"Here's how this works," I said.
I strolled between them like a general inspecting his troops. The training field stretched out before us under the late afternoon sun. Sweat still glistened on their exhausted faces. Good. They needed to be uncomfortable.
"Raphael, you're with Jacob."
Jacob's face went pale. All the blood drained away in an instant. His skinny frame seemed to shrink further. Shoulders hunched inward like a turtle retreating into its shell. Raphael looked at him like I'd just paired him with a particularly annoying mosquito. Something too insignificant to kill but irritating enough to warrant contempt.
"But I..." Jacob's voice trailed off.
Raphael cracked his knuckles. The sound echoed across the field like small bones breaking. Jacob swallowed hard. His adam's apple bobbed frantically.
"Akari, you're with Isabelle."
