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But I was still standing. And I wasn’t done.

14

Cyrus

The training dummyerupted in flames, my control slipping for the third time that morning. Ember trilled a sharp warning from his perch as Professor Rivera extinguished it with a quick flick of his wrist.

“The hell are you doing to my equipment?” He circled me, arms crossed, his Shroud Guard tattoo dark against his neck. “That’s the third one today.”

I dropped back into stance, jaw clenched. The martial arts forms usually centered me, gave me focus. But today, every strike felt wild, every movement full of restless energy I couldn’t burn away.

The image of Marigold in that damn maid’s uniform refused to leave my head. The way she had looked up at me, jaw set, daring me to do something—to stop it, to make it worse, to acknowledge it at all. Her flushed cheeks, her fists clenched too tight around the cleaning cloth. Not broken. Not even close.

I slammed my fist into the next dummy, channeling fire through the strike. The foam surface bubbled and melted too fast.

“Save some for the vampires, kid.” Rivera tossed me a practice staff, stepping into a ready stance. “Though I’m starting to think they’re not what’s got you out here before dawn.”

“Just reports of increased activity near Fort Collins.” I spun the staff, flames dancing along its length. “Father says—”

“Your father’s not the one destroying my training yard.” Rivera came at me fast, forcing me to block a complicated series of strikes. “This about the new heir?”

Heat flared in my core, a dangerous surge of power I barely caught in time. Rivera still had to leap back to avoid getting singed. “She’s nothing.”

“Right.” He smirked, pressing his attack. “That’s why you’re out here at ass o’clock burning up my dummies.”

I growled and launched into a combination that should have knocked him back. But he’d been training me since I was twelve, and he read my moves too easily.

“Sloppy.” His staff caught me behind the knees, sending me sprawling onto my back. “You’re broadcasting your strikes like a rookie. What happened to that perfect Raynoff control?”

Control. That word burned worse than my flames.

I’d had control when she was on her knees in front of me. When I pretended her presence didn’t affect me. When I forced my expression blank, refusing to acknowledge the way my pulse jumped every time she moved, stretched, bent—

I rolled to my feet fast, fire licking over my forearms, but Rivera didn’t look impressed.

“Shut up,” I muttered.

“Make me.” He grinned, wolfish, as he settled into a defensive stance. “Unless you’re too distracted thinking about whatever’s got you worked up.Or whoever.”

Ember launched from his perch, circling overhead. His flames should have burned red-gold. But instead, I caught traces of blue, like during the wellspring ceremony. Like her magic. My stomach twisted, but I forced my magic back into submission.

I attacked with everything I had, trying to burn away how much I hated wanting someone I was supposed to despise. We’d been trying to break her, but damn Elio and his games had unintended consequences.

Rivera met me strike for strike, forcing me back, matching my movements too damn easily. My grip on the staff tightened as the fight stretched on, sweat dripping down my back, muscles burning from the effort.

By the time we finished, we were both breathing hard, and half the training yard was littered with smoking ruins of practice dummies.

“Better,” Rivera admitted, clapping me on the shoulder. But his tone still held that knowing edge. “Next time try hitting things before you get this worked up.”

“There won’t be a next time.” I shrugged off his hand, turning away before he could see too much in my face.

“Sure,” he said easily. “Just try not to burn down the whole academy while you figure that out.”

He left me there in the grey dawn, surrounded by destruction that hadn’t managed to burn away a single unwanted thought. Ember’s flames still flickered with that traitorous blue tinge, like even my familiar was laughing at my predicament.

Perfect Raynoff control.

Right. Like that was working so well for me lately.