The aftermath of the docks still smoldered. Smoke curled into the early morning sky, black tendrils mixing with the pale sunlight. Bella stood atop the estate walls, surveying the destruction with cold calculation. The city had felt her wrath, and the Abaddons had reminded everyone why their name was feared.
Crystal emerged from the shadows, boots crunching against rubble. His chest rose and fell with adrenaline, eyes dark and almost feral as they landed on her. "You're insane," he growled, voice low, dangerous, but there was awe in it, admiration that bordered on obsession. He stepped closer, brushing a lock of soot-dark hair from her face. "Every step you take… it burns me."
Bella's pulse quickened at the touch, but she didn't flinch. She let her gaze linger on him, sharp, dangerous, teasing. "Then don't stay behind," she said, letting the edge of desire and challenge ride her words. "Keep up or fall."
From the shadows, Christian emerged, silent and commanding. His presence was different solid, grounding, irresistible in a way that made her chest tighten. He stepped near enough that their arms brushed, his fingers grazing the small of her back in a protective motion. "You're reckless," he murmured, low, dangerous. "One misstep…"
"…and I survive," Bella cut in, voice flat but laced with heat. She turned slightly, letting her chest graze Christian's, her eyes meeting his. There was a storm there control, intensity, longing and she let herself feel it, without shame, without compromise.
The two men flanked her, a dangerous triangle of desire and dominance, yet the focus never wavered. Bella's eyes scanned the cityscape, noting the retreating forces, the smoldering warehouses, the chaos still breathing like a living thing. She was no longer a pawn. She was the queen of this battlefield.
Crystal leaned close, his lips almost brushing her ear. "You belong with me," he whispered, hot, possessive, the words a claim as much as a temptation.
Christian's breath ghosted across her neck as he countered, "No. You belong with me. Always. And if anyone even dares touch you…" His words trailed off, heavy with promise, warning, and desire.
Bella's chest heaved. The tension between the three of them was intoxicating, electric, and deadly. She didn't choose yet, but she let them feel her power, her fire. She let them taste the chaos she could wield not just in war, but in the raw pull between them.
The estate gates shuddered as the last of Russo's reinforcements attempted to regroup. Bella leveled her rifle, eyes cold and precise. "This is the end," she said, voice sharp and cutting. "Strike, or fall."
Crystal and Christian moved with her, lethal, elegant, synchronized in a deadly rhythm. Bullets tore through the air, screams echoed, and fire licked the edges of abandoned metal. Bella's heart raced not with fear, but exhilaration, the rush of command, control, and the heat of two men who were as dangerous as she was.
In a rare lull, Bella leaned back against the wall, breathing heavy. Crystal's hand found hers, tight, possessive, fingers threading through hers like a tether. Christian stepped closer, the heat of his body pressing hers from the other side. For a heartbeat, the chaos faded, leaving only the tension between them dark, dangerous, delicious.
"You don't let me breathe," Crystal muttered, voice rough, low, warning but not angry.
"And I don't want to," Bella countered, eyes flashing, lips curving with a wicked smile. "I like the fire."
Christian growled, deep, feral, the sound vibrating through her chest. "Then don't stop. Not for anyone. Not even me."
Bella tilted her head, letting the moment stretch, savoring it. The city burned, the estate smoldered, the war raged but above it all, in the eye of the storm, she held control. And she held them.
For the first time in months, Bella smiled not small, not careful, but sharp, wild, and untamed. The war wasn't just about territory, power, or revenge. It was about desire. About fire. About the storm that she had become.
And in the quiet before the next assault, one truth shone brighter than the flames: she didn't just survive fire. She commanded it. And Christian and Crystal? They burned right alongside her.