SHADE
"I need to talk to you," I said to Liam, my eyes fixed on Avery across the training field. She was sparring with Thier and Courtney, sweat slicking her brow, arms flexing with each strike. There was something about her—wild, determined—that made my chest tighten. She was getting better. Stronger.
It wouldn’t be long before she was fast enough to beat me. I didn’t dread it. I was counting down the days.
Liam sighed beside me, already anticipating the conversation, a frown in his lips. “About my stepsister?”
I nodded once, jaw clenching. “Yes.”
He scrubbed a hand through his hair, the kind of frustrated gesture that told me he wasn’t exactly proud of her either.
“She... honestly, Liam, the only reason she’s still allowed to stay here is because she’s your family,” I said, lowerin
