Page 152 of Elemental Becoming

“Oh, it is so lovely to meet you, Lyra!” Maeve says immediately.

“Our boy has sung praises about you, my dear!” Declan adds.

Lyra remains completely mute.

By all the gods, Ly!

I lift my heel and discreetly stomp down on Lyra’s foot.

She finally speaks.

“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Kaelen. I’m so happy to meet you.”

She sounds like a mouse.

Rian and Jarek immediately burst out laughing, clearly having never seen Lyra like this before. Garrick narrows his eyes at his brothers while rubbing soothing circles across Lyra’s back.

The laughter dies quickly.

I have seen Lyra this way, but only when she truly cares about something. When she wants something badly enough to fear losing it, she folds in on herself completely.

Thankfully, Garrick doesn’t bat an eye at Lyra’s odd behavior.

Gods bless him.

We spend some time with Garrick and Jarek’s parents, hearing about their childhood adventures and all the ways they apparently scared their parents half to death growing up. And how Rian and Thane joined in the chaos once they all met at the training academy as children.

Every now and then, I still have to stomp on Lyra’s foot to help her speak.

At some point, Lyra let go of my hand and grabbed Garrick’s. He keeps both of her hands wrapped in his the entire time.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF BATTLE

TWENTY

Challenge calls to us. We can meet it, or turn away from it. That choice is always ours. Real strength isn’t found in our magics or dragons, but in what endures beneath them: the people we love, and the love that keeps us standing.

—VALEN’S JOURNAL

THANE

Iwatch as she walks away, Garrick leading the two most important women in our lives.

To meet his parents, of all things. I don’t think I ever truly believed Garrick would settle down.

My gaze follows Amara through the ballroom. Every Elemental tattoo along her spine is visible for the entire court to see. The boldness of that dress didn’t just steal the breath from my lungs the first time I saw her tonight—she’s making a statement to everyone here.

To every noble in this room. To the council.

To the realm itself.

Does she even know how much that matters?

And somehow, she’s handling all of this with a kind of grace and instinct that can’t be taught.

My Amara.

She keeps becoming something even more extraordinary than I imagined.