The estate was quiet now, the battlefield reduced to smoke-stained walls and scorched earth. But inside the Abaddon mansion, the fire hadn't died it had simply shifted, burning hotter in the hearts of three people who had survived war, betrayal, and themselves.
Bella sat on the edge of the grand staircase, boots resting on ash, still breathing the adrenaline that had coursed through her veins all morning. Crystal leaned against the railing, close enough that the heat of his body brushed hers. His gaze was dark, molten, predatory, and it pinned her in a way nothing else could.
"You're impossible," he muttered, low and rough, yet beneath it, there was awe and something else, something tender, dangerous.
"I know," Bella replied, a small, wicked smile curving her lips. "And I don't intend to change."
Crystal's hand found hers, their fingers tangling in a deliberate, possessive hold. His thumb brushed her knuckles, a silent warning and a promise all at once. "You almost scared me today," he admitted, voice hoarse with need.
"I'm not yours to scare," Bella said softly, leaning closer, letting her hair brush his chest. "But I'll admit it thrills me to see you trying."
From behind, Christian stepped forward, the weight of his presence impossible to ignore. He stood close enough that his arm brushed hers, solid and grounding, his scent sharp, intoxicating. His voice, low and commanding, wrapped around her like a vice. "You think you're untouchable," he said, "but even the storm has a center. And you're standing right in mine."
Bella turned slightly, letting her gaze sweep from Crystal to Christian. Desire and tension coiled tight, raw and magnetic. Neither man moved away; both were tethered to her, to this moment, to the fire they had survived together.
"You don't choose easy," Christian said, dark, almost a growl. "You choose chaos. You choose fire. And I… I choose you, even if you burn me in the process."
Crystal pressed closer, his voice now a dangerous whisper. "And I won't let anyone take you from me. Not her, not him… no one."
Bella's chest heaved. The adrenaline of the battlefield still thrummed in her veins, but this was different this was intimacy forged in chaos. She could feel the heat radiating from them, the pull of control, protection, and desire. She didn't have to decide not yet but she let herself revel in it.
And then she leaned forward, her lips brushing the edge of Crystal's jaw in a fleeting, teasing kiss, just enough to ignite him, just enough to claim her space. Crystal growled low in her ear, possessive and raw. Christian's hand slid to the small of her back, steadying her, anchoring her, a tether between desire and restraint.
Bella closed her eyes for a heartbeat, letting the tension coil around her, the two men's presence pressing into her senses. Her voice was soft, but it carried command. "You'll both have me," she said, "but you'll learn I am fire. I cannot be tamed. I will not be caged. And if you want me… you'll have to burn with me."
Crystal laughed, low, dark, a sound of admiration and warning. "Good," he said. "Because I don't do half measures."
Christian's eyes blazed, intense and unflinching. "Nor do I," he growled. "Step wrong, and I'll destroy everything around you… but I'll protect you too. Always."
Bella opened her eyes, letting them linger on both men her brothers in battle, her equals in chaos, her temptation in desire. She let the fire in her chest meet the fire in theirs. She didn't have to choose yet. She didn't have to bend. She could have both, and she would on her terms.
The three of them stood in the ruins of the estate, smoke curling around their bodies, the morning sun catching in the shattered glass, casting reflections of fire and steel. Bella, untamed and unstoppable, smiled a queen in the empire she had claimed. And for the first time, she felt the full weight and thrill of power, passion, and choice.
Because she didn't just survive fire. She commanded it.
And as Crystal and Christian pressed closer, a perfect storm of dark desire and loyalty, Bella let herself burn.