“You moved fast, but you moved away,” Ace laughed. “When you move away, you give up ground. Slip the punch, then counter with the pain. Throw that respectable spark at me right now. Shoot.”
I hesitated. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Sweetheart, I’ve been taking hits from actual monsters for three centuries,” Ace drawled lazily. “Shoot.”
Gritting my teeth, I thrust my hand forward. Crack-snap! Instead of retreating, Ace simply shifted his weight and tilted his torso, letting the lightning bolt zip harmlessly past his shoulder to hit the oak tree behind him.
“Too slow,” Ace critiqued, snapping his fingers.
The shadows beneath the oak tree instantly detached themselves, solidifying into two humanoid figures on the grass with gaping, oily voids for faces.
Falling backward, my breath caugh
