The warriors around them stayed silent. No one spoke. No one breathed too loudly. Every eye was fixed on her.
Gideon lifted a hand. "Dismissed."
Relief rippled through the ring as his men backed away, pretending they hadn't seen what they'd just witnessed. Pretending they didn't understand what it meant.
Henrietta lowered her blade slowly. The glow in her eyes faded, but not completely. She looked at him, something unreadable flickering across her face.
Gideon met her gaze. "You felt it," he said calmly. "That wasn't training strength."
Her fingers tightened around the hilt. "I didn't lose control."
"I know," he replied. "That's what worries me."
She frowned in disbelief. His statement sounded absurd to her. She never imagined that a stone-hearted man like him could show such worry.
