“Then why bring me here?” The question tumbled out of me as my hands flew up, my feet pacing before I could stop it. “Did he find out about Manshu? About the car?” I let out a sharp, breathless laugh, dragging my hands through my hair. “Of course he did. That’s betrayal, right? A betrayal to the Syndicate and that can’t be tolerated.”
My legs gave out before I could finish, dropping me hard to my knees at the edge of the bed.
“I didn’t want to work for him!” The words rushed out, cracking as they spilled. My hands pressed into the mattress like I needed something to hold me together. “He threatened me—everyone I care about. Said he’d kill them in front of me.” My head shook, fast, frantic. “I had to. I didn’t have a choice. I’m sorry. I’m so?—”
The floor disappeared beneath me.
Rack moved fast, arms wrapping around me before I could even register it, lifting me like I weighed nothing. His grip tightened, one hand braced against my back, the other cradling me against him, holding me close enough that I could feel the steady rhythm of his breathing.
“I’m messing this up,” he muttered, his voice low, steadying, as it brushed over me. “Trying to figure out what you remember… and what you don’t.” His hold adjusted slightly, more careful,more deliberate. “The change scrambles things at first. It’ll come back.”
Change?
He eased me back onto the bed, hands lingering just a second before he dropped to his knees in front of me. The shift in position threw me off—him looking up, me sitting higher, and something in my chest loosened just enough for my pulse to slow.
“I’m just going to say it,” he warned, drawing in a breath like he was bracing for impact. “So don’t panic.”
My spine went rigid anyway, every muscle tightening as I waited.
“When you got here… and I couldn’t heal you…” His jaw flexed, eyes flicking over my face before locking back in. “That was when I realized you’re my Flame.”
I blinked.
“…Your what?”
“My Flame,” he repeated, nodding once, like grounding himself. “Other supes have mates. Mages…” His voice softened, something almost reverent threading through it. “We have Flames, the one person our magic can’t touch.”
My gaze dropped to where he’d taken my hands again, his thumb slowly moving across my palm like he was trying to soothe something that hadn’t even settled yet.
His Flame? What’s that? And he thinks I’m it? How could that be? Humans don’t have magic.
“Uh, Rack. I'm a human.” I looked at him like he’d lost his marbles. “I can't be a supe’s mate.”
His shoulders pulled in slightly, a rough breath dragging out of him before he nodded.
“You’re right. Humans can’t be mates for supes. That kind of bond is magic calling to magic.” His fingers tightened slightly before relaxing again. “But mages… We’re different. We draw our connection from the earth, not from magic in our DNA. And being a Flame… It’s not about magic recognizing its own. It’s about finding someone our magic won’t destroy if we lose control. Someone who steadies us. Completes us. More likeanti-magic. It could be anyone, but we can only have one.”
While everything he said made sense, doubt still lingered. How could someone like me be meant for someone like Rack? I’d never been drawn to the cold, stoic type.
But looking at him now, I had to admit there was nothing cold or distant about him. It was as if something in him had shifted completely.
His gaze stayed fixed on me, yet he flushed, glancing away like he’d been caught. I thought back to how worried he’d been earlier and how patient he was now, trying to help me through this. Was this how mages treated their Flames? I kinda liked it. Being able to make a man like him blush.
He swallowed hard.
“I need to tell you something else.”
His hesitation made my chest tighten. Lark’s voice floated in my head.Better the devil you know than the one we don’t.
“Rack,” I said, sharper now, “just say it.”
His words came out all at once in a rush, “I had Calix turn you. You’re a vampire now.”
Everything inside me froze.A vampire? Me?
Not a second later, I ripped my hands free from his, breaking the contact, pushing back from him like I didn’t recognize the man in front of me.
“W—what did you say?”
