Chapter 22: Fire and Ice - 2
The morning burned quietly, the tavern wrapped in a soft gray haze, its air heavy with the scent of fresh bread and smoldering embers.
The hearth glowed low, casting faint shadows across empty tables, the silence thick enough to feel.
Mira didn’t storm into the kitchen or snap flames against the windows.
She moved like embers—slow, hot, coiled in her core, her bronze skin flushed beneath a loose tunic, her red hair spilling wild over her shoulders.
Kio stood at the bar, as always, wiping down glasses with a steady hand, sorting dried herbs into jars with a reverence that belied the mundane task.
His collar was open, his sleeves rolled to his elbows, revealing forearms taut with quiet strength.
His face remained unreadable, his dark eyes focused but aware, a tide waiting to pull her under.
Mira slid onto a stool, her curvy frame tense, her amber eyes locked on him.
She didn’t speak, didn’t blink, her hands resting on the bar, nails pressing into the wood. The silence stretched, heavy and taut, her inner fire screaming against the stillness.