Fury & Fire

“Please, Heli. Let me go.” My voice cracked, raw from screaming. Tears blurred my vision, my knees burning against rough concrete.

“You’d rather run into the fire than be with me?” His grip locked around my wrist—crushing, unrelenting. His cobalt eyes burned, torn between rage and something else.

“I left something behind.” My hands trembled.

“Is it worth your life?”

I held his gaze. “Yes.”

“What is it?”

I hesitated.

“Fabianne.” His voice dropped. “What. Is. It.”

I clenched my teeth. Then, in a whisper, “My sister’s necklace.”

For the first time since he took me, he hesitated.

Click.

Cold metal snapped around my wrist. I yanked back, but the cuffs held. Unforgiving. Merciless.

“No. No. No—” I thrashed, but it was useless.

“Wait here,” Helios said, voice flat.

“Helios! If you feel anything for me—let me go!”

But he was already gone.

--------------------------------

A shadow approached. My breath hitched.

He crouched down, uncuffing me. “It’s okay, Faby.” He shushed me, pulling me in.

I hated how good it felt.

“Why?” I whispered.

“You cared more about the necklace than your life. But I cared more about your life than mine.” He pulled something from his pocket—a gold butterfly pendant, half-burnt, darkened with soot.

Tears blurred my vision. I lunged forward, wrapping my arms around him.

He stiffened, then slowly—hesitantly—held me back.

“I kidnapped you for money,” he admitted. “My brother needed it. Then I was supposed to let you go. But then—”

His voice broke.

I wiped the grime from his cheek. “Then what?”

“Then I started caring about you more than the money.”

“Let’s elope,” I whispered.

Hope flickered in his eyes—then vanished.

“It’s too risky.” He exhaled, his fingers brushing my cheek. “All I’ll cause is sadness.”

“No.” My voice broke. “Please. Don’t let me go.”

He smiled—regretful, distant. “Let’s leave it all as a dream.”

A rag covered my mouth. Darkness swallowed me whole.

Ten Years Later

A gentle breeze swayed the flowers in bloom as I stirred my latte absently, eyes drifting to the empty chair across from me.

“Is this seat taken?”

The deep, familiar voice froze me. I looked up. He stood there—polished, refined, a vision of effortless power.

But those cobalt eyes…

“Helios?”

He hesitated. Then, with a slow smirk, “You always were good at finding me.”

Time collapsed. My heart slammed against my ribs.

“No.” The name felt foreign on my tongue, fragile as glass. “You’re not real.”

He exhaled. “Not anymore. I go by Silas.”

I barely processed before I was on my feet, throwing my arms around him.

“You stupid jerk.” My voice cracked. “You made me think I was crazy.”

His laugh was softer than I remembered. “I missed you too.”

I pulled back, brushing away tears. “Why are you here?”

His confidence cracked at the edges. “Because I want to start over.”

The words hit like a punch. He ran a hand through his hair, voice raw. “I shouldn’t have left. Facing you—that was the hard part.”

A silence stretched between us, fragile, waiting to shatter. Then, I took a leap of faith.

“Let’s start over.”

He studied me, searching for something. Then, slowly, he nodded.

“Yeah,” he said, voice rough. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

Just then, a shadow fell over us.

“Fabienne.”

Damien pressed a light kiss to my cheek, his French accent curling around the syllables. “Who’s this devastatingly handsome man?”

I sighed. “Damien—”

“Oh, mon amour, you wound me!” He twirled a hand dramatically. “The tension, the mystery! I must know!”

Helios’ gaze flicked between us, his jaw tensing slightly. “So… this is your boyfriend?”

Damien beamed. “Oh, mon chéri, you flatter me! But no, alas—” He dramatically flipped his hair. “I am far too fabulous for just one person.”

Helios blinked. I bit my lip to keep from laughing.

Damien, clearly enjoying himself, leaned forward. “So, are you here for her or me?”

Helios’ gaze snapped to me, something cautious in his expression. I met his stare head-on. “Why are you here, Helios?”

A pause. Then, quieter—“Because I want to start things over.”

The words hung between us. His hands curled into fists. “I shouldn’t have let you think you were nothing to me.”

Something deep inside me broke and mended at the same time.

I exhaled. “Let’s start over.”

Damien clapped excitedly. “Oh mon dieu, this is adorable! I’m still waiting for my match, though.”

I chuckled. “I believe fate will give you the chance.”

“I hope so too! Now, let’s eat!” He flounced toward the café entrance, already flirting with the waiter inside.

Helios—Silas—shook his head, grinning. “That man is… something.”

“He’s family,” I said simply. “And I guess, in some ways… so are you.”

Helios turned to me, expression unreadable.

But his fingers brushed mine, a touch so light it could have been accidental.

I laced my fingers through his.

He didn’t pull away.

And for the first time in ten years, I felt whole.