Page 71 of A Court of Thralls and Thorns

Before I could regain my footing, Zander grabbed me with one arm, catching my waist, and the other bracing against my shoulder.

His grip was tight as his breath brushed against my ear.

“Surely, you wouldn’t choose death over me?” he purred, his voice dark, silk-wrapped steel.

A shiver rolled down my spine, though I refused to let it show.

Instead, I met his shadowed gaze and whispered, “I sincerely hope those are not my only options.”

Zander held me for a moment longer. The wind howled around us, the drop behind me a silent promise of death if he let go.

But he didn’t.

Instead, he studied me, his lavender eyes shadowed with something unreadable. Then, with deliberate slowness, he released me and stepped back, putting space between us.

I exhaled, rolling my shoulders to shake off the lingering tension.

“Again,” he said.

I stiffened. “Excuse me?”

“You need control,” he replied, his voice even. “Until Kaelith chooses to anchor you, we’ll train your magic here. It won’t be stable, but it will be contained.”

“And if I lose control?” I asked, wiping sweat from my brow.

“Then I’ll handle it.”

His confidence was grating.

Still, I had no other option.

“Fine,” I muttered, flexing my fingers. “What now?”

“Find the thread in your mind—the one that connects you to Kaelith.”

I tried. I really did.

I reached for the bond, for something, anything, that would feel like a connection. But it was a cold, empty void.

Nothing.

Zander watched me struggle for a while before stepping closer. “You’re trying too hard,” he said, tone softer than before. “It should feel natural, like breathing. The more you force it, the more it resists.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” I muttered.

His lips ticked up at the corner. “You think I didn’t struggle?”

I met his gaze, surprised.

“You?” I scoffed. “You were probably riding Hein the moment you hatched out of an egg yourself.”

Zander huffed a short, amused breath. “Hardly.”

I frowned. “Then what happened?”

For the first time, uncertainty flickered across his face. He hesitated before turning his palm up.

A black flame ignited in his hand.