Page 101 of A Promise so Bold and Broken

“Your home…” Kerym mumbled as his eyes flitted between her and Merrick—she assumed—behind her, his forehead creasing before he nodded once. “All right. Then we train for as long as we can.”

“My turn?” Raine strolled onto the deck, and her sister followed close behind, a surly expression twisting her face.

“N— Yes.”

She’d almost told him she needed to lie down first, but after her declaration…

She probably needed to ensure she lived up to her words.

With a sigh, Lessia planted her feet and glared right into Raine’s eyes, praying he wouldn’t drag up every embarrassing memory she could think of if she failed.

ChapterTwenty-Six

Lessia rubbed her temples, trying to relieve the ache that throbbed through her head from Raine, Kerym, and even her sister probing into her deepest thoughts the past few days.

Slumping down against the mainmast of the ship, she thought she might prefer the training Merrick had her do at dawn—even with the bruises she collected and with him growling at her for not following his stupid orders.

She also didn’t mind practicing defensive magic by blocking Kerym’s magic too much.

At least then she could sleep after.

But with Raine and Frelina…

A shudder wove its way down her spine.

They’d made her relive her worst memories.

Again and again until she figured how to keep them out of her mind.

Lessia didn’t know what was worse—having to remember the torture in Rioner’s cellars, the faces of her parents when she told them to forget about her, Loche losing whatever feelings he had for her…

Or the others’ faces when they lived her memories for the first time.

Her days were now filled with pitying eyes and disagreements whenever Frelina or Raine got choked up from her memories and tried to stop the training.

That was worse, she decided.

She couldn’t stand the pity.

Lessia yawned as she stared at the clouds building over the horizon, then sniffed at the wintery tang that now permeated the wind whistling across the sea, savoring how the breeze peppered her body with goose bumps.

The cold felt good.

Raine and Merrick had made her practice fighting the two of them simultaneously this morning, making her use her magic on one while fighting off the other.

She had to admit it was quite satisfying when she managed to make Raine freeze.

Although she had perhaps taken it a bit far when she flicked his nose…

But Merrick had thankfully stepped between them when she finally let him go.

“You’re getting better.” Merrick ducked under the pole and wrangled into the small alcove she’d squeezed her body into.

Lessia rolled her eyes as he navigated the small space, folding his long legs and lowering down so elegantly beside her that she felt like smacking him.

Did he ever do something clumsy or rash?

“What?” Merrick’s brows narrowed as he turned her way, sitting so close their legs aligned.

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