Page 127 of In Shadows We Dance

Each step is a promise. Each breath a declaration.

I won’t let them take me back.

The wind tugs at my hood, Wren’s scent filling my nose. He’s not here, but I can feel him anyway. A presence just out of reach, urging me on.

He’s looking for me. Iknowhe is. And I’ll keep running until he finds me.

I push harder, faster. Fear nips at my heels, but adrenaline pushes me forward. I think of Wren, of his dark eyes, the way he looks at me like I’m fire and he can’t help but reach for me.

He’s changed me. I can’t pretend otherwise. I don’twantto pretend otherwise, because I'm done being what people expect. Done being invisible because someone else decided I should be. Done being anything except what I choose.

My legs ache, muscles burning as I run through alleys and side streets. Every shadow feels like both a threat and an ally. I imagine eyes everywhere, the sense of being hunted tighteninglike a noose around my throat, but I force myself to focus.

A figure looms ahead, just another stranger, but my instincts send me into a narrow passageway, barely wide enough for me to squeeze through. My breath catches, panic waiting at the edges of my mind. But I can’t stop. Iwon’tstop.

The streets flash past me as I move—faster, always faster. I know they’ll follow. I know they’ll try to drag me back. But I’ve made my choice.

I’ve picked fire. I’ve picked freedom.

CHAPTER 64

Disrupted Steps

WREN

Bangingon the front door rips me from sleep. I squint at my phone—3:14 A.M.

What the fuck?

Sleep finally dragged me under like a black wave after hours of searching, of dissecting every possible angle of her message. My body feels like lead, my mind wrung dry. The pounding on the door starts again, like someone is using their fists as hammers.

“Jesus Christ.” I throw back the covers, and grab the nearest pair of sweats, anger bubbling up through my exhaustion. If this is Monty or Nico with some bullshit prank, they’re about to regret their life choices.

The floor under my feet is freezing as I stumble downstairs, blinking away the last remnants of sleep. The pounding continues, louder, more insistent.

“For fuck’s sake, I’m coming!” My voice is rough, and the words are punctuated by another round of blows. “Stop trying to break my fucking door down.”

I wrench the door open, ready to tear into whoever decided this hour was acceptable. And then I see him.

Agent Miller. Flanked by four men in dark suits, their faces hard under the porch light.

Adrenaline spikes through me, shredding the last fog of sleep.

Something is wrong.

Before I can react, they shove past me, the edge of one agent’s shoulder slamming into mine as they spread out. Footsteps thunder up the stairs, doors slam open, drawers pull out and crash shut. They move like a storm tearing through my house, a display of chaos disguised as efficiency.

“What the fuck is this?” I snarl, spinning to face Miller ashis men invade my space. “Search warrants don’t usually come with a knock. What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

His eyes burn with something I haven’t seen before. He strides forward, grabbing my shoulder hard enough to knock me back a step.

“Where is she?”

The words erase my confusion.

They’ve lost her.

I shove his hand off me, closing the space between us. “Keep your fucking hands off me. What are you talking about?”

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