Thalvor nodded. “You have more of my blood in you than I realized.”
The tension in the room felt a little less suffocating. It felt like we were building a small, tentative bridge where there had only been silence and disappointment before.
I met my father’s eyes across the suite. “Thank you.”
The harsh lines around his mouth softened just a fraction. He gave another small nod, as if acknowledging the effort on both sides.
It wasn’t reconciliation, but it was a start.
“I’ll give you both a moment. Take your time.” Lirael slipped out of the suite, leaving the door to close softly behind her.
My father remained where he was, his gaze fixed on me. For a long moment neither of us spoke. The air between us crackled with years of unsaid things—expectations, disappointments, and the weight of a heritage I’d only just begun to understand.
Finally, he broke the quiet. “I should have told you sooner. About the storm blood. I didn’t understand how it impacted your aura.” He paused, as if the admission cost him something. “That was a failure on my part.”
My guarded walls were still firmly in place, but I opened up enough to admit, “Every time it sparked, I thought I was broken. That I wouldn’t be able to control my aura and would become a predatory demon who used others without any regard to who got hurt.”
“I wish I’d realized. I would have explained that the storm doesn’t forgive hesitation. It demands mastery.” He exhaled slowly. “But you’ve mastered more in these few days than I did in my early years. Your lightning is not a flaw. It’s power. And you’re already learning to wield it better than I ever did at your age.”
It wasn’t the apology wrapped in fatherly affection that I yearned for as a girl. Just reserved honesty from a man who rarely offered praise. An olive branch extended across the distance between us.
There were still years of distance between us, and wounds that wouldn’t heal in one conversation. But it was a real step in the right direction, and that was enough for me.
Lirael returned quietly. “We’re done for today. You’ve done well, Isolde.”
I left the training suite with my father’s words echoing in my mind. My power no longer felt like something I had to apologize for or hide. It felt like it was truly mine for the first time.
As I walked down the hallway toward the quarters I now shared with Kastiel, a small, genuine smile tugged at my lips. The storm inside me was no longer something to fear.
I couldn’t wait to tell my mate.
I was finally ready to stand beside him, fully and openly.
16
KASTIEL
The door to our quarters slid open, and Isolde stepped inside. I was waiting for her on the wide couch, one arm draped along the back. The moment she entered, the bond between us hummed stronger than ever. Her aura brushed against me, flowing with quiet confidence. I felt the steady pulse of our connection deepen the instant our eyes met.
She looked radiant. Tired from the long day, but with the kind of glow that came from finally beginning to trust herself.
I watched her as she crossed the room, taking in the small smile playing at her lips and the way her shoulders sat a little straighter than they had when I first saw her from across the room at the Festival of Midnight. She had become my everything in such a short time. The weight of that truth settled in my chest, making my demon purr with deep satisfaction.
Isolde dropped onto my lap as though it was as natural as breathing. “You should have seen it today. Lirael pushed me harder than usual. I’m not sure what you felt on your end of the bond when I pulled energy from it, but I managed to hold a steady lightning shield. It didn’t fight me this time.”
“Your light feeds my shadows so well, I barely felt the tug.” I brushed my fingers through her hair, letting the strands slip between them. “And I’m not surprised by your success. You’ve been working harder than anyone could ask.”
“Lirael apparently invited my father to observe, and he actually showed up. He gave me some advice and said I have more of his blood in me than he realized. And that I’m mastering the storm faster than he did at my age.” She paused, her tone turning quieter. “He admitted he should have told me about the hybrid gift sooner. It wasn’t a big apology or anything, but it felt like a step in the right direction.”
I pressed a kiss to the top of her head, my arm tightening around her shoulders. “I’m proud of you for meeting him where he is.”
She nestled closer, her aura brushing against mine in that now-familiar caressing wave. “It still feels surreal. A few weeks ago, I was terrified of letting any of this out. Now I’m actually excited to see what I can do with a little more training.”
Watching her grow into her power had become one of the greatest privileges of my long life.
I tilted her chin up gently to look into her emerald eyes. The softness I only ever showed her crept into my voice. “You’ve become my home, Isolde.”
The words were pulled from a place I had kept locked away for centuries. I felt the mate bond flare brighter between us as the truth of it settled.
