I stomp the few feet over to where the sword I never got to is lying, sparing V and Seismet a teasing but stern glance as they watch us.
I can’t believe neither of them bothered to give me any sort of warning about his attack.
Traitors.
Seismet neighs loudly and I roll my eyes, smirking as I bend over to retrieve my sword.
My still trembling fingers wrap around the hilt, then I freeze.
Creed doesn’t make a sound, but I sense the shift. I’ve never felt his power directed right at me, but there’s no mistaking that’s what’s crawling all over my body. The hair on the back of my neck stands.
He gives off an undeniable energy even without calling his power forward that I think a lot of people fear.
To them, it’s too dark. Too unknown.
It’s dangerous.
I’ve never pretended he wasn’t dangerous. I’ve known it since the second we locked eyes in the healing villa, but I’ve learned he’s only a threat to those who threaten him.
The few times I’ve been up close and personal with him, I paid attention to what happens beneath that energy.
The pain in his eyes spoke loudly when he found me in the Court tied to a post. They shattered even more when he saw me in the healing villas. His heartbeat pounded against my chest, in sync with my own, as he carried mearound when I couldn’t walk. It wasn’t just sheer strength I sensed anytime his hands touched me. It’s a protectiveness that he tries to hide behind his cold, uncaring demeanor.
This feels the same.
His power cocoons me in a dangerous armor that’s not harming me, not trapping me, but protecting me. There’s a small bite to it, but for the most part, its warmth is both soothing and electrifying.
Instead of life being breathed into me, it’s igniting, rapidly firing from one cell to the next.
The sensation is so distinct, so…pure, it’s hard to describe other than just identifying it as Creed.
It’s all him.
My soul hums like a happy little songbird in my chest.
“Might want to pay attention, Thayla girl.”V’s warning snaps me back to reality and I spin around, raising my sword.
His blazing white eyes collide with my wide ones and my breathing hitches. We stay locked like that for several seconds as I fall into their depths.
“You sensed me.”
“Can’t really miss it.”
He shoves away and nods. “Good. You need to know how to sense power in any situation. Anyone who’s weaker than you, you’ll never notice or feel because their power can’t hurt you. They’d have to catch you completely off guard. Beings that are on the same level or stronger than you, you’re going to sense, and those are the ones you’ve got to learn how to fight off, while also physically fighting them. You have to split your focus. That’s what I’m going to teach you. Now get in position.”
The circle he walks around me constricts my airways. I struggle to think, much less breathe as his power continues to surround me. A small gasp slips through my lips when he taps the inside of my thigh, correcting my stance. It takes everything in me not to squeeze my legs together.
“Perfect, Thayla.”
Shit.
“They don’t care about form, posture, structure, anything. An Oblirian wanting to kill you will do whatever they have to. They’re unpredictable. You have to be as well.”
He explodes toward me with a range of strikes that my eyes barely track. After a brutal moment, he falls into the same pattern he uses when we warm up in the mornings. My mind plays tricks on me.
One second, I believe I’ve got him. The next, I’m convincing myself he’s tricking me.
Every thought I have, I question. It’s all fuzzy as his delicious power overwhelms me.
