The island was quiet except for the soft crash of waves. Taunie sat beside Tristan on the blanket she had created, still shaken by the teleportation she didn’t know she could do.
Tristan watched her with a mixture of awe and something deeper — something protective.
“Taunie,” he said softly, “there’s something I need to tell you too.”
She turned toward him, heart pounding.
“What is it?”
He took a slow breath.
“When your magic surged through me last night… something inside me woke up. I didn’t understand it at first. But now—”
He didn’t lift a hand.
He didn’t gesture.
He didn’t even tense.
The air around them simply responded.
A sudden burst of wind spiraled outward from Tristan, swirling around them with raw force. Sand lifted, palm leaves whipped violently, the waves rose hig
