The moment my bonds fell away, I launched myself at my grandmother. She barely had time to widen her eyes before my fist connected with her jaw. The satisfying crunch of bone meeting bone echoed through the room.
"You talk too much," I snarled, following up with a knee to her stomach.
El stumbled back, gasping. But she recovered quickly, her eyes flashing with a mixture of anger and... pride?
"There's the fire I was looking for," she spat, wiping blood from her lip. "Come on, girl. Show me what you're made of."
I didn't need a second invitation. We clashed in a flurry of fists and feet. I may have had youth on my side, but El had centuries of experience. For every blow I landed, she returned one with interest.
"Is this all you've got?" El taunted, ducking under a wild swing. "I expect
