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“Yeah.”
“Now?”
“No. It seems I’m as helpless to them being here as you are to the timing of your visits to the Realm of Shadows,” I state, and he huffs in agreement. We sit side by side, basking in the silence for a little while longer until he speaks again.
“Do you think you’re going to go back to sleep?”
“No,” I admit. My mind is too wired for me to even consider going back to sleep.
“Do you want to sneak out and continue training with your mirror magic?”
This man knows me far too well.
“Yes, please.”
My body aches.We’ve repeated the process again and again to the point that the sky is starting to lighten. I hate that the sun isn’t visible. Ever since Erikel arrived, it’s been clouded by whatever shit he’s doing. After growing up in Shadowmoor, I clung to the sun here. It was a sign that my life was changing, that I was growing, and now it’s gone again. At least it’s not complete darkness, but it’s still tainted.
“That’s it, Shadow. Let the feeling run through you this time. You’re so close to controlling it completely,” Brax encourages, and I take strength from his words as I calm the panic growing in my chest.
My eyes are closed tight, every inch of my body acutely aware of the fact that it’s turning to stone. It’s one thing to let your arms shift and the weight knock you off balance. It’s something else entirely to let it consume your whole body.
I feel like I’m going to fall backward at any moment, the weight of my body completely knocking me off balance, but it makes me feel strong too, so I push on. Brax’s encouragement and praise are helping. I like him snappy and all alpha when he’s between my thighs, but right now, in this moment, when his tone is softer and his words more gentle, I like him even more.
“That’s it. Now open your eyes and try to focus on your balance.” I exhale slowly before I try, and it takes a few attempts for me to finally settle my gaze on his without falling to the side. The smile on his face is a rare one; one I’m committing to memory for all of eternity. “Perfect. Now, do you think you can take a step forward?”
I balk. “No way.” The sound of my own voice startles me. It’s raspier than usual, deeper, and it’s strange to even associate it with myself.
“You’ve got this, Raven. You know you do. I’m right here with you.”
My gaze narrows on him. I think I take back every positive thing I said about his encouragement and praise. It’s starting to drive me insane. It stops me from backing out and quitting, and as much as I need it, I don’t want it. I want to give up like a baby, maybe even throw a tantrum, but I know he won’t let me get away with that.
“Come on, Shadow. If you can walk to me, I’ll let you punch me in the gut. Gargoyle fists and all,” he offers, and his persuasion instantly has my interest piqued.
That definitely does sound enticing.
The grin on his face makes it clear he knows he’s got me right where he wants me, and I’m a damn sucker for him once again.
Exhaling, I turn my attention to my feet, toying with the weight as I attempt to lift my foot off the ground. It’s worse than the whole moving my arms situation the last time we were doing this, but he definitely lured me in with the desire to get him.
“You need to stop thinking about how heavy it is; you’re letting it become a whole mind-over-matter scenario, which is only going to make it all feel heavier,” Brax points out, and I give him my best death glare, which does nothing to affect him.
Fucker.
I let go of his magic and the power I was drawing from him quickly disappears, leaving me to sway on my feet for a second before I regain my balance.
“I need to start fresh then,” I state before he can moan at me for dropping the magic. “I need to grab the thread and move straight away so I don’t get in my head,” I add, and he nods in agreement.
“Realistically, that’s how you’re going to attack in a real-life situation.”
“Who knew you had such words of wisdom?” I snark, and he folds his arms over his chest, cocking his brow at me while I smile at him from ear to ear.
“Do I even want to know how long you two have been out here?”
I spin to see Creed in the open doorway leading into the house. His hair is messy, his eyes tired, and his smile soft as he glances between us.
“Longer than I want to admit,” Brax grunts, relaxing his magic.
“Have you been practicing mirror magic again?” Creed asks, and I nod. “Am I the only one you haven’t done this with now?”
