Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder-Chapter 1647 - 89 : Lowering Shields

*Briella*

If it weren’t for the gorgeous beach we were surrounded by twenty-four hours a day, I would probably be losing my mind.

The sharp contrast between the island paradise and the dark war we were about to fight was not lost on me. Still, each day when we were done training, I found myself soothed by the gentle breeze and the rhythmic crashing of waves against the shore. They were the sounds that helped me fall asleep at night despite the fear twisting my gut each time I lay down.

The fact that I was surrounded by powerful women was also helping me relax at night.

I took a short break to stretch my muscles before glancing over at the woman who was perched on top of a tree. Tahlia was from Ethereal Grove and had dark braids and piercing light brown eyes. She was speaking softly to a flock of birds, urging them to get into an attack formation.

Then there was Momo, a fair-skinned girl with light blonde hair and shimmering blue eyes that were almost as blue as the ocean. She was from Lumina Mountain and had that shared ability to manipulate clouds. Recently, we discovered that she could control the wind as well without any water vapors present.

Finally, Arista from Astral Haven was standing right beside me, helping me harness my new ability to create waves with my voice.

There were other magic wielders as well, but these three women were the ones I was working with the most, the ones with the most combative abilities that could be used in battle. There simply wasn’t enough time for me to work one-on-one with all of them. We had to prioritize if we were going to be ready to fight Tian and his shadow army.

I felt my jaw tighten as I sang a high note, putting my hands out in front of me as I tried to make a wave. The water around me started to shake and ripple as my energy coursed through it, but there was some resistance. It felt as if there was a wall somewhere, blocking me from using my full strength on the water.

I grunted with frustration as I let the water settle, letting go of the tether. I panted sharply, setting my hands on my knees to steady myself as my head whirled. I groaned, squeezing my eyes shut.

“You were a lot closer that time,” Arista told me soothingly, wading through the water to put a comforting hand on my back.

I appreciated the gesture, but I couldn’t help but feel like I was being coddled in a way. We simply didn’t have time to do things gently. We had already been on the island for over a week. The eclipse was creeping closer and closer, and we had to invade before it so that Tian didn’t have another advantage over us.

“Maybe this is a waste of time after all,” I grumbled.

Arista’s hand froze over my back. “What do you mean?” she asked carefully.

I forced myself to stand up straight. “Maybe I should be focusing on the gifts I know I possess fully,” I said, thinking out loud. “Besides, we don’t even know if we’ll have access to water anyway.”

“I don’t think this is a waste of time at all,” Arista cut in before I could say anything else. She gestured all around us. “I think you don’t understand the full extent of your power, Briella. You can probably push your energy through so much more than just water.” Without another word, she took my hand and pulled me out of the ocean so we were standing on the warm sand.

I blinked at her and stared at her strangely. “Not really,” I told her. “Maybe I’ve been able to do that, but only when I have the Embervale dagger.” I took the blade out from the sheath around my thigh and showed it to Arista.

Arista studied the dagger but then shook her head at me. “Your dagger is just a guide,” she told me. “It might enhance your power, but the energy you wield through it is still coming from you, Briella.”

I reeled as if she had struck me. “But how can you know that?” I asked, staring at her in wonder.

Arista didn’t answer me. She gently took my dagger and stepped away with a grin. “Try it,” she urged.

There was nothing close by except for sand, so I got down on one knee and placed my palm against the warm grains, relishing in the heat for a moment. I felt something else beneath that warmth, the familiar peace and thrumming I felt while meditating and listening to the earth.

It took a while but, eventually, the grains of sand around my fingers began to glow a brilliant blue color. I held them in my mind, urging them to rise, and they did, swirling slowly around me like tiny stars.

The gravity of what I had just done slammed into me. I gasped, causing me to lose hold of the grains of sand. They fell lifelessly to the ground. I jumped to my feet, staring at Arista, who had a smug look on her face.

I was shaking slightly I realized as I raised my hands to stare at them in wonder. “How did you know I could do that?” I asked again.

Arista laughed, her blue eyes wide in amazement. “I didn’t,” she admitted with glee. “But my big hint was the way you were able to control water without being a member of Astral Haven. It seems you can control energy in any form you like.”

I shook my head slowly, shock going through me. I knew I could feel the energy. When faced with certain circumstances, I could call upon it, but being able to do so easily without the dagger was something I didn’t realize I was capable of.

Could it be that I really was stronger than I thought? Could I really push energy through anything?

I took a deep breath and got back down on my knees, pressing both my hands against the sand. “Let’s try again.”

By the time darkness fell over our little island, I was able to harness my energy through larger objects. I couldn’t control them much. The most I could do was make them move slightly. If I was going to be a threat against Tian, I would need to be able to do much more than that.

My muscles were stiff and sore when I walked up to the tent I was sharing with Kryzen. I pushed the flap open to find my mate pulling off his shirt. I let my eyes roam over the defined muscles in his back.

He looked over his shoulder at me as I entered the tent. At the look on my face, he sent me a teasing smirk. “Like what you see, Black?”

I casually let go of the tent’s door so that it fell shut again before crossing the small space between us and running my fingers along Kryzen’s spine, causing him to shiver. “You know I do,” I said, my voice low.

His breathing hitched. He turned to face me so he could take me in his arms. My hands automatically went to the bare skin of his chest. I hummed appreciatively when he bent his head to kiss me, his lips slow and lazy against mine.

As much as I wanted to engage in more pleasurable activities, I was too eager to show Kryzen what I had discovered about myself.

With difficulty, I placed my hands against his chest and gently pushed him away so I could look up at him. “I want to show you something,” I said, taking his hand. I grinned and pressed a kiss right where his heart was. “You might want to put on a shirt though.”

Once Kryzen was fully dressed, I took him outside and pulled him over to a random thin tree with big, fan-like leaves. I let go of his hand and stepped up to the tree, placing my palm against the smooth trunk.

I could feel Kryzen’s anticipation as he watched me intensely. I had to completely block him out of my mind and force myself to forget he was there, which definitely wasn’t easy to do.

Eventually, I was able to do so and focused my energy entirely in front of me, feeling the familiar weightlessness of giving in to the energy and becoming its humble guide.

“Briella,” Kryzen gasped, and that’s how I knew I was doing it.

I looked up to find that the tree was shimmering with what looked to be a thousand stars. The huge leaves seemed to be dancing. The tree trunk swayed rhythmically in a way that couldn’t be mimicked by the wind.

I gasped as I lost control of it, causing the shimmering to stop abruptly and the swinging to cease. I leaned against the tree for support as the world spun slightly.

Kryzen was by my side in a flash, his eyes wide as he looked into my face. “How did you learn how to do that?” he asked in stupefied awe.

I focused on my breathing for a second before shrugging my shoulders. “I guess I sort of always knew.”

At Kryzen’s shocked expression, I quickly explained my little session with Arista and how she helped me see that I could potentially push my energy into anything. Kryzen listened politely, but I could see the gears turning hard in his mind as he processed what I was telling him.

“Briella, this is incredible,” he told me, gripping my shoulders. “We’ll have to work with you to get you to harness this power. You could be a powerful weapon if you can channel this.”

I sucked in a sharp breath, my heart pounding as I realized that Kryzen was right. If I could get better at pushing energy into anything, I could potentially do what Tian did to shadow creatures. But obviously, instead of using it for evil, I would use it for good.

Still, it was a lot of pressure. I would have to learn to use this ability in just a couple of short weeks. That just wasn’t enough time to master anything. It took years for magic wielders to become masters.

But I had to do my best.

I lifted my chin and nodded firmly. “I’ll do whatever it takes to get better at this before the battle,” I told Kryzen determinedly.

Kryzen’s eyes shone with pride. He lifted a hand so he could cup my face, his thumb stroking over my cheekbone. “You’re truly amazing, Briella,” he said. “You are constantly impressing me the more time we spend together.”

I felt my face flame at his praise. I swallowed hard. “You’re amazing too,” I told him. “I love watching you train the new recruits. They clearly respect you and are already learning so much. You are a natural leader.”

Kryzen grinned but shrugged modestly. He sighed and took me in his arms, wrapping them around my waist to pull me close. “You’re strong,” he said as if he couldn’t believe it. “I know you are completely capable of taking care of yourself, but I still find myself wishing that I could shield you from all of this impending danger all the same.”

I giggled but was pleased deep down by his strong urge to protect me. It meant he truly loved me. I wrapped my arms around his back, pressing my face into his chest so that I could inhale his masculine scent. I pulled away to look up at him. “Shield me so that I can just sit back and let you have all of the fun?” I asked with a teasing smirk. “Never.”