Page 85 of Lost in Fire

“How touching. The witch returns for his dragon slut.” His gaze flicks between us, savoring our shock. “I must admit, I didn’t expect you to walk straight into my trap, Cole. When I heard the reports that there’d been a breach, it seemed too good to be true. I suppose love makes fools of us all.”

My stomach plummets. “Trap?”

“Oh yes. Your touching reunion was always part of the plan.” Vex adjusts his cuffs with meticulous care. “The message you sent was quite helpful in drawing him out. Amazing how predictable grief can make one.”

God. He found a way to pick up that final desperate message I sent through.

Hargen’s hands ball into fists. “You bastard.”

“Now, now.” Vex’s smile widens. “No need for dramatics. You’ll have all night to… reconnect. Consider it my final act of mercy—a condemned couple’s last hours together.”

“Wait, Vex! You can’t—” But before I can continue, he turns and walks out, the door slamming shut behind him.

I stare at Hargen, frustration and desperation warring in my chest. “I sent that message to warn you, not summon you!”

“I spent too long thinking you were dead.” His voice is raw, stripped of the careful control I remember. “I wasn’t going to lose you again.”

The fight goes out of me all at once. I slump against the wall, the chains biting into my wrists. “You should have stayed with her. She needs you more than I do.”

“No.” He moves closer, kneeling just outside my reach. “She’s stronger than either of us realized. Her powers are manifestingearly—Viktor says she’s the most powerful being he’s seen in years.”

Pride and terror twist together in my gut. “How much does she know?”

“About this? Everything.” His fingers hover near my face, not quite touching. “She wanted to come too. Has your stubbornness.”

Despite everything, I almost smile. “And your moral compass, I hope.”

“She’s furious with both of us for keeping secrets, but she understands why.” He examines the chains binding my wrists, testing their weight. “She’s training with Viktor’s people. Learning to control what she can do. She’s going to be fine, Vanya.”

I want to believe him. God, how I want to believe that I can stop worrying about her. But the chains around my wrists are a reminder that I have other priorities right now.

“Hargen.” I meet his eyes, forcing myself to be practical. “They’re going to execute me. And now you’re going to get the same treatment. You know that, right?”

He’s looking around at the cell we’re locked in. “Not if we get out of here first.”

“Out?” I scoff. “You seriously think we’d get that lucky again?”

“Lila and the others will help.” His voice carries absolute certainty. “And the Collective. Viktor doesn’t abandon his people.”

“They’d never reach us in time.” My voice is bitter. “This place is warded seven ways from Sunday. The Collective is good, but they’re not miracle workers.”

He works at the chains binding my wrists, examining the locking mechanism. “I’ve been studying Syndicate containment tech for years. These are Fourth Generation binding sigils—strong, but not unbreakable.”

“So break them.” I challenge him, not bothering to hide my skepticism.

His fingers trace the edge of one cuff, sending unexpected shivers up my arm. “Not yet. If I disable these now, they’ll know immediately. The guards monitor these remotely.”

“Then what’s your brilliant plan?”

His silence tells me that he doesn’t have one. “They’ll come,” he says firmly. “As long as we’re alive, they’ll come for us.”

I feel a spark of something dangerous—not quite hope, but its reckless cousin. “How long?”

“Couple of days maybe.” His eyes meet mine, utterly serious. “Viktor’s team was off on assignment when I got your message, so I came in with Lila and the Cravens.”

“Caleb Craven?” I blink in surprise.

“Among others,” he says. “There are more people out there fighting for us than you could have imagined, Vanya. Things are changing.”

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