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Chapter 24: Ashes between us

Author: SELENE HART
last update Huling Na-update: 2025-08-21 16:42:19

“You call that a plan?” Ari’s voice cracked through the hum of the tires. “Because from where I’m sitting, we almost died for nothing.”

The SUV rattled down the forest road, headlights cutting through wet branches. Kael’s hands stayed steady on the wheel, jaw locked, eyes fixed ahead. Riven, hunched in the passenger seat, twisted toward Ari in the back.

“Nothing?” His voice was sharp, frayed with exhaustion. “Roman’s jacket was there. His jacket, Ari. That means he’s alive.”

Ari scoffed, rubbing blood from his temple with the back of his sleeve. “Or it means someone planted it there so you’d keep chasing ghosts.”

Riven’s chest burned. He twisted back toward the windshield, fists clenching. The trees blurred by like black scars.

“Enough,” Kael said quietly. Not loud, but it cut through the air like a blade.

Silence dropped. The kind that presses on your chest and makes you sweat.

No one spoke again until they hit the driveway.

---

Inside the safehouse, Bea was waiting at the kitchen ta
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  • Call it love,Call it war   Chapter 24: Ashes between us

    “You call that a plan?” Ari’s voice cracked through the hum of the tires. “Because from where I’m sitting, we almost died for nothing.”The SUV rattled down the forest road, headlights cutting through wet branches. Kael’s hands stayed steady on the wheel, jaw locked, eyes fixed ahead. Riven, hunched in the passenger seat, twisted toward Ari in the back.“Nothing?” His voice was sharp, frayed with exhaustion. “Roman’s jacket was there. His jacket, Ari. That means he’s alive.”Ari scoffed, rubbing blood from his temple with the back of his sleeve. “Or it means someone planted it there so you’d keep chasing ghosts.”Riven’s chest burned. He twisted back toward the windshield, fists clenching. The trees blurred by like black scars.“Enough,” Kael said quietly. Not loud, but it cut through the air like a blade.Silence dropped. The kind that presses on your chest and makes you sweat.No one spoke again until they hit the driveway.---Inside the safehouse, Bea was waiting at the kitchen ta

  • Call it love,Call it war   Chapter 23: The ranch

    Riven sat rigid in the passenger seat, his hand still curled tight around the burner phone. He’d been checking it obsessively the entire ride, screen lighting up his jawline in quick, nervous bursts. No new messages. No calls. Just silence.“Here,” Kael said, voice even but tight. “This is as close as we can risk driving.”Riven finally looked up, scanning the stretch of woods that opened into shadowy fields. “So this is it? The ranch?”Kael gave a single nod. “Mason’s family land. Old, secluded. They used to run cattle through here, but his father turned it into a fortress. Half the fences are rigged, and I’d bet money they’ve got cameras tucked in the trees.”Riven swallowed hard. “And Roman… he could be inside.”Kael’s gaze flicked toward him, unreadable in the dark. “That’s why we’re here.”The doors creaked open, loud against the oppressive hush. Ari, Harlow, and Jesse climbed out from the back, each bundled against the chill. Mrs. Bea had insisted on staying behind in town, clai

  • Call it love,Call it war   Chapter 22: The walls have eyes.

    The paper sat in the center of the kitchen table like it might explode.Two words, still damp, black ink bleeding into the fibers.Tick, tick.No one touched it now.The house groaned against the morning wind, wood creaking in its bones. It was supposed to be shelter. It felt like a trap.Kael leaned forward, palms flat on the table, his voice even but hard enough to cut through the tension. “Nobody leaves this room until we figure out how the hell that got inside.”Ari scoffed, shotgun still in hand, jaw tight. “What do you mean, how? Someone waltzed in while we were sleeping like it was nothing. That’s how.”“That’s not what I’m asking.” Kael’s eyes flicked to each of them, sharp and measuring. “I’m asking which one of us let it happen.”The silence that followed was thick, sticky, dangerous.Riven’s chest clenched. “Don’t—don’t start turning this into some witch hunt.”Kael didn’t look at him. “They don’t just walk past locks and alarms unless somebody helps them. Somebody here sli

  • Call it love,Call it war   Chapter 21: Splinters.

    Kael came in from the porch just as the first strips of weak light slipped through the blinds. His boots tracked mud, his shoulders heavy with exhaustion, but his jaw was set like he’d swallowed a fight whole. He didn’t look at Riven right away.Mrs. Bea was already at the stove, her back straight, her hair pinned up neat like always. She moved slow, deliberate, the kettle clattering down with more force than needed. “You boys look like death warmed over,” she said without turning, voice steady but sharp.Ari was stretched out on the couch, shotgun leaning against his knee. His head lolled back, but his eyes were open, bloodshot and hollow. “I stayed up watching the treeline,” he muttered. “Swear I saw movement more than once.”“Paranoia,” Kael said flatly. He leaned against the counter, folding his arms, but his gaze flicked to the window as if to check for himself.“It ain’t paranoia if they were here,” Ari shot back.No one laughed.Riven hadn’t moved since Kael walked in. His eyes

  • Call it love,Call it war   Chapter 20: Patterned situation.

    Riven leaned against the counter, arms folded tight across his chest, his leg bouncing like it was trying to run away from him. Ari sprawled on the couch with a shotgun resting across his lap, eyes alert despite the casual slouch. Mrs. Bea had taken the rocking chair, hands wrapped around her rosary, lips moving in silent prayer.Roman’s absence hung like a noose. Jesse sat near the stairs, face pale and raw, one of Kael’s hoodies swallowed around her small frame. Every so often her eyes darted to the door, as if expecting her brother to walk in.“Someone talk,” Ari muttered finally, voice sharp from the tension. “Or else I’m gonna start singing, and trust me—none of you want that.”No one laughed.Riven spoke first. “That message—it wasn’t just a threat. ‘House without a chimney’? That’s a clue. Roman’s alive, Kael.” His voice cracked at the end, but his stare was steel.Kael dragged in smoke, then crushed the cigarette out. “And what if it’s bait? Mason wants us moving blind.”“The

  • Call it love,Call it war   Chapter 19: between the lines.

    His thumb hovered like maybe one more press would unlock something. But there was nothing. Just the words. " When you go rome, you act like that Romans. Will Roman join or rebel"?.Kael leaned against the counter, arms folded, watching him. He hadn’t spoken for a long time. Finally he said, low and steady, “It’s bait.”Riven snapped his head up. “Don’t start with that. It’s not bait. It’s proof. Proof he’s alive—”“Or proof they know exactly where to hit you,” Kael cut in. His voice wasn’t sharp, but it was solid, like a wall Riven couldn’t push through.Across the room, Jesse shifted. She’d been quiet for most of the night, curled up on Bea’s old recliner with a blanket around her shoulders, but now her voice trembled. “What does it mean? Are they… are they going to hurt him if you don’t—”“No one’s hurting him,” Riven said too fast, too harsh. He ran a hand through his hair, restless. “They can’t. They wouldn’t—”“Don’t lie to her,” Kael said quietly.Bea’s hand came down on Jesse’s

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