“You’re insufferable,” I grumble, wishing the earth could somehow connect me to Riven’s feelings. “I find it very unfair, this advantage you have in knowing when I internally react to things.”
He smiles but lets the topic drop as we continue to walk.
The streets open into a courtyard framed by wrought iron balconies and aged stone. Ivy creeps up along one building, thick and lush, and I swear I see a smear of dried blood on one of the railings. Despite the darkness and fog last night, it hits me that this is where Sylvin portaled us to.
“I want to show you something,” Riven saysquietly, and there’s a new tone in his voice I haven’t heard before–serious, maybe even hopeful. “I know you’ve mentioned searching all of our lands for some connection to your power. The fact that you’re here now tells me you haven’t found it yet.”
I may have found a bit of it in the Summer Court, with the confirmation that my powers are tied to serving the earth, but there are still so many unknowns.
I nod slowly and tilt my head as I glance at him. “It does.”
“Then I think it’s time we train your body while the connection between your mind and power catches up.”
I come to a stop and blink at him. “How am I supposed to do that?”
“I forget that you don’t remember this world sometimes,” he admits before huffing out a laugh. “It means we train, Wren. You can learn to fight without magic. Learn to move with intent against opponents of any size. People can train their bodies with cardio and strength training, as well as a variety of other ways.”
My lips thin at the suggestive tone and smirk at the end of his explanation. “You think you’re so charming,” I observe dryly, hiding the smirk trying to force my lips up.
His brows wiggle as he shoves his hands into thepockets of his pants. “I told you I’ve never had to try before.”
My eyes roll on instinct and I mull over his offer to train my body as we continue walking.
I’ve spent so much time trying to feel my magic and trying to force a power to emerge. I even told the kings I don’t feel comfortable on the front lines of a battle because of it, but I never once considered being able to fight without it.
The thought is appealing, the more I mull it over. I don’t know how long it will take to understand the depths of my powers and the connection to the earth, and I don’t even know that it will help me in a battle once I do.
I nod again. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
His lips curve before splitting into a full grin. The rare sight causes me to blink rapidly and inhale deeply before looking forward again.
“You never cease to impress me, darling,” he admits as his hand lifts to the back of my neck, massaging the muscles there gently. “I don’t think anyone else I know would be as courageous and open to so many views, the way you are with no memories.”
Heat builds in my cheeks and I lift my hand to brush a tendril of my hair behind my ear, suddenly unsure of what to do with myself under his praise.
“I…uhm,” I murmur, peeking at him out of my peripheral vision. “Thank you, Riven.”
His hand brushes lightly along my lower back, the gesture seeming natural as we reach the edge of a wide stone building. “I was going to tell you to say my name again, as I find I love the way it sounds on your tongue, but we’ve run out of time for extracurricular activities.”
“Insufferable,” I whisper under my breath.
He chuckles and guides me forward as I try to recenter my thoughts. The air shifts as he opens the door, and heat hits me instantly. An overwhelming scent of sweat and blood that makes my nose scrunch.
The moment we step inside, a thrumming tension encases us.
The interior walls stretch wide, lined with tall mirrors that display every movement. Vampires are scattered through different segments of the building, each seeming split up on various activities like Riven explained for training. Some lift weights, others run in continuous, almost untraceable, loops on equipment.
What draws my focus, along with a group of at least fifty vampires, is a raised platform with lines around it on the right side.
“Boxing rings,” Riven murmurs low in my ear as we walk closer.
The vampires are packed shoulder-to-shoulder surrounding it, the sound of breath and snarling ripples through the air from the two inside the ring. The energy in the room is manic, almost euphoric, andit hits me so hard I find myself faltering and planting my feet firmly.
I’m not sure I want to get closer to it. I’ve never felt anything like this before in any of the factions.
This is darker and more primal.
The two vampires inside the ring are battered–one bleeds heavily from his nose, dark streaks of his own blood painted down his chest. The other grins, wild and sweat-soaked, his stance cocky with confidence.
