Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate-Chapter 217: Loving You Through the Fire

Riona snorted and crossed her arms. "Oh, we, huh? How convenient! There’s a we now that the world’s on fire? Where was this ’we’ when things were a total nightmare on my side?"

The Fallen One winced. Okay, fair point, but guilt wasn’t going to save the world.

"Look," he said, his voice low and serious, "That’s why I said I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t know unlocking his seal would do this. It wasn’t my intention—I only meant to unlock yours. But Ol’gaz is dangerous, Riona. We can’t let him take over Florian’s body completely."

"Uh-huh," Riona said, tilting her head. "So let me get this straight. You were messing around with seals, accidentally opened the wrong one, and now my broth-cousin—or whatever we’re calling him—is possessed by some demon with an unpronounceable name? And your solution is... I clean up your mess?"

"Yes," the Fallen One admitted flatly, because, well, she wasn’t wrong. "But in my defense... okay, I’ve got nothing. Let’s just save him, please? He needs you, and the world needs you."

"I couldn’t care less about saving the world, but Florian... Yeah, that’s a different story. Brother, cousin, whatever—he’s still family."

Riona was determined to save both her brother—and, unfortunately, the world while she was at it.

"Riona!" someone called, breathless, running toward her.

She turned around and saw Thorin. Or at least, it looked like Thorin if he’d been through a storm, a fire, and a personal crisis all before dinner—he had, in fact, got through two of them; a fire and a personal crisis.

His almond eyes, which used to twinkle with that annoying mix of hope and charm, were now as empty as a goblet after a long night of drinking. His broad shoulders, usually so proud and straight, were now hunched like he was about to crumble into a sad little puddle of clay.

His clothes were covered in dirty grey ashes. Riona noticed the streak of ash on the tip of his nose, and for a split second, she had the urge to wipe it off for him—but she quickly held herself back.

Instead, she shoved her hands into her pockets, just in case she got any ridiculous urges to be nice. She took a half step back. "Yeah?"

Riona had a pretty good idea of why he was here—he was probably about to ask about the fire. Wintertooth was still in the middle of rebuilding, and then bam, fire. The werewolves were probably losing their minds.

But Thorin didn’t ask anything about the fire. No, instead, he looked so utterly defeated that Riona thought her chest was going to cave in. Her chest felt like someone had dumped a hundred tons of bricks on top of her.

"Are you leaving?" he finally asked, his voice so shaky that it sounded like he was afraid if he moved an inch, she’d vanish into thin air.

Riona turned her gaze away, unable to meet his eyes. "It’s all my fault. I caused the fire."

She couldn’t bring herself to apologize. Not because she didn’t feel guilty, but because she didn’t want his forgiveness. She’d have to carry this weight forever, just like the ancestor would carry his own mistakes.

How could she hold him accountable for his errors, and then turn around and ask for forgiveness like it was a free pass? No, that wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right.

"No," Thorin replied quickly, taking an instinctive step forward, then halting himself.

He ran a hand over his face. He wet his lip like he was about to say something important, but ended up just looking frustrated and a little lost.

He had no idea how to fix this. Honestly, he wasn’t even sure everything would be okay anymore.

"I must go," Riona said, her voice flat, like she was already mentally halfway out the door.

"Wait!" Thorin almost shouted, desperate. "Where are you going?"

He wanted to throw his arms around her, kiss her until the sadness melted away, or at least distract her long enough to stop thinking about the mess she’d made. But that couldn’t happen.

"Florian needs me," Riona said.

Oh, of course. Riona’s outburst—burning the forest—was likely tied to her frustration over Florian. Thorin didn’t have all the details, but from what he had pieced together, it didn’t sound like Florian had left against his will.

If Riona went off alone to track down Florian, she’d probably end up finding out he’d just decided to leave for his own freedom or something, which would certainly torture Riona. Thorin wasn’t about to let her drown in her own sorrow.

"Let me come with you. Wait, I’ll tell Puck, and—"

"No," Riona cut him off, her voice firm. "This is my mess to clean up."

Technically, it was the ancestor’s mess, but since Florian mattered to her, Riona couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.

"You can’t go alone," Thorin insisted, his voice almost pleading. "Please, let me help you."

He was hoping, praying, that since they were lovers, Riona would open up to him, let him shoulder some of the weight. That would make them stronger, right?

They’d face this mess together, and maybe—just maybe—everyone would forget the fire... eventually. For now, he just wanted to be with her.

Riona, to his surprise, actually stepped closer. She wiped the streak of ash from his nose with her finger, a soft, tender gesture. Then, without a word, she cupped his face in her hands and kissed him on the lips.

Normally, Thorin would’ve been floating on cloud nine, head over heels, heart skipping a beat. But this kiss felt different. It wasn’t passionate or desperate—it was... sad. Like a last goodbye.

The way she moved, the way she kissed him, didn’t feel like love. It felt like a parting gift wrapped in sadness and regret.

Oh, no.

Thorin’s heart raced. He pulled away from her, holding her firmly by the shoulders as if he could somehow keep her from walking away.

"What are you doing?" he asked, panic rising in his chest. "You’re not leaving me, are you?"

Riona met his gaze. After she had finally found the love of her life, the one person who had loved her despite all her flaws, all her darkness... she had to leave him.

Thorin locked his eyes with hers, which were filled with regret and guilt. It crushed him. She didn’t look like the confident, defiant Riona he knew. She looked... broken.

For the first time, Thorin saw a tear fall from her eye—not for her brother, not for the world, but for him. She shook her head slowly, the words barely a whisper.

"I’m sorry, Thorin. I’ve been a bad influence on you. I get it now. Your friends were right all along."

"What do you mean ’your friends’?" Thorin’s voice cracked with frustration. "They accept you! Puck, Zane, Trudy—hell, even Charna wants you around. They all care about you!"

Riona’s expression softened, but the sadness in her eyes didn’t fade. She opened her mouth to say something more, but Thorin couldn’t take it. Not now. Not like this.

He pulled her close, pressing his lips to hers in a kiss that was meant to say everything—every apology, every promise, every hope he had for them.

He wanted to lock her heart with his, to make her stay, to make her see that they were it, that they could get through anything.

But as Thorin pulled away, breathless and desperate, she slipped from his grip like smoke, vanishing into the dark night without a word.