Chapter 7: The Flame Between Us
The storm had passed outside, but inside Ares's chest, the thunder still raged.
He slammed the cabin's wooden door shut and tossed his coat aside. His jaw was clenched, his dark hair damp from the morning rain, and his eyes were shadowed with betrayal.
Elira looked up from where she was reviewing files on the couch. "What happened?"
Ares didn't answer right away. Instead, he threw a folder on the coffee table. It slid open, revealing surveillance stills—grainy photos of Selene D'Amour entering a hidden backdoor into a building registered under one of Crane's subsidiaries.
"She lied," he said, his voice low and cold. "She's working with Crane."
Elira slowly picked up one of the photos. "I thought she was loyal to you."
"She was." Ares's fists tightened. "Until she wasn't."
There was a long silence before Elira spoke again. "What are you going to do?"
His eyes flicked toward her, sharp but tired. "Confront her. Alone."
"No." Elira stood up. "If she's turned on you, she's dangerous. You need backup."
Ares smiled, bitter and amused. "You volunteering?"
"Try and stop me."
---
Manhattan – D'Amour Gallery, Midnight
Selene stood alone beneath the skylight of her private art gallery. Tall, sleek, dressed in a blood-red gown, she looked more like a queen than a traitor. But the second Ares and Elira stepped through the side entrance, her mask slipped.
"I wondered how long it would take you to come," Selene said, swirling her wine glass.
"You betrayed me," Ares said simply.
Selene's lips curved. "Did I? Or did I finally stop pretending you were mine?"
Elira stepped forward. "You sent a mercenary after us. You could have killed Ares."
Selene didn't even flinch. "Ares was never in danger. I gave Lucien strict orders. Scare him. Kill her."
Ares moved like lightning, grabbing Selene by the collar and slamming her against the wall. Her wine glass shattered on the floor.
"You'll never touch her again," he growled.
Selene laughed breathlessly. "Then admit it. Say it."
"Say what?"
"That she's the reason you've changed. That she means more to you than everything we built."
Ares's jaw clenched. Elira's heart beat wildly, waiting—hoping.
And then, quietly, he said, "Yes."
Selene's breath caught.
Ares released her. "This war ends now, Selene. If I see you near her again, I won't hold back."
Selene straightened her dress, dignity barely intact. "Then you've already lost, Ares. Because Crane knows your weakness now. And so does everyone else."
She turned and walked into the shadows.
---
The Next Morning – Midtown Manhattan
The media had exploded overnight.
The New York Sentinel ran with the headline:
> "Elira Langford: Secret Mistress or Strategic Threat?"
Leaked photos show the florist's daughter hiding in Ares Draven's private cabin.
"I didn't even know they had cameras out there," Elira whispered, eyes wide with disbelief as she stared at the news screen in the café window.
"Selene leaked them," Ares muttered, standing beside her in a hoodie and dark shades. "She wants to turn public opinion against you."
"But why drag me through the mud?"
"Because you're the only person left who can destroy Crane's empire from the inside."
They turned just as Noah Thorne came running down the sidewalk, waving his phone.
"Guys," he gasped. "There's more. Look."
He showed them a message from an anonymous account:
> "You think Elira's clean? Ask her what happened to Dr. Delgado."
Elira went pale.
"That's impossible," she whispered. "No one knows what happened to him. He vanished after he gave me the files."
Noah looked around nervously. "You need to get off the streets. Now."
---
Later – Private Rooftop Hideout
High above the chaos, Ares, Elira, and Noah regrouped on the rooftop of an abandoned warehouse. Wind tugged at their clothes. Below, the city pulsed with noise and danger.
Elira paced. "Who knows about Delgado? That file was encrypted. I've never shared it."
"Unless someone close to him followed the trail," Noah said, fingers flying over his laptop. "Or unless… someone close to you sold the information."
Elira froze.
Ares stepped forward. "You think she was betrayed from the inside?"
Noah nodded. "Maybe even from her side of the family."
Elira's stomach dropped. "No. My brother would never—"
But the doubt was already there.
---
Back at Ares's Penthouse – That Night
For once, everything was quiet.
The city lights flickered beyond the windows like distant stars. Elira stood by the bar, pouring herself a drink with shaky hands.
Ares approached slowly.
"You okay?" he asked gently.
"No," she admitted. "I feel like the world's spinning, and I don't know who to trust."
"You can trust me."
She looked up. "Can I?"
He moved closer. "You already do. That's why this hurts so much."
She met his eyes, and for a moment, the noise faded. The war outside vanished. It was just the two of them—broken, flawed, but together.
"You saved me," she whispered. "More than once."
He stepped even closer, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek. "And you made me feel again."
Their faces were inches apart now.
The tension simmered like fire beneath ice.
"Tell me to stop," Ares whispered.
She didn't.
Instead, she leaned in, and their lips met in a kiss that was soft and fierce, desperate and slow, like rain after a drought.
He pressed her against the marble counter, his hand on the back of her neck, her fingers tangled in his shirt.
But just as things began to ignite—
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Noah's voice rang through the intercom.
"You both need to see this. Now."