"It will be," he said, and realized he meant it. "Ready for combat techniques?"
For the next hour, they worked through hand-to-hand combat drills, testing how their different fighting styles could complement each other. Jade's precision-based approach fascinated him—where his panther instincts favored overwhelming force and aggressive attacks, she was all calculated strikes and defensive counters.
"Show me that combination again," he said after she'd demonstrated a particularly effective series of moves that turned an opponent's momentum against them.
She moved through the sequence slowly, explaining the mechanics. "The key is reading their pattern first. Most fighters telegraph their intentions if you know what to look for."
Raikar nodded, filing away the technique. "Did you learn that in the military or in your martial arts training?"
"Both. Many years of fighting bigger, stronger opponents." She wiped sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. "You learn to be smart when you can't rely on brute force alone."
She's been preparing for this her whole life.
"Your turn," she said. "Show me something I haven't seen."
He demonstrated a grappling technique his father had taught him, one designed to use a panther's natural flexibility and speed. When he moved to guide her through it, their bodies pressed close together, and the scent of her skin made his control waver.
Focus.
"Like this," he murmured. His hands on her waist sent heat shooting through him, and he felt her sharp intake of breath. "Feel how the movement flows?"
"I feel it," Jade said, her voice slightly breathless.
They worked through several more techniques, the chemistry between them making every touch electric. But gradually, Raikar became aware of how naturally they moved together, howquickly she adapted to his teaching style, and how instinctively she seemed to anticipate his movements.
We're compatible. Even without the complete bond, we work together so well.
"Alright," he said when they'd covered the basics. "Time for the real test. I'm going to shift into panther form, and we'll work through more combat techniques. I won't be able to communicate verbally, but I'll guide you through movement and eye contact."
Jade nodded, stepping back to give him space. "I'm ready."
Raikar began stripping off his boots, cargo pants, and black shirt. He was aware of Jade's gaze tracking his movements, the way her breathing quickened slightly as more of his skin was revealed. When he pushed down his boxers and stood naked before her, the hunger in her dark eyes made his body respond instantly.
Later. After the trial, when we're both safe, I'll worship every inch of her skin.
He stepped back and let the shift take him, his human form melting into the massive black panther that was his other half. In this form, his senses sharpened to supernatural levels—he could hear Jade's accelerated heartbeat, smell the arousal she was trying to hide, feel the magnetic pull of their partial bond like a golden force connecting them.
He began with simple movements, testing how well she could read his intentions. To his delight and relief, she responded instinctively to his body language, dodging his mock attacks with grace and landing controlled strikes that demonstrated her growing comfort fighting his panther form.
She's not afraid. She's confident.
For an hour they sparred, panther against human, and Raikar felt something profound settle into place. This was how they would fight in the jungle—as partners, each covering theother's weaknesses, each amplifying the other's strengths. She moved like she'd been born to stand beside a panther, like she belonged in his world as naturally as breathing.
When he finally shifted back to his human form and dressed, his satisfaction must have shown on his face because Jade grinned at him.
"Not bad for a human, right?"
"Not bad at all," he said, unable to keep the pride from his voice. "You fight like you were born for this world."
Something flickered in her expression—recognition, maybe, of a truth she wasn't ready to voice.
"Alright," he said, forcing himself back to the task at hand. "Time for survival skills training."
The transition from training grounds to jungle happened with fluid efficiency. One moment they stood on manicured grass beneath the twin suns, the next they were swallowed by the purple canopy that formed the boundary between civilization and wildness.
"Tomorrow we enter the deep jungle for seven days," Raikar said, his voice taking on the commanding tone that had led warriors into battle for a decade. "No supplies beyond what we can carry. No shelter except what we build. No food except what we find or hunt."
The thick air wrapped around them, heavy with scents Jade was still learning to identify. Raikar moved through the undergrowth with predatory grace, his enhanced senses cataloging dangers she couldn't yet perceive. Every step was deliberate, every pause purposeful.
