A snarl escaped her.
She most certainly didn’t like being on her knees.
It was a sentiment I also shared.
With one exception—something Winter had enabled me to realize.
And something I was greatly looking forward to after ourdate night, as he had come to refer to it.
“You’re holding back.”
“If I wasn’t, you’d be dead.”
“Ah, so that’s the issue.”
“Issue?” she asked, pushing back to her feet, then beautifully calling her glacial magic to either palm and readying herself against me.
“You holding back isn’t a one-time occurrence. I witnessed the same from you when you intervened in the battle between Zayn and Keuric during the party in The Caverns. You hesitated, which was when I stepped in. Now the root cause is clear. You are afraid of the effect your strength and power will have upon others.”
“That’s not—”
“Was that even the case when you punished Keuric?”
She jolted. “You know about that? Winter told you?”
“Yes. He was conflicted about what he’d stood by and allowed to happen. Yet, also proud of what you accomplished that day.”
“He… talks about me to you?”
“Of course. He talks about all those he adores.”
She frowned. “We’re friendly now, but that’s all there is. There’s no… adoration.”
“If you say so.”
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what, dragon princess?”
“That reverse psychology thing… or whatever… psychology it is. That thing where you call something out, the person doesn’t accept it, then you seem to back off but really you’re leaving it hanging there and forced to be analyzed by them.”
Hmm.She was remarkable.
“Is that what I do?”
She glared. “You know it is.”
I snapped my palms up and called my citrine power. “Humor me if you wish to continue sparring. We will use magic, rather than hand-to-hand combat, so you do not need to worry about your draconic strength unleashing without full control. You hesitated with your magic before, try not to do that here.”
She shifted her weight uneasily.
“Unless you pity me after what you were obviously told by Zayn regarding my situation.” I eyed those opponents of mine still conscious and flashed my eyes at her, indicating that I couldn’t allow them to know the details of what had transpired.
She gave a reassuring nod. “I actually admire how quickly you bounced back.” She gestured at the temporarily fallen. “Although,thisis definitely a reaction to that.”
“I am well aware.”
“So long as you are, it’ll be fine. Just you working through it, right? But fully aware.”
