Xavier
My lungs burned.
Every breath felt like it was dragging broken glass down my throat. Sweat dripped into my eyes. My ribs ached where Dominic's fists had landed, and blood warmed the side of my face, dripping slowly down my neck.
But I was still standing.
Across from me, Dominic rose with a snarl. His lip bled, and there was fury in his eyes not just the anger of a lost fight, but something deeper. Wounded pride. Shattered control. He was not used to losing. Not in front of the Elders. Not in front of his warriors. And especially not to me.
The arena had gone quiet, too quiet. I could hear the wind rustling through the trees outside the stone walls. I could hear the flicker of torches along the edge of the dueling ring. And somewhere in that stillness, I felt a shift. An ancient
