Page 102 of Through the Flames
I knew Dom was going to be a problem the second I heard his voice booming through the door like the world’s loudest foghorn.
“EL-BELL! OPEN UP! I COME BEARING SNACKS AND JUDGMENT!”
Perfect.Exactlywhat my day needed.
Hunter didn’t even look up from his phone. Lounging on the couch with his long legs stretched out, he radiated the same calm, lethal energy that made my nerve endings hum.
If he was worried about Dom crashing our bubble, he hid it well.
The knock came again, this time louder. “Don’t make me call Mom and tell her you’ve joined a cult!”
I muttered a curse under my breath and shot Hunter a glare on principle. Somehow, this felt like his fault.
He finally glanced at me, raising an eyebrow as if to say,Well?
I groaned. “This is your fault.”
He just smirked and tossed his phone aside. Sliding over the hardwood in my socks, I yanked open the door before Domactuallycalled our mom.
“Finally!”
My brother barged in, brandishing a bag of chips like a peace offering. His gaze swept the house, as if expecting to find a crime scene. Then it landed on Hunter, who was unbothered as usual, annoyingly perfect in gray sweats and the black hoodie I hated simply for hiding the sight of his arms from me.
Fucking rude.
“Ohhhh,” Dom said slowly, his grin stretching wide. “This explains a lot.”
I crossed my arms, my eyebrows flying up. “Explainswhat?”
“The radio silence. The cryptic texts. The sudden ‘I’m totally fine, Dom’ energy.” He pointed at Hunter like he’d uncovered a conspiracy. “You’ve been holed up with Broodzilla.”
I rolled my eyes so hard they almost left orbit. “We’ve been living together for months. Youhelped memove in.”
“Yeah,” he said, eyes narrowing. “But now youlookdifferent.” He gestured vaguely at my face. “Like you’veseensome things. Dark things. Things that involve—”
“Stop.” I slapped a hand over his mouth.
Dom licked my palm.
“Ew!” I shrieked and jerked back. “You’re disgusting!”
“Keeping it authentic,” Dom said, voice dripping with mock seriousness. “Hey Hunt, you the reason my sister’s suddenly off the grid, or is she just hiding from me?”
Hunter didn’t blink. “Neither. She just likes better company.”
Dom smirked, unbothered. “You know what’s weird? The vibe in here is kind ofspicy.” He sniffed the air dramatically. “Yup. Definitely tension. Smells like someone’s been breaking roommate rules.”
“Dom,” I warned, heat creeping up my neck.
He ignored me completely. “Sooo, has she broken your little control-freak mind yet? Because last time I checked, living with Ella is like signing up for a natural disaster without insurance.”
Hunter’s gaze stayed on him, flat as concrete. “She talks a lot.”
“Wow, insightful,” Dom deadpanned, then flashed me a grin. “Bet you love that, huh?”
I wanted the floor to swallow me whole.
Then Dom’s tone shifted, still light, but with a thread of steel beneath it. “Seriously though. You good to her?”
