Page 59 of Of Shadow and Moon

I grin, sidestepping his next hit. “And yet, I’m still standing.”

His lip curls in disgust. “Not for long, venom.”

I laugh, light and unbothered, because pissing him off may be my new favorite part of training. “Funny, I remember you saying something similar last time, right before you ended up covered in…feathers.”

Kaelionsnaps.His punch comes fast, a little too wild, and I barely twist in time to avoid it. His frustration is delicious.

“Youwillpay for that,” he growls, resetting his stance.

I feign innocence. “For what? Oh,right, the magic bombs. I wonder who would ever do such a thing to acrowned prince.” I grin, bouncing on the balls of my feet. “I mean, to be fair, you were already unbearable before that. Whoever did it just helped you match the inside to the outside.”

His jaw clenches so tightly I almost expect his teeth to crack. “Do you haveanyidea how long it took to get all of that shit off me?”

“Oh, hours, I’m guessing,” I say sweetly. “Maybe days? Weeks?” I gasp dramatically. “Wait,was it permanent?”

Kaelion lets out a sharp, furious breath and comes at me with enough force that I have to actually take him seriously for a second. He’s fast. Strong. If he ever managed to land a solid hit, I’d feel it for days.

Not that I’m planning on letting that happen.

A voice cuts in from the sidelines. Smooth, amused, and completely uninterested in the fact that we’re in the middle of beating the hell out of each other.

“Nowthisis a conversation I need to hear more about.”

Tomas.

I don’t even have to look to know he’s smirking. Probably standing there relaxed and effortlessly smug, like he’s above all this hand-to-hand nonsense. I swear, I never see him do anything in this class.

Kaelion doesn’t spare him a glance. “Stay out of this, bloodsucker.”

Tomas tsks. “That’s hardly an incentive, Kaelion. Now I’m evenmorecurious.” His tone drops into something lower, smoother. “Selestina, princess,whywas our dear Kaelion covered in feathers? And, more importantly, why am I just now hearing about it?”

Kaelion’s glare swings to me, but I just shrug. “It wasn’t important.”

“Itfeelsimportant.” Tomas steps closer, his smirk audible in his voice. “I’ll trade you a secret for it.”

Kaelion mutters something vicious under his breath before taking another swing at me. I duck, catching a glimpse of movement across the field.

Rhyker and Matheus.

They’re sparring, circling each other like predators, but Rhyker isn’t paying attention to Matheus. He says something, too quiet for me to hear, but his gaze flicks over to me.

And then hewinks.

Matheus tenses.

His fists clench, his breathing turns sharp, and, just for a second, I see the scales push through his skin. His control is slipping, the shift clawing at the edges.

But then he closes his eyes, breathing deep. Slowing himself down. Pushing it all back.

Interesting. It makes me realize that I’ve actually never seen him in his dragon form. Every other prince stands in the full glory of their Tonalaca, but not Matheus. He is the picture of control. Seeing him slip, even this tiny bit, is oddly intriguing.

“See something you like, darling?” Tomas teases, pulling my attention back to him.

“Other than Kaelion covered in feathers and glitter?” I muse, just as Kaelion lunges again. I pivot smoothly, out of his reach. “Not particularly.”

I fake whisper to Kaelion, “still itchy?”

Kaelion exhales sharply through his nose, frustration radiating off him in waves.

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