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“Don’t you dare talk about Her Highness like that,” he snarled, lunging at me with surprising speed for someone who’d been so casual just moments ago. His dark tail flicked behind him as he surged forward, eyes blazing with anger.

Before he could reach me, though, Sienna’s hand shot out, her voice calm but firm. “Ronan, no .”

He halted mid-lunge, muscles visibly tensing as he restrained himself, though his eyes still burned with fury.

“He doesn’t get to speak about her like that,” Ronan growled, glaring at me as if I’d insulted his honor. His tail flicked sharply, causing the water to ripple around us.

I held my ground, my heart pounding in my chest. Part of me knew I’d crossed a line, but the other part didn’t care. They were all protecting Iryen, shielding her from me as if I were the one who’d asked for any of this. As if I had done something wrong.

Kieran’s eyes were like ice, watching me with a cold, assessing gaze. He didn’t move, but the tension radiating from him was unmistakable.

“You don’t know what you’re dealing with, human,” his voice was low, controlled, and far more dangerous than Ronan’s explosive anger. “Choose your words carefully.”

I clenched my jaw, feeling a surge of irritation, not irritation, jealousy, flare up inside me. With their unwavering loyalty to Iryen, these warriors constantly need to protect her, as if she were some fragile thing. It grated on me, gnawed at something deep within.

Why did they care so much? Why were they so fiercely devoted to her? I couldn’t shake the bitterness that rose in my throat, the feeling that they were… too close.

I gritted my teeth, my pulse quickening.

“What’s there to understand?” I shot back, my voice rising. “She binds me to her, pulls me into this world, and then avoids me like a coward? I didn’t ask for any of this!”

“You know that’s not fair, Adrian,” Sienna stepped forward, her expression calm but her tone firm. “Iryen is dealing with just as much as you are, if not more.”

I scoffed.

“That doesn’t change the fact that she hasn’t even faced me since—” My voice caught in my throat as memories flooded back. Since we slept together.

“This bond is not a punishment,” she said, her tone unwavering. “It’s a chance. For both of you.”

“A chance?” I repeated, bitterness seeping into every word. “For what? To be shackled to someone I barely know? To be turned into some half-creature that doesn’t belong anywhere?”

Kieran’s voice cut through the tension like a blade .

“You can resent it all you want, but that doesn’t change the reality,” he said, his eyes cold, calculated. “You’re tied to her, regardless if you don’t like. And if you ever speak about her with disrespect again.”

Ronan took a step forward, his eyes flashing dangerously. “I’ll make sure you regret it.”

There it was again, that infuriating protectiveness, that sense of ownership over her.

It stirred something ugly inside me. Jealousy twisted in my gut, a primal, irrational feeling that made my skin burn.

They acted like they had some special claim to her, like they knew her better and could protect her better. It made my blood boil.

I’m supposed to be the one protecting her now.

I thought, my fists clenching at my sides. The bond it wasn’t just some mystical tie. It was real. I felt it. And yet, here they were, circling around her like I didn’t even exist, like I was some outsider who didn’t deserve to be in her world.

The thought of Kieran and Ronan being so close to her, always looking out for her, stirred something possessive inside of me. I hated it. I hated they knew her better than I did. That they had her trust, her loyalty, things I wasn’t even sure I wanted, but couldn’t stop myself from craving.

“I’m not here to be lectured by either of you,” I snapped, my gaze flicking between them. “I’m here because of her, because I don’t have a choice. So don’t act like I’m the problem.”

“Enough! Take it out in the sparring,” Elora yelled, her voice bitter. “Ronan, Kieran, you know your orders. Your job is to help him control his powers, just enough so he doesn’t raise suspicion in the human world.”

I clenched my jaw, trying to suppress the irritation building up inside me. Of course, they were here to protect her interests.

Like she was weak and needed any more protectors.

Kieran’s gaze flicked to me, calm but calculating, while Ronan’s eyes still glinted with a mix of amusement and thinly veiled contempt.

They were here to train me, sure, but it was obvious they weren’t just doing it for the sake of some mission.

They were doing it because they’d do anything to keep Iryen safe, even if it meant dealing with someone they clearly thought didn’t deserve to be in her orbit.

And that stung. More than I cared to admit.

Now I was a liability. Her liability.

I was going to prove them wrong.

“Fine,” I muttered, stepping back, my muscles tense. “Let’s get this over with.”

They shared a knowing glance before moving toward the edge of the moon pond. Their movements were fluid, and practiced, as they propelled themselves forward and broke the surface. The shift from tail to legs was almost instantaneous, as if it was second nature to them.

Their bodies were powerful, muscles rippling beneath their skin as they straightened.

Tattoos, dark and intricate, swirled down their arms, weaving seamlessly into their skin, covering any scars they may have.

I couldn’t tell what they meant, but there were serpents, waves, and tridents marking their flesh. .

Both stood tall, their presence commanding, their gaze sharp. It was irritating how effortlessly they made the shift look. No pain, no struggle. Just a smooth transition from one form to the other, like they’d done it a thousand times before.

“Impressed yet, human?” Ronan’s voice broke the silence. His smirk was as sharp as ever, mocking. The dark ink of flames stood against his golden skin, starting on his biceps and disappearing under his armor.

I tried to mask my irritation, but watching them shift so effortlessly gnawed at me. My body still ached from my transformation, the pain raw, while they made it look as easy as breathing .

Of course, they’d be better at this.

“Less talking, more training,” Kieran said, his voice steady and commanding as he tightened the straps of his armor.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes, ignoring the sting of jealousy that flared up. Of course, they’d be better at this. Warriors trained for years to master both forms. And now they were here to train me, the outsider. The human.

My pulse hammered in my ears as Ronan paced across from me, that smug smirk plastered across his face. Kieran stood nearby, arms crossed, his expression neutral, but I knew he was watching every move, every slip-up, measuring my control, or lack of.

This wasn’t just a spar. It was a test. One I couldn’t afford to fail. Not with them both sizing me up like I didn’t belong here. Like I was nothing compared to them.

Ronan cracked his neck, stretching as if this was some casual warm-up.

“Ready, human?” he taunted, eyes gleaming with dark amusement. “I’ll try not to break you too quickly.”

I clenched my fists, trying to keep my anger in check. I couldn’t afford to lose focus. Not now.

“Let’s just get this over with,” I shot back, taking a fighting stance. I could already feel the pull of water around me, its presence humming beneath my skin. I didn’t know how long I could control it, but I had to trust my powers, or I’d get torn apart.

“Begin,” Kieran said, his voice steady but authoritative, signaling the start.

Ronan didn’t waste a second. He lunged at me with startling speed, his fist aimed directly at my jaw. I barely dodged, spinning out of the way as I called on the water. The droplets in the air responded to my command, swirling into a thin barrier in front of me.

Ronan’s laughter echoed as he slid to a halt .

“Cute trick,” he sneered. “Let’s see how long you can keep that up.”

Before I could respond, his hands shot forward, and from the shadows of the cavern, dark tendrils erupted, twisting and coiling like living chains.

They lashed out at me with terrifying speed.

I raised my arm, instinctively calling on the water.

It solidified in an instant, forming a translucent shield that absorbed the impact of his shadow constructs.

I barely had time to breathe before he was on me again, his shadowy chains whipping around my legs, pulling me down with brutal force. I hit the ground hard, pain shooting through my limbs. Ronan’s smirk deepened as he yanked the shadows tighter around me.

“You really thought you could keep up with me?” His voice was low, dangerous, as he leaned down, shadows flickering around him like a dark cloak. “You’re out of your depth, boy.”

Rage boiled up inside me, and I felt something snap. The water responded harder and faster than before. I forced it to solidify around me, transforming into jagged, unbreakable shards that sliced through his chains. They shattered with a resounding crack.

Ronan’s eyes widened for a split second before he recovered, but I didn’t give him time to respond. I surged forward, pulling the water into a blade in my hand, sharp and shimmering. His smirk returned as he summoned dark blades of his own, meeting my strike head-on.

Our weapons clashed, water against shadow, and sparks flew.

Ronan’s eyes gleamed with something close to excitement.

He was enjoying this. He thrived on the chaos, on pushing people to their limits.

Every strike he made was precise, calculated, but I sensed my own power growing, surging with every block, every counter.