The Flame Between Us
Lucien
She was quiet again. Not the kind of quiet that meant peace, but the kind that trembled just beneath the surface of her skin, restrained by will alone. I could see it in the way her fingers twisted in the hem of her shirt, how her eyes dropped to the floor before daring to meet mine. Whatever warmth we’d kindled between us earlier was flickering now, not out, but uncertain.
So I spoke the truth I’d been holding.
“You asked about Lilitha,” I said, my voice low, the fire in the hearth casting long shadows behind her. “But I never answered the way I should’ve.”
Madeline stilled, her hands going still in her lap.
“I never wanted her,” I continued. “Not when I was free. Not when I was collared. Even with the Savior’s will burning in my skull like fire, forcing
