All Chapters of Chasing fireflies: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Chloe strolled into Callum’s mansion like it was just another Tuesday. Everyone stopped dead. Callum broke the silence with a laugh, pushing himself off his throne and striding over to her. He wrapped her in a hug. “My child’s back! Look, everyone, she’s here. Where the hell have you been?”“Oh, you know, around,” Chloe shrugged, then relented. “Fine, I’ll spill. First, I got a taste of the pack life, then dipped into the vampire scene with you. But I wanted to explore my witch side, so I headed down to the bayou, met up with my sisters.”Callum chuckled, though it sounded a little forced. “Great. How’d that go?”“Let’s just say… enlightening. Found out some things about myself I didn’t expect.”“Like what?” he asked, his brow furrowing.“I can pull off a few spells, for starters. Water turns this eerie blue when I step into it, spirits pop up, weird stuff, you know?” Chloe caught Arran staring at her, intense as ever. “Callum, mind if I talk to Arran for a sec?”“Go ahead,” he said,

Atlanta, GeorgiaHunter sat at the window of his new penthouse. Why does everything feel off, he wondered, like something was missing. He’d left it all behind, but her name kept creeping into his thoughts. Focus on yourself, he muttered, grabbing his jacket and heading out to clear his head.He wandered aimlessly, ending up on a dimly lit street. The smell hit him first, blood. His head snapped toward the source.“Wrong place, asshole,” a young guy sneered, driving a kick into his gut.They laughed, taking turns to rough him up.“How’s this fair?” Hunter growled.One of them pulled a gun. “Oh, now you’re really asking for it,” he spat, lunging forward. He drank from him, enough not to kill him. The others scattered, leaving the man they had beaten barely clinging to consciousness. He glanced at the him.“Look at me. You want to live forever?”“What?” the man whispered, eyes widening at the sight of Hunter’s fangs. He nodded.Hunter bit him, waited for the twitching to stop, then bit h

Chloe strode into the grand throne room, the same place where she’d once been a contender, where she’d first crossed paths with Hunter. Just the thought of his name sent a sharp pang through her chest.Callum rose, scanning the crowd filing in. “Chloe, what’s all this?” he asked, a faint smile playing on his lips.“It’s a game,” she announced, clapping her hands. “Do sit down, won’t you?”He blinked, taken aback. “A game? What kind of game?”“The one you started, Callum. Surely you haven’t forgotten?”His smile vanished as vampires began closing in.“Shall we begin?” Chloe said, her tone light.“You can’t hurt me, Chloe,” he said quietly, almost mournfully.“Oh, right. My bad.” She muttered a quick chant, and the doors slammed shut. The vampires dropped to their knees, their gazes shifting to Callum. Chloe’s eyes hardened as she moved toward the couple she’d brought in. With a dramatic wave of her hand, she revealed Caroline and Dr. Knowles Sr.“Welcome to the games,” she declared, he

Atlanta, GeorgiaHe was mid-punch when it hit him—a sharp pain splitting his skull. Down he went, the world spinning. Noise. Chaos. Eyes shut tight, then open. It all came rushing back. Chloe. “I left her,” he muttered, voice breaking. “No, no, her bump…” People stared at him like he’d lost it. He ripped off the gloves, sprinted out, and grabbed his phone. “Hank, get me tickets. We’re heading back to New Orleans. Now.”Old cemeteryHe blindfolded them, James’s father and her mom first. The cemetery was cold, a thin mist clinging to the ground. The abandoned mausoleum stood far back, its shadows looming. Inside, a coffin waited for the two of them. James shoved them in. “Enjoy eternity, dear parents,” he said flatly. Chloe closed the lid. Jason and James hoisted the coffin onto the bed. Chloe’s chanting filled the air, and when she finished, it looked like nothing was there to the untrained eye.She stepped back, and James eyed her. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”“Like what

One year afterJames stood in the mausoleum, his hands steady as he worked through the ritual. Magic wasn’t easy, certainly not compared to surgery, which felt like child’s play next to some of these spells. But he’d served his time, and now he held three bags of blood, the final piece of the puzzle.With a sharp gesture, he broke the spell and pried open the coffin.“That was… refreshing,” Arran’s voice croaked from inside.James couldn’t help but laugh. Arran sat up, yanking the blindfold off his face and grabbing the blood bags. He drained them in seconds, his movements fast and desperate.“Where is she?” Arran demanded, his voice low.“She had her memories wiped,” James replied, shrugging. “Last I heard, Hunter went to the elder asking about her. And the kid.”“The kid?” Arran’s eyes narrowed.“Hunter’s kid, supposedly,” James said, hesitating. “She didn’t exactly clarify.”Arran clenched his jaw. He knew damn well it wasn’t Hunter’s child. It was his. Was the kid stirring somethi