Page 24 of Traveler (Soulbound #1)

Carion

The girl is going to get herself killed.

That’s the only thought in my head as I drag Aly through the training grounds, her wrist burning against my palm like I’m gripping a live wire. The bond between us thrums, insistent and unwelcome, a headache I can’t shake. Firefly . The nickname fits—all flickering chaos and no direction.

“Let go of me!” she snarls, yanking against my grip.

I tighten my hold. “You wanted a lesson. Shut up and take it.”

She stumbles into the center of the arena, her hair still damp from the geyser stunt she pulled earlier. The memory of that tidal wave makes my jaw clench. Reckless. Dangerous. Stupid .

“You’re not my instructor,” she spits, whirling on me.

“No. I’m the idiot cleaning up your messes.” I kick a charred training dummy out of the way. “Now, summon water. A trickle, not a tsunami.”

She crosses her arms. “Why should I listen to you?”

“Because the dean will expel you if you flood the armory again. And unlike you, I care about not wasting my time here.” Lie. I don’t give a damn about this academy. But the thought of her getting herself incinerated? It needles me. The bond , I tell myself. Just the bond.

“Barrett wouldn’t expel me.” She snaps. Rage ripples through my body

“Right, I forgot you were fucking him.” I snarl.

“Fuck you.” She murmurs. Her voice small.

“No thanks, now do what I said.”

She glares but raises her hands. A pathetic dribble of water pools in her palms.

“Pathetic,” I snap. “You pulled an aquifer earlier. Now you’re scared of a puddle?”

“I’m not scared —”

“Then stop hesitating!” I stride toward her, the bond buzzing louder with every step. “Magic isn’t a pet. It’s a blade. You don’t ask it—you take it.”

Her eyes narrow. “You sound like Vivianne and she’s psychotic.”

I smirk. “I never claimed to be sane firefly. Perhaps you should focus less on my mental state and more on your lack of understanding of magic.”

A flare of heat licks the air—her temper sparking. Good.

“Again,” I order.

This time, the water surges faster, a shaky sphere hovering between her hands.

“Hold it,” I say, circling her. “Steady.”

“I’m trying—”

“Try harder.”

She grits her teeth, the sphere wobbling. I step closer, my shadow merging with hers. The bond hums, a low, traitorous pull. Her scent hits me—burnt sugar and rainwater. Annoying .

“Focus on the center,” I mutter. “The core of the water. Not the edges.”

“What does that even mean ?”

I grab her wrist, adjusting her stance. Her pulse races under my fingers. “It means stop trying to shove it into a jar. Pull it from the center to where you want it. You’re not going to get it if you keep just trying to yank on the sides . The shape begins in the center.”

She shivers. My thumb brushes the inside of her wrist before I drop her arm like it’s poisoned.

The sphere stabilizes, glowing faintly blue.

“Better,” I admit grudgingly.

A faint smile tugs her lips. It’s… irritating.

I send a spark of fire at the sphere. It hisses out.

“Hey!”

“Defend it,” I say, lobbing another flame.

She encases the water around it, smothering the fire. Clever.

“Again.”

We fall into a rhythm—fire and water, strike and shield. Her movements grow sharper, less frantic. The bond quiets, soothed by the cadence. Almost peaceful.

Then she overextends.

Her foot catches on a cracked tile. She stumbles, the water sphere exploding. Ice-cold droplets drench us both.

I freeze, soaked. She stares up at me, cheeks flushed, lips parted. The bond roars to life, sudden and suffocating.

Kiss her.

The thought is a knife to the gut. I step back; fists clenched. “You’re still sloppy.”

She scrambles up, defenses slamming into place. “And you’re still an ass.”

“But I’m an ass who just taught you control.” I turn, striding toward the exit. “Don’t waste it.”

“Carion.”

I pause, shoulders rigid.

“Why did you help me?”

Because the bond is a curse. Because you’re too bright to burnout. Because I’m the most dangerous person to you, and you need to be able to stop me.

Because I can’t stop myself.

“Because its less fun to kick your ass if you know nothing, It’s boring.” I lie, vanishing into the shadows before she can see the truth in my eyes. As much as I wanted my firefly with every fiber of my being. I’d have to kill my father first.