Kazuma dipped, then. And she tried to match him, ready to intercept—
Too slow.
His hand shot forward with a pinch on her ass where no one could see, before he spun away with infuriating ease.
Focus.His growl reverberated in her head, louder this time.They’re watching.
Schooling her expression, she shook off the strange shiver dancing through her body.
Mira’s voice echoed faintly in her mind. Kazuma was a shinobi from one of the hated ruling Havens of this world, capable of wielding Mana. Trust had been given—to him, tothem. And she knew how easily it could be broken.
Feet planted, she beckoned him forward with a flick of her hand, watching as he advanced, hands loose. He wasn’t just going to let her hit him. She had to…
There. His balance shifted as his elbow drew back for the strike.
She dropped low, twisting, hands close to her chest, before she pivoted hard. Her hips turned, and her arms snapped out, palms driving forward.
For the briefest instant, she caught the flicker across his face in the slight flare of his nostrils.
Her palms connected squarely with his side, the impact jolting up her arms as his breath burst out in a harsh grunt. Around the strike, his body folded before momentum carried him airborne.
He whipped through the air, crashing into the far wall with a heavycrack.
And still, impossibly, he landed in a crouch—knees bent, one hand braced against the ground, the other clamped tight to his side as a grimace broke over his mouth.
For a heartbeat, silence.
Then the children erupted, voices breaking like thunder through the amphitheater, joined by the deeper cheers of adults who had gathered among them.
Aimee forced a shaky inhale, steadying the air in her chest before letting it go. Dipping into a shallow bow toward Mira, she cast a sidelong glance at Kazuma through her lashes.
Looks like they enjoyed seeing you slammed into a wall.She pushed the thought through whatever it was that connected them, testing if it could be used on purpose.
His eyes widened, dark hair spilling across his face as he searched for hers through the curtain.
Aimee.He caught on fast, mouth stretching wide, tongue flicking over the edge of too sharp teeth.I won’t be the only one slammed into a wall before moonrise.
Chapter ten
Aimeesprintedthroughthejagged boulder field that stretched behind the crevice concealing the Hearth. Her boots scraped against gravel as she wove between the massive stones, breath tearing from her lungs. The pounding in her chest drowned out the night wind until she ducked low, sliding behind a slab of rock twice her height. Pressing her spine to the cool surface, she froze, straining to hear over the ragged hiss of air through her teeth.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she reached inward, tugging along the thread that tied her to him.
He’s close.
The presence of his mind wound toward hers, coarse and serpentine, scales teasing along her thoughts in a slow caress.
Too close.
She pushed off the stone, bursting into the open. Small rocks scattered under her feet as she charged up the slope before diving behind another boulder.
Since that sparring match in the amphitheater a couple of days ago, they’d been testing the strange tether between them. Hours spent probing its limits, seeing how far it could stretch. Kazuma had wanted to lace Mana through it, too, to see what would happen if he flooded the link with raw force, but Aimee had refused. Whatever this was between them, the thought of Mana touching it…wouldn’t be right.
Citrus. With a splash of copper. His voice slithered into her thoughts.That’s what you smell like, pet.
Her pulse stumbled, then thundered harder as a scrape of pebbles loosening whispered nearby.
I can’t wait to taste you again.
