“See?” Cole said, oblivious. “Psycho.”
Anna met Blaire’s and Kywyn’s eyes, knowing they’d understand better than Cole or Sean. Worry clouded Blaire’s emotional tableau, and with good reason.Lumáswere coveted by devas, hidden away and worshipped in luxury, but to the outside world, they were judged as nothing more than concubines. Devas became physically dependent on theirlumás, so much that separating the deva from theirlumáresulted in severe withdrawal.
If Cole was alumáto Autumn…things could get dicey, especially if he didn’t want it.
Anna cleared her throat, uncertain what to say. “I don’t think?—”
“We should probably get down there, Anna,” Sean interrupted, brushing the crumbs off his hands.
Relieved to be free of that particular brand of awkward, she Signed,Let’s go.
Cole remained at the table, but Kywyn and Blaire saw them off with hugs.
“Wow,” Anna said once she was alone in the hallway with Sean. “Affectionate.”
“Eh. They’re family.” He shrugged as if to sayWhat can you do?
By the time they made it to the training grounds, daylight had broken. Anna wasn’t surprised by the fierce scowl on her Blademaster’s face. Shewassurprised to find David Berkeley in traininggear, a thin glaze of sweat at his brow and leather bracers on his wrists.
Sean jerked to a stop at the edge of the clearing. “I forgot he’d be here today.”
“Is that a problem?” Anna glanced at his blue eyes, all opaque and dark with bewilderment.
“No.” He shook himself. “No, it’s—it’s fine.”
Cathaire spared them a mere moment of his attention. “Tardiness is unbecoming.”
Anna bowed her head.Apologies, Blademaster, she Signed.
“Ready yourselves,” he said. “You’ve missed warm-ups.”
She rushed to pull on her wrist guards, but Sean followed more slowly, his gaze on David as he half-heartedly attempted to block Cathaire’s attacks.
“It’s as if you enjoy being battered,” Cathaire said while David rubbed his jaw.
“Maybe I’m a masochist,” he replied evenly.
Anna narrowed her focus onto the emotions buried deep beneath his ice. Bare traces of revulsion sparkled within his frozen tundra, brighter than anything else.
He hated this, didn’t he?
She’d been told that sylphs were pacifists, but their reclusive nature, their notable separation from the public eye, kept her from diving too deep into their true feelings on the matter. She’d never been so close to a sylph, and she could feel it in the barely present exterior of David’s emotional core. It wasn’t a mere belief that violence was unjustifiable. It was a visceral hate.
And he was forced to suffer through it because of his blood, because of the crimes of his family. He needed to prove himself here, though he’d done nothing wrong.
Nausea rose as she pictured what the rabble would do to her if her secret came out. David had noble blood, and he was still spurned.
They’d probably kill her.
“He acts like he’s never thrown a punch before,” Sean muttered as he slipped on his guards.
“What do you mean?” Anna asked.
He met her eyes. “We grew up in the same place.”
Her brows flew up. “Really?”
“Yeah. My aunt says our mothers did that on purpose, knowing who we’d be to each other. Tried to make usfriends.” He laughed bitterly. “We were never friends. He hated me from the very beginning. But while I was isolated, David was—” He shook his head.
