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I push through the charged air toward Alessia, watching the bloody tears track down her face.

“Arlo, please, no!” She throws her hands up as if to tell him to stop, and a tremor rolls through her body violently as she tries to harness the power. Eagan is screaming something. Arlo’s mouth is moving, but I don’t hear the words.

The sky swirls black above. Her grasp on the magic is thin, and the world seems to tilt with each breath she takes, the energy spiraling into a raging storm that threatens violence if unleashed on my kingdom.

I’m so close now that I can taste the air around her, sharp and metallic. “Focus on me,” I command, and her head snaps in my direction. “Let it go. It’s your power. It answers to you, little mage.”

She shakes her head, sweat beading and running down her neck. My pace has slowed, but I’m still inching closer.

Arlo moves toward us, his voice now rising above the howl of wind. I cut him off with a hard look and reach for Eagan through the mindlink. “Get him out of here before he gets us all killed,” I hiss.

Eagan’s reaction to my words is instant, and he moves toward Arlo. “Back up. Let Kylian handle it. You are not immortal.”

“I’m not leaving her,” he screeches. The moment he refuses, my anger swells into a red-hot surge that matches the storm. She’s scared of hurting this stupid human, and her fear is driving the storm.

Another tremor rips the ground, the earth buckling beneath us. Alessia stumbles, choking on a sob that tears from her throat. “I can’t . . .” The fear in her voice is like ice in my veins.

Another tremor surges through the earth, and Alessia staggers. A sob tears from her throat, and the memory of her power erupting in Xavian’s bunker comes to mind. Her fear for her sister, her desperation for control, it sharpened her power into a weapon she didn’t know how to hold.

Fuck it. She needs to feel me, not just hear me.

I slam into her and wrap my arms protectively around her head and body as we tumble to the ground. The heat of her skin sears through my sleeves. She bucks against me, power washing over me in scorching waves, burning where it touches. She strains to wrench free, to shove me away, her fear of hurting me screaming loudly through the bond, but I hold tight.

My lips press against hers, and the world narrows to the contact, to the bond that hums between us, a conduit through which she can place her magic safely.

The kiss slows her panic, but the storm crackles loudly above. Alessia’s body shudders, her breath hiccuping.

Arlo swears somewhere nearby, but if she hears his voice, she doesn’t act like it. Right now, she only recognizes what’s happening between us. So I press closer, letting the bond give Alessia a path through her fear. She clings to me, fingers scratching at my arms, her nails leaving feverish red trails that sting with the heat of her magic carving into me.

“I’m hurting you,” she gasps, and I hear Arlo arguing with Eagan like he believes I’m trying to force myself on her.

I know my next move will hurt her, not physically, but emotionally. She wouldn’t want Arlo to bear witness to this, but I sink my teeth into her neck anyway, risking the very possibility of being savagely thrown off her.

I’m braced for the impact that never comes.

The bond and her magic ignite instantly as if I am the very thing it was looking for. Alessia moans, her body melting against mine as she presses closer, tilting her head slightly to give me better access.

“He’s fucking killing her!” Arlo screams. “Get the fuck off me! He’s going to—” His words die abruptly when I pull my mouth from her neck, and she kisses me with the kind of deep hunger I know intimately.

Her hands claw at my arms, dragging me closer like the bond is trying to devour me whole. Her blood is on my tongue, melting into her mouth, hot and sweet.

“That’s it, focus on me, little mage,” I murmur against her lips.

Her sobs ease into a tremulous breath, and the energy around us begins to exhale its fury, releasing a controlled gust rather than a raging cyclone. My hand smooths and slips beneath her shirt, cupping her breast, and she gasps, letting her head fall back against the scorched ground.

As her gaze flickers to the sky, I turn my head up as well, finding the storm dissipating rapidly, like someone slamming a door shut. Her breathing is ragged but her eyes are so beautifully clear that a relieved laugh tumbles out of me. She looks right into my eyes and smiles, and my chest aches at the sight.

Somewhere nearby, the rattle and crash of metal steals her attention, and when she turns her head, the smile dies on her lips instantly.

I see him too, shoving out of Eagan’s arms and kicking a pail, once, twice, until it skitters out of his way. Her breath hitches as Arlo stalks off toward the castle without looking back.

It’s like a bucket of ice over her head as she regains awareness. Her gaze moves back to mine, then she pushes against my shoulders roughly. It’s like she’s only just realizing the way her body has molded to mine, and she’s embarrassed.

She swallows thickly, and I let her go, not wanting to see regret on her beautiful face. I rock back on my knees then quickly stand, offering her a hand.

Alessia looks between me and Arlo’s retreating back, but she doesn’t take my hand. Instead, she traces the marks on her neck absentmindedly, not looking away from the pail Arlo kicked. Her guilt and shame flare through the bond.

I open my mouth to scold her but think better of it.