The smoke still clung to the estate, curling like ghosts around shattered marble and scorched earth. Bella's boots crunched over broken glass, heart pounding not from fear but from the heady mix of adrenaline, triumph, and the dangerous electricity between the two men flanking her.
Crystal's arm brushed hers as they moved, closer than necessity required. The heat of his body pressed against hers with every turn, every leap. She could feel his fingers twitch, the need and possessiveness coiled tight.
"You're playing too close to the fire," Crystal murmured, voice low, rough with longing and warning.
"I am the fire," Bella shot back, letting her smirk sharpen, letting the thrill coil around her like steel.
Christian's hand brushed the small of her back from the other side, firm and grounding, yet there was heat in the touch, a slow, controlled hunger. "You're reckless," he said, dark, almost a growl. "One move like that… could burn us all."
Bella's breath hitched, and for a split second she let herself linger in it the pull of both brothers, the rush of desire threaded through danger. Her lips curved. "Then maybe we all deserve to burn," she whispered, eyes flicking between them, sharp, daring.
Crystal's chest pressed closer, heat radiating, every instinct screaming claim. "Don't tempt me, little queen," he growled, voice dripping with promise and warning.
Christian leaned in, closer now than propriety allowed, the edge of his shoulder pressing into hers. "You're impossible," he murmured, lips near her ear, the words sending shivers down her spine. "And I… I can't stay away."
Bella closed her eyes for a heartbeat, letting the tension tighten like a coil in her chest. She could have either of them or both but she didn't have to choose. Not yet. Not while the war was still raging around them, not while every heartbeat carried the pull of danger and desire.
Then Anthony's voice slithered from the shadows below, smooth, dangerous, amused. "The queen plays with fire…and her wolves fight for her favor. Intriguing. Delicious. But tell me… how long before one of them snaps?"
Bella's lips curled, sharp, defiant. "They won't snap. Not unless I let them." She stepped closer to the edge of the terrace, letting her eyes sweep the ruined estate, letting her presence dominate the chaos.
Crystal growled low in her ear, possessive and raw. "She's mine," he said, each word a threat and a claim.
Christian's hand tightened at her back, a controlled, grounding force. "She's mine," he countered, voice dark, claiming, unyielding.
Bella smiled, wicked and wild, letting the tension coil between the three of them like lightning waiting to strike. She raised her hand, gesturing to the estate below, the streets beyond. "Then we fight. Together. Or we burn alone."
Anthony laughed again, low and cruel, stepping into a shaft of broken light. "Beautiful. The storm… the chaos… the fire. And yet… the queen plays her cards too well. Too well for one man to hold her."
Bella's eyes flared, sharp and dangerous. "Then maybe I'm not meant to be held. Maybe I'm meant to command."
Crystal's jaw tightened, dark fire in his eyes. "Command all you want, little queen," he growled. "But remember… I'll follow, and I'll claim, and I'll burn anything in my path to keep you."
Christian leaned closer, almost impossibly near, the heat of his body a tether, a danger, a promise. "And I'll protect… and possess. And I won't let anyone anyone take you from me."
Bella's chest tightened, her pulse hammering, the storm inside her reflected in the storm outside. She could feel the pull of both men the heat, the desire, the unspoken claims but she was the center. She was the queen.
"Then fight," she whispered, eyes blazing. "Fight for me… or get out of my way."
The first echo of gunfire rang from the far edge of the estate. Smoke billowed, shadows danced, and Bella, flanked by her two storms, stepped forward. The war outside the gates was raging—but inside, in the tight coil of tension, passion, and unspoken promise, another war had just begun.
Because Bella wasn't just surviving anymore. She was commanding. She was desired. She was dangerous. And she would not be tamed.