Page 19 of Elemental Becoming

When did he do this?

“Wait—is that . . . it is!” Lyra exclaims. “Mara! He had a Stonekeep made!”

My gaze drops to the small stone brick set beneath the tapestry. It’s about a foot long and half a foot high.

My mind travels back to my home, to the stone ledge beside the door where my mother etched our names over the years on our family’s Stonekeep. This is a long-standing tradition in the Earth Clan—births, vows, even heartbreaks—all carved into stone.

I step closer and read the markings.

Two dates are etched there, along with the events that happened.

The first is the date Thane and Valen stepped through that portal of purple light after my village was destroyed. The second date is when Thane first felt our bond.

My hand presses against my chest as the bond hums softly in response, as if in quiet approval.

“That man is wrapped around your finger,” Lyra murmurs. But instead of her usual teasing, she says it with something close to wonder.

I glance at my best friend. Her eyes are shining.

Sera is watching her, a warm smile playing at the corner of her lips.

Before turning to leave, Sera pauses in the doorway, watching me take it all in.

“Don’t worry,” she says dryly. “I’m completely confident you can transform the rest of this room—like you did Thane.”

Lyra snickers. I press my lips together, holding back a laugh.

Sera turns to my best friend leaning against the doorframe. “Come on, Lyra. I’ll make sure your room isn’t in the dungeon.”

Without explanation, she slips an arm around Lyra’s shoulders, taking some of her weight. Lyra’s cheeks color, but she doesn’t resist the kindness.

I catch Sera’s eye and smile my thanks. She nods once, then pulls the door shut with her free hand.

The latch clicks closed.

And I’m alone in his space.

My gaze drifts across the room as I let out a breath, rubbing the back of my neck, the significance of it settling over me.

He’s my trainer.

My ally in war.

Protector of the Spiritborn.

Warlord to the realm.

And in ways I never expected—he has become my whole world.

I should be annoyed. Not long ago I would have marched back down those halls to argue, furious he made this choice for me.

But now?

Now I’m . . . thrilled.

He’s still the most infuriating man I’ve ever met. But I’ve finally stopped lying to myself. This thing between us? It’s not just about the bond or the battlefield.

It’s so much more.