Page 183 of Elemental Becoming

The hours blur together after that.

Sometime deep into the night, the heavy door creaks open, dragging me from another uneasy dream. I blink against the darkness, disoriented at first, until I make out Thane standing near the window.

Moonlight spills across him in pale silver, sharpening the hard lines of his frame. His shoulders are rigid with exhaustion, tension radiating from him strongly enough to feel from across the room.

“Thane?” My voice barely rises above a whisper.

He turns immediately, and some of the strain in his expression eases the moment his eyes find mine.

“Amara,” he says quietly. Relief flickers across his face before he reins it back under control. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

A cool breeze drifts through the open window.

“Calryx is outside,” he adds softly. “Keeping watch.”

Guilt twists through me. Calryx wanted to be at my side tonight. I felt the desperate pull of it through our bond.

“She wasn’t happy about being kept away from the fight,” I admit as I ease myself upright. I don’t feel as fatigued as I did earlier tonight. “I’ll let her know I’m okay.”

I reach for the bond immediately.

“Thank you for staying close.”

“Always, Virelya. I will leave now that the Warlord has returned to you.”

A rush of air sweeps past the window as massive wings beat against the night sky.

My gaze returns to Thane. He looks exhausted down to the bone, the strain of the night etched deeply into his face. But beneath the exhaustion, I can still see the sharp edge of restraint holding him together.

“Are you alright?” I ask quietly, already bracing myself for the answer.

For a long moment, he says nothing. He only looks at me. Eyes darkened with worry, relief, and an emotion intense enough to tighten the air between us.

Then he exhales heavily and drags a hand through his hair.

“It’s been a long night,” he says. “The council is in disarray. People are terrified. Too many died tonight.” He pauses, looks into my eyes. “ . . . and more would have if you hadn’t been here. This is the first time in history the Shadow Forces have breached the capital. Much less the castle itself.”

I can practically feel the weight pressing down on him. Thane carries too much, and most of the time, he carries it alone.

“You must be exhausted,” I say softly, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. “Let me get you something. Water, or—”

“Stay.”

The word comes low and rough, almost a command. I freeze instantly, my pulse stumbling hard against my ribs.

The tension in him feels almost tangible now, wound tight beneath the surface, but it’s his eyes that unravel me. Smoke-gray and fixed entirely on mine, stripped of their usual control.

“Okay,” I whisper.

How does one word from him do this to me?

I swallow hard.

He crosses the room, each step deliberate enough to send mypulse climbing higher. I should say something. Move. Breathe.

Instead, I stay rooted where I am, caught beneath the weight of his attention.

Thane stops directly in front of me. His gaze drifts across my face before he reaches for my hand.