Page 75 of The Devil May Care

He nods.

“I’m also a warning, aren’t I. I’m not Daemari, I’m not worthy. I’m not enough.” He nods and I blow out a breath. “Great. Love that for me.”

He says nothing.

But his jaw clenches again, and I see it—anger. Quiet, controlled. But there.

It’s not for me.

It’s for them.

“So they want to humiliate me,” I mutter, “but you’re still teaching me.”

His gaze sharpens.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because there’s no honor in letting someone be unprepared. Not if I can help it.”

He says it so plainly. Like it’s just a fact, but I feel it like a stone to the chest. I nod, throat tight and he steps closer. We don’t touch, but we could. And he feels it too. I know he does.

We pause to drink water, sitting against the low wall near the training ring. I press the bottle to my lips and glance at him over the rim. He’s silent again, the way he always is after sparring—watching me, like he’s measuring not just what I do, but how I think.

“You’ve stopped bracing,” he says.

“For what?”

“For pain.”

I consider that.

He’s right. I used to tense every time he moved, every time he corrected me, expecting a hit or a harsh word or something cold. But now…

Now I just move.

“I trust you,” I say before I can stop myself.

The words hang in the air like an unsheathed blade. Caziel doesn’t flinch. But he doesn’t speak either. His gaze shifts toward mine—steady, unreadable.

I flush. “That wasn’t a declaration or anything. Just an observation.”

“You’re allowed to trust me,” he says. “If I’ve earned it.”

I blink. That’s more generous than I expected.

“Do you think you have?” I ask, trying for lightness.

He doesn’t answer right away. “I hope I’m trying in the right ways.”

It hits something in me I didn’t know was tender. I exhale slowly, rolling my bottle between my palms.

“I don’t usually do this.”

“Train?”

“Trust.”