I nod slowly.
“Then we’ll teach it not to flare—but to shield.”
Raiden’s arms cross again. “And if she burns out like last time?”
Kael smiles, all teeth, reminding me of a predator. “Then you catch herbeforeyou fall.”
There’s a silence. Thick and tense.
Then Kael extends a hand toward me, palm up, mirroring the dream far too closely.
“This time,” he says, “don’t hesitate.”
I place my hand in his.
Kael’s hand is cool against mine—bare skin on bare skin—and I feel it this time.
Not like the dream. Not like a fantasy. Like reality cracking wide open.
My breath hitches as magic rushes forward, mine, his, the veilbind’s echo pulsing faintly in the background. It’s not as strong as with Raiden, but it recognizes him. Like the Veil sees him as a possible tether.
“Good,” Kael murmurs. “Now close your eyes.”
I hesitate.
Raiden shifts, arms still crossed, but his scent sharpens. Protective. On edge.
“Why?” I ask, heart thudding.
“Because I need you to feel.” Kael steps behind me, his arm circling my stomach, his breath brushing my ear. “Not think. Not react. Just feel.”
My lashes flutter shut as his hands fall away.
He doesn’t touch me again. Just speaks. “Where is your center?”
I reach for it. That spark I felt before everything went sideways. “Lower belly. Between the ribs.”
“Good. Now breathe into it.”
I do what I think would equate to breathing into it.
The magic stirs.
Then flares—hard—when a hand brushes over my wrist. Not Kael.
Raiden.
He steps into my space, close enough that I feel the heat of him, the press of the tether sparking between us.
“She’s overwhelmed,” Raiden grits. “Back off.”
“She’s fine,” Kael replies smoothly. “She’s just not used to being seen.”
My eyes snap open.
Raiden and Kael are both in front of me now, so close I could reach out and touch them both. Kael with his cold calm and burning shadows. Raiden with his stormy expression and silent fire.
And me burning in between them.
