"Exactly."
One word. Low and laced with something that had nothing to do with ward-work.
His approval carried through the shadow connection like warmth pouring down her spine, pooling low in her stomach. She pressed her lips together, refusing to let her breath change where he might hear it.
He said 'exactly' about crystal alignment, not about you. Get it together.
The third position took longer. The energy patterns were more complex, requiring constant adjustment to maintain balance. His shadows had extended up her arms now, tendrils of darkness sliding past her elbows, supporting her movements when she reached for higher controls.
More contact. More surface area of shadow against skin. More of that devastating gentleness that made her forget what she was supposed to be doing.
"Breathe." His voice had gone quieter. A command wrapped in gentleness. "Don't fight the connection."
She realized she'd been holding her breath, trying to maintain some scrap of self-preservation. When she exhaled and let herself sink into the rhythm of the magic, the shadows settled more completely around her arms, and the resistance between them disappeared.
Better. Easier to work when she wasn't fighting his guidance.
Harder in every other way.
Because now there was nothing between her awareness and his. No friction, no barrier, just the seamless slide of his shadows against her skin and the devastating intimacy of moving together without thought.
The fourth position required even more reach. Controls positioned at shoulder height with multiple energy streams weaving together in elaborate patterns. She stretched to grasp the mechanisms, and shadows wrapped around her shoulders, steadying her as she leaned forward.
Large hands. That's what it felt like. Large, careful hands settling on her shoulders, thumbs resting against the curve of her neck.
"There's a knot forming in the upper left quadrant," she said, and her voice came out breathier than she wanted. She cleared her throat. Reached for the controls.
She had to lean farther forward, and the shadows slid from her shoulders to her waist. Anchoring her. The pressure of them spanning her ribs, fingers of darkness curving along the hollow beneath her lowest rib.
Her breath caught. Audibly, this time. No hiding it.
From across the chamber, she heard his breath hitch. Barely perceptible. Covered immediately by the hum of the ward-stones.
But she heard it.
"If this backs up much more, it could cause a cascade failure," she managed, as if she weren't acutely aware of every shadow-tendril pressed against her body.
"Can you clear it?" Strained. He sounded strained.
Good.
She manipulated the crystals, watching as the energy flows shifted and reorganized under her guidance. The shadows adjusted with each movement, anticipating her needs before she'd fully formed them. When she shifted her weight left, they compensated. When she reached higher, they tightened to keep her balanced.
Every small shift she made, catalogued. Memorized. Filed away through darkness.
"Almost... there." The knot dissolved, and the streams resumed their proper pattern. "Got it."
"Well done."
Two words. Spoken low, almost to himself, like praise he hadn't meant to give out loud. The warmth that bloomed through her chest was entirely disproportionate to the compliment.
She caught herself leaning back. Leaning into the shadows still curled around her waist. Barely caught herself. Barely stopped.
He went very still across the chamber. That stillness she was learning meant he'd noticed something he was trying very hard not to react to.
"Steady," he murmured, and the shadow at her waist traced a slow path along the curve of her hip before settling back into its position.
That was not functional.
