Chapter 13 #2
“I can consume your power if needed.”
I stilled.
What kind of power could consume another?
Something in my chest twisted, my instincts telling me I didn’t want to find out.
“What if I don’t want to?”
Zander arched a brow at my hesitation. Then, without breaking eye contact, he unfastened his jacket, shrugging it off his shoulders.
The black shirt underneath clung to his form, outlining every tight, defined muscle.
I forced myself to look away.
“Then you can practice your hand-to-hand skills,” he said, casually tossing his jacket to the ground. “I’ll even let you use the dagger currently hidden in your boot—as well as the one tucked into the back of your pants.”
Shit.
We circled each other, my boots scuffing lightly against the stone, the wind whipping at our clothes.
I lunged first, testing his reflexes with a quick jab, but he caught my wrist effortlessly, twisting it just enough to force me to retreat.
Fine.
I tried again—this time faster, aiming for his ribs.
He shifted just out of reach, his body moving with that unnatural grace I was starting to hate.
“You’re hesitating,” he murmured.
“You’re annoying,” I shot back.
He smirked.
My temper flared.
I went for his legs next, sweeping my foot toward his ankles in an attempt to knock him off balance.
He jumped over it.
For a moment, I was wide open—and he took full advantage, stepping forward too fast, catching my shoulder with a sharp elbow.
I staggered back, barely catching myself before my spine could meet the stone floor.
He exhaled, unimpressed. “Is this what Solei taught you?”
I snarled. I had no idea how he knew about Solei. But assumed Cyran had included a brief family history… when he agreed to sell me.
I ripped the dagger from my boot, flipping it effortlessly in my grip before lunging at him full force.
He blocked the first attack, but barely.
His expression shifted. He was pleased.
And that pissed me off even more.
I spun, slicing toward him in a tight arc, but he ducked. I adjusted, striking low, aiming for the soft space beneath his ribs, but he twisted, catching my wrist again.
This time, I didn’t let him hold it.
I used the momentum to shove forward, throwing my weight into him.
The force of it sent us both stumbling.
And suddenly, I was too close to the edge.
The wind howled, the drop behind me endless.
My stomach plunged.
Before I could regain my footing, Zander grabbed me with one arm, catching my waist, and the other bracing against my shoulder.
His grip was tight as his breath brushed against my ear.
“Surely, you wouldn’t choose death over me?” he purred, his voice dark, silk-wrapped steel.
A shiver rolled down my spine, though I refused to let it show.
Instead, I met his shadowed gaze and whispered, “I sincerely hope those are not my only options.”
Zander held me for a moment longer. The wind howled around us, the drop behind me a silent promise of death if he let go.
But he didn’t.
Instead, he studied me, his lavender eyes shadowed with something unreadable. Then, with deliberate slowness, he released me and stepped back, putting space between us.
I exhaled, rolling my shoulders to shake off the lingering tension.
“Again,” he said.
I stiffened. “Excuse me?”
“You need control,” he replied, his voice even. “Until Kaelith chooses to anchor you, we’ll train your magic here. It won’t be stable, but it will be contained.”
“And if I lose control?” I asked, wiping sweat from my brow.
“Then I’ll handle it.”
His confidence was grating.
Still, I had no other option.
“Fine,” I muttered, flexing my fingers. “What now?”
“Find the thread in your mind—the one that connects you to Kaelith.”
I tried. I really did.
I reached for the bond, for something, anything, that would feel like a connection. But it was a cold, empty void.
Nothing.
Zander watched me struggle for a while before stepping closer. “You’re trying too hard,” he said, tone softer than before. “It should feel natural, like breathing. The more you force it, the more it resists.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” I muttered.
His lips ticked up at the corner. “You think I didn’t struggle?”
I met his gaze, surprised.
“You?” I scoffed. “You were probably riding Hein the moment you hatched out of an egg yourself.”
Zander huffed a short, amused breath. “Hardly.”
I frowned. “Then what happened?”
For the first time, uncertainty flickered across his face. He hesitated before turning his palm up.
A black flame ignited in his hand.
I stilled.
The fire wasn’t just dark. It was void-black, consuming the light around it. It didn’t flicker like normal flames but moved unnaturally, shifting in silent, eerie waves.
It was hypnotic. And terrifying.
“What is that?” I breathed.
“Dark Flame,” he said simply. “It can consume anything, and it must be used with caution.”
He let the fire burn for a moment longer before closing his fingers around it, snuffing it out like it had never been there.
I stared at him. “That… wasn’t normal fire.”
“No,” Zander agreed. “It’s something far older.”
I swallowed hard, my pulse pounding as a realization hit me.
Hein wasn’t just any dragon. He was one of the oldest and most powerful in the horde.
And if Zander had struggled to bond with him…
“And my dragon?” I asked carefully.
Zander held my gaze.
“Even older than mine.”
The words sent a shiver through me.
“You will be extremely powerful,” he continued, his tone carefully neutral. “If you can get your dragon to accept the bond.”
I scowled. “And if I can’t?”
His lips quirked into something almost mocking. “Then you’ll die.”
“Well, that’s encouraging.”
He shrugged.
Silence stretched between us for a moment before I asked, “Why are you telling me all of this?”
“Because,” he said, watching me closely, “ironically, you are my countermeasure.”
I blinked. “What does that mean?”
Zander tilted his head slightly, eyes glinting in the fading sunlight.
“Only one thing can quell a Dark Fire Storm,” he said simply.
I swallowed. “What?”
His gaze held mine, unwavering in its intensity.
“A Magical Tsunami.”