Page 37 of Fated By Fire

What the hell did I just see?

Caleb stands over him, his chest heaving. His suit is torn, revealing glimpses of rippling muscle. Muscle that seemed to be shimmering with scales.

No. That’s nuts. It’s a tattoo.

But now, in the aftermath of what I’ve just witnessed, I have to wonder what I’m seeing.

Caleb turns to me, his expression grim. “We need to go. Now.”

“B- but wh- what-?” I stutter.

“Now!” he snarls.

I nod quickly, my mind reeling. My world has shattered, everything I thought I knew evaporating into flashbacks of scales and claws. But I don’t have time to process it. Not yet.

“Come with me!”

Caleb grabs my hand, and we run.

Chapter 14

Caleb

The drive back to my penthouse is tense and silent, broken only by the faint hum of the engine and the occasional splash of tires hitting puddles on the rain-soaked streets.

Elena sits rigid in the passenger seat, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, her gaze fixed on the blur of city lights outside the window. Her silence is louder than any words she could hurl at me.

“Where are we going?” she finally asks. I’m driving too fast. Taking corners recklessly. Two roads back, I ran a red light. I pull in a breath and force myself to calm down.

“My place,” I say, glancing in the rearview mirror. There’s nobody behind us, but that doesn’t mean anything.

Would he be stupid enough to pursue us?

No. I know this isn’t over, but Malakai isn’t going to handle this in the open. His attack will come when I least expect it.Maybe under the guise of some sort of corporate crap. Unless he reverts to the old ways and rains fire and brimstone.

I wouldn’t put it past him.

“Your place?” She turns to me. “Why?”

“It’s safer there. We need time to figure this out.” I tighten my grip on the steering wheel. I should be furious with her—Iamfurious with her—but the memory of her trembling in that chair, her wrists bound, her eyes wide with fear, keeps eclipsing my anger. I shouldn’t care. She’s a liar, a spy, probably a thief. But when I saw her there, vulnerable and defiant, something instinctive in me roared to life. Something I don’t fully understand.

“Caleb,” she says suddenly, her voice sharp but unsteady. “You owe me an explanation. What the hell just happened back there? Who was that? Why—?”

“Not now, Elena,” I cut her off, my tone clipped. I glance at her out of the corner of my eye. Dark waves have escaped her ponytail, framing her drawn features. There’s a faint bruise on her cheek, and the sight of it makes something dangerous unfurl in me.

Fucking Malakai.

She opens her mouth to argue but then hesitates, her hands clenching into fists in her lap. I can see the tremor in them, the way her shoulders are still rigid with tension.

“So you know who I am.” Her voice is small. “What I was doing.”

I snort. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out eventually?”

“Guess not,” she says, almost meekly. She’s shaken, more than she’s letting on. It’s probably the only reason she doesn’t press me further.

I look back at the road, my jaw tightening. Despite all that she’s done, I can’t shake the guilt gnawing at me. I was part ofwhat she was just exposed to. She stumbled into my world, and now she’s paying the price.

My jaw tightens at the thought. Malakai’s behavior cuts deeper than I’m willing to admit. For all of his bluster, he’s been a constant presence in my life after my father’s death. And now this. Kidnapping. Assault. Turning against the clan— No, not the clan. Againstme. I have to get to the bottom of it.

---