“Show-offs,” Lana grinned at the two of them.
Jax bowed deeply toward her. “I live to serve, my queen.”
Silence enveloped us as Jax and Ian tended to the fresh game, and Lana stirred our meal occasionally. I focused all my attention on her, rubbing my thumb on her arm, leg, wherever was easiest to reach.
“You know, Ian, have you ever tried partial-shifting?” Jax asked.
Ian looked perplexed as he added the cut-up hare to the stew to cook. “Partial-shift? I always thought it was kind of an all or nothing thing.”
I chuckled. “We absolutely do not need a Jax 2.0.”
Lana snorted, covering her mouth.
I twirled a loose strand of her hair in my hand. “He loves to play this game where he only shifts certain parts of his body. You’ll be sitting there and all of a sudden there’s a panther tail in your face or a claw running down your back.”
Lana smirked. “Jax, you are something else.”
“Thank you.” He winked and added his hare as well.
Ian sat next to the fire, looking perplexed. “I never even thought to attempt to partially shift certain parts of my body.” He raked his hands through his hair and proceeded to tie half of it up in a bun. “I’m going to have to try this.”
He muttered to himself, concentrating very hard, probably trying to shift certain parts of his body. Jax may be out there sometimes and give me relentless shit for anything and everything he possibly could, but if there was something Jax had mastered, it was partial-shifting.
Jax tilted his head back, laughing. “You aren’t meant to look like you’re in pain.” He stirred the stew once more before setting the utensil down. “About another thirty minutes and this should be ready. In the meantime, Ian,” Jax said, turning to him. “Let me help you before you rupture a blood vessel and your face stays that way forever.”
Lana watched Ian and Jax walk off away from the fire before she scootched herself closer to my side and laid her head on my shoulder again. “How are you coping?” She stroked my arm. “With the darkness? I haven’t seen your eyes shift recently.”
I took stock of my body. My magic swirled within me, searching for the dark bits of evil that had been forced into me for years. But it was hard to find. Lana’s light made an appearance, peeking out and glowing around her as it mixed playfully with my shadows. The darkest evil retreated to whatever nook and cranny it could find to hide.
“When I’m with you, when your magic mixes with mine, it's not so bad. It’s manageable.” I stroked her hair, wanting to reassure her despite my own fears of what might happen. “It’s as if your light doesn’t allow the darkness to surface.”
She looked up at me, smiling. Happy. “I will keep my hands on you forever if it’s what is needed to keep the darkness at bay.” She paused for a moment, and I could practically see the thoughts whirling through her mind. “But we need to find a way to banish it completely. I will not rest until you are free from his grasp.”
I clasped her hand in mine, kissing her knuckles one by one. “I’m just happy to be here with you. When Thames had total control over me, I didn’t remember any of this. The sensation of our bond remained, but my shadows concealed it, protecting it from Thames, and from me.” I shivered. The physical ache at not remembering the details of this incredible woman would haunt me forever. “Once I regained some of my mind again, I didn’t know how I’d get back to you. It’s been a long time since I felt this clear-headed and free for any length of time.” I stood, brushing the dirt off my knees. “Now come on. Let’s see if we can figure out how to get your magic to listen to you.”
Jax shouted from where he and Ian trained. “Lana appears to only be able to produce her magic in times of extreme need or fear. Storm has tried to work with her for a few weeks now, but nothing. She also gave quite a show in Canyon City when she thought Storm was in danger.” Jax brought a hand to his chest. “It was a sight to behold. Dangerous as fuck for all of us.”
Lana jumped up and turned to sneer at Jax. “My light doesn’t hurt the people I care about. But keep talking, and I might convince it otherwise.”
In true Jax fashion, he smiled instead of cowering at the sharp words.
Lana turned to me. “I’ve been thinking about my magic and how it erupted.”
She paced back and forth. “I thought the first time my magic ever showed itself was in Mysthaven, when we were fighting the king, but now I’m not sure if that’s true. It came out in small moments before then. At least, I think it did.”
Ian apparently decided to ditch his partial-shifting efforts and moved closer with Jax, listening intently to his best friend. I pushed down the irrational jealousy at how much longer he had been in her life. Knowing it was the mate bond and not my true thoughts, I took a deep breath, focusing on Lana again.
We stood next to each other in a line, watching Lana work through her thoughts. She continued pacing, then stopped and turned to us. “The first time my light appeared was right after you saved me in the hallway from Casimir. Right after we kissed.” The blush rising on her cheeks made me grin. Fates, I loved this woman, and knowing us connecting physically for the first time had brought out her magic went straight to my head.
“I believe it came out again when Elisabeth was dying in my arms and I wanted to heal her.” She swallowed, steeling herself. “Kade was there. Next, when my father was dying, and Kade was there again.” She twisted her braided hair in her fingers. “And finally, it seemed to flare briefly at the Festival of Swords.”
I stood up straighter and connected her thoughts. “So what you’re saying is thatI’mto thank for your magic?”
She scowled, clearly unimpressed by my joke, and continued processing. “Those were just small flickers of my light revealing itself. But what allowed it to finally break free?”
Jax and I looked at each other, while Ian put his hands up in the air, indicating he had no idea. Jax replied, “When we were battling Dargan. When Kade was in danger?”
She shook her head no, and now we were all confused. “That waswhenit happened, but it’s notwhyit happened.”
