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The first time they met, it felt like fate. The second time, it felt like a warning.

She was running from a past that refused to die. He was chasing a future that seemed just out of reach. When their worlds collided, it was more than just love—it was an obsession, a wildfire that threatened to burn them both alive.

But love isn’t always salvation. Sometimes, it’s destruction in disguise.

Bound by Fire: Ashes of Desire

The warehouse crackled with dying embers, the scent of smoke and blood thick in the air.

Her name felt like a curse on his tongue.

Sofia aimed her gun, but Luca held up a hand. "Don't."

Mira smirked, twirling the knife between her fingers. "Still protective, I see."

Her voice hadn't changed. Low, smooth—danger wrapped in silk.

Luca's hands curled into fists. "You're supposed to be dead."

Mira took a slow step forward. "And yet, here I am."

Sofia looked between them. "You two… know each other?"

Mira chuckled. "Know me? Oh, darling, Luca did more than that."

Luca's stomach twisted. She was toying with him.

But Sofia wasn't backing down. "You tried to kill us."

Mira tilted her head. "Correction—I tried to kill Luca. You were just in the way."

Sofia's grip tightened on her gun. "That makes it better?"

Mira ignored her, locking eyes with Luca. "I should've killed you years ago."

Luca exhaled slowly. "You had the chance."

She smirked. "And I regretted sparing you ever since."

His pulse pounded. The memories came flooding back.

Rain slicked the cobblestone streets. Luca had held her hand as they ran through the city, laughing, breathless.

He had woken up one night to find her gone. No note. No trace.

And when he finally found her again—she had a gun pointed at his heart.

"Luca… you shouldn't have come looking for me."

Mira flicked the knife up, catching it effortlessly. "Because you're a loose end."

Sofia stepped closer. "If you wanted him dead, why wait?"

Mira's lips curled into something unreadable. "Because I wanted to see if he could survive first."

Luca exhaled sharply. "You sent Ghost."

He clenched his jaw. "And now what?"

Mira shrugged. "Now? I kill you myself."

Luca barely dodged as the knife slashed past his throat.

Sofia fired—but Mira twisted, grabbing Luca and using him as a shield.

Sofia hesitated. That second was all Mira needed.

She slammed Luca into the metal crate, pinning him.

"You always did hesitate," she whispered.

Luca's muscles tensed. Then—he moved.

Using her own momentum, he twisted out of her grip and sent her crashing to the ground.

Mira rolled, graceful as ever, landing in a crouch.

A slow smile. "That's more like it."

Sofia raised her gun again. "Let him go."

Mira sighed, straightening. "Not tonight. But soon."

She took a step back—and a smoke bomb exploded.

When the air cleared, she was gone.

Sofia turned to Luca. "What the hell was that?"

Luca ran a hand through his hair, heart still pounding.

"That," he murmured, "was the woman I used to love."

She was the woman who was going to kill him.

Next Chapter: A Dance with the Devil – Luca hunts for answers, but Mira is always one step ahead. The past is catching up to them, and this time, there's no running.

A Past That Burns