The next day brought no peace.
Hunters had been sighted on the northern ridge. Wolves returned bloodied, muttering about silver weapons and traps hidden beneath the snow. Kael ordered patrols doubled, his voice sharp with fury, but Aradia could feel the pressure building around them all.
She slipped away from the den, needing solitude, needing space to breathe. The forest was silent beneath the weight of winter, branches heavy with frost, the air crisp with the promise of snow.
She raised her hands. Power thrummed through her veins, restless and hungry. She needed to control it. To understand it.
The earth answered her call. Roots shivered beneath the snow, stretching toward the surface. The wind stirred, swirling around her body. Fire flickered at her fingertips, warming her skin.
But then it surged.
Flames burst higher, wild and unrestrained. The wind howled, tearing at her cloak, whipping her hair around her face. The forest shuddered beneath her will, and terror clawed at her chest.
"Enough!"
The word cracked like thunder.
Kael stood at the edge of the clearing, his green eyes blazing, his jaw tight. He strode toward her, his presence cutting through her storm like a blade. His hand caught her wrist, forcing her fire to flicker and die.
"You'll burn the forest," he growled.
She trembled, breathless, sweat dripping down her temple. "I can't control it."
"Then let me teach you."
Their gazes locked. His grip on her wrist was firm but not cruel, his touch grounding her even as heat flared between them.
"How?" she whispered.
"Through the bond." His voice dropped low, rough with something more than promise. "Magic is hunger. Desire. Rage. Control comes when you stop fighting it—and embrace it."
Her heart pounded. She knew what he meant. The bond he spoke of was not just magical. It was flesh and blood, fire and skin.
She stepped back, her chest heaving. "No. I can't."
Kael's jaw clenched, his nostrils flaring as though scenting her fear—and her desire. He released her slowly, his gaze devouring her as if she were the only thing in the world.
"One day," he said softly, "you'll beg me for it."
And then he was gone, leaving her trembling in the snow, her body burning with a need she dared not name.