Love's Ashes, Vengeance's Spark

rt from a body that no longer felt like my own. They took a thin layer of skin, a procedure they assured me w

er, Chloe

at the foot of my bed. "The burn is de

d her from the hal

His body needs to heal. We can' t take another graft s

sisted, not even looking at me. She was talk

id, his authority clear. He gave m

e, it wasn' t me. I didn' t start the fir

dismissively, as if swat

e dripping with contempt. "You' re just trying to escape respons

ingle word from Liam, on the other s

him if he needed anything, if he was in pain. The swiftness of her departure left a void in the roo

nurses were busy, the hallway was quiet. She walked right up to m

t, hard. It crashed to the floor. Then she started on me. She slapped me, her rings cut

even raise my hands to defend mys

ast of my spirit. She drew back her foo

lute, so blinding, that I couldn' t even scream. A strangled gasp was al

, his face grim. Chloe was standing

led, the pain a deep, thr

oe. "We had to do an emergency procedure. There was significant trauma, Ethan. I' m

ey settled in my mind, cold and heavy like stones. No children. A

I don' t know what. A flicke

mall, indifferent move

al, as if discussing the weather. "Kids would just c

y solved. The pain from the injury was nothing compared to the chilling emptiness that her words opened u