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She’d pressed into my spine harder. “Do you think running will save you from real danger? Do you think you can just outrun your problems? Did you imagine some ideal world where you flee until all your issues are fixed on their own?”
Each question had struck like a blow to the face. I’d stilled beneath her. Is that really what I imagined?
“You’re an abomination,” she’d whispered. “You can’t run from that.”
My heart began to pound. Adrenaline crested through me like a wave of hot displeasure, and I buckedhard.
Abomination. I hated that word. Iwasn’tan abomination, and neither was Sariel.
Lucia had lost her footing above me, then scrambled off me. I’d surged to my feet and faced her.
Big mistake.
She’d been wearing this smirk that had made my anger pulse through me like she was satisfied with what she’d said to me. Calling me a fuckingabominationwasn’t okay, and I’d opened my mouth to say as much, only for her to speak over me.
“You’re lazy, Aria,” she’d said, her expression now blank. “You’re lazy, unenthusiastic, andweak. It’s embarrassing that a human shows more potential than you do. The way I see it, Reese is likely to last longer in hand-to-hand combat than you, and she doesn’t even know the basics, let alone have your kind of strength or speed.”
I’d started shaking with rage, able to make out Reese and Neo staring at us from the far end. Commander Thorn’s owl had made a strange clicking sound and shuddered, its feathers ruffling.
There’d been a pause. Only the sound of crickets and rustling leaves had filled it.
“My wolf is strong,” I’d argued after the silence between us had stretched for too long. It’d been a weak and stupid answer—I couldn’t use my wolf in hand-to-hand. The entire point of developing these self-defense skills was to be able to defend myself if my wolf was ever incapacitated or if I was too weak to shift.
My anger at her had morphed into genuine humiliation when she’d laughed long and loud, her head thrown back.
“Okay, Aria,” she’d chuckled. “Shift. If your wolf can get me on my back before I can get you on your back, I’ll apologize for what I’ve said. Because I’veclearlyinsulted your delicate sensibilities.”
Even though she’d been mocking me, I took pleasure in allowing the shift—
I gasped, attempting to suck air into my lungs as I found myself suddenly on my back, Lucia squatting above me with a wild grin on her face.
My shift had been interrupted by how swiftly she’d knocked me on my ass. I’d blinked stupidly up at her.
“You lose.”
She’d moved so fast. I hadn’t even seen her. The dust where she’d stood before hadn’t even stirred.
“The truth is, Aria, you’ve been relying only on your wolf, adrenaline, and luck. I’m not sure how you’ve survived this long against an immortal fallen angel and your disturbed uncle, but Lady Luck must like you because I suspect that without her, you’d be dead.”
My anger had returned with a vengeance. I’d struggled beneath her, but she held me firm, unlike the last time.
“I’m not trying to insult you just because I can,” she’d explained. “The whole point of joining training is so you won’t have to depend on your wolf all the time. I’m being real with you.”
She’d gone silent. Only my labored breathing and the sound of the night filled it.
“Channel that anger and frustration into wanting to get better,” she’d said, her voice softening. “Do you want to protect your friends? Your family? Then you have to work hard. No more running. That won’t get you anywhere.”
Her words had hit home. And as I’d laid there on the hard ground, a new determination overcame me.
She was right.
I would never admit it to her, but she was absolutely right, and I was going to do better. I was going to be better.
I heaved a deep, shuddering breath, then said, “Let’s go again.”.
6
PLAN A
