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Like she didn’t want her comfort and the scent of her and the

hot, fiery passion that burned beneath the cold exterior she

gave the rest of the world. She admitted it to herself, let it

sweep through her, saturate the air around them. And when she

admitted it, that she wanted it to be real, even just for a night,

the roof didn’t crumble in on them.

Nothing happened.

Nothing except Giana’s lovely soft smile and her strong

hand guiding them both out through the doors into the black

night, frigid breaths sucked into their lungs, and a slow

burning warmth that ate through the raw grief, momentarily

tempering it.

Chapter 10

Giana

Smoke. Something burning. Fire. Not in the distance.

Close. The crunch of metal. Twisting and slamming, flying,

the world spinning, then everything coming to rest. Spikes of

metallic pain. In her mouth. All over her body. Wrapped

around her like thorny vines, digging into her already raw and

blistered skin. She was scared to open her eyes. Scared of what

she’d find. She was afraid that the world was ruined. That she

was ruined. That she’d open her eyes and she’d be above

herself, hovering somewhere else, staring down at the ruined

wreckage of her mangled form.

She blinked anyway. Looked. Tried to look. There was so

much wetness. Her head felt covered in it. Thick, hot wetness.

She stuck her tongue between her lips. Her jaw ached. She’d

clenched it so hard. The wetness was metal. Metal in her

mouth. Hot. Salty. Copper. Blood.

She jerked hard, her hands flying out in front of her face