Corbin chuckled beside me. “Make a list of what you want to dream up next, my queen. We’ll have much to do once you return home.”
My smile spread as I allowed myself to dream about what life would be like after all of this.
As I continued to take a moment to admire everything, Jax, Raya, and Storm walked up from behind us. Raya looked brighter and healthier. She had a noticeable energy about her that had been missing since our escape from Mysthaven. Her eyes shone, looking clear for the first time since our battle at Mount Legion. She carried her sword over her shoulder as ifready to enter battle right this moment. Whatever Cassandra had done clearly helped.
“I have to admit, I’m impressed,” Storm murmured. “Looks like the Hidden Henchman crew came through after all.”
Turning, I smiled. “Brookmere helps their own. Just you wait, we’ll double this in the next few days. I just know it.”
Jax threw his arm around my shoulder. “You know, Queeny, if you need a general for your army, I’ve always thought I’d be an excellent choice.” He waved his hand in front of our faces. “General Jax Wilder. It’s got a nice ring to it, right?”
“Jax, you barely held our operation together while Kade and I were gone,” Storm chided. “You think you can lead a whole army? My friend, think again.”
Jax furrowed his brow. “I would say I did just fine while you were off gallivanting at the marriage trials, which, by the way, I will forever be upset I wasn’t invited to participate in.”
Raya snickered. “Do I really need to remind you about what actually happened when they were gone? You may have succeeded in running routes, establishing a new safe house?—”
“A feat of epic proportions, mind you,” Jax jumped in.
“However,” Raya continued, “I seem to remember being the responsible one every damn day. Waking you up every morning, forcing you to train, ensuring you didn’t slip into a sullen fit that we were left behind.”
“You are no fun, Raya.” Jax pouted before returning his attention to me. “How about master sparer? Commander of shifters? Trainer extraordinaire?”
“Speaking of, we do need to start training soon.” Storm crossed his arms. “We need to assess everyone’s skills and place them into battalions. When Ian returns, we can start the assessments.” He turned to face me. “And you need to start training your magic as well.”
Kalliah’s eyes shot wide open as she gasped. “Did you say magic?”
Grinning, the warmth of my magic tingled. “He sure did and, get this—Kade’s my mate.”
Kalliah rested a hand on her hip as she faced me, ignoring everyone else. “I’m listening.”
“The two go hand-in-hand really. When I finally accepted Kade as my mate, my light exploded out of me. I’ve used it a couple of times, but I don’t really have any control over it yet.” I shrugged. “Turns out there was something to the prophecy after all.”
“Fates help us.” Kalliah ran a hand over her face, but then she paused. “So, you’re saying there’s a chance? A chance your new unprecedented magic can get us out of this mess?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m saying there’s a chance.”
Storm interrupted our moment, coughing to get our attention. “Look, as fun as this all may be, you can’t afford to have any more outbursts and incinerate us all. You need to be trained by someone who can get your magic under control.”
I sighed, knowing it was true. Unless my emotions ran high, I couldn’t even call on my magic. “But who can do that? I don’t know anyone who has ever had light magic like this, have you?”
“No, we haven’t, but light and fire feel like they could be similar.” Storm created a ball of fire in his hand before blowing it out. “I’ll train you for now until we can figure out something else. At the very least, I can teach you the basics of feeling for your magic.”
“Apparently we’re tabling the discussion about my promotion,” Jax huffed.
“Jax, come on. If you were ‘trainer extraordinaire,’Lana would get injured somehow and Kade and his shadows would literally kill you,” Raya said, waving at Jax to come to her. “Let’sgo see if anyone needs help. Or maybe someone wants to spar for fun.”
At the mention of Kade’s name, my heart dropped.
“Come on, Lana.” Storm grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze before I could even think. “Let’s go train for a bit. It always helps me when I am upset.”
I waved to the others as they dispersed in various directions. Storm and I walked the few minutes in silence to an empty area just north of the inn. It was a small space, on the other side of a hill, away from the rest of the Fae bustling in the fields. No one would see us practicing here, for which I was thankful. I didn’t need an audience watching me fail at using my magic before we even started this battle.
Storm had me sit crossed-legged in the swaying grasses, and he did the same. “Let’s start with the basics. Can you feel the well of power in your body? Is there a place it has settled?”
My eyes slid closed, and I reached, anxious to grab on to any bit of magic wanting to make itself known. The only thing I felt inside my chest was an ache in the space connecting me to Kade.
I gritted my teeth, trying again, this time attempting to ignore that cavernous emptiness. I came up short. Frustrated, I opened my eyes to meet Storm’s gaze. “No, I feel nothing. Nothing at all.” I rubbed my chest as if it could lessen the pain throbbing inside. “My magic just happens to show itself when I am overly emotional in some way or if someone is threatened. But I can’t feel it inside of me.”
