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 safehouse was hidden beneath an abandoned vineyard thirty miles out of town. Sienna reached it just after sunset, dust rising in the rearview mirror of Nico's motorcycle.

Her hands were still shaking when she killed the engine.

It smelled like cedar and gun oil. Shadows clung to the corners. Dust danced in shafts of fading sunlight. And everything was quiet.

She made her way to the back room, flashlight in hand, heart beating like a war drum.

She spun, flashlight catching movement.

Tall. Lean. Scruff around a mouth she'd once kissed a thousand times. Same piercing eyes. But older. Hardened. Ghostly.

He caught her before she hit the ground, arms like iron.

She pushed against him instantly, fists slamming into his chest. "You died! I buried you! I mourned you, damn you!"

"I had to disappear," he said, holding her wrists gently. "They were going to kill you. They ordered me to do it."

"I would've died for you," she said. "I would've burned with you."

He stepped closer, brushing a hand down her cheek.

She hated the heat that bloomed between them, the familiarity in his touch. But her body remembered what her mind wanted to forget.

But when he caught her hand mid-air the second time, and pulled her tight to him—

Mouths fighting. Hands gripping. Clothing tearing like old lies.

He laid her down on the floor, her shirt gone, jeans half-undone, his breath hot against her ear. "I never stopped loving you," he said. "But I'll understand if you hate me."

Her answer was a moan, a twist of hips, a hunger deeper than fury.

Chapter 10: Ghost at the Door