"Better?" Cade asked.
"Much better. It's like... like my magic was holding its breath, and now it can finally exhale."
"Good. Now try channeling that energy upward, but slowly. Don't force it—just guide it."
Lyra focused on the sensation of grounded energy, carefully encouraging her magic to flow upward through her body. Light began to gather around her hands, soft and golden, completely unlike the violent sparks she'd been producing for days.
"Holy sage," she breathed. "It's working."
"Keep going. Let the light grow, but maintain the connection to the earth."
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.
