“Again.”
Kael’s voice cut through the cold morning air.
I clenched my fists.
“I just did—”
“Again.”
Of course.
No rest.
No pause.
No mercy.
I sucked in a breath, trying to steady myself as I stood in the center of the training pit. The ground beneath my feet still bore cracks from yesterday.
From me.
A reminder I couldn’t ignore.
“Focus,” Kael said.
Easy for him to say.
He stood a few feet away, completely still, arms at his sides like he wasn’t even trying.
Like I wasn’t a threat.
Like I couldn’t hurt him.
That irritated me more than it should have.
“Stop holding back,” he added.
“I’m not holding back,” I snapped.
His eyebrow lifted slightly.
“Then that’s a problem.”
My jaw tightened.
“Maybe I just don’t want to hurt anyone.”
“Then you’ll never learn control.”
The
