Chapter 57 — The Queen Takes the Board
The fire roared.
It didn't crackle like ordinary flames — it howled, angry and alive, devouring the east wing inch by inch. Smoke thickened until the air itself felt hostile, clawing down Kiera's throat with every breath.
"Kade!" she screamed again, her voice tearing raw.
On the other side of the collapsed beam, she could hear him coughing. Still alive. Still fighting.
"Kiera—listen to me!" Kade shouted hoarsely. "The beam's unstable. The ceiling's coming down. Take Leo and go!"
"No!" Her scream ripped out of her chest. "I'm not leaving you!"
Leo sobbed in her arms, shaking violently. "Mommy, it's hot. I'm scared."
That was it.
Something inside Kiera snapped.
Not broke.
Snapped into place.
The fear that had ruled her for years — her father's fists, Vivienne's games, the darkness she had survived — it all compressed into something sharp, focused, lethal.
