She scoffs, tucking her curls behind her ears before obeying. Or at least, she tries too. While she moves through the combos I—and apparently Navin—have taught her, she favors the foot with the jagged scar across it more than the other.
“You keep a lot of secrets,” she says between breaths.
“Only from those who don’t deserve to know.”
Aria frowns but returns to her jabs silently.
“Lift your right arm and step back a little farther with your left foot,” I instruct.
She steps back, but her foot angles too far in, causing her to wobble and throw her arms out for balance.
“Flatten that back foot—”
“Can you just come andhelpme?” she snaps, her talons pushing from the tips over her fingers. I draw a brow up at the outburst, a taunting rebuttal pressing at my lips before the abrupt urge tomoveand help her overwhelms me.The oath.Fuck, the magic is demanding that submit to her plea.
Her eyes flare wide as I uncross my arms and walk towards her, biting back a wince. “Draw your heel out wider,” I say, gently tapping the side of her foot with the tip of my boot. “Until your strength increases, you need to be more aware of how each part of your body is moving. If I would have attempted to hit youwhile you took up that positioning, you would have fallen flat on your ass.”
“My foot— I can’t press it flat. The muscles won’t work.”.
“What animal would leave a scar like that?” I ask. The question hadn’t exactly slipped out, but I have been curious to know what could leave such a jagged mark. It was like a smaller version of the scars on my back. Had she been subjected to a whip too? My hands involuntarily clench at the thought before I force myself to relax them.
“How about you tell me one thing aboutyou, and I will answer your question?” she counters.
I smirk as I round her front, lifting her arms to put her guard back up in front of her. Her skin is warm beneath my fingers, in contrast to the chill in the air from our proximity to the ocean. “How about I challenge you for real and thenforceyou to tell me when I win?”
She rolls her eyes as she distributes her weight between both feet. “These will be long hours together if we don’t have anything other than fighting to talk about,” she urges, tilting her head. “Would it besobad to get to know each other? Tell me about your life in the palace, and I’ll share how your lessons actually helped m—”
Her words are silenced when my head snaps in her direction, my brows drawn low over my eyes. “Why would you assume I live in the palace?”
“I—” She drops her guard as she stumbles backwards, but I follow her retreat until she hits the cavern wall, one of my hands bracing near her head. “I was just guessing.”
“Don’tlie, Aria.” My eyes search hers, but there is only one way she could know. “Navin,” I growl.
“He didn’t mean to let it slip,” she whispers, showing me her palms in the space between our heaving chests. “He was helping me train and—”
“So what? You knowonedetail about me and now think you’re entitled to it all? That we are somehowfriendsor equals? Because let’s getonething straight, Little Siren. I’m neither a friend nor someone you can trust. I’d sooner watch this oath between us fail andkillme then share anything personal with the likes ofyou.”
Her fingers curl in towards her palms, but where her bravery when speaking with me before was nonexistent, something now sparks in her gaze. A brightly lit ember that backlights the hazel.
“I wish I had let youdrown.” Her bottom lip trembles with the admission, my gaze drawn to it. This close to her, I can see the dark freckles that dust her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. I take note of the way her long lashes frame her eyes, their shape doe-like.
Air doesn’t quite meet my lungs on my next breath as I show her my canines in a snarl. “That makes two of us.”
Her mouth drops with a gasp, but I step away before she offers whatever apology is dangling on the tip of her tongue. Walking to the other side of the cavern, I give her my back as I close my eyes.Control.I need to gaincontrol.
“Do you hear that?” she asks softly, her steps gentle as they pad in my direction.
“Hear wh—” A shadow passes over us, the distinct sound of beating wings drawing my gaze upward. “He’s early,” I murmur as I walk to the edge of the platform, intent on letting Navin knowexactlyhow I feel about him sharing details of me with Aria when my boots halt at the sight of the dragon I can see through one of the holes in the wall.Fuck.
Ducking back, I squat low and palm my dagger, inspecting our surroundings for a spot to hide should we need it.
“What is it?” Aria asks, joining me on the ground.
“I’m not sure, but the dragon out there is not Navin’s.” I push my own discomfort out of the way as I focus on identifying whois out there. Aria doesn’t move at my side, keeping still as she peers down to one of the openings carved into the rock.
The black dragon’s scales glisten as it lowers itself to the sand, its yellow eye visible in the cutout. I tilt my head slowly and catch a glimpse of silver that makes me grow rigid, my teeth grinding together before I carefully take a step back. “It’s a King’s Rider,” I murmur, returning to scan the platform. But there is no crevice big enough to slip between, nothing but the beach in front of us and the pool of water behind us.
“I don’t know what that is,” she whispers back, panicked eyes meeting mine.
