Coming with You

Thea’s POV

“Tell me you’re kidding,” I said, staring at Fiona’s grim expression, desperately hoping this was all some twisted joke.

She wordlessly handed me her phone, her face telling me everything before I even read the headline: “Dawnhaven Foundation founder Thea Sterling’s house burns down hours after her identity is revealed.”

I read the headline once, twice, three times, hoping it was just some cruel prank. But as I scrolled down and saw the video of a house engulfed in flames, all hope drained from me. No matter how much I didn’t want to believe it, that was definitely my house burning.

“Shit,” I whispered, my hand shaking so badly I nearly dropped her phone. Without another word, I bolted from the office.

“Thea, stop!” Fiona shouted behind me, but I wasn’t listening.

I sprinted through Dawnhaven’s corridors, barely seeing the startled faces of staff and children as I flew past them. My mind was a tornado of panic and disbelief. All I could think was: I need to see it. I need to see it now.

I jumped into my car, pulling out of the parking lot just as Fiona burst through the front door. She waved for me to stop, but I ignored her and kept driving.

My mind was chaos—anger and panic weaving together inside me. Was it a fire I caused? Had I forgotten to turn off the stove? I couldn’t answer because I couldn’t even remember if I’d turned the damn thing off or not.

My phone rang. Sebastian. I ignored it. I didn’t have the mental capacity to deal with him right now. Then came calls from Kane, then Iris, even Roman and my mother, but I ignored them all. I just wanted to get to my house and see how bad the damage was.

A man leapt back from a crosswalk, giving me the finger as I narrowly missed him. “Watch the fucking road, you crazy she-wolf!”

“Sorry!” I yelled through the window, but I didn’t slow down.

When I finally reached my neighborhood, I hit a wall of activity: emergency vehicles with flashing lights, neighbors gathered in clusters, news vans parked haphazardly. I abandoned my car half a block away and pushed through the crowd.

An intense wave of heat made my eyes water instantly. Then the smell: acrid smoke mixed with the unmistakable scent of melting plastics and burning wood. My house, my actual fucking house, was being devoured right in front of me.

I watched in horror, unable to believe this was really happening. Firefighters were battling the blaze, but it was obvious they were just containing it at this point. Even I knew there wouldn’t be much left when they were done.

My heart ached. It might not have been a mansion, but it had been Leo’s and my home these past few months. I’d loved it, filled with good memories.

Tears threatened to spill. Why was this happening to me? Hadn’t I been through enough?

“Thea.”

That voice. That deep, familiar voice I didn’t want to hear right now. I turned to find Sebastian standing there. He looked at me with sympathy, and I hated that look more than ever.

“Why are you here?” I asked, quickly wiping away the tears I hadn’t even realized were falling.

“You didn’t answer your phone. I was worried.” He took a step forward.

I wanted a hug so badly, but I knew I wouldn’t get one from him, nor could I accept one.

“Well, I’m alive, as you can see,” I said, taking one last look at my house before turning to walk away. “Just peachy.”

I started walking back toward my car. I needed to figure out where the hell I was going to sleep tonight. Where I would live. How I would rebuild all the things I’d just lost.

Sebastian’s footsteps followed me. Before I could protest, he slid into my passenger seat as I got behind the wheel.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I shrieked in disbelief.

He buckled his seatbelt with irritating casualness. “Making sure you’re okay.”

“Get out of my car.”

“No.” His jaw set in that stubborn way I knew too well.

“Sebastian, I swear to god—”

“Drive wherever you need to go. I’m coming with you. End of discussion.”