Vanc
ch from Gavin, my feet moving instinctively across the packed earth of the Sterling training gro
cated training partner. He had a warrior's respect for strength, and I had ea
but I could feel his sharp, analytical gaze on me, assessing my every move
f a complex sparring se
s Zane. He was using our mind-link, the bond we had forged seven years
Where did you put the old defensiv
confident of my immediate compliance. He wasn't asking; he was comman
r a split second. My rhythm broke. Gavin's fist, meant to be bl
inside my head. *"Tell him to
nger. I couldn't afford to react. I couldn't let him know where I was or
m I did not feel. Then, I sent back a reply,
n bookcase. Second archi
eting. He had casually linked me in front of his entire command staff, needi
one. But he didn't dwell on it. She's still sulking, he probably thought. He turned to
ng ground, my momentary la
, the sudden tension in my shoulders. He caught Gavin's eye and
oice so only I could hear. "What was that? Blackwood?" He was preternaturally
Zane." The words felt like poison on my
parture. He hadn't even noticed it. My letter, my dramatic exit, my entire act of rebellion-it had been so ins
ding. He pieced it together instantly. "Y
escaped my lips. "He pro
of connection I might have felt to my old life. I wasn't a rebel waiting f
has nothing
y, leaving behind something hard and sharp as tempered
ith newfound resolve. "I think it's
possible. It would be painful, a psychic tearing, but it was neces
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