The impact comes out of nowhere—metal screams, tires skid, and Kael’s world snaps sideways. His car slams into the barrier, the left side crunching in. The cockpit jolts violently, and before he can even process what happened, the smell hits him—sharp, chemical, terrifying.

Fire.

Flames lick up the side of his car, orange tongues reflected in the fractured glass of his visor. Kael tries the door. It doesn’t budge. He throws his shoulder into it, grits his teeth—

Nothing.

Another explosion pops from the engine, heat washing over him like a furnace. His breath shortens. His hands shake. Through the smoke, he hears the rest of the race still roaring on, cars flying past at lethal speed. He’s trapped in the middle of a storm that doesn’t care he’s dying.

He slams his fist against the door again. “Come on—”

Then he hears her.

“KAEL!”

Her voice slices through chaos, raw and terrified.

She’s running toward him with wild desperation, ignoring the officials screaming at her to stay back, ignoring the fire, ignoring the track still active around them. She doesn’t slow down. Not once.

Her long dark hair is half undone, whipping behind her like a black banner. Her elegant cream jacket is already coming off her shoulders as she reaches him. Her eyes—usually sharp, unreadable—are soaked in panic.

She reaches the burning car, heat kissing her skin instantly, but she doesn’t flinch. She wraps her jacket around her hands, the thin fabric charring almost immediately, and grips the door.

“Kael—look at me!” she cries, tugging hard. The door doesn’t move. Sparks leap at her wrists. Tears well in her eyes. “Please—please open—”

Kael’s chest tightens. He’s never seen her cry.

She plants her feet, bites down on a sob, and pulls again—full force, every muscle trembling. The flames crawl closer, rising behind her, throwing an orange halo around her silhouette.

“It won’t—” Her voice cracks. She tries again. Again. “Don’t you dare die on me!”

With a metal shriek, the door finally rips open. She stumbles backward but doesn’t waste a second. Her arms are instantly around him, dragging him out with surprising strength. His legs buckle when they hit the ground, the world spinning, smoke blinding him.

She pulls him away just as the fire swallows the cockpit entirely. A blast of heat slams into them, forcing her to curl around him instinctively, shielding him with her body.

When they reach the safe zone behind the barrier, she doesn’t let go. She drops to her knees with him, holding him as if afraid he’ll vanish if she loosens her grip. Her hands shake violently on his shoulders. Her breathing is ragged. Ash clings to her hair, her makeup streaked down her cheeks, jewelry tangled and out of place.

She cups his face with trembling fingers.

“Kael… talk to me,” she whispers, voice hoarse. “Are you hurt? Are you breathing? Please—look at me.”

He meets her eyes. He’s never seen them like this—wide, terrified, shimmering with relief and leftover panic. The woman who always held herself like an untouchable force of nature now looks shattered by the thought of losing him.