Dimitri didn’t give me a second to breathe. We were in a cold training room beneath the mansion and he moved fast, forcing me to dodge until my arms burned. He wasn't the man who kissed me last night. He was a drill sergeant pushing me to my limit.
"Again," he barked, lunging at me. "If you can’t defend yourself, anyone will take you in seconds. Fight back, Yena!"
I was exhausted. My lungs were on fire and my vision blurred. Every time I tried to catch my breath, he swung again. He wanted me to snap. He wanted the power to come out and he didn't care if he bruised me to get it.
"Is this it?" he taunted, grabbing my wrist and twisting it behind my back. "The great Yenorian power? You’re just a girl playing dress-up."
Something inside me broke. It wasn’t fear, it was pure rage. I felt a
