Page 41 of Passions Ignite

“Hello? This is Zoey Knight. Can you hear me?”

There was a moment of static, and then a voice crackled through, faint but audible. “Lieutenant, it’s Jay.”

“Thank goodness, Jay. We’ve been trying to establish contact?—”

“We?” Jay’s voice crackled from the other end. “Is Lux with you?”

“Yes, I’m here,” Lux said. “How soon can you get a chopper down to our location?”

“As soon as we’re able to triangulate your coordinates.”

“And how long would that take?”

“We’ve triangulated the site of the crash. Are you guys close to the wreckage?”

“Yes.” Lux could feel her heart race.

“We’re dealing with some serious fire activity here,” Jay said, her voice tense. “But we’ve got teams out there. The priority is getting you both back safely. Can you make it back to the wreckage?”

Zoey glanced at Lux, who nodded. “We can make it back,” Zoey said into the phone. “We’re heading there now.”

“Good,” Jay said. “Stay safe. We’ll try to keep in touch.”

She lowered the phone, turning to Lux. “We need to get back.”

Lux nodded, already moving toward their gear. “Let’s go.”

They packed up quickly, the mood between them shifting to something more urgent. The sky was darkening and the shadows stretched longer as they made their way back through the trees.

As they walked, Zoey found herself glancing at Lux, her mind replaying the conversation they’d had by the river. There was a heaviness to Lux that Zoey hadn’t seen before, a vulnerability that made Zoey want to reach out, to offer some kind of comfort.

When they reached the clearing, they dropped their gear by their salvaged supplies, both of them breathing a little harder from the quick pace they’d kept.

“We’re safe,” Lux said, more to herself than to Zoey. “We’re finally going home.”

Zoey nodded, her eyes meeting Lux’s. “Yeah, we are.”

There was a beat of silence as they just stood there looking at each other. Zoey felt something shift between them.

“What happens now, Lux?”

Without thinking, Zoey stepped closer, her heart pounding in her chest. Lux didn’t move away or break eye contact. Zoey’s breath hitched as she leaned in, her lips brushing against Lux’s in a tentative kiss.

Lux responded immediately, her hand coming up to cup Zoey’s cheek, pulling her closer. The kiss deepened, and for a moment, everything else fell away—the fires, the danger, the uncertainty. It was just them standing in the fading light, finding something real in the midst of all the chaos.

When they finally broke apart, both were breathing heavily, faces flushed. Lux opened her mouth to speak, but Zoey beat her to it.

“I can’t believe we might actually get out of here,” Zoey said, her voice shaky but with a small, teasing smile playing on her lips. “What’s the first thing you want to do when we’re back?”

Lux chuckled. “Honestly? I want a big, greasy burger. And maybe a hot shower. In that order.”

Zoey laughed, the sound lifting some of the weight off her chest. “Good call. I’ll take a burger too. And then I want to sleep for a week. Maybe longer.”

“I can see that.” Lux smiled. “Though, you sleep too long, and you might miss out on some things. Like me beating everyone at the station at bowling.”

“Bowling?” Zoey raised a brow.

“Bowling. Arm wrestling. You name it.”

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