As we return to our quarters, she leans heavily against me. “I’m exhausted.”
“You passed three trials, presented to a council, and planned a military operation. You’re allowed to be exhausted.”
“Will you...” She pauses, vulnerability showing through her usual strength. “Stay with me tonight? Just to sleep. I don’t want to be alone.”
“I’m not leaving you,” I promise, guiding her inside. “Not tonight. Not ever, if I have my way.”
We settle onto the furs, her back against my chest, my wings folded protectively around us both. It’s intimate without being sexual—just two people who’ve been through hell, finding comfort in closeness.
“Magnus?” Her voice is drowsy, sleep already pulling at her.
“Mm?”
“Thank you. For believing I could pass the trials. For not trying to protect me from them.”
“You never needed protection from challenges. You needed someone who trusts you to meet them.” I press a kiss to her temple. “That’s what mates do. Trust each other’s strength.”
She’s asleep within minutes, her breathing evening out, her body relaxing completely against mine. And I lie there, watching shadows dance on the walls, thinking about everything that’s changed in such a short time.
I came on this mission expecting to track some missing traders, prove Mountain Cat capability, and return home unchanged.
Instead, I found my mate. Gained wings. Discovered that evolution doesn’t require force—just love and trust and the willingness to give freely what others would take by theft.
In three days, we’ll face Crane again. Storm the facility. Free the prisoners or die trying.
15
LYRA
Two days of preparation blur together in a controlled chaos of planning, training, and coordination. The assault force grows larger with each passing hour—Storm Eagle flights arrive from the aerie, Shadow Wolf packs emerge from the forests, even a contingent of Frost Lynx scouts appears, drawn by news of Haven’s Heart’s atrocities.
But it’s the training sessions with Magnus that consume most of my attention.
We’re in one of the Mountain Cat practice chambers, a vast space carved from ice and stone where warriors hone their skills. Keira insisted we drill—not just fighting coordination, but the deeper synchronization that bonded pairs can achieve.
“Again,” Magnus says, circling me in his snow leopard form. “Feel where I’m going to move before I move. Our bond should let you anticipate.”
I close my eyes, reaching for that connection we’ve forged through healing and transformation. Through the bond, I sense his intentions—a feint left, then a lunge right. I shift my position before he moves, and when his massive form springs forward,I’m already out of the way, my hand trailing across his flank as he passes.
Silver-blue light sparks where we touch, and I feel his satisfaction through the bond.
“Better,” he says, shifting back to human form. Sweat gleams on his skin despite the cold, and I have to force myself not to stare at the way his muscles move beneath that skin. “You’re learning to read me.”
“It helps that you telegraph your intentions through the bond,” I say, trying for levity even as my awareness of him intensifies. “You’re not exactly subtle.”
“Subtle doesn’t win fights.” He moves closer, and suddenly the practice chamber feels much smaller. “But we need to be more than coordinated. We need to be seamless. When we infiltrate that facility again, there won’t be time to discuss tactics or plan responses. We need to function as one unit.”
“Like in the ice maze.”
“Exactly.” His hand comes up to cup my face, thumb brushing across my cheekbone in a gesture that’s become familiar. “You trust me in there. I trusted you. That’s what kept us alive in Crane’s laboratory. We need to be able to do that again, under worse conditions.”
I lean into his touch, feeling the magnetic pull between us grow stronger. It’s been building for two days—every training session, every shared meal, every night spent sleeping in each other’s arms without crossing that final line. The tension is becoming unbearable.
“Magnus,” I whisper, not sure what I’m asking for.
His eyes darken with heat. “I know. I feel it too.”
Before either of us can act on the want crackling between us, Keira enters the chamber with Elder Frost and several other warriors. Magnus steps back immediately, putting appropriatedistance between us, but I see the frustration in the set of his shoulders.
