As soon as Zahra suggested calling the bet off, Astrid rolled her shoulder and grinned. Power was thrumming through her as orange runes flashed on her body. "That's a shame, but probably the smart idea," she chuckled mockingly. "There's no way just one of you can beat me."
"You—!" Zohran growled, turning from his allies to narrow his eyes at her. A wild look appeared in his eyes as he glowered at her. Erik smirked at the struggle he saw in the werejackal's eyes, clearly depicting Zohran's desire to charge Astrid and show her how wrong she was.
"Don't let yourself get goaded," Nasir chastised coldly, his voice cutting through Zohran's fury. "Zahra is not wrong. No one doubts your strength, but this woman's power is obvious as well. There's a chance you'll lose, and we can't risk too much on that."
