Chapter Thirty-seven Kade
Two weeks. Fourteen days of quiet. Of peace. Of normal.
The cameras are installed. All six of them. Positioned around the perimeter. Covering every angle. Every approach. The feeds run to a monitor in the bedroom. I check them. Multiple times a day. Habit. Necessity.
But nothing. No movement. No threats. No Enzo.
Just forest. Trees. Wildlife. Empty. Safe.
Amethyst is in the kitchen. Making coffee. The smell fills the cabin. Rich. Dark. Home. She’s wearing my shirt again. Bare legs. Hair loose. Beautiful.
I watch her from the doorway. The way she moves. Confident. Comfortable. Home. This is home. With her. My phone buzzes. I pull it from my pocket. Unknown number. Local area code. I answer.
“Hello?"
“Mr. Morrison?"
The voice is warm. Familiar. The jeweler.
“Yes."
“Your piece is ready. You can pick it up anytime today."
The ring. It’s done. Two weeks. Right on schedule.
Mine.
For her.
For us.
“I’ll be there this afternoon," I say.
“Wonderful. I’ll see you then."
He hangs up. I stare at the phone. The ring is ready. The ring I commissioned. For her. For Amethyst. For forever. My chest tightens. Anticipation. Restlessness. Possession. Something I don’t have a name for.
I pocket the phone. Walk into the kitchen. She looks up. Smiles. Small. Genuine.
“Coffee?" she asks.
“In a minute," I say.
Move to her. Wrap my arms around her waist. Pull her against me. She fits. Perfect. Always perfect.
“I need to run into town," I say.
Her eyebrows raise.
“Again?"
“Missed something last time."
“What did you forget?"
I pause. Don’t want to lie. But can’t tell her. Not until the ring is o her finger.
“You’ll have to wait til I get back to see,"
She studies me. Eyes searching. Looking for the truth. I hold her gaze. Steady. Patient. Finally, she nods.
“Okay."
I lean down. Kiss her. Soft. Lingering. Claiming. When I pull back, she’s smiling. “Don’t be gone too long,"
“I won’t."
I grab my coat. My keys. Head for the door.
She’s already back on the couch. Book in hand. One of the old paperbacks from the shelf. Reading. Relaxed. Safe.
I memorize the image. Her. Here. Peaceful. Then I step outside. Close the door. Lock it. Check it. Automatic.
The truck starts on the first try. I back out. Head down the driveway.
Halfway to the main road, I reach for my pocket. The tracker. The air tag. It’s not there.
Fuck.
I left it inside. On the dresser. I slow. Consider turning back.
But I have my coat. The one with the built-in tracker. The coat is enough. I keep driving. Twenty-five minutes.
That’s all. Twenty-five minutes there.
Pick up the ring.
Twenty-five minutes back.
Less than an hour total.
She’ll be fine. The cameras are on. The perimeter is secure. Nothing has moved in two weeks. She’s safe.
She’s safe. The cameras are running. The perimeter is clear. Nothing has moved in two weeks.
But I keep repeating it anyway.
She is safe.
The drive is quiet. Empty roads. Forest on both sides. The town appears. Small. Quaint. Normal.
I park in front of the jewelry store. The same spot as before. Get out. Lock the truck. Walk inside. The bell chimes. Soft. Welcoming. The old man is already at the counter. Smiling. Warm. Genuine.
“Hello!" he says. “I had a lot of fun making this ring for her. Thank you for giving me the chance to help create another wonderful piece."
Something twist in my chest. Almost enough to make me smile.
“Thank you for helping me make one that fits her perfectly," I say.
He reaches under the counter. Pulls out a small box. Black velvet. Simple. Elegant. He opens it. And—
Fuck. It’s perfect.
A dark band of black metal wrapped around a large center stone. A deep purple amethyst cut into a sharp diamond shape, every facet catching the light like a blade.
Black diamonds surrounded it, set deep into the metal instead of sitting proudly on top. Elegant. Dangerous.
Hidden beneath the setting, tucked beneath a bridge-like design, lay a line of deep red rubies. Invisible at first glance. Easy to miss unless someone looked closely.
Blood beneath darkness. A secret hidden under beauty. The entire ring felt like her. Beautiful from a distance and dangerous up close.
“It’s perfect," I say.
My voice is rough. Thick. The old man beams.
“I’m so glad you think so. If it doesn’t fit her, bring it back and we’ll get it sized to fit her."
I nod. Can’t speak. Can’t look away from the ring.
From what it represents.
I pay. Cash. He wraps the box. Hands it to me.
“Good luck," he says.
I take it. Pocket it. Carefully.
“Thank you."
I leave. Walk to the truck. Get in. Set the box on the passenger seat. Stare at it.
The ring.
For Amethyst.
The only person who ever looked at the monster and stayed. The only one who ever mattered.
I start the engine. Pull out. Head back.
The drive is different now. Weighted.
The ring sits beside me. Heavy. Permanent. Not a question. A decision.
How do I ask? The words don’t matter. She isn’t the type for grand gestures. No crowds. No audience. Just us. Just truth.
Candlelit dinners. Rose petals. Public proposals. None of that fits her. Fits us.
I’m ten minutes from the cabin. The road curves. Trees thick on both sides. Familiar. Safe. Then—
Smoke. Black. Thick. Rising above the trees. My chest tightens. Not the cabin. Can’t be the cabin. But the direction—
Fuck. I press the accelerator. Faster. The truck speeds up. Fifty. Sixty. Seventy. The smoke gets thicker. Darker. Closer.
I grab my phone. Dial Raven. One ring. Two.
“Kade?"
“The cabin.”
My voice is tight. Controlled. Barely.
“Black smoke."
Silence. Brief. Heavy.
“I’m on my way."
She hangs up. I drop the phone. Both hands on the wheel. The turnoff appears. I take it. Too fast. The truck skids.
I don’t slow down. Can’t. The driveway. I see it. Turn. Floor it. The cabin—
No. No no no no no. Flames. Everywhere. The entire structure. Engulfed. Orange. Red. Yellow. Black smoke pouring. Billowing. Choking the sky.
I slam on the brakes. The truck skids. Stops. I’m out. Running.
“AMETHYST!"
My voice. Raw. Desperate. Shredding. No answer. Just the roar of flames. The crack of burning wood. The hiss of heat.
I run to the front. The door is gone. Consumed. Flames pour through the opening. Can’t get in. Can’t even get close. The heat. Searing. Pushing me back.
“AMETHYST!"
I run around the side. Looking for an opening. A window. A gap. Anything. Nothing. Flames everywhere. Every window. Every wall. Burning. Collapsing. Dying. The back. I sprint. The bedroom window—
Shattered. Flames pouring out. The heat is unbearable. I try to get closer. Can’t.
My skin burns. My lungs scream. I stumble back. Gasping. Choking.
She’s in there. She has to be in there. She was on the couch. Reading. Mine. Safe. I left her safe.
“AMETHYST!"
My voice breaks. Cracks. Shatters. I run to the other side. Searching. Desperate. Frantic. Looking for any way in. Any opening. Any chance. Nothing. Just flames. Just heat. Just smoke. Just death. The predator inside—
It’s not hunting. It’s not claiming. It’s screaming. Raging. Tearing itself apart.
She’s mine. Mine to protect. Mine to keep safe. I left. She stayed. And now the cabin is burning.
The ring. The fucking ring. I left her for a ring. The promise. The future. Everything I was suppose to put on her finger.
Now she’s—
No. No. She can’t be. She’s too strong. Too smart. Too fucking alive to—
A beam collapses. Inside the cabin. The crash is deafening. Sparks explode. Flames surge higher. I fall to my knees. Can’t breathe. Can’t think. Can’t—
“AMETHYST!"
Nothing. No answer. No movement. No her. Just fire. Just smoke. Just the end of everything.
My hands claw at the ground. Dirt. Grass. Ash. I can’t get to her. Can’t reach her. Can’t save her. The one thing—
The one fucking thing I was supposed to do—
Keep her safe. Protect her.
And I failed. I left. For a ring. For a stupid fucking ring.
And now she’s—
The cabin groans. Another beam falls. The roof sags. Collapsing. Dying. Taking her with it.
I scream. Raw. Broken. Inhuman.
The sound tears from my throat. Rips through the air. Drowns in the roar of flames. I can’t lose her. Can’t. Won’t. But the fire—
The fire doesn’t care. It just burns. And burns. And burns.