And he’ll be licking it right up.
“I’ll leave you to it, then. Kai, get off the ladder with that leg,” Serena warns as he whizzes past, dangling from a rung despite the injury that still sometimes bothers him.
“She’s right. Don’t come crying to me to heal you when you’re sore tonight,” Mar pipes, sliding one of the thick tomes toward her.
Their bickering fades to background noise as Serena reaches the doorway, pausing to take one last look at me before disappearing into the hall.
67
SERENA
12 DAYS
“Lesson number one,” Jace muses, his voice militaristic. “Do not attempt to wield dragon fire without a set intention. Nothing must be left to chance. You have to be very clear in your mind about what it is you want. And you cannot waver.”
Ah, decisiveness.My one true enemy.
“The point of this is to convert her fire into pure energy, which you then get to shape into a weapon of your choice.” He meanders through the clearing, pausing to glance at Furi—propped on her hind legs, nibbling the nearby treetops. “Maybe you can get her to pay attention. This is training, not snack time.”
Her massive head swings in his direction.Maybe I’ll feast on your entrails and bathe in your blood.
I can’t help but laugh.
“Keep it up, and they’ll be no forest left,” he digs.
“If I were you, I’d be trying a little harder to get on her good side.”
“Yeah, well, she’s not my favorite either.”
I roll my eyes. “Okay. Clear intent. Got it. What’s lesson number two?”
“Oh, we’re not moving on until you’ve mastered the first one. Mount her.”
“So bossy,” I mutter under my breath. “Okay Furi, let’s give this a shot.” She nudges me with her nose before I climb up onto her back.
“Are you comfortable?” Jace calls up to me.
“Yes.”
“Good. Now let your mind empty. Focus on the link between the two of you. You need to be on the exact same frequency for this to work.”
I try doing what he says. Try to focus. Clear my mind of tyrants and mental shielding and night terrors and near-wedding experiences and—aww, fuck.
“No,” he drones. “You’re not connected. You have to be in complete synchronization.”
I groan. “We’re trying.”
“Try harder.”
“Dick.”
“Brat.”
“Shutup. I’m trying to focus.”
Concentrate, Blackblood.
I am.
