I steadied myself against the desk, my pulse still unsteady from the Shade’s memory. The silence stretched between us, and for once, I wanted to break it.
“What if…” I hesitated, chewing on my lower lip before forcing the words out.
“What if there’s a way for me to train? To fight? To not always be—” I swallowed, heat rising to my cheeks.
“—the fragile human who has to be protected by everyone else.”
Varion’s eyes narrowed, and for a moment, I thought he might consider it. But then his answer came swift, sharp, unbending.
“No.”
The word cracked through the air like a whip.
“You’re human,” he said, stepping closer, his voice low and certain.
“And nothing in this world will ever change that. No amount of training would give you the strength to fight what prowls out there. Not Shad
