The Hunter and the Mage (The Raven and the Dove #2) - Kaitlyn Davis Page 0,93

the scorch marks on the deck, and the rest of you, get back to work."

They scrambled.

Well, everyone except Rafe and Brighty.

"The rift?" he asked.

Eyes twinkling triumphantly at something new to hold over him, she murmured, "You'll see."

29

Lyana

With his arm around her waist, Malek helped Lyana back into the interior of the boat, carefully minding her twisted ankle and the burns bubbling over her exposed skin. Using him as an anchor, she limped down the steps and into the privacy of the closed room where no one in the city would see them as they floated back to the castle. It had become something of a ritual. They didn't need words as he quietly closed the door behind them and she stripped off her jacket. By the time she was seated, golden magic already shone between his fingers.

Malek eased her leg onto his lap and used a dagger to cut away the trousers Isaak's fire magic had burned, revealing her scarred flesh. She sighed as his magic sank into the wounds, delivering a coolness to quell the flames, relief so sweet her eyes fluttered shut as she sank back against the pillows. In her former life, she might have been scandalized at finding herself half-naked and alone with a man, or rebelliously pleased. Now she was too tired for either. Her soul was already laid bare by his magic. Did it truly matter if her body was too?

"You did well today."

"Was that a compliment?" She opened her eyes just wide enough to see his lips twist in a smile and felt her own do the same. "I don't believe my ears."

"I've been known to deliver a few."

"And now a joke?"

He shook his head softly, which only made her grin widen.

"Did you expect me to simply say thank you?"

"No, never. That would be as shocking as my praise."

"True."

"I push you because the world demands it."

"I know, Malek. I was only—"

"And I hold back my approval until you've earned it, so then you know it's true." His fingers tingled with power as they drifted over her ankle, the magic reflecting in his midnight eyes. Though his mouth still held the slightest curve, his jaw was clenched in concentration. A groove marred his brow, slightly hidden by a wave of his golden hair. "I find little use for pretty words that mean nothing. I'd like you to know that when I tell you something, I mean it. And today I do. You did well."

"But not great," she added, unable to stop herself. With her power near the surface, she felt his spirit brighten.

"Not yet."

"Thank you."

He darted his guarded eyes toward her. "For what?"

"For the truth."

In a way, he reminded her of Cassi. While her teachers had always boosted her ego, giving praise where it wasn't necessarily due, her friend had been there with a sharp word to bring her right down to size. Not in a bad way, but in a way that made her yearn to improve. It was the same with Malek. She was getting better. Today she'd fought Isaak and Viktor together—stopping the wind, holding back fire, doing things that had seemed impossible only a few weeks before. Her defensive magic was improving, but she still lacked the control for a strong attack, which was how they'd beaten her down in the end. Today she had been good, but she wanted to be great. She needed to be great, for the world, if not for herself.

"There's something I want to try tomorrow," Malek said, drawing her back. "I think you're ready."

"What?"

"I want you to touch the rift."

"Really?" She jerked up in surprise, hissing as the burns on her thigh flared with heat. Malek's hand was there in an instant, the cool tingle of his magic dousing the fire.

"Yes. You're not ready to attempt to seal it. Not even close. You've started to learn how to tame the elements, how to command them, but I want to see how in tune you are with the spirit of the earth. Not just the elements themselves, but with the essence binding them together. I want to see if you're strong enough to sense the rift on your own."

"But the—the bowls." The word slid through her lips slick with disdain.

A bit of air escaped his lips, sounding suspiciously like a laugh. "Yes, the bowls. Your greatest enemy."

He wasn't wrong. Inside the arena, her magic was starting to become second nature—with her adrenaline pumping, with her heart in her throat, with her instincts leading the way