Page 38 of Elemental Becoming

His free hand clenches at his side, knuckles whitening.

“But she didn’t.” The words seem to press against his ribs. “We watched her slip away. Piece by bloody piece. First her mind, then her body. And there was nothing we could do but wait for her to either come back to us . . . or die slowly.”

I listen, holding his hand.

Because what else can I do?

“We tried,” he says, voice low. “When she started forgetting. Seeing things that weren’t there. We tried everything.”

I don’t breathe.

“Scholars. Healers. Mages.” He shakes his head. “No one could help her. No one could stop it.”

The torches flicker, casting shadows across his grief-stricken face.

“We were helpless. Just watching the essence of her life force fade. More and more each day.”

The word sinks into me.

Helpless.

I’ve never thought of him that way. Not once.

But he was.

I look at the man before me, who carries the weight of the realm on his shoulders. Who has fought for so long, so hard, and still believes he isn’t enough.

The sadness in the bond presses heavier now. Being back here, in this place, the memories must be closing in from all sides.

I release his hand.

For a moment, Thane looks at the space where our fingers had been intertwined. Then his gaze lifts, searching mine. Questioning.

Before he can speak, I step closer toward him.

My bare feet move softly against the cool stone, the space between us vanishing in one step. I rise onto my toes, my hands coming up to cup his face. My thumb trails across his stubbled cheek, quiet and sure.

If I could say everything with this one touch, I would.

That I love him.

That I understand loss.

That he doesn’t have to carry this alone.

If this touch could take it all away—the pain, the weight, the years of loneliness—I would give it without hesitation.

But I can’t.

So I just hold him, letting my touch speak where words fail.

I look into his eyes, heavy with sadness.

He has carried it alone for so long. But no more.

I pull him down to me.

Thane responds instantly, gathering me against him. Heat builds where we touch, strength and desperation coil beneath his grip. Like he’s afraid to lose me the way he lost them.