No More Until You Are Ready
684 Words
The silence after everything settled felt heavier than before.
Not just tense.
Restrained.
Like something had almost gone too far—
And both of us knew it.
Kael didn’t speak immediately.
He just stood there, watching me carefully, like he was measuring something.
Not my strength.
My control.
I swallowed slightly, my hands still trembling.
“I said I didn’t mean to,” I repeated.
“I know.”
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
And that made my chest tighten.
“Then don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like I’m dangerous.”
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
Kael didn’t react right away.
Didn’t deny it either.
Because he couldn’t.
Because it was true.
“You are dangerous,” he said finally.
The honesty hit harder than anything else.
But he didn’t stop there.
“So is this power,” he added.
“And right now—you don’t fully control it.”
My jaw tightened.
“I was controlling it before.”
“And then you lost it.”
The reminder stung.
Because it was true.
I looked away briefly, my chest tightening again as I tried to steady myself.
“It’s getting harder to stop,” I admitted quietly.
Kael nodded once.
“That’s why we stop here.”
My head snapped back toward him.
“What?”
“No more attempts,” he said firmly. “Not like this.”
“That’s not what we agreed.”
“That was before I saw how fast it’s escalating.”
Frustration rose immediately.
“So what? I just pretend it’s not there?”
“No,” he replied. “You learn control first.”
“I am learning!”
“Not fast enough.”
The words cut.
Sharp.
“You said I need to understand it,” I argued. “I can’t do that if I avoid it.”
“And you can’t survive it if you rush it,” he shot back.
Silence fell.
Because now—
We were both right.
And that made it worse.
My hands clenched slightly.
“If I don’t learn this now, it’s just going to happen again,” I said. “Out there. In a fight. When it actually matters.”
Kael stepped closer, his expression serious.
“And if it happens again now, you could drain me completely.”
The words hit.
Hard.
Because suddenly—
That wasn’t just a possibility.
It felt real.
I swallowed.
“I wouldn’t let that happen.”
“You didn’t let it happen the first time either,” he replied.
Silence.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
Because that—
That was the truth.
I looked down slightly, my chest tightening.
“So what are you saying?” I asked quietly.
Kael didn’t hesitate.
“I’m saying no more draining,” he said. “Not until you can hold your power without it reaching for anything on its own.”
My grip tightened.
“That could take too long.”
“It’s safer.”
“I don’t want safe,” I said.
“I want control.”
“And you’ll get it,” he replied. “But not like this.”
Another pause.
Then—
“That’s not a suggestion.”
The firmness in his voice made it clear.
This wasn’t a debate anymore.
It was a boundary.
And for a moment—
I wanted to argue.
Push back.
Ignore it.
But then—
I remembered.
The second surge.
The way it didn’t listen.
The way it took.
My shoulders dropped slightly.
“…Fine,” I said.
The word didn’t feel satisfying.
But it felt necessary.
Kael didn’t relax.
Not completely.
But something in his expression eased just slightly.
“Good,” he said.
The warmth inside me stirred again.
Quieter now.
Contained.
But still there.
Still waiting.
And I understood something clearly in that moment.
This wasn’t over.
Not even close.
Because avoiding it didn’t make it weaker.
It just delayed the moment I would have to face it again.
And next time—
I wouldn’t have the option to stop. 😈🔥
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