Arms crossed, staring me down, a challenging expression on his face.
I guess he should be relaxed. I’m a novice who may as well be going up against a titan.
“So, I just blast your mind and your heart with my energy?” I ask, feeling out of my depth but remembering the way I reacted to the soul I fought.
Roman’s smile grows. “Sure, give that a shot. But, Nova, don’t hold back.”
Bastard.
Since he’s suddenly being a less-than-helpful teacher, I release my nightmare power like a slingshot, aiming to slam it into his chest and overwhelm him with it. It feels like burning ice, streaming through my chest and arms, racing across my fingertips.
Despite what he said, Idohold back.
I experienced the nightmare power at Koda’s hands, and I also saw the damage it did to the soul, and I won’t soon forget that paralyzing fear and the resulting destruction.
Even so, the blast I release moves so fast that it wouldn’t be visible if I wasn’t using my demon vision. It’s intense and intricate as it flies toward Roman. Dark and smoky with twists of deep, rich purple. In the split second that it streaks across the space between us, I’m fascinated by its form and color. Its strange beauty.
My power hits his chest so hard that I expect to hear athud, only there isn’t a sound.
There also isn’t a sound when I’m thrown backward, the force of Roman’s energy repelling mine so abruptly that my unsuspecting body is launched like I’m on a catapult.
Fuck!
A glowing rune wraps around me, pulling me to a quiet stop before I hit the trees at the back of the clearing.
I glare at Roman—glad he saved me from injury, but mortified that he needed to.
Jumping back to my feet and stalking forward, new determination fills me now that I didn’t hurt him—and possibly can’t.
His eyebrows arch at me and I would swear he’s enjoying this.
I grit my teeth as I walk, briefly running my palms down my jeans.Right, Nova, you have a damn demon to knock down a few pegs.
My next blast of nightmare power is amped up tenfold, hitting his chest soundlessly—again bouncing back silently, but I anticipate the blowback this time and only skid about ten feet across the ground when our powers collide.
My feet dig two little valleys in the ground until I come to a halt.
“For fuck’s sake,” I mutter, my frustration growing when I fail again.
Three further attempts later, I face what I already know: Roman is much stronger than I am. I can’t beat him this way, not through brute force. I have to be smarter about it.
Breathing heavily from the exertion, I take a moment to examine him, still standing with his arms crossed, though he’s lost the cocky expression. Now he looks a touch disappointed, and that rankles more than anything else because it raises my own disappointment with myself.
“I need a minute,” I finally say, knowing that in my current agitated frame of mind, I’m not going to be able to focus enough to keep my power steady.
Spinning, I march over to my wolves and scoop Ingrid up while Temple brushes against me. Their combined presence immediately calms me. Ingrid nestles into my neck and Temple growls low in her throat as her body weight rests comfortingly against my leg.
As I told Roman, my pack is my peace.
Just as I take another breath, prepared to get back to training, a loud nicker sounds across the clearing. The end of the horse’s paddock is visible at the base of the shed, and I’m surprised to see Wild Girl pawing at the earth near the fence closest to us.
I cast Roman a questioning glance and he inclines his head. Not that I need his permission to go to her, but I don’t know these horses as well as he does, and for all I know, I should leave Wild Girl the hell alone right now.
He doesn’t follow me when I quietly approach the corner of the fence.
Wild Girl paces backward the closer I get, as if she’s determined to keep exactly the distance she wants between us.
Leaning on the railing, making sure Ingrid is secure, and happy that Temple has followed me, I take a chance and hold my hand out over the railing.
