Lean entered first, with that crooked smile that always seemed to carry a half-spoken secret. Kael followed, more serious, but with a playful spark in his eyes—the one that only came out when he saw me sweaty, breathless… alive.
“Already training to beat us too?” Kael asked, crossing his arms as his gaze swept slowly over me.
“Don’t give her ideas,” Sage replied, already standing. Her tone was neutral, though a glint of amusement flickered at the corner of her lips.
“Too late,” Lean added. “She had them before she even met us.”
I laughed, looking down. Not because I was embarrassed, but because with them… my body always reacted before my thoughts could catch up. Every glance, every word, every move—they were strings pulled tight inside me.
“Did you come to watch or to help?” I asked,
