Inferno, Vucc

uid inside remained unspilled. She didn't trust herself. Didn't trust the steady b

was

forget. The monster she'd built her life around esca

in sight, burying herself in work and darkness. Yet now, in the same place where she'd crafted her ne

how far she ran, how many oceans and mountains she crossed, he would track her down.

ut couldn't ignore the weight of his presence. The air shifted the moment he enter

She hated how vulnerable she felt. Hated how the familiar scent of him - l

of his dangerous smile, feel the heat of his touch against her skin. No, n

to steady her breath,

too still, too dark. She didn't need to look at him to know it

gravel, cut through

se on his lips. And

s as though he already knew her too well. Knew how to sha

y she'd crafted to bury her past, to survive. But to Luca, it would always be A

owly, she m

slightly longer than she remembered, but it didn't matter. Those eyes - obsidian, cold, calculating - never wavered. H

are. "What do you want?" She asked

int, predatory smile. "I want

breathe. She hated how it sounded, how it held so many meanings, so many memories. Me

managed, her voice trembling despite h

ark passing across his features before it was gone.

ccusation, a promise. She swallowed hard. The

el herself. "This is over. Whatever you think is ha

peed. He was right in front of her now, and she could feel the heat radiating off his body. She could smell him, feel the

contempt and something darker. Something far more dangerous. "You think I've spent the last

hroat. "No," she breathed, her voice quivering.

another step closer, forcing her to tilt her head back to meet his gaze. "You're not safe anywhere

ent through her veins. The air between them was charged, thick with the tens

ere whisper, full of uncertainty. Her hand gripped the edge

ld, mocking smile she remembered. There was someth

had touched her, claimed her, broke her. But she wouldn't let herself go there. Not no

said fiercely, trying to pull away fr

cing. "This isn't about protection, Amara. This is about

ened - just barely. But it was enough for Amara to see the truth beneath the layers

te him for it or to embrace th

asked quietly, her voice

replied. "Because I never let go