I swallow hard, but all the rot in my veins has petered out, all the lines in the ground shriveled to nothing.
“Now pull those spikes back in, or I’ll pin them to the estate wall and let you hang there till you learn to control yourself.”
I grit my teeth.
Fist my sore hand.
Feel a line of blood drip from my eyebrow.
I stare at The Breaker, and I hate.
One day, I think to myself. One day, I will break you instead.
But until then, I will learn control.
CHAPTER 26
AUREN
I’m being nudged.
Nudged in the arm while I’m trying to sleep. I don’twantto be nudged while I’m trying to sleep. I say exactly that, but it comes out as a mashed-up grumble while my face is still stuffed against the pillow.
I hear a chuckle in reply, which makes my eyes squint open. Slade is standing beside the bed, his nudging hand nowhere to be found. Smart male.
“Is it night already?” I ask groggily as I stretch my legs out and start to sit up.
“No, it’s about midday.”
My eyes flick over to him just as I set my feet on the ground. “Oh good, I still have time then.” I start to lower myself back down again.
A damn nudging hand at my arm stops me.
“Actually, I’d like you to get up now.”
I stop and look up at him. “For what?”
“Training.”
I frown. “I train with Judd at night.”
His expression is unreadable. “You’re not training with Judd.”
My attention snares, our eyes tangling together. “I’m training with you.” It’s not a question, but his head tips down in a nod nonetheless, while mine shakes. “I can’t yet.”
He arches a brow. “Why not?”
Excuses clog up in the back of my throat like a newly formed dam until I’m running dry. I automatically resist, anxiety sloshing against my internal barrier. But then my determined words come leaking through the cracks to my ear.
The next time someone wants to try and use me, control me, I want to be ready.
That’s what I said to Judd.
I want to master my own strength—physically and magically.
That’s what I told Slade.
I can’t do those things if I don’t learn to control my magic. So I swallow hard, trying to dam up the flooding fear.
