Tangled in fire

Jake barely had time to react before Gleed's fist flew, a blur of rage and bone-crushing force. The impact was sickening—a wet, crunching sound as her knuckles collided with his nose. Blood spattered across his lips as his head snapped back, his balance momentarily lost.

A sharp gasp rippled through the crowd.

"Wooooooh!" Axel's voice rang out, half-amused, half-concerned, as he lunged to restrain her. But Gleed was wildfire—uncontained, unstoppable. She shoved him off, her pulse a deafening roar in her ears. Her entire body vibrated with fury, hands clenched so tightly her nails dug into her palms.

"What the fuck did you do to her, huh?!" she barked, her voice raw with rage.

Jake stumbled back, his hand pressing against his face, blood seeping between his fingers. His wide eyes locked onto hers—stunned, disoriented, but he didn't dare speak.

Gleed took a step forward, chest heaving, muscles coiled tight. The room felt like it was closing in, heat thrumming beneath her skin, her fury suffocating.

"Stay the fuck away from her!" she snarled, the words laced with venom. Her entire body trembled—not from fear, but from the sheer force of holding herself back from breaking him further.

A murmur spread through the onlookers. Andrea and Taylor exchanged a glance, silent understanding passing between them before they stepped in.

Jake barely had time to breathe before Andrea's boot connected with his ribs, a sharp, satisfying thud echoing through the room. He groaned, doubling over just as Taylor followed with a brutal punch. As they turned to leave, they both threw up their middle fingers, their expressions twisted in disgust.

But Gleed wasn't finished.

Her gaze snapped to Lily.

The moment their eyes met, Lily flinched.

Her breath was shallow, her skin pale. She looked trapped, caged in by invisible walls. Then, suddenly, she turned—bolting for the bathroom.

Gleed's stomach clenched.

No. Not again.

She shoved past Axel, ignoring his call of her name, and chased after her.

---

### **Inside the Bathroom**

Lily stood hunched over the sink, her fingers white-knuckled against the porcelain. Her shoulders shook, silent sobs wracking her small frame.

The sight made Gleed's heart clench, guilt cutting deep.

She had been so consumed by anger—so desperate to punish Jake—that she hadn't stopped to think about what Lily needed.

Gleed exhaled, her fury dimming into something softer, heavier.

She stepped forward carefully, her voice low. "Lily…"

Lily flinched.

That single, almost imperceptible movement sent a knife through Gleed's chest.

"I'm so sorry," Gleed murmured, her throat tight. "He tried to—fuck, this is my fault."

Lily shook her head, her eyes still wet, but fierce now. "No. It's not your fault. Jake's a—" Her voice cracked. She sucked in a trembling breath. "He's a fucking asshole."

Gleed's jaw clenched. That wasn't enough.

"Where did he touch you?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper.

Lily's breath hitched. Her fingers hovered hesitantly before brushing against her wrist.

Gleed's eyes followed, darkening.

"Where else?"

A flicker of hesitation. Then, slowly, Lily's fingers drifted to the curve of her breast.

Something inside Gleed snapped—fury, protectiveness, something deeper, something dangerous. Her breathing turned shallow, her hands twitching with the need to erase every trace of him.

She took another step, close enough to feel Lily's warmth, to see the faint flush creeping up her neck.

Her fingers found Lily's, covering them gently, squeezing.

Lily let out a shaky exhale.

Gleed's voice was lower now, edged with something intimate. "Where else?"

Lily's hand trembled as she dragged it lower, hesitating at her hip, before brushing over the swell of her ass.

Gleed swallowed hard.

Her touch followed, soft at first, then deliberate, tracing the path of Lily's fingers, replacing memory with sensation.

Lily's breath hitched again—this time, different. Shallow. Anticipatory.

Her pupils dilated, her lips parting as something new coiled in her stomach.

"Gleed…" Her voice was barely a whisper, unsure, but not resisting.

Gleed lifted her gaze, her expression unreadable, her breath fanning against Lily's lips.

"Erasing his touch with mine."

And then, she kissed her.

It wasn't gentle. It wasn't soft. It was raw, desperate, consuming. Lily gasped against her lips, but then—she melted.

Fingers gripped fabric, bodies pressed closer, heat radiating between them.

A small, breathless sound escaped Lily as Gleed's hands found her waist, pulling her flush against her.

At that exact moment, on the other side of the club…

---

### **In the Men's Restroom**

Axel's back slammed against the stall, a breathless curse leaving his lips. The waitress in front of him let out a shaky moan, her nails digging into his shoulders as he thrust into her, rough and unrestrained.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" she whimpered, her breath hot against his ear.

Axel only grunted, lost in the moment. Lost in her.

He didn't think about where Gleed was. What she was doing. Who she was with.

But she was not thinking about him, either.

---

### **Back in the Women's Restroom**

Gleed's hands roamed. Down Lily's spine, over her hips, slipping between her legs with slow, torturous intent.

Lily gasped against her lips, her head falling back against the wall, exposing the soft column of her throat.

Gleed took her chance.

Her lips brushed against Lily's pulse point, feeling it hammer beneath her skin, before trailing lower.

A shudder. A soft moan. Lily's hands fisting Gleed's hoodie, pulling her closer, deeper, more.

Gleed's fingers pressed against the damp heat between Lily's thighs, separated only by thin fabric.

A sharp inhale. A broken whimper.

Gleed smirked against Lily's skin.

"Fuck, you're wet."

Her fingers moved faster, drawing desperate, breathless sounds from Lily's lips.

Tension coiled tighter. Muscles tensed. And then—release.

Lily shuddered, biting down a cry as pleasure washed over her.

For a long moment, the world outside didn't exist.

Only the sound of heavy breathing. The heat of flushed skin. The weight of what just happened.

Then—Lily let out a soft, breathless laugh, her cheeks tinged pink.

Gleed grinned, her lips grazing Lily's one last time before pulling back.

Outside, the music thumped. The world carried on.

But in here?

Everything had changed.