THIRTY-SEVEN
DEEP THOUGHTS
Touch, smell, taste, sight, hearing, and intuition are the bridges that bind us to each other, to the world, and to our history, to those who came before us. By enhancing our senses and learning to trust them, we deepen our connection to the currents of magics that flow through us.
—VALEN’S JOURNAL
AMARA
Despite the approach of autumn, the heat is oppressive the next day.
The afternoon sun beats down on the training grounds, turning the packed earth beneath my feet dry and cracked.
The scent of sun-warmed stone and scorched dust lingers in the air, mingling with the distant smoke from the forge.
The end of summer clings stubbornly, the days still hot, the evenings only just beginning to cool.
Sweat slicks my skin, my sleeveless tunic sticking to my back, the lighter training pants I wear offering little relief from the heat.
Across from me, Thane moves like a shadow, circling. Predatory. Patient.
His tunic clings to him, damp with sweat, the dark fabric emphasizing the lean strength of his torso.
His fire-wielding tattoo coils along his right arm, the inked lines appearing almost alive beneath the blazing sun, shifting subtly as if his magics hum beneath the surface.
His storm-gray eyes track every movement I make.
Not as a lover. As a teacher. As a warrior.
I tilt my head from side to side, stretching my neck and loosening the tension gathering there. The elements are all present beneath my skin.
Fire.
Water.
Air.
Earth.
Four distinct currents moving through me at once. The challenge is no longer controlling them. It’s staying balanced enough to move with all four.
The protective enchantments already shimmer around the training grounds, set in place by Valen before we began. Now he watches from the edge of the field, arms folded, his ever-calculating gaze following every movement.
“Good,” he says. “Feel how the elements feed into one another. Don’t fight them. Guide them. And temper what you draw from Calryx. You don’t want to take more than you can comfortably hold.”
I exhale, releasing the tension in my chest, steadying the pull of power within me. A presence stirs in my mind, like a gentle hand on the small of my back.
“You are here, Amara. You can do this.”
Calryx’s strength settles through me, firm and reassuring, reminding me that I am never alone.
I lift both hands, fingers splayed, and the world around me responds.
Wind rushes around me, spiraling into the space between my palms. The cracked earth beneath my feet stirs, energy rippling outward. Heat curls at my fingertips, tendrils of blue flame licking at my skin, while the scent of rain lingers in the air, the promise of water ready to answer.
The elements are all there.
Present.
Distinct.
Moving together.
It still requires concentration to hold all four at once, but it no longer feels like forcing them into place. The challenge is staying balanced enough to move with all of them, to listen without letting one voice drown out the others.
It has only been a week since the attack at the ball, and everyone—Thane, Valen, even Calryx—is watching me carefully, waiting to see whether I can carry everything I’ve learned into the chaos of a real fight.
I cannot afford to lose my footing.
Thane lunges, balls of fire spiraling in his palms. He hurls one.
I react without thinking. Wind gathers beneath my feet and lifts. For a single breath, I’m weightless.
I twist midair, the fireball whizzing past my shoulder, and guide my blue flames into a controlled arc. I send them streaking toward him. He’s already moving before they reach him, dodging fluidly and rolling to the side.
I land lightly.
The earth responds immediately. Stone surges upward around him as I pivot, forcing him to change direction. At the same time, moisture gathers from the air around us. Water spirals along my arm, freezing into a spear of ice already aimed for his flank.
The Elements move together now. One answering the next as naturally as breath follows breath.
Thane slips past another stone pillar, narrowly avoiding the ice spear as it streaks by his hip. He’s already shaping fire into a spear of his own.
A grin tugs at my mouth. Good. He should have to work for it.
But then—
“Predictable. Left side open. She’s going to attack in—”
The voice isn’t spoken aloud. It’s in my head. Thane’s voice.
I freeze.
My entire body locks up and the moment shatters. The fire in my palm vanishes. The ice spear collapses into water. The wind dies. The earth goes still. I cut off my power cold.
Across the field, Thane’s brow furrows, eyes sharpening as he takes a step toward me.
But a grin breaks across my face before I can stop it.
Confusion flickers across his features, quickly followed by curiosity.
Valen’s voice reaches me distantly.
“Amara—why did you stop?”
I barely hear him.
A laugh escapes me, breathless and bright, as I spin toward Thane.
“I heard you!”
The words rush down the bond before I can stop them. Thane tilts his head.
“What?”
His voice echoes in my mind, clear as if he’d spoken it aloud. I stare at him, my heart stuttering. For a moment, I can only blink. Then the realization hits me fully.
“Oh my gods. I heard your thoughts!”
Thane’s expression flickers.
“Wait . . . ”
Something bright surges through the bond. Shock. Hope. Disbelief.
“You mean—”
“I heard your thoughts!” I repeat, unable to stop smiling. “I can hear you now. It’s not just one-sided anymore.”
The words flow between us effortlessly, as natural as breathing.
For a moment, Thane just stares at me. Then I feel it. His surprise. His curiosity. And beneath both, something warmer. A thought brushes across my mind.
“She can hear me now? Completely? Well, that’s going to make things interesting.”
A delighted laugh bursts from me. I take a step toward him, my grin widening.
“Yes,” I tell him. “It is.”
His brows lift slightly, and I can tell he’s testing it, deliberately turning the thought over in his mind.
“So if I think about how stunning you look right now, how the sunlight makes your skin glow—”
I bite my lip, warmth blooming in my chest. “I hear every word.”
A wicked smile spreads across his face. “And if I think about the other night—”
“Thane.” His name comes out somewhere between a warning and a plea as heat floods my cheeks.
He chuckles, stepping closer. “Good to know.”
Valen clears his throat, looking utterly bewildered. “Are we still training, or has this turned into something else entirely?”
He has no idea what’s happening. Thane and I haven’t spoken a single word out loud. I laugh, the sheer rightness of it too big to contain.
Without thinking, I launch myself at Thane.
He catches me effortlessly. Strong arms wrap around me as he lifts me from the ground and spins me in a full circle.
My braid flies out behind me, the world blurring for a moment as pure joy overtakes me.
I throw my head back and laugh. Thane’s deep chuckle rumbles against me.
Valen makes a strangled sound. “What in the gods’ names is happening?!”
I twist toward him, still wrapped around Thane.
“Valen!”
His expression is caught somewhere between confusion and alarm.
“I can hear him!” The grin stretching across my face feels impossible to contain. “Truly hear him.”
The words leave me in a rush. And deep down, beneath the excitement and disbelief, I know this changes everything.
Thane has been relentless all week now that I can hear his thoughts.
Slipping into my mind at the worst possible moments.
Dropping wicked comments during training.
Sending teasing observations when I’m struggling to concentrate.
Interrupting my focus simply because he finds my reactions amusing.
He takes full advantage, tormenting me with no shame, no hesitation, and absolutely no remorse.
You should wear that dress again.
I wonder if you’re thinking about last night.
You’re blushing. What’s on your mind, Amara, darling?
When you moan my name, you have no idea what it does to me.
He completely undoes me; he is infuriating and distracting in ways that feel utterly unfair.
Because he does it effortlessly, slipping into my thoughts whenever he damn well pleases. His control is precise and his barriers unshakable while mine still waver. He takes every opportunity to tease me whenever I struggle with my shields or forget them entirely.
Unlike me, he keeps his own barriers lowered. Just for me.
Especially during training. I’ll be sparring with Jarek or Garrick, dodging their relentless swings, and then, out of nowhere—
If you keep shifting your hips like that, I’m going to have a problem.
I nearly got a sword to the ribs that time.
Or I’ll be with Valen, grounding myself in my magics, focusing, trying to center my power, and suddenly, Thane’s voice drags through my mind like silk and heat.
You make the prettiest sounds when you fall apart for me.
I lost control of the wind that time and nearly knocked poor Valen off his feet.
Then there was the incident with Rowena and Sera.
I was sitting cross-legged on the plush rug in their quarters, a half-empty glass of wine in my hand and a warm buzz settling through me.
Lyra was already flushed, dramatically recounting a particularly disastrous training session, while Rowena and Sera lounged across from us, sipping their own drinks.
His voice slid into my mind, dark and full of amusement.
You’re thinking about my hands on you, aren’t you?
I choked on my wine. Lyra smacked my back while I struggled to breathe, and Rowena and Sera stared at me in alarm. Everyone was so worried, none of them knowing that the Warlord was currently tormenting me through our bond.
And now it’s my turn.
Right now is the perfect time to give him a taste of his own medicine.
I know exactly where he is. Seated at the long oak table in the war room, surrounded by the council, buried beneath strategy discussions and military reports. Serious. Focused.
Until I decide otherwise.