Page 236 of Elemental Becoming

Thane shifts suddenly, fast enough to startle and precise enough to steal my breath. He twists our locked blades, forcing mine wide, then steps in, pivoting behind me in one fluid motion. His arm wraps around my waist, dragging me back against him.

I gasp, blade still in hand but useless, trapped between us.

I should fight his hold, but I don’t.

His other hand rises, fingers brushing the underside of my jaw. Tilting. Holding.

My heart becomes a drumbeat. My breath disappears.

Then he kisses me.

Not gently or cautiously. But like he’s been aching for this moment as long as I have.

A choice.

A trust finally given.

A fire finally let loose.

My fingers tighten on the hilt, but instead of pushing away, I lean in. The world falls quiet. All I can feel is him. His mouth. His hand on my waist. The certainty in the way he holds me.

“You let go,”I whisper in my mind, the words trembling but true.

I know he hears me because the bond tightens between us, like a breath held and shared. In answer, his kiss deepens. There’s no hesitation now or second-guessing about hurting me.

Just Thane.

All heat and hunger and something that feels perilously close to need.

His hand slides up my spine, the other still braced at my waist, anchoring me to him. Our blades drop to the ground, forgotten. I melt into the heat of his kiss, the taste of him, the wild rhythm of it.

This.

This is what’s possible when he lets go. And gods, it’s glorious.

Valen clears his throat.

Loudly.

I jolt.

Thane doesn’t move right away, his hand still warm at my waist, his lips barely parted from mine.

Then I hear it.

“Oh, don’t stop on our account,” Rian calls, absolutely grinning. He’s draped an arm over Valen’s shoulders like this is the greatest entertainment he’s had all week.

Valen, for his part, stares skyward as though praying forstrength.

“I was going to let it slide,” Valen mutters. “But it’s been several seconds and I’m still standing here, so no. No, I’m not.”

Heat floods my cheeks as I stumble back a step, nearly stepping on my dropped blade. Thane steps back too. Composed, but with his jaw tight and the fire in his eyes still burning. No apology. No embarrassment. Like a wolf asked to heel. Silent. Still. One command away from ignoring it entirely.

I drag in a breath and glare at Rian. “You two have nothing better to do?”

“Not at the moment,” he says, clearly delighted. “But you looked busy. And by the way, this was supposed to be a training session.”

I blanch.