Inferno, Vucc

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

was

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

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

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

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

he hated how vulnerable she felt. Hated how the familiar scent of him - le

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

to steady her breath,

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

ravel, cut through

e on his lips. And

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

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

wly, she me

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

re. "What do you want?" She asked,

nt, predatory smile. "I want w

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

managed, her voice trembling despite he

rk passing across his features before it was gone.

cusation, a promise. She swallowed hard. The f

l herself. "This is over. Whatever you think is hap

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

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,

nt through her veins. The air between them was charged, thick with the tensi

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

d, mocking smile she remembered. There was somethi

had touched her, claimed her, broke her. But she wouldn't let herself go there. Not n

aid fiercely, trying to pull away fro

ing. "This isn't about protection, Amara. This is about m

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

e him for it or to embrace the

sked quietly, her voice t

eplied. "Because I never let go.