Her answering smile was all teeth. “Compliment accepted.”
Lexie stood near the door, watching. “Hey, um, it’s time for us?—”
I held up my hand, silencing her.
Bryson stood with her, his attention on us.
Lexie’s bright eyes sparkled. Derren held his usual smirk, the kind that said he was already making up stories about this in his head. Fenna and Kerralyn were grinning, nudging each other while looking our way.
And Maddox… He muttered something under his breath. I didn’t catch the words, but the tone made my spine go iron-straight.
Isi and I clashed again. I drove her toward the edge of the mat, our strikes fast enough that the only sounds were the slap of a palm against a block, the faint creak of leather from our clothing, and the hiss of breath between our teeth.
She dodged a high strike, the movement bringing her so close I caught the warm brush of her shoulder against my chest before she spun away.
“Lunch?” Derren asked, though I only vaguely heard.
I let Isi get behind me, curious to see what she’d do. She didn’t waste a moment, hooking her arm under mine and pulling, trying to unbalance me. I went with it, turning into her so our chests brushed again, my palm sliding across her hip.
“You’re thinking too much,” I said quietly.
“You talk too much,” she shot back.
She broke away, tried a high-low combo that would’ve dropped the rest of the group. I blocked both and swept in close enough to catch her elbow and twist. Her breath lurched, and I spotted a quick flare in her eyes before she broke free.
Bryson opened the door to the hall.
Isi and I fought closer together, each move bringing us into more contact instead of less.
She went for another sweep. I blocked and used the momentumto spin her, finding the back of her neck with my hand before she ducked under my arm and came at me again.
She was reading me now, learning my tells as fast as I gave them.
Clever minx.
Gavelle ruffled his feathers, his talons scraping as if he was leaning over to see who would land the next point.
A sharp exchange, her palm against my side and my forearm glancing her shoulder, left us both a fraction closer. Her warm breath teased across my jaw.
I wanted to close the space between us even further.
Instead, I stepped back, drawing it out.
Her eyes narrowed. She knew exactly what I was doing.
I told myself I was in control.
I lied.
33
TREW
Ibarely noticed everyone else leaving the room and shutting the door behind them, because I was too focused on the way Isi’s gaze locked on mine like the rest of the world didn’t matter. She was pushing me harder than anyone else ever had.
“Afraid to get too close?” she asked, her voice alive with challenge.
Fates, if only she knew how close I already was.
