Playing With Fire Book By Mariam El-hafi Novels & Stories

Firestarter and firefighter. And of course… “He didn’t die like a king. He ended like fire does, quiet, when the world no longer needed heat.” Those words came to me during a blackout. Literally. No power. Just me, a candle, and the hum of loss in the air. ~~~~~ WHY I WROTE THIS Because I was a little tired of mafia stories that glorified cruelty but skipped the cost. Because I wanted a heroine who was never just in love, never just cold, never just strong. I wanted someone who could burn a room down at noon and tuck a child in by midnight.

“It’s a sin.” “Sin?” He scoffed softly, a low, husky sound. “Or liberation? Who decides what’s holy and what’s profane, Mary? Is it a book? Or is it the undeniable truth of your own body?” His fingers tangled in the edge of her wimple, tugging gently, drawing her closer. “Let’s find out.”

I was doing it so everyone in this room would know I had given them the roadmap to avoid disaster. If they still managed to screw it up, it would be because they were idiots, and it would have nothing to do with me. I wasn't giving them any ammunition to sling mud at me ever again. Lucy didn’t even bother to open the file. She glanced at the cover with contempt and let out a haughty sniff. “Right, Madeline. Got it.” I knew she wouldn't read it. After all, as a mole, her job was to burn everything to the ground.

And I liked the way her frown replaced her triumphant smiles. When I heard Mari was coming to Italy, I went out of my mind for a moment and then later thought how dangerous it would be if she was here and there'll be a shootout. Italy isn’t exactly a safe haven for her, with the badblood that has been brewing since Mari’s father eloped with that Russian woman. I wanted to tell her to stay back because if she was here, I wouldn’t be able to finish my job. I wouldn’t be able to keep her safe and worry about my sister at the same time. And if there were something to happen to her, it would be a very big stain on my reputation to let two incidents slip right from my grasp. She was a distraction.

he said, eyes already gone dark. I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move. Time stopped. Matteo yelled something. Lazaro’s finger curled. And I knew he was going to pull the trigger. To be continued... Chapter 38 – Burn Them All Amara The city burns. Flames eat through rooftops like hungry mouths, smoke veils the sky until the sun itself disappears. Sirens scream like dying violins. Bullets cut through air thick with the scent of gasoline, blood, and betrayal.

HIS TOUCH, HER FIRE🔥 --- Chapter Two The Warning Beneath the Suit The morning sun barely filtered through the thin curtains of Evelyn’s kitchen window, casting long strips of pale gold across the old wood floor. She stood barefoot on the chilled boards, coffee in hand, hair unbrushed, shirt borrowed from her late father—faded red plaid hanging off one shoulder—and tried to ignore the storm rising in her gut. Last night’s encounter with Damien Romano had not just left her rattled; it had torn something loose inside her. Something dangerous. The man had stepped onto her land like he belonged, like the dirt itself bent beneath his polished shoes, and then he’d spoken with a calm so soaked in a

He knelt in front of me and took my hands in his, pleading with his eyes for me to understand. "I have to keep you safe. But I cannot do that with you fighting me at every step," he told me. "I'm not-" He pressed a finger to my lips, stopping protests. "I do not call you fyre because your hair is the color of fire. I call you this because you burn with the fyre of my people. You will either keep me warm or burn me if I get a little too close," he explained with a light chuckle. "I love your spark, dear one. But I want you to try not to flare up at me."

Aria slipped a few strands of her hair behind her ear and looked up at him, thinking he couldn’t possibly sound more mocking then he did in that very moment. “You don’t worry about us” she said before she passed him the letter sack. Chase watched them both quietly, thinking the chemistry between them both was pretty clear to see. “Aria’s right, you don’t know who your playing with” he said to Adrian with a small smirk. Aria smiled and looked at him, “This should be fun” she said before she looked down at her unlucky letters, thinking apart from one the rest were all vowels. Adrian liked their confidence, thinking both of them would definitely need it by the end of the game.

Alice snapped Kingston roll his eyes and walked away from her sight “You really won’t say anything about It?” Alice asked Kingston didn’t say a word “Fine,,goodbye” Alice said and turned back She walked away Kingston fold his fists angrily,,his hands which was placed on the table started bringing out some flames of fire,,his eyes and hair turning red. The table was almost catching fire when the door opened again and Alice c@m£ in “I c@m£ to take my book,,,,” she st©pped when she saw Kingston and her eyes wi-de-ned

For the first time, my memories didn’t scatter—they aligned. Smoke. Splintering wood. A woman screaming my name through the flames. Marisol, run! And then another voice—smooth, cold, certain. “She can’t remember. It’s safer this way.” My eyes snapped open. I gasped like I’d surfaced from deep water, lungs burning. The fragments weren’t illusions anymore. They were confessions. Proof that the fire hadn’t been an accident—it had been a command. And the man who gave that command had blood on his hands.