Page 196 of Elemental Becoming

The realization hits like plunging into ice water. I focus on him immediately. On the bond. On listening. His eyes hold mine as I reach for something—anything.

A word. A feeling. A thought.

Nothing.

I frown. “Why is it only one way?” I murmur, mostly tomyself.

Thane’s smile fades, though his fingers continue tracing absent-minded patterns along my waist.

“I was wondering when you’d notice that.”

I shift, propping myself up on one elbow. “Do you know why?”

His gaze flicks over my face, thoughtful now. “A few possibilities.”

“Like?”

His attention drifts for a moment as he thinks it through.

“I felt the bond first. Maybe you’ll start hearing my thoughts soon, the same way you began feeling the bond a few days after I did.” His thumb brushes lightly against my waist again. “It might just take time.”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe because I’ve been bonded to Xaroth for over a decade. I’ve had longer to strengthen that connection.” His fingers drum absently along my hip. “Maybe that’s why I can hear you, but you can’t hear me yet.”

“Maybe,” I admit. “But no other rider we know of has ever been able to do this with another person before, right?” I study him carefully. “So why us?”

Thane nods once, his brow furrowing.

“You’re right. Then maybe this is just another part of the bond evolving.” His gaze holds mine steadily. “We already know ours is different.”

I study him, the early sunlight slipping through the curtains and casting soft gold across the sharp lines of his face.

“Or maybe it’s because you’ve been wielding magics longer.”

His brows lift slightly. “Possibly. Magics adapt over time. It strengthens with use.” His fingers flatten along my waist. “I’ve had years to learn how to control it. Shape it. Maybe that’s giving me the advantage in this . . . for now.”

“For now,” I echo, though the uncertainty of that answer sits uneasily with me.

“We’ll ask Valen,” Thane says with confidence. “If anyone has encountered something like this before, it would be him.”

I nod, but the unease still lingers beneath my thoughts.

“Okay,” he says, his voice shifting as that low, commanding edge slips back into place. “Back to the lesson.”

I blink at him, still reeling slightly from everything we just uncovered.

“You need to learn how to block anyway,” he continues. “Because of Calryx.”

I frown. “What does Calryx have to do with this?”

Thane’s smirk returns, all too knowing.

“She feels everything, Amara, darling.”

I freeze instantly.

His grin widens.