The Fire I Couldn’t Quench

Aria Pov:

The drive back to the safe house was blur, my tears had tried. I felt hard knot in my chest.

Ethan’s betrayal burned in my mind, the image of him with that woman seared into me like a brand.

I’d been so stupid, thinking he was my escape, my anchor in this storm. Now, I had nothing but the two men I’d been fighting to outrun…Damien and Kade, who were waiting for me like a jury ready to pass sentence.

I pulled into the safe house’s garage, the engine’s hum dying as I sat there, gripping the wheel.

My phone buzzed, Ethan, again, with his pathetic apologies. I tossed it onto the passenger seat, my hands started shaking with rage and hurt. I didn’t want to face them, didn’t want their questions or their pity, but I had no choice. The door to the house swung open before I could even step out of the car.

Damien stood there, his silhouette sharp against the fluorescent light, his eyes blazing with something I couldn’t read.

“Where the hell were you?” His voice was low, controlled, but it carried an edge that made my skin prickle.

I climbed out, slamming the car door. “None of your business.”

“Wrong answer.” He stepped closer, his presence overwhelming, like a storm about to break. “You snuck out. You put yourself at risk. Do you have any idea what could’ve happened?”

Kade appeared behind him, his usual grin replaced by a tight frown. “Jesus, princess, you look like you’ve been through a war. What happened?”

I laughed, the sound sharp and hollow. “What happened? My life’s falling apart, that’s what. But you don’t care about that, do you? You’re just here to lock me in a box and call it a job.”

Damien’s jaw clenched, and he grabbed my arm, his grip were firm but not painful. “You don’t get to do this, Aria. Not now. Not when someone’s out there waiting for a chance to hurt you.”

I yanked my arm free, my voice rising. “Hurt me? I’m already hurt, Damien! You think you’re protecting me, but you’re just like my father, controlling, suffocating and keeping me in the dark!”

Kade stepped between us, his hands raised, his voice softer but no less intense. “Hey, easy, sweetheart. Whatever’s got you like this, talk to us. Don’t shut us out.”

I glared at him, my chest heaving. “Why? So you can mock me? Call me princess and laugh while my world burns?”

His eyes softened, and for the first time, I saw something real in them, something raw and unguarded. “I’m not laughing, Aria. I’m here. We both are.”

The air shifted, it became heavy with unspoken things. I wanted to scream, to push them away, but the truth was, I was tired. Tired of fighting, tired of running, tired of being betrayed.

I turned away, my voice barely a whisper. “I went to see my boyfriend. He was with someone else.”

Silence stretched, everywhere became thick and suffocating. Then Kade let out a low whistle.

“Damn. That’s cold. You okay?”

“No,” I snapped, turning back to face them. “I’m not okay. I trusted him, and he—” My voice broke, and I hated myself for it, hated the tears stinging my eyes. “I just wanted something normal. Something that was mine.”

Damien’s expression didn’t change, but his eyes darkened, like he was holding something back. “Normal’s overrated,” he said quietly. “And that guy? He didn’t deserve you.”

I laughed, It came out bitter and sharp. “Oh, and you know what I deserve? You don’t even know me.”

“I know enough.” His voice was low, almost a growl, and he stepped closer, so close I could feel the heat of him. “I know you’re stubborn as hell. I know you’re brave, even when you’re reckless. And I know you’re not as alone as you think.”

My breath caught, his words hitting harder than they should. I wanted to push him away, to tell him he was wrong, but the way he looked at me, like he saw every crack, every scar, it made my defenses falter.

Kade moved closer too, his shoulder brushing mine, his voice a soft drawl. “He’s right, princess. You’re a pain in the ass, but you’re our pain in the ass. And we’re not letting you go through this alone.”

I looked between them, my heart pounding, I was caught in the pull of their presence, Damien’s fierce intensity, Kade’s quiet heat. It was too much, too close and too everything.

I stepped back, needing air, needing space. “I need to be alone,” I said, my voice was shaky. “Just… give me that.”

Damien’s eyes searched mine, but he nodded, stepping back. “Fine. But you stay where we can see you. No more running.”

Kade smirked, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “We’ll be right outside, sweetheart. Don’t do anything stupid.”

I turned and headed for the bedroom, my heart a mess of anger, hurt, and something else I wasn’t ready to name. The safe house felt smaller than ever, the walls were pressing in, the monitors’ hum a constant reminder of the threat outside. But it wasn’t just The Ghost or my father’s secrets that scared me now.

It was the way Damien and Kade were slipping under my skin, filling the cracks Ethan had left. They were my protectors, my jailers and my temptation. And as I sank onto the bed, my face buried in my hands, I realized I wasn’t just running from danger anymore.

I was running from them, and from the part of me that didn’t want to run at all.

That night, as I lay in the dark, a new sound broke the silence, I heard a faint, tapping, like fingers on glass.

My blood ran cold, I was terrified. I sat up, straining to hear, my eyes darting to the window.

The tapping stopped, but the shadows outside seemed to shift.

I didn’t call for Damien or Kade. But as I stared into the darkness, my heart started racing,

I knew one thing for certain: the danger was closer than ever. And so were they.