Controlled Burn

Chapter 19: Piece by Piece

Lucian stood over Cade's unconscious form, his breath coming out in slow, measured exhales as he looked down at the fire demon, sprawled on the frost-covered floor. Cade's body was limp, his chest rising and falling with shallow breaths, and the weak flicker of flames beneath his skin had dimmed to barely a glow. Lucian's fingers twitched at his sides, his mind already calculating what came next. This wasn't over.

Cade had slipped into unconsciousness before he could fully submit, before Lucian could drive him to that final breaking point. He had been so close—so dangerously close—but the fire demon's pride had clung to him like a lifeline. Lucian had seen it in Cade's eyes, that last desperate spark of defiance. Cade wasn't ready to let go. Not yet. But he would be.

Lucian inhaled sharply, the cold air filling his lungs as he crouched beside Cade. He studied the fire demon's face for a moment, his sharp blue eyes scanning over the lines of exhaustion, the flickers of tension that remained even in sleep. Cade's body was still trembling, muscles twitching with the aftershocks of their struggle. His fire had raged so violently, and now, drained of strength, Cade lay still—broken, but not completely.

Lucian reached out, his icy fingers brushing against Cade's damp skin, tracing the outline of his jaw. The cold spread from his touch, sinking into Cade's skin, making him shudder even in unconsciousness. The flames beneath Cade's skin flickered weakly in response, but they were too faint now, too dim to fight against the ice.

"You're not there yet," Lucian murmured, his voice low and cold as he leaned closer. "But you will be."

He wasn't going to let Cade slip through his fingers now. The fire demon had survived too much, suffered too long, to be left in this half-broken state. Cade needed to be pushed further, to be broken entirely, before he could be rebuilt. Lucian would have to strip away every last remnant of Cade's pride, his anger, his resistance. And he would do it, no matter what it took.

Lucian rose to his feet, his gaze never leaving Cade as he walked slowly around him, circling like a predator stalking its prey. His mind was already turning over the next steps, the next moves he would make. Cade had to submit. He had to learn to surrender, not just to Lucian, but to the fire itself. The flames were a part of him, and until Cade accepted that—until he bowed to it—he would always be at war with himself.

Lucian knew what that war would cost Cade in the end. He had seen too many fire demons burn themselves to ash, consumed by their own flames because they had refused to let go. Cade wasn't going to be one of them. Lucian wouldn't allow it.

"Wake up," Lucian commanded softly, the frost around him intensifying as his voice filled the room with cold authority.

Cade stirred, a low groan escaping him as his eyelids fluttered. His body twitched as if it were trying to pull itself back from the brink of unconsciousness, but he didn't fully wake. His breath hitched, and the faintest flicker of flames danced under his skin, responding to the lingering heat inside him.

Lucian crouched down beside him again, placing a hand on Cade's chest, the ice spreading from his fingertips. Cade gasped, his body jerking awake as the cold sank deep into his bones, forcing his flames to rise in response. But they were weak—so weak—barely a flicker now. His eyes shot open, and for a moment, all Lucian saw was panic.

Then the anger returned. The fire in Cade's gaze blazed, even if his body couldn't match it.

"Get off me," Cade growled, his voice raspy and broken, but still filled with that familiar defiance.

Lucian's lips curled into a cold, humorless smile as he tightened his grip on Cade's chest, the frost spreading further, locking Cade in place. "You're not in a position to make demands, Cade."