Page 74 of The Naga Lord's Pretty Little Mouse

“You should not be here.”

I roll the stiffness from my shoulders, ignoring the sharp pull of bruised muscle. “And yet, here I am.”

His upper lip curls. “You are poison.”

The words hit harder than they should.

"You think he does not see it?" Jhoren continues, stepping closer. "You think we do not see it?"

The training yard is silent now, eyes shifting toward us.

"You have no place here, human. You have no right to walk among us."

Something cold and ugly unfurls inside me.

"If that’s true, then why hasn’t he gotten rid of me?"

A sharp hiss escapes him, his tail coiling tightly against the dirt, the ridges flexing.

"Because he is blind."

A blade is placed in my hand.

A challenge.

The only answer he will accept.

It settles deep, but I do not hesitate.

I do not run.

If they want a fight, they will have one.

The strike comes fast.

Steel flashes, a deadly arc meant to cripple, not kill.

I barely dodge in time, pivoting out of reach, the force of his swing carving deep into the ground where I stood moments ago.

Jhoren is not holding back.

He wants to break me.

A second strike comes at my ribs, a feint, before his tail whips around, catching me across the back and sending me sprawling.

Dirt grinds into my hands as I brace against the impact, breath punching from my lungs.

Pain is a dull roar, but it does not stop me.

I push up, roll to my feet, blade still in my grasp.

"You should stay down," he warns, voice sharp.

I spit blood to the side and lift my chin. "Not happening."

A slow exhale. Then, he moves.

Faster this time.

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