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His eyes flickered as he sensed my words were the truth. “Hmm.”

He pushed up from the chair, his powerful muscles rippling. At some point, he’d tugged off his leather armor and unbuttoned the tunic beneath it. The soft material whispered open, revealing the hard planes of his stomach. It was all I could do not to drop my chin and stare.

“Might as well take the opportunity to train,” he said, thankfully not noticing the direction of my thoughts.

I snapped my eyes back up to his face. “With the Mortal Blade?”

He raised his brows as he strode toward me. “And let you stab me with it?”

“I said I hadn’t considered doing that. You know I’m not lying.”

“That doesn’t mean you wouldn’t accidentally nick me with it. Or change your mind.” He pointed at my breasts. The hilt of my dagger stuck out. “We’ll start with that. Once you’re competent with it, we’ll move on to something more deadly.”

“You’re worried about me trying to stab you, but you’re happy enough to call me incompetent.”

He folded his arms. “You’re plenty competent. Just not with the blade.”

“I bet it’s fun having someone around who can’t sniff out your lies.”

“What am I lying about?” he murmured, watching me as I pulled the wooden stake out of my tunic.

“You see me the same way every fae does.” My grip tightened on the dagger. “You think I’m weak. Useless. Mortal.”

“Well, you’re partially right,” he said with a slight smile, motioning me forward. “You’re as mortal as they come, but nothing about you is weak and useless. Tell me, Tessa. How is it you mined all those gemstones from the chasm?”

“I…” I shifted on my feet, not expecting the direction of this conversation. “I got a rope and I scaled down the chasm wall. And I used some tools my father had hidden away in our cellar. Why?”

He smiled. “You are strong, Tessa. And brave. Now, use that fire and try to wound me with that dagger of yours.”

For a moment, I hesitated. “You told me to relax before.”

“That didn’t work. Now, I want to see what you can do when you really fight.”

I didn’t need any more encouragement than that. Staring into the sapphire depths of his eyes, I focused on all the pain and rage I’d felt most of my life. The fear of the fae who ruled over us. The hatred when I looked up at their city of crimson. The pain from Oberon’s cruelty. He’d ripped out a part of my soul and left behind a gaping hole. I was a shell of the person I used to be.

With a roar, I charged at Kalen, picturing Oberon’s face. I raised the dagger and swung it hard, pointing the sharp, stained end at Kalen’s bare chest. His lightning quick reflexes cut in, and his hand swung up to block my blow. He shoved me back and folded his arms while I tried to catch my footing.

“Again,” he demanded.

I growled and shot forward again. He caught me and easily swatted me aside like a pesky bug.

“Again,” he said, his voice growing louder.

Sweat beaded my brow as I took another shot at him. Again and again, I ran at Kalen. Each time, I wasn’t quick enough. Finally, I’d had enough. Heaving, I dropped the dagger to the floor and held my side, trying to catch my breath.

Kalen strode over, picked up the dagger, and pushed it back into my hands.

“Good,” he said, as I took it without complaint. “Now that you’ve burned off all that rage, I want you to do what I suggested before. Relax and think about what you’re doing. Don’t just run at me blindly with all that beautiful passionate anger.”

I flushed and watched as he took five big steps away from me. “So, all that? It was just to get me to calm down?”

He cocked his head. “It worked, didn’t it?”

“Yes,” I admitted. All that running, and tumbling, and shouting had done something to me. Adrenaline still charged through my veins, but I felt…still. Focused. Calm. The hatred still lurked deep within me, but it no longer made me feel like my skin was trying to jump off my bones and run. For once, my mind was clear, and I felt like I could actually focus on what he’d asked me to do. It was the best I’d felt in a really long time.

“Good.” He beckoned me forward. “Now, let’s see what you’ve got.”

Slowly, I began to circle Kalen. He turned with me, hands relaxed by his sides, eyes locked on my every movement. Realistically, I knew that no matter what I did, he’d see me coming. But that didn’t mean I wouldn’t try.