Scarlet
The sharp clang of metal against metal echoed through the training grounds as I swung the weighted staff with practiced precision. Sweat dripped down my temple, the humid air clinging to my skin as the evening shadows lengthened around me. I needed the burn in my muscles, the sting in my palms. Anything to distract me from the whirlwind in my mind.
Damien.
I hated how his name lingered in my thoughts like an unwanted guest. How his actions—so deliberate, so unexpectedly kind—left me questioning everything I thought I knew about him. About us.
The memory of his golden eyes, filled with genuine concern, played on a loop in my head. His voice, softer than I’d ever heard it, said, “I’ll prove it to you.”
Prove what?
The staff slipped from my grasp, clattering to the ground as I g
