Chapter 31 #3
Arden groans theatrically. “I’ve been on the other side of that lockdown. Very disorienting.”
She ignores him. “Maybe your phoenix fire is another mirror. A separate channel.”
We sit across from each other, knees almost touching. The others drift back to their sparring and chatter, but for me, the world narrows. It’s just Zillah’s voice and my breath.
“Close your eyes,” she says. “Feel for the layers you know in your magic. Then reach past them.”
I do. I feel the familiar thrum of the barrier she helped me build. I push deeper, searching for something else. Something burning. It’s there, faint and distant—like a flame behind glass—but when I reach for it, it slips away.
“It’s there,” I whisper. “I just can’t catch it.”
“Not yet,” she says simply. “But you will.”
Still, I keep trying. The day blurs into a rhythm—spar, rest, train, repeat.
One by one, I work with each of them. Selene shows me how she sharpens her magic into a hunter’s edge.
Zillah teaches me how her shields shift and overlap, like panes of glass.
Even Remli describes how her lynx form feels—wild, steady, rooted in instinct.
I try each path, searching for my phoenix fire. Every time, I feel like I’m almost there. A breath away. But it slips through my fingers like smoke.
Between lessons, we spar. Zillah and I clash until my arms burn.
Lowan and I circle, blades singing, and though his strikes are faster, he grins like he’s proud of every parry I manage.
Arden even joins, cocky as ever, and I knock him flat—earning a cheer from Remli loud enough to echo across the clearing.
By the time the sky bruises into twilight, we’re all sagging with exhaustion. My head aches from the effort of chasing something I can’t catch. Frustration coils tight in my chest.
“I feel so close,” I groan, rubbing at my temples.
Lowan steps up beside me, silver eyes warm in the fading light. “Metra, it’s been one day. You discovered this about yourself just yesterday. Give yourself a chance.”
“I know, I know.” I sigh. “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Blank stares all around.
“It’s… a saying. A mortal saying. Means great things take time.”
“Oh,” Selene says gently. “Then yes. That.”
Lowan chuckles and squeezes my shoulder. “You’ve already made incredible strides. Remember how you mastered Zillah’s shield work on the road? Or how you fought with skill the first time you picked up a blade? This will come.”
Zillah nods firmly. “You’ve done the impossible before. I know you’ll master this.”
Their faith softens the edge of my frustration. My body aches, but I can’t help smiling. “All right. You’re right. Let’s eat and rest. Tomorrow, I’ll try again.”
As we start toward the cave, Arden leans toward Remli, voice low but not low enough. “I know exactly what I want to eat.”
Remli’s giggle is unguarded, bubbling, and Lowan and I trade a look—half exasperated, half amused. Even Zillah groans. “Are you two sure you’re not Threadbound?”
Remli flushes scarlet. Arden only grins. Selene chuckles, a soft, motherly sound. “Young love.”
The warmth lingers as we step back inside. Elaris is waiting in her chair, tea steaming gently. For a moment, I brace myself for another lecture or revelation, but she only studies us, eyes soft.
“I see healing among you,” she says at last.
We glance around at one another. Nods. Quiet smiles.
“Excellent work,” she continues, motioning toward the back chambers. “Go. Rest.”
Relief washes over me as we file toward our rooms, laughter trailing faintly behind us. Tomorrow will come soon enough.
Bellies full, Lowan and I slip into the hot pool, the steam wrapping us in its heavy embrace. The warmth instantly draws a groan from both of us.
“I live for this every night,” I moan, sinking deeper, muscles sighing into relief.
Lowan reclines against the stone shelf, head tilted back, silver eyes half-lidded. “This cave has its perks,” he murmurs, voice dark velvet. His gaze drags over me. “But knowing you’re naked in this water? That’s the best one.”
“Mmm-hmm,” I purr. “Absolutely naked. And it’s been a long day. I could use—”
His hands find my hips beneath the surface before I finish. His mouth covers mine, tongue teasing, body heat fusing with the water’s. When he pulls back, it’s only to whisper, “At your service,” before kissing me harder, stealing my breath.
I fist my hands in his hair, pressing against his chest, nipples aching with the slide of wet skin. My gasp makes him growl. He lifts me from the water, laying me across the slick stone at the edge. He stays kneeling in the pool, palms urging my thighs open.
“Lowan—” I plead.
Silver eyes gleam. “I said… I’m at your service.” His mouth descends.
The first stroke of his tongue makes me cry out.
He devours me, slow and sure, like I’m something rare he refuses to rush.
Steam curls around me, the stone cool against my back, his caresses unbearably soft between my thighs.
My hands tangle in his wet hair, pulling him closer, and he answers with a low groan that vibrates through me.
Fingers join his tongue—one, then two—sliding deep with languid precision.
When he groans again, my body arches. Heat explodes through me—flames licking my skin, sizzling against the damp.
And then—just for a breath—I’m split. I’m on the stone, fracturing apart under his mouth and fingers, and I’m also above, watching my body writhe in ecstasy.
Two selves, tethered, burning. It flickers away too fast, but the glimpse sears me.
Lowan rises from the water, slick skin gleaming. I reach for him, desperate. He lines himself against me, then presses his thumb to my center as he enters me with agonizing slowness. My walls clench around him. Pleasure crashes, firestorm-bright.
“That’s it,” he purrs, voice wrecked. “Feels so fucking good, doesn’t it?”
I can only moan, vision flashing again—the fire, our bodies entwined, a second vantage spiraling above. The bond-Thread at my chest pounds like a drum, but another Thread coils away, incandescent, calling. I follow it even as my body bows, caught between his thrusts and the blaze overtaking me.
“Let me see you,” he rasps, kissing down my throat. “Come for me again.”
“Only for you,” I cry. “Only yours.”
He drives deep, hitting a place that obliterates thought. My scream shatters against the stone, his name raw on my tongue. He roars mine in answer, thrusts shuddering as his release slams through him.
And still—I see. Above and within. The fire. The Threads. My body is burning and watching all at once. This time, I don’t just glimpse it. I hold it—flames tethered to my flesh, vision tethered to the sky. When at last I return fully to myself, it’s with control. Choice.
We collapse together, skin slick, lungs heaving.
“That,” Lowan pants, awe in his eyes, “was unlike anything I’ve ever known. You undo me, Metra. You are fucking radiant.”
I turn to him, breathless, exhilarated. “Lowan—I know where the phoenix fire lives now. I can access it.”
His head snaps toward me, interest blazing hotter than desire. “Tell me.”
A coy smile curves my lips. “I’ll need… more research to confirm.”
He arches a brow, propping on one elbow. “I’m listening…”
“Let’s take our research to the bed.” Need sparks again, hot and insistent.
He doesn’t hesitate. In one smooth motion, he scoops me into his arms, carrying me toward the soft bed. The night stretches before us—long, luxuriant, and full of discovery.