Page 201 of Elemental Becoming
It bends. Twists. Reshapes itself.
But it never disappears.
I breathe into the feeling, sensing the wind move through me and around me until currents of air begin to coil tightly within my mind.
And just like that, the connection between Thane and me disappears.
He exhales softly.
I open my eyes.
Pride flickers briefly through his smoke-gray gaze.
CONTROL
TWENTY-SIX
In our youth, we spend so much time trying to avoid, ignore, or rid ourselves of loss. We chase constant happiness, lest we be judged for our sadness or shunned for our grief. Yet we rarely stop to listen to what loss is trying to teach us. Loss reminds us what mattered. It reveals the depth of our love, our hopes, and our attachments. Painful though it may be, loss is not merely a burden to endure. It is a gift.
—VALEN’S JOURNAL
AMARA
“You did it.”
I blink. “You can’t hear me anymore?”
Thane grins. “Nope.”
I test it, thinking about how I would like to put my mouth on him right now. Watching his face, I search for any indication of him knowing how much I want him right now.
Nothing.
A small, victorious grin tugs at my lips. “I actually did it.”
“Of course you did,” Thane murmurs, his hands still resting on my thighs. “You just needed something that made sense to you.”
I let out a relieved breath.
“So that’s it?” I ask. “I just imagine the wind shifting around me and I can block you out forever?”
Thane’s grin turns sharp. “Forever?”
In one fluid, effortless motion, he sits up, pulling me closer until we’re chest to chest, his breath warm against my lips.
“That’s a little dramatic, don’t you think?”
The shift between us is too much. Too sudden. The moment our bodies align, we both inhale sharply. Thane’s mouth tightens for the briefest second.
Then he reins it in.
Just like that, his breathing is controlled again.
Mine is not.
He rolls us again, pinning me beneath him, his weight pressing me into the sheets. His chest rises sharply twice, eyes smoldering, before he locks it down again.
I glare. “Why?”
