It's another round of training, and the room smells of sweat, a harsh reminder of the duel that just ended.
My chest heaved, lungs ragged, and my muscles screamed, but I didn't care.
Adrian sat across from me, his posture deceptively casual, yet I could feel the hum of his presence in ways my body shouldn't.
Our psychic link, something I thought I could manage, was alive, crackling faintly in the corners of my consciousness.
A whisper of him brushed against my thoughts, teasing, knowing.
I forced myself to look away, pretending to tie my hair back, but my skin prickled where I could feel him.
I could sense the echo of his heartbeat strong, steady, and insistent like a tether I couldn't sever.
I could hear fragments of his thoughts, like fragments of a melody too familiar to ignore.
Focus Elena. I tell myself, stay sharp.
