Prologue
“Don’t move.”
Zyan’s voice was low, controlled but not calm.
Kia could feel his hand wrapped tightly around her wrist, his grip firm enough to stop her, but not enough to hurt. Still, it was enough to tell her one thing clearly.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
“I’m not moving,” she whispered, though her voice betrayed her. Her heart was racing, her breath uneven, her entire body tense.
The air felt heavy. Too still.
Like something was watching.
Slowly, she looked down at her arm.
The phoenix burned.
Not the soft warmth she had gotten used to.
This was different.
This was fire.
The ink shimmered violently, flames flickering across her skin as if they were alive, spreading, shifting. And just beneath it—
The rest of the tattoo was no longer just lines.
It was moving.
Zyan followed her gaze, his jaw tightening as he saw it.
“That wasn’t there before,” he said.
“It’s changing,” she whispered.
No.
Not changing.
Completing.
Her stomach dropped as the image sharpened.
The bridge.
Zyan standing on it.
And this time—
He wasn’t alone.
Multiple figures surrounded him now. Closing in.
Hunting.
Her fingers curled instinctively around his jacket. “This is happening right now, isn’t it?”
Zyan didn’t answer immediately.
That silence was answer enough.
“Kia,” he said finally, his voice quieter now, but more intense than before. “Listen to me carefully.”
She looked up at him.
And for the first time since she had met him—
He didn’t look in control.
“You need to leave,” he said.
Her grip tightened. “No.”
“This isn’t a choice.”
“It is for me.”
His eyes flickered, something breaking through the walls he kept so carefully in place.
“You don’t understand what you’re walking into.”
“Then make me understand,” she shot back.
Another pulse shot through her arm, stronger this time.
She gasped.
The tattoo burned brighter.
And suddenly—
She could feel it.
Not just see it.
Feel it.
The cold wind. The tension. The danger.
And him.
Zyan.
Right in the middle of it.
Her voice dropped. “If I walk away… you die.”
His silence confirmed it.
Something inside her snapped into place.
Fear.
Logic.
Doubt.
Gone.
She stepped closer instead.
“I’m not leaving,” she said.
Zyan exhaled slowly, like he already knew she’d say that.
“Then stay close to me,” he said.
His hand found hers again.
Stronger this time.
Not pulling her away.
Holding her with him.
And in that moment, Kia realized something that made her chest tighten.
This wasn’t just his fight anymore.
The ink had made sure of that.
Hello guys, I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoyed creating it.
This is my first book, I’d love to hear your thoughts, reactions, and theories in the comments. Feel free to share your feedback, I’m always open to learning and improving.
