Page 32 of Twisted Thorns

We burst onto the second floor, where the heat intensifies. The air is a wall of fire, nearly solid in its intensity. Girls huddle together, eyes wide with terror behind the bars. Their cries are muffled by the cacophony of destruction all around us.

"Stand back!" Finn bellows, his voice a command forged in the furnace of chaos. He slams his body against the lock, once, twice, breaking it open. As the girls flood out, coughing and stumbling, Liam guides them towards the stairs, his charm now a lifeline in the form of calm directions and promises of safety.

I move to the next cage, heat searing my skin through my shirt, sweat and soot mingling on my brow. I grasp the padlock, heat biting into my flesh, but I don't relent. With a grunt, I wrench it free, ignoring the blistering pain that tells me I'll bear this night's mark for a long time.

"Go, go, go!" I urge, and they do, scrambling past me like frightened deer. But there's another cage, and my heart sinks when I see it. Time is a luxury we no longer have; the fire is a greedy thing, enveloping everything with indiscriminate hunger.

"Kieran, we've got to move!" Liam shouts, panic edging his voice for the first time.

"More here!" I call back, unwilling to leave anyone to this fiery tomb. My hands tremble as I fight another lock. It gives way, and I shepherd the last group towards the exit, the oppressive heat smothering us.

The building groans, a death rattle that chills me more than any cold. The ceiling above us gives way, showering embers and debris. I shove the girls forward, pushing them towards Liam's waiting arms. A fiery brand lashes across my back, and I stagger, gritting my teeth against the agony.

"Kieran!" Finn's voice is distant, strained with fear and exertion. I can't see him through the smoke, but I feel his hand clamp onto my arm, dragging me away from the collapsing inferno.

We stumble out into the cool night, a world away from the hell inside. My back is a landscape of pain, every movement a fresh wave of torment. I watch as Liam and Finn usher the last of the girls to safety, their faces grim with the knowledge that not everyone made it out.

"Count?" I manage to ask, my voice hoarse.

"Most," Finn answers, his face shadowed. "Not all."

Guilt and relief wage war within me, a bitter cocktail that threatens to bring me to my knees. But I stand, bearing the weight of both the living and the lost, the burns on my back a testament to the night we fought fire and fate to save those we could.

Sloane's silhouette emerges like a wraith from the smoke, her form barely distinguishable against the backdrop of chaos. The rifle is slung over her shoulder, a stark reminder of the role she played tonight.

"Hey, it's alright now," her voice cuts through the lingering terror, soothing the women huddled together on the frigid concrete. "You're safe."

Her words are a balm, and I watch as tear-streaked faces lift towards her, their eyes reflecting a tumult of fear and gratitude. Sloane moves among them, her touch gentle, her presence a pillar of strength amidst the rubble of their shattered world.

"Kieran." Finn's voice is a low growl behind me, vibrating with barely suppressed fury. "Why the hell was Sloane here?"

Liam steps in, a buffer between Finn's wrath and my scorched skin. "She saved your ass more than once tonight. You’d do well to remember that."

"Because I can handle myself, Finnegan." Sloane's interruption is sharp, slicing through the tension. Her green eyes flash, emerald fire in the night. "And I've got your back, whether you like it or not."

"Dammit, Sloane, that's not the point!" Finn clenches his fists, the muscles in his jaw working furiously.

"Actually, it is." Sloane stands her ground, defiant. "I'm not some porcelain doll you need to lock away. I protected you tonight. You think those men would have hesitated to shoot you if I hadn't been there shooting them first?"

Finn's anger ebbs as he looks at his sister, his eyes taking in the smudges of soot on her face, the resolute set of her shoulders. The air crackles with the unspoken understanding that she is no longer the little girl he once shielded from the world.

"Fine," he grunts, the fight draining from him. "Just... be careful, okay?"

"Always am," Sloane replies with a smirk, her bravado untamed even by the night's horrors.

As I watch them, an odd sense of pride swells within me. Maybe it's the pain from my burns, or maybe it's the adrenaline still coursing through my veins, but something about this moment feels significant—a turning point in our tangled lives.

We are warriors in our own right, each of us scarred, each of us fighting demons both within and without. But together, we stand unbroken, ready to face whatever darkness comes next.

Chapter 17

Avalina

Sunlight filters through the canopy above in golden beams, dappling my skin as I wait in the secluded glen. A warm breeze rustles the leaves, carrying the earthy scent of pine and moss.

My heart skips a beat as Kieran emerges from the trees, his gaze piercing. "You're late," I say, a teasing lilt to my voice.

"My apologies." Kieran prowls toward me with a predatory grace, his eyes gleaming. "I had some business to attend to."

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