Page 28 of Tater
And when she thinks of Shadow—his smirk, the way he slipped out into the dark while their brothers hit the floor—her pulse turns sharp and cold.
Tater’s voice broke the quiet. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”
she glanced at him. “Depends how bloody your thoughts are.”
His mouth lifted in half a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Bloody enough.”
The dragon purred in approval.
And just like that, she stopped pretending she’s the girl who ever wanted out of this life.
After Tater walks off to make the calls, Ren stays where she is—on the edge of the overlook, gravel cold under her palms. The world felt too wide all of a sudden. Too loud in its silence.
The dragon inside her stretched, scales whispered against bone. It wanted to run, to hunt, to finish what started back at the club. Ren closed her eyes and breathed through the hunger, but it didn’t fade. It never did.
“You think this is about vengeance,” she whispered to it.
A low rumble answers from somewhere deep in her chest.
It is survival.
Maybe it was right. Maybe it had nothing to do with revenge and everything to do with what’s left of Ren trying to stay whole.
Shadow’s name still burned at the back of her throat. He used to laugh when she swore she’d never kneel to anyone. Said freedom was just another kind of leash. He said monsters like her always find masters who smell like smoke and ruin.
He wasn’t wrong.
Just early.
Ren pressed a hand to her side, feeling the new bandage, still warm from Tater’s touch. There’s something dangerous in that memory, something softer than she deserves.
For a second, she almost let herself believe in it.
But softness doesn’t last. Not in this world.
The dragon’s voice curled through her thoughts again, silk over steel.
“He will come for you. And you will not hide this time.”
“No,” she whispered. “Not this time.”
A storm brewed in the distance—lightning crawled across the sky like veins. She pulled her hoodie tight, watching it roll closer, tasting rain and iron on the wind.
Every instinct said run.
But she’s run enough for one lifetime.
So, she sat there, bleeding and breathing, and let the storm find her.
If Shadow’s alive, then fate’s already chosen sides.
And this time, she’s the fire.
CHAPTER 12
Before the Fire
The rain started the same way that night too—soft, steady, like the world was trying to wash away what it already knew was coming.
