Synnr's Hope - Kate Rudolph Page 0,26

was happening. There was no stopping it.

Her body tightened, ready and waiting for whatever was going to happen. The heat of him was almost too much to handle but she wasn’t letting go. She’d never been so close to a person in her life. His spark, his lifeforce, flowed in her veins. It didn’t get better than that.

No.

Sanity knocked at the backdoor of her mind and Lena wanted to keep it out, if only for a few more minutes. Just long enough to let her get a taste of this man. Was that too much to ask?

Apparently yes.

She stepped back, the promise she’d made to him stronger than whatever desire she felt. It broke the spell and Solan stepped back as well. They stared at each other for almost a minute, neither of them knowing what to say. Lena wanted to fill the silence with something, but her mind was still a bit scrambled.

Solan cleared his throat. “Your wings look nice.”

“Yeah?” She flexed her back muscles, trying to flare them out farther so she could see them. It didn’t work. “I guess I’ll have to get used to them. How do I put them away?”

That stumped him for a moment. “When you’re first learning to use them, they react strongly to your emotions. If you feel like you’re in danger, they’ll come out. Try and remind yourself that you’re safe. I know you think your muscles control them, but they don’t. They’re a manifestation of your spark, and that is where they go when they’re not on display. Feel your spark and pull them back.”

It took a minute. Now that she wasn’t holding onto Solan’s power it was harder to feel her own, but easier than it had been before they bonded. And she knew she wasn’t in any danger at Human House. Especially not with Solan here.

Though she wasn’t about to let herself rely on him. That way led to danger and heartache.

The fizzing glow of her spark was there when she looked for it, and she imagined sending her wings back there to hang out for a while. Nothing felt different when she opened her eyes back up, and yet she was certain the wings were gone.

So that was that. She and Solan were bonded.

And now that it was done they didn’t know what to do with one another.

Solan was the first to speak. “I’ll inform the admiralty. We’ll be expected to begin training in earnest now that we’ve bonded. I’ll relay a schedule to your communicator. Have a nice evening.”

He left without waiting for her response. Not that she had one.

Lena sank back down onto the couch. She had an awareness of Solan living within her and she could reach for her wings at any time. For the first time in a month, things were looking up. She’d have a real job, a purpose, soon enough. And she was Matched to a capable soldier who she was fairly certain she liked.

But as she sat in the empty room she’d never felt more alone.

CHAPTER EIGHT

SOLAN’S MESSAGE CAME early the next day: Training facility. 10:00. Since she only knew of the one facility, that was where she went. And when she got there, Emily was climbing up to one of the top platforms and sailing down as if she’d been born with wings.

If Emily was using her power, that meant Oz was somewhere close by. For some reason, Matched units needed to be in relatively close proximity or their sparks didn’t work well. Emily had confided that she and Oz were working on the distance and now they could be miles apart and still make things work.

Had Solan considered that?

They hadn’t discussed it, but he must have. Right? Lena wasn’t going to worry about it. It was his problem. Besides, she’d been up half the night testing out her wings and she hadn’t run into an issue with her powers once. Whatever their range was, they had plenty of room to maneuver.

Lena wasn’t ready to talk to Emily about what was going on, so she ducked down towards the changing rooms before her friend could see her. Solan hadn’t forbidden her from saying anything to Emily, and she wouldn’t have bonded with him if he had, but this was way too new to talk about yet. She changed into her workout clothes quickly and headed down one of the halls, looking for a smaller training room where she could warm up before Solan arrived. He’d said to be there