MIREYA POV
I shivered, the echo of Jax's voice still twisting through my thoughts. Yield.
The word rang in my head like a warning I couldn't shake. My fists clenched at my sides, nails digging into my palms. I refused to think about him now… I had to focus on this class, on surviving, on learning everything I could about Verlis and the Gifted who ruled it.
Master Valcrest's eyes never left me. He walked slowly down the aisle, his robe swishing against the floor. Each step seemed deliberate, measured, almost predatory.
"You," he said, stopping in front of me, "you are a Duskbane, are you not?"
I froze, my throat dry.
"Yes," I whispered.
His piercing gaze didn't waver. "Good," he said slowly, almost approvingly. "Then you understand the weight of your position better than most. But weight alone does not guarantee survival. Knowledge does."
