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The golden light intensified, spreading from her hands to create a soft aura around her entire body. It felt incredible—like every cell in her body was singing in harmony. For the first time since touching the founder's rune, her magic felt truly hers.

"This is amazing," Lyra said, looking up at Cade with wonder. "Why didn't anyone teach me this before?"

"Because most people don't have access to a sacred site with centuries of stabilizing magic," Cade said, but his tone was warm with approval. "And because most people aren't stubborn enough to keep trying after the first few explosions."

Lyra laughed, and the sound seemed to make her magic dance. The gold-tinged magic bled from her skin and pulsed in rhythm with her heartbeat, and she felt more in control than she had since arriving in Mistwhisper Falls.

"Can you teach me more?" she asked. "I want to learn everything."

"We'll work on it," Cade promised. "But for now, try to maintain the connection while you stand up."

Lyra rose carefully, keeping her awareness focused on the grounding energy of the earth. The light glowed gold around her hands and flickered but didn't disappear, and she felt a surge of triumph at the small success.

"Look at that," she said, holding up her glowing hands. "I'm actually doing magic without destroying anything."

"Don't get cocky," Cade warned, but she could see the hint of a smile tugging at his mouth.

"Too late," Lyra said cheerfully. "I'm absolutely getting cocky. This is the first time my magic has ever done what I wanted it to do."

She was so focused on maintaining the golden light that she didn't notice Cade moving closer until he was standing directly in front of her, his green eyes dark in the moonlight.

"Lyra," he said, his voice lower than usual.

"Yeah?"

"You're beautiful when you're working magic."

The words slammed into her like a physical touch, sending heat spiraling through her chest. Her magic responded to the emotional shift, the golden light around her hands intensifying until it cast dancing shadows across Cade's face.

"Cade," she said, his name coming out breathier than she'd intended.

He was close enough now that she could see the gold flecks in his eyes, could smell the scent of pine and something wild that seemed to cling to his skin. When he reached up to brush a copper curl away from her face, she felt her magic surge in response to the contact.

"I know this is complicated," he said quietly. "I know we're supposed to be keeping things professional."

"Very professional," Lyra agreed, though she made no move to step away.

"But I can't stop thinking about what happened on the porch. About how your magic felt when it touched mine."

"It felt like coming home," Lyra said honestly. "Like finding something I didn't know I was looking for."

Cade's hand was still cupping her cheek, his thumb tracing the line of her cheekbone with careful precision. "I've never felt anything like it."

"Neither have I."

They were leaning closer now, drawn together by something that felt bigger than choice or logic or any of the very good reasons they both had for maintaining distance. Lyra could feel Cade's breath against her lips, could see the way his pupils had dilated until his eyes looked almost black.

"We shouldn't," he said, but he didn't pull away.

"Probably not," Lyra agreed, rising up on her toes to close the distance between them.

Their lips were maybe an inch apart when her magic decided to express its opinion.

Power flared around her hands like a miniature sun, bright enough to turn night into day for a split second. The surge of energy was so sudden and so intense that it singed the ends of Cade's hair and left him blinking spots from his vision.

"Son of a hex!" Lyra yelped, jumping backward and nearly tripping over her own feet.

Cade stood frozen for a moment, one hand raised to touch his now-noticeably shorter eyebrows, before he started laughing. Not the polite chuckle she might have expected, but a full-bodied laugh that made his eyes crinkle at the corners.

"Did I just—" Lyra began, mortified.

"Singe my eyebrows? Yeah, you did." Cade was still laughing, apparently finding the situation hilarious instead of embarrassing.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to?—"

"Lyra," Cade interrupted, his laughter subsiding but his smile remaining. "It's fine. They'll grow back."

"But I nearly set you on fire!"

"Nearly being the operative phrase." Cade moved closer again, seemingly unbothered by the prospect of further magical singeing. "Besides, it's good to know your magic has strong opinions about timing."

"This isn't funny," Lyra protested, though she could feel her own lips twitching with suppressed laughter.

"It's a little funny."

"It's embarrassing."

"It's perfect," Cade said, and there was something in his voice that made her look up at him sharply. "Perfectly, chaotically you."

Before Lyra could figure out how to respond to that, Cade's expression changed. His head tilted slightly, and she could see his entire body tense in the way that meant his wolf was alerting to something.

"What is it?" she asked.

"We're not alone," Cade said quietly, a new tension crept into his voice and a commanding tone that meant alpha business. "Someone's watching from the treeline."

Lyra followed his gaze but saw nothing except darkness between the trees. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. And whoever it is, they've been there for a while."

The romantic atmosphere of the clearing evaporated, replaced by tension and the awareness that their private moment had been anything but private. Lyra's magic, still running high from the near-kiss, began to crackle around her fingers again.

"Should we leave?" she asked.

"Not yet," Cade said, though his posture remained alert. "But lesson's over for tonight."

As they gathered their things and prepared to leave the clearing, she couldn’t shake the unease that clung to her, whispering that something significant had just been interrupted.

The magic lesson had been a success, and the almost-kiss had been.

.. well, it had been something she definitely wanted to try again, preferably without the risk of accidental combustion.

But as they walked back through the forest, both of them hyperaware of the other's presence and the sexual tension that seemed to crackle between them like visible electricity, Lyra couldn't help wondering who had been watching them.

And more importantly, what they'd seen.