Page 136 of Elemental Becoming

Just a presence.

Thane.

It’s not words. Not even an emotion I can fully name. Just the sensation of someone standing just behind you, close enough to feel but not touch.

He sees me.

Sees Kieran’s hand at my back, the way we move together, the way I’m laughing. And I feel it—the way something curls tight inside him.

Not anger or possession. Something sharp and restrained. Something that wasn’t there before. Maybe . . . jealousy?

It doesn’t press or demand. But gods help me, I feel it.

And worse—I don’t want it to stop.

A shiver rolls down my spine, desire stirring low through me.

Is he remembering the Summer Solstice too?

I feel him through the bond, and my body responds before my mind can catch up.

For a brief moment, I feel strangely disoriented. Because I’m standing in another man’s arms while every nerve in my body reacts to Thane.

I glance around the ballroom instinctively, searching. But I don’t see him. Not at the edges of the dance floor. Not in the clusters of nobles. Not anywhere.

And yet, I know. He’s watching. I can’t see him, but I feel him.

A ghost of heat beneath my skin. The faintest pull through the bond.

A small smile tugs at my lips.

Kieran notices immediately. His sharp eyes settle on mine, curiosity flickering briefly across his face. But he doesn’t ask. He simply holds my gaze for a moment longer before easing us back into the rhythm of the dance.

The ballroom still spins around us, music swelling through the gilded air, but when Kieran speaks again, everything else dulls slightly.

“Are you holding up, Thalor?” His tone is light, but not casual.

“Yeah,” I lie.

But really, all I can think about is later tonight, anticipation stirring low in my belly.

Kieran doesn’t press. Instead, he leans closer, his voice lowering as the dance carries us through the crowd.

“I know you can’t really tell us everything that happened down there,” he says quietly. “In the woods. In that passageway.”

He pauses just long enough for it to matter.

“But I need to ask you myself, and hear the answer from your lips—are you ok after all that?” The silver in his eyes fades beneath the blue as he waits for my answer.

I glance up at him, catching the rare edge of concern beneath his usual confidence. We haven’t had a chance to talk since the Hidden Passageway.

I give a curt nod. “I was fine then. I’m fine now.”

Kieran studies me for another moment.

I know he heard how quickly everything turned. How close we came to losing Lyra. The worm creature. The blood. The moment I thought it was already too late.

My fingers tighten slightly against his shoulder before I force them to relax.