Caught between two men-Zayne, a brilliant doctor tethered to her present, and Sylus, an enigmatic figure claiming ties to her across universes-a young woman is drawn into a love triangle where loyalty, trust, and desire blur under the weight of a co...
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The streets blurred around me as I sped through, the roar of the motorcycle drowning out the noise in my head. My hands gripped the handlebars tightly, but they trembled with every turn, every twist of the throttle. My breath came in shallow gasps, my mind a whirlwind of images I couldn't escape. The ruined world, the blood on my hands, the castle—what did it mean?
The cold wind stung my face as I pushed the bike faster, my body hunched over the handlebars. My heart pounded against my ribs, my pulse racing as if trying to match the speed of the machine beneath me. Tears welled in my eyes, blurring my vision, but I didn't dare stop. Stopping meant thinking, and thinking meant facing the fear that threatened to unravel me completely.
I felt like I was coming undone, the edges of my reality fraying as I clung desperately to the handlebars. The tremors in my hands worsened, and I bit down hard on my lip to steady myself. But no matter how fast I went, no matter how far I rode, the images wouldn't leave me. They clung to me like shadows, whispering truths I wasn't ready to hear.
And then, amid the chaos in my mind, one image surfaced—a face. His face.
Sylus.
The memory of his piercing crimson eyes, his calm, unshakable presence, flashed before me like a lifeline. My chest tightened, a sudden ache blooming in my heart. Before I could stop myself, I slammed the brakes, the motorcycle skidding to a halt on the empty road. The tires screeched against the pavement, the sound slicing through the night like a scream.
I sat there, the bike idling beneath me, my breath coming in ragged gasps. My hands fumbled for my phone, shaking so badly I nearly dropped it as I pulled it from my pocket. My fingers hesitated over the screen, but I didn't have to think twice. I found his name and pressed the call button, my heart hammering in my chest as the line rang.
"Hello?" His deep, familiar voice cut through the static, steady and grounding.
Relief flooded through me, and I closed my eyes, a shaky breath escaping my lips. For a moment, I couldn't speak, my throat tightening as tears threatened to spill over.
"Sweetie?" His tone shifted, worry creeping into his voice. "What's wrong? Is everything okay?"
I opened my mouth to respond, but the words caught in my throat. The trembling in my hands spread through my whole body, and before I could stop myself, a sob escaped. "No," I finally managed, my voice breaking. "No, everything's not okay."
There was a pause on the other end, his silence heavy with concern. "Where are you?" he asked, his voice softer now, but laced with urgency. "Are you in danger?"
I looked around, taking in the quiet streets and the faint outline of Astoria in the distance. The pristine, polished neighborhood seemed to mock my unraveling state. "I don't know," I said shakily, my voice barely above a whisper. "I'm on the outskirts of Astoria. I was sent here for a mission, but—" My breath hitched again. "I just need you. I need you, Sylus."
