Page 77 of Tempest Blazing
The familiar panic clawed up my throat. My father's threats against Tess echoed in my mind—not because he knew how close we'd become, but because she was human. Vulnerable. An easy target for Silvius's sabotage. Control was everything—the only thing that kept me safe, kept me whole, kept those I cared about protected. Without it, I was just another Fae who couldn'tcontain his power, who let emotion dictate magic instead of the other way around. My father had beaten that lesson into me—that power without control was weakness, that vulnerability was a luxury I couldn't afford.
I'd sworn I'd never be that exposed again. Never let anyone strip away the careful discipline I'd built around my magic, around my heart. But here I was, undone by a girl who made my elements sing and my carefully constructed walls crumble. And worse—my loss of control put her directly in my father's crosshairs.
"Stay," Tess whispered, her fingers brushing my arm. "Just until I fall asleep."
I should say no. Should walk out that door and put distance between us. But her eyes held mine, and I found myself nodding. "Just until you fall asleep."
She curled against me, her breathing gradually slowing. I stared at the ceiling, my thoughts churning like storm clouds. This wasn't supposed to happen. Not like this. Not because I couldn't control my own fucking temper.
I'd come here because I was spiraling, because the rage was building to dangerous levels and I needed an outlet before my magic consumed everything in its path. But using Tess like that—treating her as nothing more than a pressure valve for my demons—made me sick. Especially when every moment I spent with her painted a bigger target on her back.
Fuck.
I glanced down at her sleeping face, peaceful now. This wasn't her fault. She hadn't asked for any of this—the bond, my attention, my loss of control. Or my father's twisted games.But part of me was annoyed anyway. At her. At myself. At the universe for tangling us together.
At her for making me feel things I couldn't compartmentalize or suppress.
Was this what having a mate meant? This constant, maddening pull? This erosion of my carefully constructed boundaries? This terrifying vulnerability that left my magic—and my heart—completely exposed? This desperate need to protect someone who was already in danger simply because she existed in my father's world?
I didn't want that. Didn't want to need anyone this much. Didn't want to be at the mercy of emotions that could make my power spiral beyond my control. Didn't want to risk the kind of magical catastrophe that happened when discipline shattered—especially not when my father was already looking for excuses to eliminate the human threat.
My magic stirred restlessly beneath my skin, pushing back against every rational thought. It whispered that being with Tess was pure magic—the kind that felt right in ways nothing else ever had. Part of me wanted to listen, wanted to give in to what felt so natural it scared me. But I couldn't afford that luxury. Not now. Not when losing control meant becoming the kind of Fae who let power run wild, who destroyed everything he touched. Not when my father was already planning Tess's downfall.
Her breathing deepened as sleep claimed her. I carefully disentangled myself, tucking the blanket around her shoulders. Tomorrow we'd face the written exam. She needed rest. So did I.
I moved silently to the door, pausing to look back at her. Something twisted in my chest—desire, protectiveness, fear. All of it too intense. Too raw. Too much like the desperate vulnerability my father had taught me to bury beneath layers ofrigid control. Too dangerous when every emotion I felt for her put her deeper in Silvius's crosshairs.
I slipped out, closing the door quietly behind me. The cool night air helped clear my head as I walked back to my quarters. Tomorrow, I'd be in control again. I had to be.
No matter what it cost me. No matter what it cost her.
Chapter 33
Tess
My heart hammered against my ribs as I arrived outside the lecture hall where the written exam would shortly start. My palms were slick on the strap of my satchel, sweat making the leather slippery beneath my fingers. Beneath the nerves, something raw and desperate clawed at my chest—a determination that felt less like confidence and more like a drowning person's grip on driftwood.
I had to pass this exam. I had to prove I belonged here, because the alternative—failing, being sent away—wasn't something I could survive.
The hallway buzzed with nervous energy—conversations in hushed tones, the rustle of papers, the occasional spark of uncontrolled magic from someone's anxiety. The whole scene felt like being back in high school before the SATs, except everyone here was at least twenty-five and could probably level a city block if they sneezed wrong.
I spotted Mason leaning against a pillar, arms crossed, watching the crowd with those dark eyes that never missed anything. He stood solid and still until our gazes met.
The moment our eyes locked, his expression softened, the hard lines of his face easing into something warmer. He pushed off from the pillar and moved toward me, cutting through the crowdeasily. When he reached me, he brushed my elbow with his fingers—barely a touch, just the whisper of skin against skin—but it was enough to ground me.
"You've got this," he murmured, his voice low and gruff, meant only for me. The words steadied me, pulling me back from the edge of panic.
I straightened, forcing that desperate need into something harder, sharper. I couldn't afford doubt—not when everything depended on this. "Just have to remember everything I've ever learned about supernatural politics, magical theory, and dragon bonding. No pressure."
Mason's lips quirked up at the corner. "You know this stuff better than anyone. Trust yourself."
I glanced sideways, catching Kane already ahead of us, his posture stiff, eyes unreadable. My stomach dropped. After last night—the way he'd looked at me, the intensity in his voice when he'd helped me practice, the moment when I thought he might actually...
But he didn't even look my way. Not once. He stood rigid and distant, as if nothing had happened between us at all.
He'd kissed me with fire in his eyes, then looked right through me. Was it a test? A game? Or was I really that delusional? The thought sliced through me, and I tried to dismiss the sting that followed. Maybe I'd imagined the heat in his eyes, the way his voice had gone rough when he'd said my name. Maybe I was just seeing what I wanted to see.
Focus, Tess. I clenched my hands into fists, nails biting into my palms. The pain helped center me, helped push down the hurt and transform it into something useful. Whatever was happening with Kane could wait—right now, I had to survivethis exam. Had to prove I wasn't the mistake everyone probably thought I was.
