Page 60 of Claimed By Flame


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They were two shards away from the end. But for the first time, she wasn’t sure she’d survive it. Not because of the Hollow. But because ofhim.

They stopped by a frozen creek when the light started to die. Cassian built the fire again, methodical, quiet. She set the perimeter wards. Neither said a word.

This silence was worse than any fight.

She sat across from him as the flames crackled, casting orange light over the sharp angles of his face. His jaw was tight. Shoulders coiled like he was waiting for something to fall apart.

She’d made him that way. She hated herself for it.

“Cassian,” she said quietly.

He didn’t look at her.

“Back there… you should’ve told me the voices were getting louder.”

He shrugged. “You had enough to worry about.”

“I worry about you.”

Her voice cracked, barely above the wind curling around the fire’s edge. But it was enough to draw his eyes up. Slowly. Warily. Like someone waiting for the punchline of a joke they didn’t want to laugh at.

Cassian stared at her across the flames, and Seraphine felt the weight of every breath between them.

Her throat burned, and her heart thudded against her ribs like it wanted out—wantedhim.

She pushed the words past her lips like they were a curse.

“I love you.”

The fire popped like a warning, embers snapping skyward.

Cassian—he looked as if she was holding a dagger to his throat.

His expression twisted, unreadable. Part hurt. Part awe. Like love was foreign. Like it had always come too late, or left too soon. Like he didn’t know what to do with something thatwasn’tpain.

His voice came rough and raw.

“Don’t.”

Her spine stiffened. “I have to. Because it’s true.”

She stood too fast, the suddenness of it stealing the warmth from her seat. Her boots ground into ash as she paced to the firelight’s edge. Her hands curled into fists so tight, she felt her nails press into skin.

The trees didn’t listen. The stars didn’t care.

“My father—if he finds out—I don’t know what he’ll do. To you. Tous.”

“Let him come,” Cassian said without hesitation.

She spun. “Don’t say that.”

“I’m not afraid of him.”

Her laugh was sharp, bitter. “Well Iam!”

Her voice cracked. She didn’t care. “Not for me. Foryou.For the part of you that still thinks he’s just a man with a title. He’s not. He’s a monster wearing a crown, Cassian. He’s burned entire bloodlines for less than what we’ve done.”

Cassian stood now too, his expression hardening. “You think I can’t handle a tyrant with a gods complex?”