Chapter 32 Ash Before Fire #2
Sunlight flared from her skin, twisting into blades of fire as she moved. Her eyes glowed with power that flowed through her limbs, connecting with impossible accuracy whenever she struck the targets I conjured.
"Good," I said, circling her slowly. "Now defend yourself."
I moved in, testing her reflexes with a slow, telegraphed strike. She blocked it easily, muscle memory from her mortal training combining with enhanced speed and strength.
"Faster," I commanded, increasing the pace.
She matched me step for step, parrying and countering with growing confidence. Her wings provided unexpected balance, letting her pivot and recover from angles that would topple a wingless opponent.
"You're holding back," she accused, breathing hard but grinning.
"Am I?"
I stepped up the intensity, forcing her to work harder. She rose to the challenge, her movements becoming more fluid, more instinctive. Heat began to radiate from her skin as her power responded to the physical exertion.
That's when she made her move.
Instead of blocking my next strike, she grabbed my wrist and used my momentum against me. Her wing swept low, catching my legs and sending me off balance. Before I could recover, she had me pinned against the floor, her knees straddling my hips and her hands pressing my wrists against the ground.
"Got you," she breathed, triumph blazing in her eyes.
For a moment, I could only stare up at her. Golden hair falling around her face like a curtain. Wings spread wide for balance. Power crackling beneath her skin like captured lightning.
She was magnificent.
"So you did," I said quietly.
Her smile widened, victory making her glow even brighter. "I can't believe I actually—"
I rolled us over in one smooth motion, reversing our positions. She gasped as her back hit the training mat, my body covering hers, my hands pinning her wrists above her head.
"Never celebrate too early," I murmured against her ear. "It leaves you vulnerable."
She struggled briefly, testing my grip. Found it secure. "That's cheating."
"All's fair in love and war." I nipped the curve of her neck.
"Stop paraphrasing human proverbs." She went still beneath me, and I sensed the shift in her tone. The slight catch in her breath as she registered our position. The way her pulse jumped against my lips. "This is supposed to be serious training."
"This is serious training." My voice had gone rough and low. I couldn't help it. Not with her body pressed against mine, every curve molded against me as if the Mother herself had designed us for this moment. "Training you to never let your guard down."
Her exhale was little more than a shuddering breath. A sensuous trail of warmth and yearning that sent my blood racing in an alarmingly primal rhythm. But instead of melting into it, she tensed. "I'm starting to regret this arrangement."
"I will never regret holding you like this."
Heat flared beneath her skin. Not the gentle warmth I'd grown accustomed to, but something fiercer. More dangerous.
"Let me up, Zydar." Her voice carried undertones that made the air itself hum with power.
"Make me."
The challenge was issued before I could think better of it. Her golden eyes flashed, and I realized my mistake a heartbeat too late.
Sunfire erupted from her skin like liquid gold. Not burning, but overwhelming. The light was so brilliant I had to squeeze my eyes shut, my grip on her wrists loosening instinctively.
She rolled us again, but this time there was nothing playful about it. Pure power drove the movement, strength that could crack stone. When the light faded enough for me to see, she was straddling my chest, her hands pressed flat against my shoulders.
Wings spread wide above us, blocking out everything else. Her skin still glowed with residual power, patterns of light racing beneath the surface like captured lightning.
"Lesson learned," she said, breathing hard. "Never underestimate what desperation can accomplish."
I stared up at her, stunned. The raw force she'd just displayed was beyond anything I'd seen from her before. Not controlled sunfire magic, but something primal. Instinctive.
"That was..." I started.
"Terrifying?" She shifted, settling her weight more securely. "Overwhelming? Completely uncontrolled?"
"Magnificent."
She was quiet for a long moment, processing what had just happened. What she'd just proven herself capable of.
"The power wants to consume everything," she whispered. "When it flares like that, I can feel it pushing against every boundary I've built. Like it's testing how far it can go before I break."
"Then we teach you stronger boundaries."
"What if I can't learn them fast enough? What if next time I don't hold back?"
I sat up slowly, careful not to dislodge her. My hands found her waist, anchoring her to the here and now instead of whatever terrifying futures her mind was conjuring.
"Then we make sure there isn't a next time. We train until control becomes second nature. Until you can channel that power without losing yourself to it."
She searched my face, looking for doubt or fear. Finding neither, she nodded slowly.
"Every day," she said.
"Every day," I agreed. "Until facing Ylvena becomes inevitable instead of suicidal."
Her smile was sharp as a blade. "I like those odds better."
The sunlight streaming through the training chamber windows was beginning to fade, painting everything in shades of gold and amber. But the glow emanating from Miralyte's skin was brighter than any natural light.
"When you become queen…" I said quietly.
She stiffened. "Zydar. You know how I feel about being a queen."
"But when you do." I brushed a strand of golden hair from her face. "I want to be there. I want to be the one placing the crown upon your brow."
Her breath caught. "You want to crown me?"
"I want to stand beside you when you claim what's rightfully yours. When you take back the Sun Court from the woman who destroyed your family." My voice roughened. "I want to watch you become everything you were born to be."
She was quiet for a long moment, golden eyes searching mine.
"And after?" she whispered.
I traced the curve of her jaw with my thumb. "After, you'll be queen. And I'll be the fool who fell for someone completely out of his league."
A laugh escaped her, bright and unexpected. "Out of your league?"
"A warlord who commands storms versus the heir to the oldest court in existence?" I smirked. "I'm definitely outmatched."
"You're ridiculous."
"So you keep telling me."
She was becoming something beyond what either of us had imagined. Something that could reshape the balance of power between the courts.
Something that could win this war.