The night air was thick with smoke, curling into the sky, swallowing the stars above. The fire raged, orange and gold against the dark, casting long shadows across the ground. Sirens howled in the distance, drawing closer with every breath, but you couldn’t move.

You should have run. Should have listened to the part of you that still had a shred of self-preservation.

But you didn’t. Instead, you stood beside Rafe, your faces illuminated by the glow of destruction.

Your voice came out shakier than you wanted. “Rafe… what did you do?”

He exhaled sharply, turning to you with that familiar, unhinged smirk, but his eyes—those wild, icy blue eyes—held something more. Something raw. Something terrifying.

“I did what I had to,” he said, his voice edged with defiance, but beneath it, there was something almost… desperate.

You shook your head, stepping back. The heat from the fire was suffocating, but it wasn’t what made your chest tighten. “This isn’t—this isn’t normal. This isn’t okay. Rafe, we need to go.”

Rafe just stared at you, his hands flexing at his sides like he was holding something back. “You don’t get it, do you?” His voice was low, but charged, like a live wire ready to snap. “I don’t care about any of this. I don’t care what happens. I don’t care if this whole damn place burns to the ground.”

Your stomach twisted. “Rafe—”

“I only care about you,” he cut you off, stepping closer. His fingers brushed against your wrist, then tightened around it, his grip firm but not painful. His touch sent a jolt through you—whether it was fear or something else, you didn’t know.

He tilted his head, studying you, before his lips curved into something almost amused. “Are you scared of me?”

You hesitated. You wanted to say no. But that would be a lie.

A slow smile spread across his face as he leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper against her ear. “You should be.”

The sirens were so close now you could see the blue and red lights reflecting off the smoke. If they stayed, they’d be caught.