Page 48 of Rising Out of the Darkness (Divine Guardians Duology #1)

Declan

L ena’s face lit up with her lust for knowledge. It quelled the nerves that had risen when I’d decided to share this secret with her. Perhaps, if she could handle this secret, she would be able to handle one more when I finally gained the courage to share it with her.

“Are you ready?”

The question floated between us as I placed her trembling palm in mine. Her head bobbed timidly.

“Close your eyes.”

She raised one eyebrow. Our gazes formed a standoff.

“Gods, Lena,” I groaned. “You’re incapable of taking orders, aren’t you?”

The little hellion shrugged as her lips twitched mischievously. A heady mix of mirth and frustration curled my lips.

Leaning forward until I felt her nose brush against mine, I whispered, “One day, Wildfire, you’ll enjoy when I order you around.” I smirked.

Delighted at the way her pupils blew wide, I leaned back and began to brush circles with my finger on her palm. “Do you feel this?”

“Y-yes.” Her voice quivered.

“Good. Now, concentrate on following that feeling and holding onto it.”

Her brows pinched together, alerting me that she felt the dynamis tingling underneath her skin and had latched onto it.

“Still feel it?”

“Declan…” Her tone was laced with frustration.

“Lena…” I countered, releasing her hand and zephyring to the nearest bookshelf. A breeze created from my zephyring loosened a few tendrils of hair into her face, causing her eyelids to flutter.

“Keep those eyes closed, Wildfire,” I demanded. The little groan she made had me chuckle inside. “Can you still feel me making circles?”

“Yes, Declan, I can still feel it,” she sighed, no doubt rolling her eyes underneath those scrunched eyelids.

“Good. Now, open your eyes.”

With an indignant scoff, she opened them, glaring into a blank space in front of her. Her mouth hung wide as her eyes searched the room for me. I folded my arms across my chest and a wicked smirk danced across my lips when her gaze landed on mine.

“How can I—how is this possible? How can I still feel your touch when you’re way over there.”

“Are you willing to listen to your wise elder now?”

“Old, yes. Wise? That’s still debatable.”

“Watch it,” I growled. Shadows rippled over my arms. Lena giggled.

I unfolded my arms and stalked back towards my little spitfire. Her mirth faded into something a little more dangerous. Her cheeks flushed when I grabbed her and gently lifted her up to stand next to me.

“Emotions are the energy that flows within us, Elena. With every beat of our heart and breath from our lungs, we keep that energy in a constant state of flow throughout our bodies. Our dynamis is embedded deep with our blood, intertwined around the very essence of our souls. Our emotions are just another way to help us navigate the world, much like our senses.”

As I lowered my hand from her chin, my knuckles brushed down her neck. Lena shivered, but her attention remained fixed on mine.

“Tell me, when you are sad, do you not feel it physically? Is there not a dull ache that twists within your body?”

Her tongue moistened her bottom lip, teeth grazing the pouty flesh.

She closed her eyes and nodded solemnly.

The ward she built in her mind was still standing strong, but her scrunched forehead and glossy eyes told me everything I needed to know about the depths of sadness Lena had buried within her.

“When you are angry, does your body feel like it is burning with an unquenchable inner flame? Like at any moment, you may combust? Does your face not become flushed and heated?”

Her gaze shifted from mine, finding the ceiling above. Delicate fingers clenched into fists.

“And when you love…” I paused, my voice cracking under the rush of unexpected emotion.

Lena’s cheeks pinkened as I tried to cover my slip with a cough.

“When you love, does your entire being not feel like it’s no longer yours to control?

Does everything feel overly sensitive to touch?

” My fingertips brushed against her arms as the tension sparked in the air between us.

“Do you feel your heart become so enlarged that it aches against the cage of your ribs? Is there warmth that radiates throughout your entire body, so strong, so intense, like an insatiable hunger that begs to be fed?”

There was no hiding the flush of deep red that burned her face. The sight of goosebumps trailing up her arm made a wicked grin spread wide across my face.

“Our emotions are not only feelings, but they also manifest physically within our bodies.

Each of those reactions are signs of our dynamis building beneath our skin.

To become in tune with your power, you must allow yourself to feel the physical presence of emotion within you.

Once you feel it, you must hold onto it with every fiber of your being.

Only then will you be able to master the fury of power within you, Lena.

“Give it a try,” I coaxed as I wrapped my fingers around her wrist and flipped open her palm. “Reach deep and find the emotion that will make this glow once more.”

“I’m scared I won’t be able to control it,” she breathed.

“You are more powerful than you allow yourself credit for, Elena. Trust in yourself.” I took a few steps back, distancing myself from the pull towards her—that familiar pull of the bond that threatened to tug me under if I wasn’t more careful.

The air in this library had become heavy with the intoxicating tension between us.

Elena steadied herself and took a deep pull of air before her focus shifted towards her palm. Concentration furrowed her brows, and the glow within her palm began to flicker.

It faded in and out as a huff of frustration fled her lips. Instead of jumping in to help, I let her stumble and recover. I wanted her to feel empowered by her own resilience, the inner strength that she had shielded away from herself.

One more deep breath passed over her lips as she tried again.

Brighter and brighter her palm began to glow.

Gathering my shadows, I darkened the space around us, allowing the golden glow to illuminate her entire body.

I’d been alive for several centuries and the glow that happens when her dynamis flared still astounded me.

A single tear slipped down her cheek as I brushed my thumb over it to capture it.

“It’s b-beautiful,” she breathed.

“It’s mesmerizing,” I whispered, glancing not at her dynamis, but at the most enthralling thing inside this room.

Elena.