Chapter <b>502 </b>
Lilith’s POV
The smell hit her the moment she stepped through the door.
Smoke.
Lilith froze in the foyer and sniffed the air. That was definitely smoke that she smelled. The house was quiet except for a faint crackling sounding from somewhere above. She looked up at the staircase. Gray smoke was seeping down from the second floor, pooling against the ceiling.
“Hello?” she called out. “E? Alexander?” There was no answer.
She moved toward the stairs, her hand already reaching for the banister. That was when she heard footsteps pounding above her. A momentter, Hunter appeared at the top of thending, his face frantic.
“Get out!” he shouted.
“What-” Before Lilith could respond, he was running down the stairs. He mmed into her halfway, grabbing her shoulders and spinning her around.
“We need to go,” he said. “Now.”
“What’s happening?” Lilith tried to pull away from him. “Where’s Lucien?”
“One of the fireces got out of control. The guest room–it’spletely aze. I tried to put it out, but it spread too fast.”
Lilith’s stomach dropped. “Where is Lucien?” she repeated.
“Still in the nursery. I couldn’t get to him. The hallway-”
She didn’t let him finish. She tore herself free from his grip and bolted up the stairs.
“Lilith, wait!”
She didn’t wait. She took the steps two at a time, her heart mming against her ribs. The smoke was thicker up here<b>, </b><b>so </b>thick she could barely see. She pressed her sleeve to her mouth and kept moving.
The nursery was at the end of the hall. All she had to do was get there. Get to Lucien. Get him out.
She was almost to the top when it happened. A loud crack echoed through the hall, like a gunshot going off. She looked up just in time to see a support beam breaking away from the ceiling. It fell toward the stairs, toward her, and she couldn’t move fast enough.
Something mmed into her from behind.
Hunter.
<b>He </b>tackled her backward, and they both tumbled down several steps. The beam crashed down where she’d been standing a second earlier, splintering the stairs and sending chunks of wood flying. mes licked up through the gap it left behind.
“Are <b>you </b>insane?” Hunter shouted. He was still gripping her arm so hard his fingers were digging into her skin. ” <b>You’ll </b>get yourself killed!”
“I have <b>to </b><b>get </b>to him!” Lilith struggled to her feet, coughing. The smoke was getting worse. “Let go of me!”
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“You can’t get up there. Look!”
She cursed under her breath. The stairs were destroyed, half of them copsed into a burning pile of rubble. The mes were spreading across the walls now, eating through the wallpaper and wood. Even if she shifted and tried to jump the gap, she wouldn’t make it. The ceiling was starting to sag. Goddess, how did this fire spread so quickly? Was the house made of paper?
“We need to evacuate everyone else,” Hunter said. “The fire department is on the way.‘
Lilith wanted to argue. She wanted to shift and w her way through the mes and broken wood. But Hunter was already dragging her back down the stairs, back toward the ground floor, and she was weakened from the torment she’d endured in Richard’s dungeon.
Staff members were running through the house now, some coughing, others shouting. Hunter moved through them quickly, directing them toward the exits. Lilith stood in the foyer, staring up at the smoke pouring down from above.
Lucien was up there. Alone. Trapped.
She could hear the fire department sirens now. Red and blue lights shed through the windows. The front door burst open, and firefighters in heavy gear flooded inside, carrying hoses and equipment.
“Everyone out!” one of them barked. “Move, move, move!”
Hunter grabbed Lilith’s arm again and pulled her outside. She stumbled onto thewn, her lungs burning. Around her, staff members were scattered across the grass, some sitting, some standing, all watching the house.
The fire was spreading fast. mes were visible in multiple windows now, orange and angry. ck smoke billowed into the sky.
“My grandson,” Lilith said. Her voice came out hoarse. “He’s inside. The nursery. Second floor.”
One of the firefighters turned to her. “How old?”
“Six months.”
The firefighter’s expression tightened. He spoke into his radio, then ran toward the house. Two others followed him.
Lilith watched them disappear through the door. Minutes passed. The fire grew worse. More windows shattered from the heat. Part of the roof caved in with a roar that made everyone on thewn flinch.
Finally<b>, </b>the firefighters emerged. Lilith looked for Lucien, but they were empty–handed. Lilith ran toward them. “Where is he? Where’s my grandson?” <ul><li></li></ul>
The lead firefighter pulled off his helmet. His face was red and slick with sweat. “We couldn’t get to him. The structure’s not stable. The hallway to the nursery ispletely blocked.”
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<strong>Sara Lili</strong> is a daring romance writer who turns icyndscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of d’s breathtaking cold.