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The demon’s eyes widened in shock, but it was too late. The flames exploded from my hands, engulfing us both. Its grip slackened, and I fell to the ground in a heap.

Finally, my scream tore free with the fire. The stench of burning flesh hit me—acrid, overwhelming. I gagged. But I was as trapped as the daema was; the flames kept rising, feeding on my panic. It wasn’t stopping. I couldn’t get it to stop.

The fire raged around me, its heat roaring in my ears as the demon’s screams pierced the air before they were silenced forever.

ORION

I tore through the forest, Eve’s scream slicing through the darkness like a dagger.

“Eve!” I roared, my voice crashing through the trees.

Another daema had broken away before I’d managed to finish the others off. Dread clawed at my chest. This manticore was faster than the others. Its kind didn’t just hunt—they liked to play with their food before the final kill. I’d gambled on its trail leading to her, but if I was too late—

No. I wasn’t going to think like that.

I had to find her first. It was stupid of me to suggest she run, but I hadn’t wanted her anywhere near those creatures—hadn’t wanted her to see more of my violent side before she was ready.

I’d fucked up.

Branches whipped at my face, the forest blurring into streaks of shadow and light as I tore forward with a white-knuckled grip on my blade.

And then I saw her.

The demon held her. Its clawed hand was wrapped around Eve’s throat, lifting her off the ground like she weighed nothing.

She dangled helplessly, her feet kicking weakly, her hands scrambling at the thick talons cutting into her skin.

Thin lines of blood trickled down her neck, staining the shredded remains of her coat.

Rage surged through me, hotter and sharper than anything I’d felt in years. My vision tunneled, every nerve screaming at me to move, to tear the bastard apart before he could hurt her any more.

I couldn’t allow this thing to live now that it had touched what was mine.

But before I could take another step, the clearing exploded.

Light burst from her hands, blinding and radiant. An eruption of pure, untamed energy. The demon froze, its grotesque face twisting in shock as the flames erupted. They weren’t ordinary flames. They were wild, alive, brighter, and hotter than anything I’d ever seen.

They were so undeniably Titan.

Something deep in my memory stirred, a spark of recognition.

I hadn’t seen light like this in over two decades—not since the gates were sealed, trapping us in a never-ending nightmare.

The sheer power radiating from her was enough to make my chest tighten.

Whatever this was, whatever was happening to Eve, it wasn’t human magic. It couldn’t be.

A part of me had always known. From the moment I saw her in the woods, from the first time she looked at me like she recognized something buried in my bones. The harpy had only confirmed the wordless thoughts that had swirled in my brain, no matter how impossible it seemed.

But knowing wasn’t the same as facing it. Not when the truth burned this bright. This dangerous. This divine.

“Eve!” I shouted, but the inferno roared, swallowing my voice.

The air trembled with heat and power, waves of energy rippling outward and slamming into me like a tidal wave. I staggered, shielding my eyes as the light seared through the shadows, consuming everything in its path.

The demon’s screams cut through the roar of the flames—a sound I wouldn’t forget. And then, silence.

When the light finally dimmed, I dropped my arm, blinking through the haze.

The clearing was unrecognizable. Trees burned around us, their skeletal branches clawing at the sky as flames licked hungrily at their charred remains.

The ground was scorched black, cracks splintering out like veins in the dirt.

Acrid smoke coiled in the air, thick enough to choke on, distorting the shapes of the forest into a nightmare.

The manticore was gone. Nothing but a smoldering heap of ash remained where it had stood, its existence wiped out in an instant.

“Eve,” I rushed toward her, ignoring the heat that licked my skin from the burning trees.

She was sitting on the ground, her legs curled beneath her, her body trembling violently. Her curls were wild, scorched with soot and tangled in ash, like the embers hadn’t quite let go. Her tattered coat was burned away almost completely, but the skin beneath looked untouched by the flames.

But her hands… She was staring at them like they didn’t belong to her, like they were something alien and terrifying. Faint embers glowed in her palms, flickering weakly before fading into the smoke-filled air.

The fire had saved her, but it had terrified her too. That power wasn’t just a gift. It was a burden. And she’d felt every searing ounce of it ignite her from the inside out.

I wanted to be wrong as much as I’d wanted to be right. Because knowing meant accepting the cost. And I didn’t want that for her.

I crouched in front of her slowly, not wanting to startle her. My heart ached for the trembling girl in front of me.

“Eve?”

Her head snapped up, her wide, glowing red eyes locking onto mine. The sight twisted something deep in my chest, but I forced myself to stay steady. She didn’t need to see the fear on my face—the fear of what this kind of future held for her.

She flinched when I reached out, her entire body rigid with terror.

“I’ve got you,” I said, keeping my voice gentle as I held out my hand. “You’re safe now. I promise.”

She didn’t respond, her gaze darting between me and her hands, still trembling in her lap.

“I’m going to get you out of here,” I coaxed. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

This time, she nodded—barely, but it was enough.

I scooped her into my arms carefully, cradling her against my chest. She didn’t resist. The tension melted out of her.

Then she broke.

The sobs came fast and hard, her body shaking with the force of them as she clung to me. Each sound tore through me, but I held her tighter.

The forest burned around us, the acrid smoke clawing at my throat, but I didn’t care. Let it burn. I carried her through the devastation, as her tears soaked into my shirt.

We’d survived, but as I held her, one thought refused to leave me, one that felt impossible to doubt, even though we’d thought it was impossible.

Eve was a Phoenix—and I’d burn the world to make sure she lived.