The second he lunges—
I move.
Not clean.
Not perfect.
But not panicked either.
My body reacts before my mind catches up, shifting sideways just enough to avoid the full impact. His weight crashes past me instead of into me, claws tearing through the air where I was standing a second earlier. I stumble hard, barely catching myself before I hit the ground completely, breath tearing sharp through my lungs.
“Okay,” I mutter, adrenaline slamming through me hard enough to make my hands shake. “Okay, we’re doing this.”
Try not to die in the first thirty seconds, Nyx says dryly.
Working on it.
The rogue recovers instantly.
Too fast.
He pivots smoothly, muscles coiling beneath uneven black fur as his eyes lock onto me again with that same cold certainty.
No hesitation.
No curiosity.
J
