A streak of color burst from the shadows, jewels glittering along the curve of a dagger. It came straight for my neck, too clean, too sharp to be anything but fatal.
"—!"
I bent back hard, my spine groaning, then kicked off the ground. The blade whispered past, close enough to shear a strand of hair, and I flipped backward, landing heavy but upright. My knees shook, but I hadn't fallen.
Doran clicked his tongue, stepping out of the smoke with the blade still gleaming in his hand. "Tch. Avoided that, did you?"
He wasn't even winded.
I dragged air into my lungs, steadying my grip on Silent Fang.
He studied me for a moment, his expression caught somewhere between amusement and genuine surprise. "We've only been apart a short while… and yet you've already reached this state."
My chest still heaved, but I managed a crooked grin. "What can I say? Guess talent runs in me after all."
Doran barked out a laugh, sharp and cutting, though his eyes never lost that dangerous glint.
