MARION

The familiar sprawl of Los Angeles glowed beneath the descending plane, the city stretching like a promise. Sun-drenched, chaotic, and alive. A month in Antwerp had felt like a year, but now, watching the coastline curve under the July sun, all I could think about was her.

Demetria.

Wildfire.

The name alone was enough to quicken my pulse.

Customs, baggage claim, the procession of black cars waiting outside, it all blurred. My driver opened the door, and I slid into the leather backseat, ...