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Something in his eyes shifted as they dropped to my lips. “No,” he said softly, “We still need to work on your tether observation.”

Then he released me, rolling to the side and climbing to his feet in one fluid motion. He extended his hand to help me up, but I scoffed, scrambling up on my own, trying to ignore how my legs trembled slightly. My heart was still racing, though whether from the fight or something else, I refused to analyze.

“You haven’t used it in a while,” he said, running a hand through his tousled hair. “You need to practice.”

I looked around, gesturing obviously towards the empty training room. “On what exactly? The architecture?”

“On me.”

The word hit me like a slap to the face. “It doesn’t work on you.”

“No,” he said, “I don’t let it work on me. There’s a difference.”

My stomach dropped. He’d let me believe I was powerless against him.

“You’re telling me all those times you blocked me out...”

“Were a choice, yes.” The satisfaction in his voice made me want to throw something at him. Or at his mind. Both seemed equally appealing right now.

“Anything else you’ve been allowing me to believe?”

“Many things.” His expression remained neutral, but something flickered in those golden eyes that made my pulse quicken.

He moved toward the seating area beyond the mats. I watched him walk, trying to reconcile this version of him—the one willing to let me into his mind—with the man who’d kept me locked in that tower, with the one who’d just slammed me to the ground. “What exactly is the range of your ability?” he asked.

The question stirred something I’d been avoiding, so I decided to ask one of my own. “You said you could see it. My web.”

He paused, raising an eyebrow. “I see energy flow out of you, white and pearlescent. Like wisps and tendrils snaking through the air.” His eyes tracked something invisible near my shoulder, and I suppressed a shiver. The idea that he’d been watching my power all this time, seeing it exactly as I did, felt strangely intimate. “At first, I thought everyone could see it.”

“So, any other hidden talents you’re not sharing?” I crossed my arms, using sarcasm to mask how unsettled I felt by his admission. “Or do I have to serve another round of isolation for those revelations too?”

“You’ll need to get over that soon.” His eyes studied me with an unnerving focus. “Anger doesn’t exactly suit you.”

“I’m not angry.” The lie tasted bitter. “I just find it interesting how selective you are with information.”

“Says the woman clearly holding something back right now.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but his raised eyebrow stopped me. The dreams pressed against my mind—memories of seeing through others’ eyes, of watching Laryk through Mercer’s. The thought of telling Aether made my stomach twist. He already had too much power over me. And something that could spy on either side of this war... I couldn’t risk it falling into the wrong hands.

“Well,” I said instead, “My abilities first manifested as something far more chaotic, and admittedly, horrifying. My friends back home call me mind-shredder.”

His brow peaked at that. “Should I be concerned?”

“Probably.” I smiled sweetly, enjoying the rare moment of having him off-balance. “It was described to me as grappling a mind so hard that it breaks.”

“Charming.” But I caught the ghost of amusement in his eyes. “Perhaps we save that demonstration for another day.”

“Afraid?”

“Cautious.” He leaned back, and I tried not to notice how the shadows played across his face. “Taking a mind is one thing. Breaking one...” He studied me with a new interest that made my skin prickle. “How does it work?”

I shifted under his gaze. “To take it? Simple really. My web latches onto the right area, like a key turning in a lock. Then I can send commands down the bond.”

The shadows in the room deepened, and I couldn’t tell if it was him or my imagination. “Show me.”

“You’re sure?” My heart thundered against my ribs. “No blocking me this time?”

“Unless you give me reason to.” That dangerous edge crept back into his voice.