Chapter 30: The Fire Between Us

Ariana's heart pounded against her ribs.

She should have pulled away.

Should have laughed, rolled her eyes—anything but this.

But she was frozen.

Leila's fingers were still wrapped loosely around her wrist, warmth seeping through her skin, burning like an unspoken promise.

Ariana swallowed. "You think you know everything, don't you?"

Leila smirked. "No."

She took a slow step forward.

"I just know you."

Ariana's pulse spiked. Too close.

Her mind screamed at her to move—to say something sharp, to cut through this moment before it swallowed her whole.

But Leila's gaze held her there, pinned like a butterfly beneath glass.

Ariana licked her lips, forcing a smirk. "You don't know me as well as you think."

Leila hummed, tilting her head. "No?"

She let go of Ariana's wrist—only to trace her fingers up her arm, feather-light and dangerous.

Ariana inhaled sharply.

Leila leaned in, voice barely above a whisper.

"Then why are you shaking?"

Ariana's breath hitched.

She wasn't.

…Was she?

Panic flashed through her, but before she could react, Leila pulled away, leaving Ariana standing there—breathless.

Leila smirked. "See you inside."

Then she turned and walked back into the party, leaving Ariana alone with her pounding heart, burning skin, and a single terrifying realization.

She was losing this game.

And for the first time—she didn't want to win.