Page 126 of A Court of Thralls and Thorns

Naia overextended.

Her kick shot too far, leaving her ribs wide open. Jax saw the opportunity. I knew it, Naia knew it—hell, Zander knew it too.

But Jax didn’t take the shot. He hesitated just long enough for Naia to recover, spinning away and catching her breath.

“Stop!” Zander barked, stepping forward. “You two are done.”

Naia wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, shooting Jax a questioning look.

“Why?” Jax protested. “We were?—”

“I know what you were doing,” Zander snapped. “I don’t care how long you’ve known each other. When you’re in that ring, you take your opponent down. You hesitate in a real fight, you die. Period.”

“I wouldn’t let her get hurt,” Jax said, voice low but rigid.

“You won’t have a choice in the middle of a war,” Zander shot back. His gaze sharpened, flicking between them. “I need to know you can end a fight when the moment calls for it.”

Naia’s face flushed red, and she turned away, heading to the edge of the ring. Jax’s expression hardened as he followed.

Zander’s gaze flicked to me next. “Rebec. You’re up.”

I swallowed hard and stepped forward, ignoring the eyes that followed me—and especially the pair of stormy gray ones that burned into my back.

Perin sauntered over with the kind of arrogance that made my skin crawl. His grin was sharp and full of teeth as he addressed Zander.

“Lieutenant Rayne. I’ve been assigned to spar with your group.” His eyes flicked to me, the grin widening. “I guess I’m up next.”

Zander’s gaze shifted to Major Kaler, and his expression darkened. His face was cold, hard—like clouds before a storm. He didn’t say anything, but the tension between the two officers was enough to make my stomach tighten.

“I get to take on the winner,” Jax said, stepping forward. His voice was steady, but his eyes—those flashed with something much sharper.

Perin’s grin turned smug, and he winked at Jax like this was a game. “No problem.”

Jax’s face hardened, his hand flexing like he wanted to put it straight through Perin’s face. He wouldn’t, though. Not unless Perin gave him a reason.

“Begin,” Zander said, his voice clipped and low.

Perin moved fast. He lunged straight for me, throwing a quick jab toward my ribs. I twisted away, feeling his fist glance off my side. Not enough to do damage, but enough to sting.

I countered with a sharp strike to his shoulder, stepping back to reset my footing. Perin grinned like I’d just done him a favor.

“Not bad,” he sneered. “I’ll give you that.”

I didn’t answer. Words didn’t matter in the ring.

He lunged again—this time faster—and I dodged left, only for his knee to come up and slam into my ribs. The air rushed out of me, and I stumbled. He grabbed my arm, forcing it back,and I barely twisted free before he could lock me down. My feet slipped against the ground as I spun back to face him.

“Getting tired already?” Perin taunted, his eyes gleaming with something... darker.

I kept my guard up, breathing through the ache in my ribs. He feinted right this time, and when I dodged, he was waiting. His elbow caught me just under my chin, and I hit the ground hard, stars sparking behind my eyes.

I blinked rapidly to clear my vision, dragging myself to my feet just as Perin’s sleeve slid back.

The tattoo. The one on his wrist. The same one I’d seen on the man who’d attacked me behind the dining hall.

“It was you,” I whispered.

Perin’s grin faltered—just for a second—then his face twisted into something ugly. Before I could react, his arm shot out, slamming against my throat and forcing me back down. His fingers closed tight, cutting off my air.