Chapter 3: Ashes to Ashes
The alarm's shriek died into a raw, chemical silence. Damien stood framed in the ruined doorway, the city's cold light slicing through the smoke behind him, and in two steps he had her pinned against the blistering hot wall, his hand a vice on her throat. "You missed the safe," he growled, the scent of burnt whiskey and his own sweat thick on him. "Let me show you what real burning feels like."
The fire alarm’s scream died abruptly, cut by the building’s silent security protocols. She was halfway down the main hallway when the private elevator chimed, its doors sliding open to reveal Damien, the scent of smoke already curling into the sterile air around him.
He moved before the doors fully opened, crossing the space in a blur of soot-stained cotton and violent intent. His hand clamped over her mouth, crushing her lips against her teeth, smothering the curse she hurled at him.
“You lit a match in a room full of my secrets,” he hissed, his breath hot against her ear as he dragged her backwards toward the penthouse. “Now you get to watch what happens when the fire spreads.”
She bit his hand. Her teeth sank into the fleshy part of his palm, a sharp, feral act of pure instinct, and the coppery tang of his blood flooded her mouth. He jerked back with a choked-off sound, more shock than pain, staring at the ragged imprint she left behind.