Page 80 of A Trial of War
We battled on until both of us were out of breath and shaking. Once I was able to catch her, pinning her to the ground until my form blocked the sun, allowing her to jump away once more. And then she nearly had a knife to my throat, but I was able to use my tail to smack her wrist—a trick I hadn’t thought to utilize in the past.
“Alright. That’s enough,” Gunnar announced.
“What?” Zola said.
“We leave for Solace in two days. I’m not going to allow you two to exhaust yourselves… Or lose an appendage.”
I shifted back into my human form, muscles tense, but at least my breathing seemed to be under control. My heart still thundered from the thrill of my fight with Zola, butI forced it to calm, closing the space between myself and my mate.
Gunnar’s grin was wide as his gaze darted between Zola and me. “Gods, the two of you together are a sight. Remind me never to get between you. Or wait, maybe Ishould? Just for fun.”
I ignored his jest, focusing on Zola. Her chest rose and fell steadily as I stood before her, close enough to feel her breath and count the lashes along her eyes.
“A draw?” she asked softly.
“For now,” I replied.
Something passed between us, unspoken but undeniable—respect, trust, and perhaps… understanding.
Gunnar clapped once, satisfied with our training. “Now go get cleaned up and rest. You both stink.”
“Noted, but I have been idle for too long. I need to train some more,” I said flatly. Although I felt the corner of my lip curl into a smirk while imagining what Zola looked like naked and wet.
Zola rolled her eyes at Gunnar, muttering something I didn’t catch. But when she looked at me, there was a spark—reminding me that our bond was growing.
The thread between us hummed, and I could have sworn she could sense my rising emotions. The desire. The need to claim her was becoming damn near impossible to resist.
But still, I held myself back.
I studied her as she stepped away, almost reluctantly, melting back into the shadows. I observed how her energylingered in the space she’d occupied. I cataloged everything—every movement, every posture, every reaction—because that was what I did best. And she was my favorite thing to study.
Tonight, she mouthed silently.
I raised a brow in question.
“I’ll find you tonight,” she said, before jumping away into the shadows.
“Time to check in on the others,” Gunnar said. “You’re welcome to come join in if you’d like. Magnus is always looking to spar with someone these days.”
I nodded, following Gunnar’s lead.
I let myself breathe, slow and deep, feeling the bond pulse against my chest even with Zola’s absence.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Shaw Black
Gods above, today felt like it would never end.
I stepped into my bathing chamber and turned the handle until the water was steaming from the faucet. Stripping off my sweat-soaked clothes, I lazily threw them in a pile on the floor. Turning, I gazed into the floor-length mirror placed next to the oversized clawfoot tub, staring at the reflection as the water slowly filled.
The male in the mirror stared back like a stranger. The scars along my arms were old. Some were nearly faded, while others were angry and raised, but each one was a tally mark of survival—a map of every mistake, every lesson carved into my skin. The humans had started the first lines when I’d been too young to understand cruelty; the rest I’d gathered on my own path through war and wilderness.
The panther that lived beneath my skin stirred, pacing under the surface like it always did when I was bone-tired and wound tight.
We had two nights until we returned to Solace. Two nights until we walked into the fight that would decide the fate of everyone I cared about.
You’d think the weight of that would shatter my sanity… It should. But I’d been through worse and survived. I would survive this, too.
