Elegbede_Habeeb

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 night stretched long and restless inside the safe house. A storm brewed outside, thick clouds rolling over the city, carrying the weight of something inevitable. Thunder rumbled in the distance, echoing the tension in the room.

Luca sat at the edge of the bed, sharpening a knife with slow, deliberate movements. The dim light caught the cold steel, reflecting in his eyes. Evelyn watched him from across the room, arms crossed as she leaned against the doorframe.

Luca didn't look up. "Neither are you."

Evelyn exhaled, stepping forward. "Because I know you. I know how your mind works. You're planning something."

Luca finally met her gaze. "We don't have a choice, Evelyn. The second we let our guard down, they'll strike. I won't let that happen."

She sat beside him on the bed, close enough to feel the warmth radiating from his body. "And if we don't strike first? What then?"

Luca's fingers tightened around the blade. "Then we die."

The silence stretched between them, filled only by the soft hum of the storm outside.

Evelyn reached out, placing a hand over his. "You don't have to carry all of this alone."

Luca studied her, the weight of everything he'd fought for pressing against his ribs. He had spent years believing he could handle everything himself, that love and vulnerability were weaknesses. But Evelyn… she had become something different. A reason to fight, but also a reason to live.

For the first time in a long time, Luca allowed himself a moment of honesty. "I'm scared," he admitted quietly.

Evelyn's breath hitched at his confession. Luca, the man who never showed weakness, the man who faced death without blinking, was afraid.

She laced her fingers through his. "Then let's be scared together."

Luca let out a breath, squeezing her hand before pulling her into him. He buried his face in her hair, inhaling the scent of her—his anchor in the storm.

Behind them, Dante cleared his throat loudly. "Alright, lovebirds. Hate to break up the moment, but we've got a problem."

Luca pulled away, his expression instantly hardening. "What is it?"

Dante tossed his phone onto the bed. "They found us."

A single text message flashed on the screen:

YOU HAVE UNTIL DAWN. THEN YOU BURN.

Dante shook his head. "Doesn't matter. We need to move. Now."

Luca stood, already reaching for his gun. "Then we end this tonight."

The storm outside raged on, but inside, the war had just begun.

The Storm Before the Fire