strength, but part of me still feared what was coming. Happiness like this, warm and whole, felt like a dream that the world would wake me from too soon.
Later, when sleep finally came, I drifted in and out, never sinking deep enough. My body burned with heat, my skin sensitive to every brush of the sheets. Devon stayed awake most of the night, his arm wrapped around me, his hand anchored at my waist as if daring anything to take me from him.
And still, when dawn crept into the room, I woke with the taste of smoke in my throat and the whisper of my name echoing in my ears.
- Writer
