But when I lift my head, it’s Kieran—and I hate that I’m disappointed.
He’s grinning, but there’s something careful in the way he approaches, thumbs tucked into his belt like he’s trying to look casual. Like he knows I might snap.
“You alright?”
I bark out a dry laugh. “Do I look alright?”
He drops onto the grass beside me, leaning back against the tree with an exaggerated sigh. “No, but I figured I’d ask anyway.”
For a moment, we sit there. Kieran doesn’t push or try to fix it. He just exists next to me, steady and easy—like he’s not expecting me to fall apart, just letting me be.
Finally, he shifts, stretching his legs out in front of him, links his fingers and puts them behind his head.
“You know,” he says, more thoughtful now, “I saw what happened back there. And I don’t mean the fire and flying rocks. I meanyou. You weren’t just losing control, Amara. You were wielding something no one else can. That has to mean something.”
I shake my head, exhaling sharply. “It means I almost burnedeverything down. It means I could’ve hurt more than just Thane.”
Kieran watches me for a beat, then shrugs. “Yeah. But you didn’t. You stopped it. That means something, too.”
Before I can argue, he continues, “Look, I don’t know what they’re telling you, but you’re not some ticking bomb waiting to go off. You’re still you. And you’re figuring it out.”
His words settle over me—gentle but firm—and for a second, I almost let them in.
Almost.
Then the air shifts.
Kieran’s teasing falters—just for a moment—as his eyes flick past me. I don’t have to look.
I know it’s Thane.
The weight of his stare presses into me, brimming with unspoken things.
Kieran clears his throat and rises, posture straightening. He nods toward Thane in a crisp, practiced salute.
“Warlord,” he says smoothly. Then he flashes me one last grin. “Try not to break anything else while I’m gone.”
I roll my eyes.
“I should probably go check on something that definitely exists . . . somewhere else,” Kieran mutters. He tosses a lazy salute and slips into the crowd.
I don’t look at Thane, but I feel him. Standing there. Watching.
Like always.
After a long pause, he sits beside me. Not too close—but not far enough to pretend there’s nothing between us. Even in the open air, the heat of him is unmistakable.
“Kieran seems interested in you,” he says lightly. “Can’t say I blame him. You have a way of making things . . . hard to ignore.”
I blink, turning my head just enough to see him from thecorner of my eye. “Are you really here to talk about Kieran?”
His jaw tightens slightly, but something flickers behind his eyes, something I can’t quite name. “He sees something in you. Something worth going after.”
The words settle between us.
But I hear it—the careful dip in his tone, the too-even delivery. Like he’s testing a boundary he’s not sure he’s allowed to cross.
It’s not just what he’s saying. It’severything he’s not.
