The training hall smelled faintly of smoke and steel, the air still charged from last night's lesson. Serenya stood in the center circle again, pulse racing. The runes beneath her feet pulsed faintly with heat, as though they remembered her fire and were eager for more.
Kael circled her slowly, deliberate in every step. His storm-gray eyes never left her. "You're holding back," he said, voice low, even. "I can see it in your stance. You're guarding, not striking."
Her jaw tightened. "Because if I strike, I'll burn you."
"You won't." He drew a blade from his belt a slender practice sword, its edge dulled but still gleaming. "Unless you lose control. And if that happens… then I'll stop you."
Her gaze flicked to the weapon. "You trust yourself that much?"
"I trust you." His words landed heavy, dangerous.
Heat pricked her skin, not from her fire this time but from something far more unsettling. She hated that he could say things like that things that made her feel seen instead of feared.
Kael lowered into a ready stance. "Again."
Serenya exhaled, rolling her shoulders back. She summoned the flame, letting it lick at her palms. It unfurled too eagerly, eager to stretch, to devour. She tried to leash it, but Kael lunged, blade flashing.
Instinct roared. Her fire surged outward, colliding with the metal in a hiss of steam. Kael didn't flinch. He pressed closer, his body moving with predator grace, forcing her backward until her spine kissed the cold stone wall.
Her chest heaved. Fire snarled in her veins, trapped between wanting to protect her and wanting to break free. Kael's arm pinned her sword-hand, the edge of his practice blade resting against her collarbone.
"Too slow," he murmured. His breath was warm against her cheek.
She swallowed hard, throat tight. "You could've killed me."
"Could have." His eyes flickered down to her mouth before snapping back up, sharper than ever. "But you're not my enemy, Serenya. Unless you keep hesitating."
Her fire leapt between them, sparks dancing where his body pressed near hers. For one dangerous heartbeat, she let it bloom let the heat spill out of her control. Flames curled around his wrist.
Kael didn't move. Didn't recoil. His gaze bored into hers, unyielding. "Good. More."
Her breath caught. "I'll hurt you."
"Then hurt me." His voice was rough, daring.
The words sank into her bones like a challenge and a promise all at once.
She shoved outward, fire spilling into a blazing arc. Kael leapt back, blade raised. The ribbon of flame scorched across the floor, carving a glowing line between them. He grinned wolfish, wild.
"That's more like it."
Her hands shook. "You're insane."
"Maybe." He lunged again. This time, she met him, her fire clashing with his steel. Sparks and heat exploded where they collided, filling the hall with the sharp scent of char.
Every strike brought him closer. Every clash forced her to match him, breath for breath, heat for steel. And every time his body brushed hers an elbow, a shoulder, the sheer nearness of him it sent shivers down her spine that had nothing to do with fire.
He moved like the storm he carried in his eyes. Relentless. Unstoppable. And she she was the flame to his storm, wild and desperate, straining against the edges of control.
"Focus," he growled as she faltered.
"I am."
"No, you're flinching." His blade slid past her guard, resting lightly at her waist. Too close. "And if this weren't training, you'd already be dead."
Anger flared hotter than her fire. She shoved the flame outward in a burst, forcing him back. His blade clattered across the floor. For once, she had the advantage.
She stalked toward him, fire still burning in her palms. "Still think I'm too slow?"
Kael straightened, unarmed, sweat gleaming along the line of his jaw. He smiled not mocking, but hungry. "That's the fire I want to see."
Her flame wavered, caught between triumph and something far more dangerous. The way he was looking at her like she was more than just Emberborn, more than the danger everyone whispered about unraveled her.
The fire flickered out. She was left trembling, breathless.
Kael stepped closer, closing the space she'd thought she'd won. His chest nearly brushed hers now. "But next time," he murmured, "don't wait until I corner you to fight back."
Her pulse thundered. "And if I do?"
His gaze dropped again to her lips, then back up, sharp with restraint. His voice lowered, rougher than before. "Then I'll just keep cornering you."
The air between them throbbed, thick with heat and something neither of them dared name.
For a moment, she thought he'd close the distance entirely. Thought she'd feel his mouth against hers, the kiss she shouldn't want but couldn't stop imagining.
Instead, Kael bent, picked up his fallen blade, and stepped back.
"Again," he said. But his voice was not steady this time.
Her heart stumbled. She lifted her hands, fire sparking anew.
And she couldn't tell anymore if she was fighting him… or herself.