Uaxin doesn’t seem so certain, her one visible eye troubled.
“Fine?” I keep walking, keep trying to stop my barrier from popping all around me like errant fireworks.
“Calm.” Kyte reaches out and touches my arm as I march past. “Pacing is more of a Ceredes thing, no?”
I huff out a breath and keep going. “I can’t duel. Can I just refuse to—”
Ceredes hisses. “You can’t refuse a challenge.”
“Maybeyoucan’t. But I totally can. Civil disobedience or something, right? Or is that just common sense? I think it’s common sense when someone invites you to a fight for you to be like ‘no thanks, I’d rather play ‘Warcraft’ or even get back into my brief affair with ‘Skyrim.’ Very busy over here. Duel with someone else.’”
“You can’t walk away from a challenge.” For once, Jeren’s knives are sheathed.
“Why not?”
“Academy rules require you to answer a challenge or be branded a coward and thrown out of the fleet.”
I stop and turn to Ceredes. “What?”
“I’m afraid he’s correct.” Kyte leans against the wall beside the window. “You can’t walk away.”
“Well, then, tell Ilwen to take it back.” I throw up my hands.
“Once a challenge is made, there’s no going back.” Tilda shrugs. “Sorry.”
I start pacing again, because if I don’t, I might explode. “I don’t even know what the hell Ilwen expects—”
A short knock at the door stops me, and I look up as Master Harlan enters.
“A duel?” He crosses his arms over his chest, his eyes extra-stern.
“She didn’t issue it.” Ceredes stands at attention, his hands clasped behind him, his muscled body tense.
It’s hot. I try to ignore the hotness of it.
“I know very well that Ilwen issued it.” Harlan narrows his eyes on me. “And you have to answer it.”
“Great. Now I’ve got you on my ass about it, too?”
The large male with the reptilian eyes should frighten me, but I’d like to punch him right in his stupid nose. In fact, that seems like a good idea. The barrier sparks brighter as I fist my hands.
“All right, Lana. We need to let off some steam.” Ceredes takes my arm and hustles me past Master Harlan.
“I need to speak with the Omega.”
“After.” Ceredes marches me down the hall, my mind seething the entire way.
I can’t seem to control my emotions, because the more I think about Ilwen challenging me, the more I want to go to her dorm, drag her out of it, and pummel her in front of the entire academy.
“Lana, you need to relax.Your energy is all over the place.” Kyte’s voice is at my back, and I can feel Jeren there as well.
“I know.” I can’t stop the building anger, the power packed inside me leaking out the seams. It’s too much. All of it coming down on me at once. And when I get to this place in my mind where the anxiety is so high that I can’t think straight, I see him. I feel his mechanical arm around me. My legs are burning. My body shutting down. Warverian has me, and I’m powerless to escape.
“Hit me.”
I snap my eyes up and realize we’re in the sparring room.
Ceredes stands in front of me, his intense gaze simultaneously pissing me off and turning me on. “I said hit me, little Omega,” he sneers.
