Page 54 of Commanding Blood And Bonds

The vision of him slumping over my body on the cold floor had me growling as I rolled him off me in frustration. He rasped for air as I got to my feet, anger blooming like wildfire in my chest.

“You’re holding back.”

“Ally,” he rasped, struggling to breathe.

“You won’t fucking break me,” I barked, storming over to Kingsley’s woodpile with half a mind to play dodgeball with logs. “Don’t insult me by pretending that’s the problem.”

The man was impossible.

All week he’d been pulling punches. Whether he’d admit it or not, my mate was afraid of hurting me. Laughable. A little pain was inevitable, but August Porter was years away from outmaneuvering me. I threw a piece of wood into the stove, slamming the door harder than necessary.

“Stop acting like you can’t fight me.”

He blinked down at me as I closed the distance, the justification already on his tongue, “Ally, I⁠—”

“You’re being pathetic,” I snapped, pacing in front of him.

His jaw clenched, a deep line forming between those emerald eyes.

“You sound like him,” August warned, voice flat.

Him. Adrastos.

Even with how fractured our reading was, I didn’t flinch at the comparison. The boy with black hair I chased through the finest castles had shaped me. Whether I’d known it then or not, his hand was in my creation. Our origins were entwined. His betrayal etched into my very bones.

“Maybe I wouldn’t if you weren’t tempting our fate with him on our heels.”

The truth was, I had regretted the words the moment they landed on my tongue, but I couldn’t take them back.

Not with the memory of Bjorn bleeding out. Not with Michael’s body on the cobblestones. Not with Jacob hanging limp as guards dragged me to the pyre.

He couldn’t afford not to listen to me. We had weeks at best to prepare him—just weeks before chaos ensued. And the girl in the gowns, the raven-haired boy from my shattered past? They were gone.

“Stop. Pulling. Punches. It’s insulting. From the moment you died in that alley, I’ve done nothing but train. Fight. Kill the monsters that took you. So, don’t act like you’re something I haven’t seen before.”

I shoved him. He didn’t move, but his nostrils flared.

“There is no mercy in the field. So there is none here. I am your mate, yes. But I’m also your sire—and our enemy is coming. So listen closely. Grayshellians don’t fucking yield. We win. Or we die.”

“You’re—”

“Perfectly capable of looking out for myself.”

His fear bled through our bond like an open wound, even through the shields he kept up to protect me. I understood that fear—if I’d been soft. Fragile. But that version of me was long dead, and Aren, Ansel, and Marcus had ensured I’d never be mistaken for prey again.

“Now, fight.”

“Never thought I’d miss Aren,” he muttered, circling.

I didn’t smile. “Aren would’ve painted you black and blue by now.”

August’s control had improved, especially since our field trip to Louisiana, but his training still had gaps. I intended to close them.

“Still,” he said, his voice subdued.

“Are you seriously telling me you can’t take coaching from a woman?”

“Don’t be an ass, Ally.”