Jayden held her gaze, the orchestra's waltz thinning to a hush at the edge of his awareness. "I did transform once," he said, voice low. "But I had to use pain as the trigger."
Miss Kate nodded without surprise. "That's how I used to do it too," she admitted, eyes warming with recognition. "I'd hurt myself just to transform. It was ugly at first, but it got easier with time. All it really takes is focus."
She lifted her glass, watching the champagne bead along crystal. "Pain is just a shortcut to focus," she went on, tone even, teacher-steady. "Your brain floods to the hurt, narrows the pain down and channels it into anger. That anger fuels the shift." She glanced back up at him. "But it's better.. safer, to learn to do it by will. No pain. No crutch. Just you and your control."
"I'll try," Jayden said. "I've actually… been keeping my anger in check since my first transformation. I don't get unnecessarily angry anymore."
