Page 52 of Claim the Light
Once I’m back on my feet, he continues. “But your power is less tangible. I was hoping that by pushing you to your physical limits, by training you all day, every day, your inner power would reveal itself.”
His fingers lace with mine, his thumb stroking my wrist, and I’m distracted by the nearness of his body, the heat that grows within my core so quickly, it’s nearly impossible to push away.
His serious expression banishes my heated thoughts. “I should have realized sooner that it would be impossible for you to explore your power while you’re confined within four walls. You need a natural environment. Trees. Fresh air.”
“Water,” I finish for him.
“Exactly.” He takes my other hand. “Which is why we should take our training session to the forest.”
I’m surprised. “The forest?”
“The only way you’ll discover what you’re capable of is to be exposed to the elements and find out what you can do.”
An involuntary shiver tingles across my skin, triggered by the thought of uncaging what lies within me. “What if… I shouldn’t let my power out?”
His forehead creases. “What do you mean?”
I chew my lip for a moment, reflecting on the way I forced the water to come to me in the oblivion, breaking the laws of nature. The way I’m drawn to Atrox’s armor—attracted to it while Micah seems repelled by it.
“Not all power is good,” I whisper. “Tyler’s isn’t. And he’s clearly embraced it. What if my power causes… damage?”
Micah presses his hand against my heart. “I don’t know all the details of Lana’s story, but I do know that her power was considered abhorrent to the angels. Her strength was misused against us—and it was also misused againsther. She would be able to speak to her journey far better than I can, but I know one thing for sure: She took ownership of who she is.”
His gaze bores into me. “Your power is inyourhands.”
In my heart, I understand what he’s trying to say. How I use my power is more important than what my power is.
But at the back of my mind is a kernel of fear.
Not all power can be controlled. Not all darkness can be repelled. Uncaging the true nature of my power could mean inviting a constant war with myself.
A war I might lose.
CHAPTERNINETEEN
Cold air bursts around my body as I step through the door to the forest and my heart instantly leaps.
The gust of wind is so strong that my hair flies out behind me and my clothing whips tightly against my body. It doesn’t let up even after Micah closes the door firmly behind us.
Unsurprisingly, the door leading to the forest is painted a deep, pine green on the stair side, but on this side, it’s an unexpectedly bright, crimson red.
We let Isaac know where we were going and sought his permission to come into the forest. He told us to be careful and offered to accompany us since the animals in this place are wild and unused to interaction with angels, let alone dragon shifters.
I carefully considered his offer, but it would defeat the purpose of coming here. I don’t plan on taking unnecessary risks, but I can’t explore my power without letting go of my boundaries. Or, at least,tryingto let go.
The breath stops in my chest as I step farther forward onto a jagged, stone surface that extends out into space and ends abruptly only twenty paces ahead of us.
We can only be standing on the top of a sharp cliff.
A mountain range stretches to both sides and far behind us, while the red door stands benignly upright in the middle of the air, its base barely touching the rocky surface beneath our feet.
It’s exactly the environment to which Micah’s scent often takes me. The top of a mountain covered in ancient stones where I can picture a wolf prowling between the outcrops, seeking its pack.
The air rushes around me in a tornado, plucking at my body as I spin to Micah. “I thought Beatrix said this was a forest.”
My voice is swallowed in the howling wind and when Micah cups his hand around his ear, indicating that he didn’t hear me, I repeat myself, this time at a shout. “Where are the trees?”
He points toward the cliff’s edge before he moves in that direction, taking each step carefully and pushing against the wind. A few paces from the edge, he cranes his head and peers down. “There!” he shouts. “Below us.”
