The Day Before Fire

The room was silent.

Not the peaceful kind—this was the silence before something catastrophic. Screens glowed softly along the walls of the command center, maps layered with data, red pins pulsing like open wounds across Europe.

Vera stood at the center of it all.

Calm.

Too calm.

Nicolas watched her from across the room and felt a chill crawl up his spine. He had seen her angry. He had seen her afraid. He had even seen her broken.

This version of Vera frightened him ...