Page 67 of Elemental Becoming

Too long.

And now, instead of untangling everything we just uncovered, instead of focusing on what actually matters, I’m thinking about him. The way his arm holds mine. The way his strength surrounds me. The way I feel when I’m close to him.

Distraction. A dangerous, consuming distraction.

Thane dips his head, his breath warm against my temple. “You’re quiet.”

I force myself to focus, to swallow down the heat rising in my chest. “Just thinking.”

His lips curve in the barest hint of amusement. He hums, low and knowing.

By all of the Elemental gods,he knows.

The bond.

That treacherous, infuriating, impossible thing that refuses to let me hide anything from him.

Heat climbs my neck. I keep my gaze forward, walking as if nothing’s wrong, as if my pulse isn’t pounding, as if my thoughts aren’t utterly unraveling at the feel of him beside me.

He doesn’t push, doesn’t pry, but I feel his amusement curling through the bond like a whisper of smoke. He knows exactly where my mind went. And he’s enjoying it.

Bastard.

But then, something else slips through, not just his amusement. Something primal and raw.

Wanting.

It settles low, winding through me, tightening somewhere deep in my core.

I let a small smile form, just enough for him to catch.

It goes both ways.

I slide my eyes toward him, catching the way his gaze darkensin return. Like we’re sharing something no one else can see.

We approach a grand stairway, wide and ornate, its dark stone steps worn smooth by centuries of passage. The balustrade curves beside us, carved with flame motifs that twist upward as if frozen mid-burn.

Just before we descend, Thane releases my arm and takes my hand instead. The change is seamless, natural. His fingers close around mine, guiding me as we start down.

I gather the fabric of my dress with my free hand, lifting it just enough to keep from catching the hem and tumbling down the steps in a thoroughly humiliating display.

Of everything I’ve done these past six months—this feels like the most likely way to meet my end. Flying with Calryx and fighting the Kethraki didn’t feel as perilous.

At least my slippers are flat. Small mercies.

Thane keeps pace with me. His thumb brushes once against my skin as he steadies me. There’s no urgency, no impatience, only care, as if his sole purpose in this moment is to ensure I make it down these steps without incident.

It is so different from anything I have ever known. The attention. The steadiness. The unspoken devotion in the way he guides me.

A memory surfaces of Ronan. Not love, but an old lover.

This is different.

Back then, I had never known what it meant to be cared for like this. Not out of expectation or obligation, but given freely.

I glance at Thane, at the ease in the way he steadies me, and the thought slips in before I can stop it.

When did I start trusting him like this? When did I let someone else care for me this way? Not just about me, butforme.