Page 123 of Elemental Becoming

That girl still lives inside me. She has never once believed she could be anyone’s goddess. I bite the inside of my cheek, fighting the instinct to shrink beneath the attention.

Rowena’s head whips between Sera and us, eyes wide.

“Do you know what this means?”

“That he has good taste?” Sera replies dryly, perfectly unfazed.

“That he has finally, finally stopped being a brooding, miserable ass,” Rowena corrects, her eyes sparkling with delight.

Thane sighs, long-suffering, but his hands remain firm at my waist, keeping me tucked against him.

Sera shakes her head. “Young love is sweet. Stop being a pest, Rowena.” Then she lifts a brow. “As if we didn’t spend years sneaking off into dark corners ourselves.”

I laugh, looking up at Thane. “Is this what it’s always like with siblings?”

“Unfortunately,” he says with deep resignation, “yes.”

“You’ll survive,” Rowena replies breezily.

His chest shakes with another quiet laugh beneath my hands.

“Rowena, I swear—” Thane starts, his tone pure exasperation.

“Oh, relax,” she says, waving a dismissive hand. “We all knew this was going to happen eventually. The only people who didn’t seem to realize it were you two.”

Then she turns to me, brows lifting.

“Really, you should have made a move ages ago. My brother can be painfully obtuse sometimes.”

I gape at her as warmth rushes into my face.

Rowena tilts her head.

“Amara, dear, my brother has had a thing for you formonths.How did you possibly not notice?”

Rowena’s still laughing to herself as she and Sera spin away while I stare after her in complete disbelief.

I turn back to Thane, narrowing my eyes.

“Is that true? Did you have a thing for me for as long as your sister claims, Warlord?” I tease, arching a brow at him.

Thane’s gaze smolders, heat darkening the smoke-gray of his eyes.

“I definitely did.”

His hand lifts, fingers curling gently beneath my jaw, grazing my skin with a touch so careful it sends a shiver racing through me.

“And anyway,” he murmurs, his voice softening into something intimate, “I already told you this.”

“Yes, but it’s different coming from your sister!” The words tumble out before I can stop them. “All that time I was pining after you. So much wasted time.”

My mind flashes through every moment I convinced myself meant nothing—every lingering look, every careful touch, every time he stepped too close and I told myself not to read into it.

And all this time . . . he wanted me too.

Thane’s hand tightens slightly at my waist, drawing me closer as we continue moving across the dance floor.

“I didn’t realize what it was at first,” he admits quietly. “Thatwas part of the problem. I kept lying to myself, convincing myself it was anything except preparing the Spiritborn for war, like the prophecy said I was meant to.”