Page 23 of Tempest Blazing
Kane's hands tightened on my shoulders. "Try harder. This isn't a game. If you can't control your power—"
"I know it's not a game!" The words came out sharper than I intended, fueled by frustration and the confusing intensity of having him so close. "I'm doing my best."
"Your best isn't good enough." His voice was cold, cutting. "Not if you want to survive what's coming."
Something about his tone lit a fire in me. I reached deeper for my magic, pushing past the resistance, and suddenly the golden threads steadied. The purple energy wove through them more smoothly, and I felt the power flow down through my arms exactly the way Kane had described.
"There," I said, opening my eyes with a small smile of triumph. "For how long I've been doing this, I think I'm doing pretty good."
The moment the words left my mouth, I knew I'd stepped in it. Kane went completely still behind me, his hands freezing on my shoulders. When I turned to look at him, his expression had shifted into something sharp and dangerous.
"You think you're doing pretty good?" His voice was mocking, biting in a way that made my stomach clench. The blue-violet of his eyes seemed to burn as he stared at me.
"I just meant—"
"You don't even understand the danger you're in." He stepped around to face me, his voice dropping to something low and intense that made the air between us feel electric. "You have no idea what you're dealing with."
I should have stepped back. Should have put distance between us. But something about the way he was looking at me—like I was both precious and infuriating—kept me rooted in place. Instead, I lifted my chin and met his stare.
"Then tell me," I said quietly. "Help me understand."
Kane moved closer, and I found myself backing up until my shoulders hit the mirrored wall. He didn't touch me, but he was close enough that I could see the flecks of darker blue in his eyes, close enough that his presence seemed to surround me completely.
"You think a few weeks of training makes you ready for what's out there?" His voice was rough, raw with something I couldn't name. "You think your pretty magic tricks will protect you from the kind of people who would tear you apart just to see what makes you tick?"
"I don't think that," I whispered, but my voice came out breathless. "I know I have a lot to learn. That's why I'm here. That's why I'm training with you."
Something flickered across his expression—surprise, maybe, or something deeper. "You shouldn't trust me," he said, but his voice had lost some of its edge. "You shouldn't trust any of us."
"But I do." The words slipped out before I could stop them, honest and unguarded. "I trust you."
Kane went completely still. For a heartbeat, neither of us moved, neither of us breathed. Then something in his expression cracked, and I saw something raw and desperate flash through his eyes.
"Damn it," he breathed, his voice rough with disbelief. "You trust me?"
The space between us collapsed. His gaze dropped to my lips, then back to my eyes, and I saw the exact moment his control shattered.
And then he was kissing me.
Not gentle. Not tentative. Fierce, desperate, like he'd been holding himself back for too long and finally snapped. His hands framed my face, fingers threading through my hair, and I could taste the frustration and want on his lips.
I should have been shocked. Should have pushed him away. Instead, I melted into him, my hands fisting in the fabric of his shirt as I kissed him back with equal desperation.
The magic in my chest exploded, golden threads pulsing through me, each heartbeat sending sparks of purple energy racing along my skin. It felt like our connection was igniting something deeper, something that had been waiting just beneath the surface.
Kane's body pressed against mine, pinning me to the mirror, and I could feel the tension in every line of him. His kiss was consuming, demanding, like he was trying to pour everything he couldn't say into the connection between us.
Then something changed. His hands against my face went rigid, his fingers suddenly too still. I felt his breath catch, felt the shift in his body from desperate need to something that felt like shock—or fear. His mouth stilled against mine, and for a heartbeat, I could swear I felt him tremble.
Then he was stepping back so abruptly that I nearly stumbled. His face had gone pale, his expression shifting from passion to something that looked almost like horror. The sudden absence of his warmth left me cold, like stepping from sunlight into shadow.
"Kane?" I reached for him instinctively, but he stepped further back, putting more distance between us.
"This was a mistake." His voice was cold, controlled, completely different from the raw desperation of moments before. "This can't happen."
The words slammed into me, stealing the breath from my lungs. A mistake? The kiss that had felt like everything suddenly meant nothing? My chest ached with something that had nothing to do with magic and everything to do with the way he was looking at me now—like I was something he needed to escape.
"What? Why—"
