The wind swept past them, kicking up dust as the two figures stood facing each other, gasping and bleeding.
Both were covered in cuts and bruises, their glowing bows still in hand.
Gerald grinned. "You've gotten stronger." He had thought training in the wild would give him an easy win.
But he was completely wrong.
Peri stayed silent. In truth, without her recent training—and the power she gained from her Blood Bond with Hades—she wouldn't have lasted this long.
Her mother had trained her senses, but Peri had always feared getting hurt.
That fear was gone. Avalin had beaten it out of her. In the past few days, Avalin had hurt her so many times that Peri had grown used to the pain. Now, she didn't hesitate to take damage if it meant striking back harder.
Suddenly, the golden bow vanished from Gerald's hands. He spoke with a calm smile. "You've always been the better archer, maybe because of the Queen's blood in your veins."
