Chapter 35 #2
“Chillax, babe.” Mara grins. “If I’d had a glimpse of the afterlife, I’d already be TikTokking about it.
” She coughs then, a harsh sound that she tries to smother.
When she pulls her hand away from her mouth, I glimpse a dark stain on her palm before she quickly wipes it on her already filthy pants.
Caleb steps forward, all business despite the emotion I can see tightening his posture. He moves to stand beside Elena, his arm around her shaking shoulder.
“What’s your location?” he barks. “We’ll send a team—”
“That’s the thing.” Mara’s expression shifts, turning serious. The camera angle changes slightly, as if she’s readjusted whatever device she’s using. Behind her, I catch a brief glimpse of what looks like rough stone walls before she blocks the view with her body. “I’m not ready to come back yet.”
Silence crashes through the room.
“What do you mean, not ready?” Viktor demands.
Mara leans closer to whatever camera she’s using, the harsh light emphasizing the hollows beneath her cheekbones, the fresh bruises blooming along her jawline.
“I’m onto something. Something big. Can’t leave until I’ve seen it through.”
“That’s not your call to make.” Caleb’s voice is firm, each word clipped and precise. A vein pulses at his temple. “You’re Craven personnel—”
“With respect, Caleb,” Mara says, not sounding particularly respectful, “I’m making it my call.” She shifts again, and a flicker of pain crosses her face before she can hide it. There’s a dark stain on her left side, spreading slowly across her shirt.
Elena pushes forward, pulling away from Caleb with uncharacteristic roughness. Her eyes are red-rimmed, her voice thick with emotion.
“Mara, you can’t just— We’ve been mourning you! I’ve been—” She cuts herself off, swallowing hard. “I’ve been planning a memorial for you, dammit!”
“Seriously?” Mara’s face brightens. “Will you save me a seat? I’m guessing I’d be guest of honor.”
“This isn’t funny,” Elena chokes. “People have been mourning you.”
Mara’s expression softens again. “I know, babe. And I’m sorry.” The tenderness in her voice is reserved only for Elena. Her hand reaches out, as if to touch the screen separating them. “But trust me… what I’m doing matters.”
“What are you doing?” Luke asks, finally speaking up. His grip on my hand tightens, our bond humming with tension. He’s as shocked as I am. I can feel the last traces of guilt rising within him.
The grin returns to Mara’s face, though it doesn’t erase the exhaustion evident in the dark circles under her eyes.
“Lukester! I missed you, you boring bastard. Can’t say yet. OpSec and all that.”
The room dissolves into argument, voices demanding, pleading, questioning all at once. Caleb paces, three sharp steps and then a turn, over and over. Elena sinks into a chair, her face in her hands. Juno hovers beside her, uncertainty in every line of her body.
Through it all, Mara holds firm, watching with a mixture of affection and frustration. She coughs again, harder this time, doubling over briefly before straightening with visible effort.
“I’m alive. I’m safe enough. And I’ll check in when I can.” She wipes a smear of blood from her lips, trying to hide it from the camera.
“We have a strike team deploying to the Carpathians,” Viktor says, leaning forward, his massive hands splayed on the desk. “They can retrieve you—” A strand of silver hair falls over his forehead. I’ve never seen him this frazzled.
“I’m not in the mountains anymore,” Mara cuts in, her voice sharp. A distant sound—like metal scraping against stone—makes her glance over her shoulder. Her body tenses, ready for action.
“Then where?” My mother’s voice slices through the noise, typically calm in the face of chaos.
“Somewhere I need to be,” Mara replies, unintimidated. Her eyes meet my mother’s pale ones without flinching. “That’s all you’re getting.”
Her tone shifts then, becoming genuine, almost gentle. The harsh lines of her face soften.
“Look, I know this is hard. But I’m asking you to trust me.” Her eyes find mine again, holding my gaze across whatever distance separates us. The intensity in them makes me shiver. “You trusted your instincts in those mountains. Trust mine now.”
“Mara—” I begin, torn between relief at seeing her alive and hurt that she won’t come back to us. Luke’s presence at my side anchors me as emotions threaten to overwhelm me.
“I’m okay, Ember. Promise.” Her voice is soft. “And I’ll see you again.” She pauses. “When this is done.”
“Done?” Caleb demands. “What do you mean by ‘done’? Mara, as your employer, I’m ordering you—”
Mara doesn’t respond to him. Instead, her eyes sweep across all of us one last time, lingering on Elena, whose shoulders shake with silent sobs. For a moment, Mara’s mask slips, revealing a bone-deep weariness.
“Take care of each other. Don’t wait up.” She tries for another grin, but it’s strained, the corner of her mouth twitching with effort.
“Mara, at least give us—” Viktor starts.
The screen goes black.
Silence crashes through the office, heavy and absolute. The only sounds are Elena’s muffled crying and Juno’s murmurs comforting her.
Reactions ripple through the room—disbelief, relief, confusion, anger—all colliding in a storm of emotion. Caleb curses and kicks a wastepaper basket across the floor. Dorian runs both hands through his hair, leaving it standing on end.
Viktor snaps into action first, his voice cutting through the stunned silence. “Trace that signal. I want to know where it originated.”
Nadia is already working on her tablet, fingers flying over the screen.
“On it. But the encryption is sophisticated. This’ll take time.” Her brow furrows in concentration, the blue light from the screen casting her features in an otherworldly glow.
I’m shaking, I realize distantly. The tremors start in my fingers and work their way up my arms. Luke’s hand finds mine again and squeezes, the warmth of his skin a sharp contrast to the chill that seems to have settled in my bones. Through our bond comes a silent message: I’ve got you.
I hold on, anchored by his presence in the storm of my emotions as I try to process what we’ve just witnessed.
I don’t notice my mother’s scrutiny until it’s too late. Her eyes cut to our joined hands, then travel to my neck where the mate mark is barely visible beneath my collar. Recognition flashes across her face; instant, absolute, her eyes widening fractionally before narrowing to icy slits.
She knows.
But she says nothing. Just turns and leaves the office, spine rigid, frost trailing in her wake. The door closes behind her with a soft click that somehow sounds more final than a slam.
After the chaos has somewhat subsided, Viktor dismisses everyone.
“We’ll discuss this after the mission. For now, focus on tomorrow’s deployment.”
People move out, still murmuring about Mara’s impossible return.
Dorian claps a hand on Luke’s shoulder as he passes, a silent acknowledgment.
Elena lingers by the screen, her fingertips brushing the dark glass as if she might somehow reach through it to Mara.
Eventually, Caleb gently leads her away, whispering soothing words I can’t hear.
Luke and I remain behind, hands still clasped, neither willing to let go. The office feels emptier now, but no less charged with emotion.
“She’s really alive,” I whisper, the truth of it still sinking in. My voice sounds small in the large space.
“Yeah.” Luke’s thumb traces circles on my palm, the simple touch sending ripples of warmth up my arm. “And stubborn as hell.”
A laugh bubbles up through my tears. “That’s Mara.” I sniff, suddenly aware of the wetness on my cheeks. “But she’s hurt. Worse than she was letting on.”
“I saw it too,” Luke admits. “The blood. The way she was favoring her left side.”
“And she’s still not coming back.” The hurt in my voice surprises even me.
Luke pulls me against his chest, and I go willingly, sinking into his embrace. The solid beat of his heart under my ear grounds me.
“At least we know,” he says, his lips moving against my hair. “That’s something.”
Our bond hums between us; contentment mixed with concern, both for Mara and for the confrontation with my mother that’s now inevitable. I close my eyes, allowing myself this moment of peace in his arms. The world is still falling apart around us, but we’re together. Bonded. Facing it as one.
Mara’s alive but won’t come home. The Syndicate’s planning genocide and world domination. My mother knows about the bond. And tomorrow we go to war.
But I’m not afraid anymore.
Because I’m not alone.
And my world feels complete.
***
If you think “Playing With Fire” was a nailbiter, you’re going to love Mara’s story, which is up next. “Ruled By Fire” is coming to on November 28, 2025. Preorder your copy now!