Page 73 of Donovan

The other young men and women stood in a loose ring around us, murmuring to one another, their weapons gripped tight.

They were all improving. Faster, stronger, more disciplined. Lena feinted to the left. I saw it coming. Easily sidestepped?—

Crack.

Pain flared against my ribs as her wooden blade connected. Not a deep blow, but a clean one. The yard fell silent for a split second, then erupted into cheers.

I blinked, then let out a short laugh, touching the spot where she’d hit me. “Not bad.”

Lena’s face was flushed, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “You always say to take the opening.”

“And you did.” I inclined my head in approval. “That’s how you survive.”

A grin spread across her lips, and the pride in her expression was unmistakable. The others clapped her on the back, their excitement renewed.

We trained for another hour, the rhythmic clash of wood against wood filling the air. They were getting better, and not just at combat.

They were growing into themselves, stronger, surer. Warriors in their own right.

By the time I called it for the night, the yard was filled with heavy breaths and satisfied exhaustion.

I ran a hand through my damp hair, already looking forward to a shower when I caught a familiar figure leaning against one of the wooden posts near the entrance.

Donovan.

The torchlight flickered over his face, catching in his eyes, his lips curved in an easy smirk.

He looked good, standing there like that. Like he belonged here, like we belonged here.

“Good work,” he said, his voice warm in the crisp night air.

I rolled my shoulders. “They’re improving.”

He glanced at Lena, who was still beaming.

“I can tell.” His eyes returned to me, softer now. “Dinner’s ready.”

I exhaled. “I’ll shower first. Be there in a bit.”

Donovan pushed off the post, closing the distance between us in a few slow steps. His fingers curled lightly around my chin, tilting my face up to his.

Then he kissed me. It was deliberate, lingering, like we had all the time in the world and we did. Even after all these months, it still made something inside me go weightless.

He pulled back with a smirk. “See you there.”

I watched him walk away before heading inside.

The shower was quick but necessary, hot water rolling over my skin, washing away the sweat and dust of training.

My mind wandered, as it often did these days, to the past six months.

We had taken down the rabid vampires. Kit and the Guild had vanished, slipping into silence like they never existed. And me?

I was still here.

When I became a vampire, I never expected to live this long. I never thought I’d be with Donovan. Never thought I’d have this. A life, a home, a place where I belonged.

But here I was. And for the first time, I wasn’t looking over my shoulder, waiting for it all to be ripped away.