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I’m excited to get to the gym. The adrenaline is still coursing through my veins from the session yesterday. I loved it. I loved how powerful I felt with the sai in my hands. There was that moment of weakness, but all it did was draw attention to my strength when I pushed past it. It gave me hope.

Max glances up from his notebook when I enter. He sees me and immediately jumps up, heading to the sparring room. I think he’s enjoying our little routine. I think he likes teaching me.

I follow him in and walk to the back of the room to collect my sai. A strange warmth fills me when I see them displayed on a new shelf with my name engraved across the front. I smile and pick them up, testing their weight in my hands. They feel pleasant enough but still foreign. The silver glints in the light streaming through the window, and the cool metal has a bite to it. I put them down again and pull off my sweater. My body is already heating, anticipating the sweat on my skin and the adrenaline coursing through my veins.

“Let’s try offense today,” Max says, grabbing his broadsword from a shelf near mine. I nod, pulling my hair into a messy ponytail before picking up my sai again.

We move to the center of the room, and I roll my shoulders, preparing for the force of the sword reverberating down my bones. Max swings his broadsword, warming the heavy muscles of his arm.

“Land a hit on me,” he says, getting into a defensive position. I study the placement of his feet and how he holds his body, constantly learning from him. I move in at mortal speed, swinging the left sai at him. He blocks it easily.

“When using them for offense,” Max begins, “you want to use them together. Almost as one weapon. Unless you’re fighting against multiple people, but that’s more advanced.” Max sheaths the sword at his back and moves around me so he’s standing behind me. He reaches his arms around me and gently wraps his hands around my wrists, guiding me through the motions of using the sai in unison. We go through them another three times before he releases me and steps back in front of me.

“Got it?” he asks, and I nod, adjusting my position. I swing at him with both sai, and while Max still blocks easily, he looks pleased. “Good, Summer. Again.”

I do it again, and this time, I force him to concede a step.

“Good. Faster. Use your speed.”

I swing my sai again, and Max moves back another step. I lean into my instincts, and while I can still feel that wall, it feels a little more pliable now. Everything calms, and the world around me seems to slow. My limbs relax, and I settle into the rhythm of the movements. By the time I’ve backed Max into the wall, they feel almost natural. I hold the sai at his throat and look up at him, feeling the prideful smirk tugging at my lips.

When I meet his eyes, I’m surprised it’s not the green of the berserker’s gaze looking down at me. Instead, Max’s eyes are dark, his pupils practically swallowing his irises.

“Good,” he says, his voice thicker than usual.

I smile brightly, feeling very pleased with myself.

“Summer. You need to back off now.”

“Are you okay? Fuck, did I hurt you?” I ask, lowering the blade from his throat.

“Summer,” Max growls. “Remember how I have that thing?” he asks, his voice sounding strained, like when he’s holding back the berserker, but it’s huskier. “About females who kick my ass?”

“You want to go berserker on me? Your eyes aren’t glowing green.”

Max shakes his head. “What color are they?”

“Black.”

“Can you guess why?” Max asks, giving me an exasperated look.

“I hurt you?”

“No,” Max scoffs as if the idea is ridiculous.

Well, that is just rude, and I am about to tell him so, but then Max shifts slightly. Thanks to the proximity of our bodies, I feel something hard rub against my stomach.

“Oh,” I say, my cheeks blushing as I finally realize. I was so lost in my pride that I forgot about his little proclivity.

Max winces and nods shortly. “Yeah. Can you… back up?”

I stumble back immediately, embarrassed that I’d practically rubbed myself against him. “Right. Sorry.”

Max rubs a hand over his mouth, and I can see his mortification. “It’s fine.”

I take another step back. Unbidden, my gaze drops to the prominent bulge in his pants. I’m not sure if he’s wearing looser pants today or if it’s because they’re gray, but it looks even morepronounced than it did the other day. I can tell he’s pretty well-endowed.

“Summer!” Max groans. “Don’t look at it!”