Chapter 4
“I said get out!” Dan roared, his voice echoing off the office walls. I jumped back, too stunned to respond. Why is he yelling at him when I’m the one who just walked in on him having sex with his assistant?
“Wait… Stephany?” Tyson asked, eyes narrowing as he looked at the woman still smoothing her skirt down like nothing had happened. “Why the hell are you sleeping with my brother?”
She looked up at him, chewing gum like a bored teenager, guilt and irritation flickering across her face. “Not that it’s any of your business,” she said, blowing a bubble, “but Dan and I are dating.” I stared at her in disbelief. The audacity to say that in front of me, his wife. My stomach twisted.
“There are so many men out there,” Tyson said, voice rising, “and you chose to screw my brother? You could’ve just told me you wanted me back. Watching you try to replace me is just… sad.”
“This isn’t about you, Tyson,” she snapped, crossing her arms. “This is exactly why I left. You're so damn self-centered. At least your brother actually cares about me.”
A part of me wanted to scream. The office still reeked of sex, and the whole scene made me want to rip everything apart. But another part of me, one I wasn’t proud of, felt oddly relieved. Maybe now the contract would be void. He broke the rules. That means he owes me my money, and I can walk away clean.
“Don’t you dare,” Dan snapped suddenly, shooting Stephany a warning glare.
Predictable.
I chuckled and turned to leave. “What’s predictable?” Stephany sneered, glaring at me like I’d just insulted her entire bloodline.
“The fact that he’s using you to relieve himself and you’re calling it a relationship,” I said calmly. “He won’t even let you say his name.” I didn’t wait for her reaction. I closed the door behind me, shutting out the stench of betrayal.
I couldn’t believe what I’d just witnessed. Dan broke the very deal he claimed was so important to him. Does he even remember what was in the contract? How would he feel if the roles were reversed? Minutes later, I stepped outside, and there was Tyson, leaning against the car like nothing had happened. He looked calm, too calm.
“Hey, are you okay?” he asked, concern softening his voice. We got into the car. I didn’t answer right away.
“I’m fine,” I muttered, looking away from him. If I looked into those eyes right now, I might actually kiss him. God, why is that even crossing my mind?
Maybe his type is his half-brother’s wife. I mentally facepalmed. Why am I jealous? I married Dan for the money. I knew what this was. Why am I pretending like there was anything real between us?
“I’m just concerned about you,” Tyson said after a beat. “You literally just caught your husband having sex with someone else on his office desk.”
“Thanks for the vivid recap, Tyson.” I sighed. “Maybe you should be the one worried. That was your ex in there.”
He chuckled, and I couldn’t tell if he was genuinely amused or just masking the sting.
“Looks like your brother betrayed both of us,” I added, watching him closely.
“Yeah,” he said, voice low. “Seems like betrayal runs in the family.”
I sat in the passenger seat, staring blankly out the window, trying to keep the knot in my throat from rising. Dan hadn’t even looked guilty; just furious that I’d dared to walk in on him. And with her, of all people. Stephany. Tyson’s ex.
The betrayal stung more than I wanted to admit. Beside me, Tyson hadn’t said a word since we left. His jaw was tight, and I noticed the way he kept checking the rearview mirror. His shoulders stiffened every time we slowed down.
“You okay?” I asked, breaking the heavy silence. He didn’t answer at first. His gaze shifted again. “We’re being followed.”
My stomach dropped. “Followed? By whom?”
“I don’t know,” he muttered. “Black SUV’s been on us since we pulled out of Dan’s building. They’re staying just close enough to make sure we know.” I twisted in my seat and looked back. Sure enough, a black vehicle was pacing us. Not aggressive, but intentional. My pulse began to quicken.
“Could it be Dan?”
“No. If it was Dan, he’d rather kill us with words than waste the effort,” he snapped, then sighed, gripping the wheel harder. “This feels different.” We turned off the main road. It was quieter here. Fewer cars. More shadows. That’s when the SUV picked up speed.
“Tyson…”
“I see them.”
The car jolted as we were rammed from behind. My scream was swallowed by the screeching of tires and metal grinding on asphalt. The world spun. For a moment, everything blurred. When we finally stopped, we were in a ditch; smoke curling from the hood, the night around us eerily still. When did it get so dark all of a sudden?
“Tyson?” I choked out, reaching for him. His head lolled slightly. Blood streaked down his temple.
I didn’t get to touch him.
A low, inhuman growl echoed nearby. My breath caught. I turned my head. Figures were emerging from the dark. Dressed in black. Eyes glowing faintly red.
Not normal.
Not human.
Something cold and electric ran down my spine, followed immediately by a sharp, foreign heat bursting through my chest. My hands trembled, but not from fear. From something else. Something alive. I gasped, clutching my chest. The air around me grew heavier, the temperature rising. My skin prickled.
“Don’t come near him!” I screamed. But my voice it didn’t sound like me. It was deeper. Echoed. Almost layered, like something ancient was speaking through me. I blinked down at my hands. They were glowing. My heart pounded, panic swelling in my throat. The heat inside me surged again, wild and furious. The windshield fogged over. Steam hissed from the engine. The air shimmered around me like a mirage.
One of the men stepped forward. And something inside me snapped.
A burst of heat exploded from my palms. Flames leapt from the tree beside me, catching like it had been soaked in gasoline. One of the figures shouted and staggered back. The others hesitated. “What the hell is happening?” I whispered, staring at my hands in horror. They were wrapped in flames, but I felt nothing. No pain. Just heat and power.
I stood between Tyson and the strangers, my knees shaking, my arms trembling, but the fire didn’t die. It wrapped around me like it had always been there, waiting for this moment. “I said,” I growled, voice foreign to my own ears, “stay the hell back.”
The flames around me pulsed, responding to my anger; alive, aware, as if they were protecting me. But I couldn’t hold it back much longer. My hands were shaking, my heart hammering against my ribs.
The figures froze. Hesitated. One of them raised a weapon, something metallic and sharp, glowing faintly. I took a step forward, and the fire followed, licking at the ground near my feet.
“Tyson,” I called, glancing back. “Tyson, wake up…” He stirred. Groaned. His eyelids fluttered.
“Emerald?” he mumbled, eyes still unfocused. “What… What’s going on?”
“I don’t know,” I said, my voice shaking. “We were ambushed. I—I think I’m doing something. With the fire.” His gaze drifted to the flames coiling around my arms, and suddenly he was wide awake.
“What the hell, Emerald, get away from them!” he shouted, trying to sit up.
“I’m not leaving you,” I said firmly. Another wave of heat surged through me, and the fire flared brighter. “They’re scared of it. Whatever this is… I think it’s keeping them back.”
Tyson reached out a hand, still dazed. “That’s… impossible.”
“Tell that to them,” I whispered. Suddenly, one of the men charged forward. I didn’t think; didn’t need to. My body moved on instinct. I threw out my arm, and fire exploded from my palm like a whip. It struck the ground in front of him, a violent roar echoing in the air.
He stumbled back, cloak catching fire. Screaming, he rolled on the ground, trying to smother the flames. The others panicked. One barked something in a language I didn’t recognize. They scattered, vanishing into the woods like smoke. The fire around me dimmed.
I exhaled, barely able to stay standing.
“Emerald,” Tyson said again, crawling toward me. “You, you just lit the damn world on fire.”
“I don’t know how,” I whispered. “It just… happened.” I looked down at my hands. The flames had receded, but my skin still glowed faintly. I could feel the embers beneath the surface, like I’d swallowed a star.
“I think…” I said slowly, trying to make sense of the storm inside me, “I think this is what my father was trying to warn me about.”
Tyson looked at me, blood still on his temple, but all he said was: “We need to get out of here before they come back.”
I nodded, but in my gut, I knew something had changed. Forever.
And I had no idea how to control it.