18. i am blood and fire!

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CHAPTER 18

I AM BLOOD AND FIRE!

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My heart feels like it's being crushed as another hour ticks by without any sign of Mando. It's been almost a full day now. I try to keep my trembling hands busy with repairs on the ship, but every tiny sound makes me jump, hoping it's him.

When I hear footsteps crunching through the forest, my chest tightens with hope - but deep down, I know those aren't Mando's familiar steps. Before I can react, the cold press of a blaster muzzle touches the back of my head.

"Stay very still, sweetheart," Torou's voice drips with mockery, and my blood runs cold. I can't stop the angry hiss that escapes my throat.

"You killed him, didn't you?" My voice cracks with the question I'm terrified to ask. Torou's laugh echoes through the clearing, hollow and cruel.

"No," he drawls, "but that bounty won't be bothering anyone anymore."

I turn slowly, deliberately, needing to look into his eyes - to see the truth written there. The movement makes the blaster dig deeper into my skin, but I don't care. Torou's face swims into view, and something cold and calculating lurks in his gaze.

"You're just doing this for fame, aren't you?" My voice comes out bitter and knowing. The words taste like ash in my mouth, but I need him to know I see through his act. That I understand exactly what kind of person would betray someone like Mando - someone who only ever tried to do what's right.

Torou's eyes glitter with a hardness that makes my skin crawl. "So what if I am?" he sneers, shifting his weight like a predator ready to strike. "Getting into the Guild is the only way to survive in this galaxy, sweetheart. There's no other choice."

I can't help the disgusted sound that escapes me. The words burst from my heart before I can stop them: "There's always another choice if you have family." The word 'family' feels sacred on my tongue, precious and true.

But Torou rolls his eyes, and his next words cut deep, designed to wound. "Oh, come on. When was that Mandalorian ever really family to you? I heard he just stole you from the Guild anyway."

My fists clench at his words, at how wrong he is, how little he understands about real loyalty, real family. The kind that's chosen, not forced. The kind Mando and I built together.

My whole world tilts on its axis when I see the child in his hands, and rage floods through my veins like liquid fire. That precious little one, who should never know such cruelty, wrapped in those undeserving hands. My voice comes out as a dragon's snarl, fierce and protective.

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⏰ Last updated: Oct 25 ⏰

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