I take my lip between my teeth, lost for words, for something to say that will fill the stifling silence between us. But there’s nothing other than the screaming desperation of the bond, agonizing over being so close to him and unable to touch.

You should get some rest, Kaebl says, tearing his gaze from me and focusing on the far wall of the room. We have a big day tomorrow.

I nod, my words caught somewhere down my throat, wrapping like a vise around my aching heart as I walk away from Kaebl. I shuffle back into the bedchamber, lying at the edge of the furs next to Lir—leaving Kaebl just enough space in case he wants to come in.

But somewhere deep down, I know he won’t.

25. Kaebl

25

Kaebl

I wonder if she can tell I’m staring at her ass.

My eyes trail over the gentle curve of her spine, lingering on the crease where the top of her thigh meets her pelvis. The longer I appreciate my mate, the faster my blood boils, heating my skin and filling my ears with a thunderous whooshing as the pressure in my veins spikes.

Dagny faces away from me, blind to my hungry gaze as she focuses all her attention on the snarling kleptak standing in the corner of the room. Her brow beads with sweat as her magic heats her skin, outlining her frame in a swirling cloud of vapor that moves and dances in the wind whipping through the space—a hurricane brought to life by the energy humming in her veins.

It’s been seven sun flips since I offered to help Dagny with her training—seven long days and nights when I’ve teetered on the line between responsibility and reckless abandon. And while it’s amazing to see her thrive and come into her power, it’s equally as agonizing having to spend countless minutes in her presence, unable to connect the way my soul is yearning for.

This is the first time we’ve been truly alone since we came to Malice’s secret lair, and though I know I should be focusing on the reason we came here—her training—I can’t help but let my mind wander to a scenario where she’s breathless for an entirely different reason.

“Gods… it’s working…” Dagny’s voice filters through the air in a gentle hush, her silver-ringed eyes widening in awe. “I’m doing it.”

I turn my gaze toward the kleptak in the corner of the room, pride welling in my chest at the sight of its head lowered in submission. So you are.