Page 26 of Claim the Light
She gives my shoulder a gentle squeeze. “You need time to find your power and allow it to flourish. We can give you that time.”
My eyes widen at the conviction in her voice.Sheis the strong, powerful one and for her to speak about me as if she believes I’m capable of more makes me feel hope. But also terror at the thought that maybe I can’t be what she thinks I can be.
“And then what?” I ask quietly.
“Then you’ll be ready for the fight of your life,” she says, her jaw tightening. “If Tyler’s goal is to make you suffer—tocontrolyou with suffering—then he’ll strike at everything and everyone you love. He’ll strike at Micah. He’ll strike at Callan and me. And Beatrix and Felix. And most of all, he’ll strike at Emika because he witnessed firsthand the lengths to which you’ll go to protect her.”
Emika is precious. She’s the only child born to dragon shifters in the last five years. In one instance, I threw myself in front of her to protect her from Callan’s flames—flames he had no control over.
I suffered severe burns since I didn’t have dragon wings to protect me at the time. I’ve recovered from those burns and from the pain, but what’s important now is that Tyler saw me do it. He knows that losing Emika would mean losing all of my hope for the future.
It isn’t despair that rises within me now. It’s anger. “He’d better not touch a fucking hair on that beautiful child’s head—”
“Andthatis the rage you need.” Lana’s blue eyes are suddenly bright. Black scales shimmer across her cheeks. “Hold on to that anger, Sophia. Let it quietly grow while you give yourself the chance to become as strong as you can be. Thenyouwill be the one protecting us.”
Hot tears brim in my eyes as I try to accept the extent of her conviction. “How can you have this much faith in me?”
One corner of her lips rises. A small smile. “Because you once had faith in me.” She leans back a little, finishing firmly. “You deserve the chance to train and grow. The veil will give you that chance.”
I press my lips together, thinking through what Lana is proposing to give up for me. “What about you and Callan? You deserve peace, too.”
Lana gives a soft sigh. “I’ll admit, I was hoping for at least one night without conflict. But this is what I was born for. And I won’t be alone in my fight. Callan and I will remain out here to protect the dragon’s light and study Tyler’s movements. We need to know what he’s planning.”
She exchanges a quiet glance with Callan and the connection between them is so strong that I feel a little of my peace returning.
“Who will train me?” I ask. “If you need to be here.” I glance at Beatrix with a grimace. “Given that others might not be so keen to help.”
Beatrix widens her eyes at me. “Damn right. I’m not doing it. We’d end up wanting to kill each other.”
I roll my eyes at her. Not so long ago, I had a conversation with Lana about the possibility of Beatrix teaching me self-defense and we both agreed it wouldn’t go so well.
Micah has remained quiet throughout the conversation so far, but now he says, “I’ll train you.”
The bond I formed with him tugs at me instantly. The idea of tumbling with him on a training room floor brings more than a little heat to my cheeks. But I’m even more conscious of his injury.
“You’re hurt,” I murmur, turning my gaze up to him. “Your ribs are broken.”
He looks surprised. “Bruised, not broken.”
I blink at him. “But I heard them crack.”
He grins. “The sound you heard was Tyler’s knuckles breaking, not my ribs. My dragon powers seem to have given me bones like steel. It was the ash that knocked me out, not the punch.”
My relief is so intense that I exhale heavily. “Well, that’s good news.”
“Besides,” he says, a soft, slow smile forming on his lips, “exploring things with you sounds like a good idea to me. If you would also like that?”
Things.
Suddenly, I don’t think we’re talking about combat training. I’m increasingly conscious of the way I’m curled up against him and of all the little droplets of water across his body and mine. “I would very much like.”
Beatrix clears her throat loudly and I remember where we are.
Damn, Micah has a way of making me fall into the peace and safety of his presence and forget every other worry in my life.
But, as much as I want to accept his offer, I have to focus on the realities of his position as alpha of his clan. “What about the Grudge? They need their alpha.”
He nods. “They do. But Leon is a very capable beta. I know that he and Melisma will ensure my clan remains strong and stable in my absence.”
