Kaelira’s POV
The energy didn’t settle. That was the first thing I noticed.
Even after I stepped back, after the distance snapped between us, the feeling stayed. Not as sharp, not as violent… but there. Restless and watching.
I forced my breathing to steady, but it didn’t fully obey.
“What was that?” I asked again, quieter this time but no less demanding.
He didn’t answer immediately.
Of course he didn’t.
His gaze was fixed on me, sharper than before, like he wasn’t just looking anymore, he was measuring. Calculating something he hadn’t accounted for.
“I don’t know,” he said finally.
A lie Or worse…
A partial truth.
My eyes narrowed slightly. “You hesitated.”
“And you didn’t?” he shot back.
That stopped me.
Because I had.
Just for a second.
That moment when the power surged
