Controlled Burn

Chapter 22: All He Needed

Cade knelt on the icy floor, his body trembling under the weight of exhaustion and the ice chains that bound him, but something had shifted deep inside him. Where before there had been constant resistance—an unyielding tension in every muscle, in every breath—now there was something else. A strange calm.

He could feel Lucian's presence behind him, cold and commanding, but not oppressive like before. The ice that held him in place no longer felt like a prison. It wasn't something to fight against—it was something to lean into, something that anchored him. For the first time in years, Cade wasn't terrified of losing control.

The flickering flames that simmered under his skin had been tamed, but not extinguished. His fire was still there, still burning, but it wasn't wild anymore. The inferno that had once threatened to consume him now felt contained—not by force, but by choice.

Lucian's cold voice cut through the silence, calm and commanding, yet lacking the sharp edge it had once held. "Breathe, Cade."

It was a simple command, but it carried so much weight. Cade's chest heaved as he took a deep breath, his body trembling as he let the cold air fill his lungs. His flames flickered in response, but they didn't surge out of control. They simply...existed. Cade didn't need to push them down, didn't need to force himself to hold back. Lucian's control wrapped around him like the ice itself, and for the first time, Cade felt relief.

"Feel the fire, but don't fight it," Lucian's voice came again, guiding him. "Let me take control."

Cade's eyes fluttered shut, his breath coming out in slow, measured exhalations as he tried to follow Lucian's command. He could feel the fire inside him, simmering beneath the surface, but it wasn't a threat anymore. It wasn't something Cade needed to battle every second of every day. Not while Lucian was here.

And that thought—that trust—was terrifying and liberating all at once.

For years, Cade had lived on the edge of combustion. The slightest slip in control, the smallest rise in emotion, and his flames would erupt, threatening to consume everything around him. He had fought so hard, always afraid of what would happen if he lost control. He had relied on the Accelerant, that numbing drug, to dull the fire just enough to survive. But it had never given him true control. It had only masked the problem, like a bandage over a festering wound.

But now, kneeling in submission, Cade didn't feel like he needed the Accelerant. Not with Lucian.

Lucian's cold hand touched the back of Cade's neck, his icy fingers sending a shiver through Cade's body. Cade flinched, not from fear or pain, but from the overwhelming sensation of trust. Lucian's control wasn't just cold and commanding—it was steady, unwavering. Lucian knew when to push and when to pull back, when to let Cade burn and when to freeze him before the flames got too hot. And that was what Cade had always needed—someone to catch him before he fell.

The ice chains that bound Cade were no longer suffocating. They weren't a cage—they were a safety net. Cade could fall, and Lucian would stop him. Lucian would know when Cade had had enough, when he needed to be pulled back. The constant burden of control, of fighting against his own nature, was lifted from Cade's shoulders, and in its place was something new—freedom.

Lucian's voice was softer now, almost a murmur, as he leaned closer. "You're not afraid anymore, are you?"

Cade's heart pounded in his chest, but it wasn't from fear. His muscles were still weak from exhaustion, his body still trembling under the strain of everything he had been through, but there was a quietness inside him now. The endless battle with his flames, with himself, had finally stopped.

He wasn't afraid.

"No," Cade whispered, his voice shaky, but certain. His eyes remained closed as he let the reality of that sink in. He wasn't afraid of the flames. He wasn't afraid of losing control. Not anymore.

Lucian's cold hand cupped Cade's chin, tilting his head up so their eyes met. Cade opened his eyes slowly, his breath catching as he met Lucian's icy blue gaze. There was something there in Lucian's eyes—something deeper than the cold authority that had once dominated them. There was understanding. There was purpose.

"You're learning to trust me," Lucian said, his voice calm, but filled with quiet satisfaction. "That's good. But you're still holding back."

Cade's breath hitched, his muscles tensing involuntarily. Holding back? How could he be holding back? He had already given everything, hadn't he? He had already knelt, already surrendered, already let Lucian take control. What more was there?

Lucian's eyes softened slightly, though his expression remained firm. He leaned in closer, his cold breath brushing against Cade's skin as he spoke. "You still think you need to control the fire on your own. But you don't. That's why you've been suffering for so long. Because you thought it was your burden to carry."

Cade's breath caught in his throat, his mind racing as Lucian's words sank in. It wasn't just the fire. It was everything. He had spent so long trying to survive on his own, trying to carry the weight of his own flames, his own pain, his own trauma. He had thought he had to fight it all, that there was no other way.

But Lucian was offering him something different—something he had never allowed himself to consider. Lucian was offering to carry the burden for him.

"Let me carry it for you," Lucian whispered, his voice soft but filled with an unmistakable command. "Let me take the weight. Trust me to know when to stop you, when to push you. You don't need the Accelerant. You don't need to fight anymore."

Cade's heart pounded in his chest, his muscles tensing as Lucian's words wrapped around him like the ice itself. Could he really do it? Could he let go completely? The idea was terrifying—giving up control, giving up the fight he had been waging for so long. But at the same time, it was liberating. He had spent his entire life trying to control something uncontrollable. He had fought and resisted, but the fire had always been stronger. He had always been afraid of losing himself to it.

But now, with Lucian's icy hand on his skin, with Lucian's cold presence guiding him, Cade wasn't afraid of the flames. Lucian was there. Lucian would stop him.

And more than that—Lucian would know when to push him.

Lucian's cold fingers brushed against Cade's jaw, the touch both soothing and commanding. Cade's breath hitched, but he didn't flinch away. He didn't resist. The flames inside him flickered weakly, but they didn't surge, didn't burn out of control. They didn't need to.

Lucian would ice him before that happened.

"Let go, Cade," Lucian urged softly, his voice filled with a quiet, unwavering authority. "Let go, and trust me."

Cade's chest tightened, his breath trembling as he closed his eyes, letting the weight of Lucian's words sink in. He didn't have to carry it all anymore. He didn't have to be afraid of the flames. Lucian was offering him something more than control—he was offering Cade a release from the endless fight.

Slowly, Cade exhaled, his body sagging against the ice chains that still bound him. His muscles relaxed, the tension that had kept him so rigid, so ready to fight, finally dissolving. He didn't need to fight anymore. He didn't need the Accelerant to keep the fire at bay.

He didn't need anything but Lucian.

Cade trusted Lucian. Completely.

For the first time in his life, Cade let go. Completely.

And as he did, a wave of relief washed over him, so intense that it nearly brought tears to his eyes. He wasn't fighting anymore. He didn't have to. Lucian was there to hold him, to catch him, to guide him through the flames and pull him back before they consumed him.

Lucian's cold hand cupped his face gently, his touch still firm, still commanding, but filled with something else now. Satisfaction. Approval.

"Good, Cade," Lucian murmured, his voice soft, but filled with the weight of the moment. "You're learning. You're finally starting to understand."

Cade's breath trembled as he opened his eyes, his gaze meeting Lucian's once again. His body was still trembling, still bound by the ice, but for the first time in his life, Cade felt free. Truly free. He wasn't carrying the weight alone anymore.

He had Lucian.

And that was all he needed.