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I’m in a position where I must decide if I’ll watch him burn slowly atop me, or if I’ll end his suffering. So I do. Reaching out, I put my hands around his neck. Though his lips declare his love, he weeps from the encroaching flames. My grip tightens, depriving him of air. Harder. Faster. I want to end his suffering.

The monstrous sounds coming from my lips stop as I choke out the last of his air.

There, now he can be at peace.

The fire eats him first, since he’s covering me. With horror, I see his dripping skin fuse with mine. In that moment, I feel a strange sense of peace. A part of my father will be with me forever.

Then I feel it: wet, freezing, and thick; the water rushes in. It fights with the flames to see which can claim us first. The fire took my father, but the waves will take me. Their slick thrashing sucks me down. Cold. Numb. Ice that stings more than the fire that blistered my skin.

I scream, losing the small parcel of air my lungs managed to hold onto. Water invades my nose, my mouth, my throat. It burns in my belly. Only survival stirs me. My legs kick involuntarily as my eyes focus on the flames above.

Vengeance takes over the serenity of death. Survival kicks in. I have to get out alive.

I have to avenge my father.

Ring, ring!

My phone shatters my nightmares. Frantically, I grab my ribs; my fingertips glide over the mangled skin and—a part of my father. “I’m close, Dad,” I whisper into the darkness of the night.

The phone rings again. I roll over and grab it, almost dropping it because my palms are so sweaty. A cold chill feathers down my spine as I sit up; the sheets try to cling to me, but I shake them off. Curling my toes, I look down. I’m here, in my room, in my house. I’m not on fire.

Looking down, I answer the call and press the phone to my ear.

“I want proof Rylan is okay,” Alister demands, sleepless exhaustion evident in his voice. He sounds like the old man he is now.

“You called me in the middle of the night to insult me.”

“They will make a trade with me,” he admits. Fear thickens his voice, a humidity that drags sweat down my brow.

Standing, I walk to the window, forcing him to wait for my reply. The dark silhouettes of the trees look haunting as I gaze out. “What are you planning to do with Rylan?” I throw the question back at him.

“She’s my daughter,” he bites.

“And you viewed me like a son, and look where that got me.”

“Steffen!” Alister hisses, an exhale. “She is not part of our world.”

“She is now.”

“This is different.”

I shake my head. “You won’t see it that way forever. One day you’ll need to close a deal, and she will be the signing prize just like Henderson was.”

“Steffen,” Alister shouts. “This is madness.”

“Make a deal with me.”

“Excuse me?”

The shock in his voice curls my lips into a cruel smirk. “Make a deal with me,” I repeat, my palms curling, knowing that the ball is in my court. Alister has no choice. Now he knows what I felt when I had to survive.

“I still look up to you, Alister; the difference is, I’m not a few steps down. I’m not the boy. I’m the man who is standing toe to toe with you, looking directly into your eyes. I’ll send you my terms.” I end the call before he can reply, because I know his answer.

CHAPTER 13

Rylan

My body abruptly decided sleep was optional. All it needed for energy was Steffen’s fingers.