Pauline_Njeri

Sienna Raye was born to be dangerous. A former intelligence asset trained to seduce, deceive, and destroy, she escaped the world that made her a weapon—until it came calling again.

When whispers of a covert project called Ember surface, Sienna finds herself hunted by enemies and haunted by the ghosts of her past. Torn between Nico, the charming rogue who knows her sins, and Colson, the hardened agent tasked with bringing her in, Sienna unearths a dark conspiracy tied to her bloodline.

But love in this world comes at a price, and betrayal wears the face of those closest to her. As secrets ignite and the truth burns, Sienna must decide: will she be consumed by the fire—or become the one who controls it?

Whispers of fire

The silence between them stretched like glass—fragile, trembling, ready to shatter.

Sienna lay in bed that night, tangled in sheets that still smelled like him. She hadn't asked Nico to stay. She didn't have to. He sat in the chair by her window, watching the street like a man who expected a bullet.

Her mind was spinning, every breath too shallow.

She thought of the fire, the explosion, the empty coffin. The months of grief that turned her into stone. And now… his twin sitting in her bedroom like a ghost in reverse.

"I don't believe it," she said, her voice low in the dark.

Nico turned his head slightly. "You don't want to."

"No," she snapped, "I don't, because that man broke me. Because if he's alive, that means he left me—on purpose."

Nico stood, came to her side. He sat on the edge of her bed, his hand brushing her knee. She didn't pull away.

"I know he loved you," he said. "But Colson was wrapped in things you didn't see. I tried to stop him. I tried to keep him from disappearing, but when that fire happened, he was already gone. Inside."

She closed her eyes. "Why come here now?"

"Because someone doesn't want you to stay hidden. Because Ember's back on someone's radar. And because—" He hesitated.

She opened her eyes. "Because what?"

He looked at her then, stripped of secrets.

"Because the moment I saw you in that café, I couldn't walk away."

She swallowed hard. He leaned in, and this time his kiss was slow, patient. Not lust—something deeper. Something dangerous.

Their mouths met again, and her body gave in before her brain could catch up. She let him pull her under the covers. Let his hands trail over her skin like he was learning her piece by piece.

She was furious. Confused. Shaking with desire.

But when his mouth found her neck, and his fingers slipped beneath the lace between her thighs, she stopped thinking.

They moved together like fire and smoke—rising, unraveling, consuming. Every time she cried out, he answered with a promise between his teeth:

She came undone with his name on her lips—not Cole. Not Colson.

Later, wrapped in his arms, her breath finally steady, she whispered:

"If he's alive… I need to know why he left me."

Nico kissed her temple. "Then we go looking."

Chapter 6: In Her Bed