Page 61 of Lost in Fire

The unfinished sentence hangs between us. Because she’s right. The Ivory League’s justice is swift and absolute. Traitors don’t get second chances.

The vehicle crests a ridge, revealing the mountains that house the Aurora Collective’s outpost in the distance. The jumble of derelict mining equipment might be disguising it, but I know that it’s there.

“Is that it?” Ember asks, following my gaze.

“I know it doesn’t look like much. But it’s home,” I tell her, hoping it’s true.

The extraction team leader, a steel-haired woman named Harrison, turns from the front passenger seat. “ETA fifteen minutes. Mr. Parlance is waiting in his office.”

Viktor. The conversation we’re about to have will determine whether Ember finds sanctuary here or not.

And I have to do it without revealing who her mother really is.

The thought makes my jaw clench. Viktor authorized this extraction based on minimal information—I requested emergency protection for two people. I’m arriving with one. I couldn’t risk revealing Vanya’s true identity over potentially compromised communication channels. Now I have to convince him to shelter Ember without exposing the woman who’s still embedded in enemy territory.

“What should I expect?” Ember asks as we descend toward the compound.

“Questions. Viktor likes to understand exactly what he’s dealing with.” I squeeze her hand. “Just be honest about your abilities, your heritage. But let me handle the details about your mother.”

Her eyes narrow slightly. “Why?”

“Because the less he knows about her current situation, the safer she stays.”

The vehicle passes through checkpoint gates, guards waving us toward a parking area near the main complex. Early morning light creates dramatic shadows across the steel facades, making the whole place look formidable and welcoming at the same time.

“Ready?” I ask as Harrison opens our door.

Ember nods, shouldering her small duffel bag—everything she owns now condensed into twenty pounds of fabric and memories. She moves with careful dignity, hiding the fear I can sense beneath her composed surface.

The main reception hall buzzes with activity despite the early hour. Dozens of Collective operatives going about their morning routines, some in human form, others allowing their supernatural nature to show openly. I watch Ember’s eyes widen as she takes in the sight—a group of girls molding a ball of light between them, a woman whose skin shifts between human flesh and scales, two young men whose conversation includes genuine growls and snarls.

“So many,” she breathes. “What does it all mean?”

“Freedom,” I say. “The ability to be yourself without fear.”

A young shifter—maybe twenty-five, with wolf characteristics bleeding through his human appearance—stops to stare at Ember with obvious curiosity. She stares back, wonder replacing the grief in her expression for just a moment.

This is what I want for her. A place where her heritage makes her special instead of hunted.

“This way,” Harrison directs, leading us toward a corridor marked with official insignia. She pushes the door open,, and he rises from his desk, expression thunderous.

“You have some explaining to do,” Viktor says as we walk in.

I position myself slightly in front of Ember, protective instincts flaring. “The situation changed.”

“Did it?” Viktor’s tone carries dangerous skepticism. “Or was there never a Shadowhand to extract?”

“She exists,” I reply carefully. “But circumstances prevented her departure.”

“Circumstances.” Viktor repeats the word with distaste. “You mean the one who’s been systematically undermining Syndicate operations for years suddenly developed cold feet?”

The accusation hangs in the air. I can feel Ember’s tension radiating beside me, her confusion at hearing her mother discussed as a military asset rather than a person.

“She has a network protecting dozens of vulnerable subjects,” I explain, measuring each word. “Her disappearance would expose them all.”

Viktor’s expression doesn’t change, but something shifts in his posture. “And who exactly is this mysterious Shadowhand?”

The moment of truth. But revealing Vanya’s identity could compromise her if this information reaches the wrong ears. The Aurora Collective is only twelve years old—young by supernatural standards, without the deep-rooted security protocols of older organizations.

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