Chapter Fifteen: Breaking the Seal
Day One: The Beginning of Control
Tara had fought before.
Her father had made sure of that.
She knew how to hold a blade, how to disable an opponent in seconds, how to move without hesitation.
But this—this wasn't fighting.
This was survival.
Skye didn't go easy on her. Not once.
The first strike came without warning—a blur of motion, a sharp arc of pressure aimed straight for her ribs.
Tara barely twisted away in time.
The wind from the hit sent a shudder through her chest, but she didn't fall.
Skye didn't hesitate. He pivoted, another strike—a sweep of his leg, faster than she could react.
She hit the ground. Hard.
Tara gasped, breath knocked from her lungs.
Skye crouched beside her, one knee bent, tilting his head. "You have good instincts."
Tara glared at him.
He smiled, slow and sharp. "But instincts won't save you."
Tara gritted her teeth and shoved herself upright.
She could feel Landon's eyes on them, his presence heavy at the edge of the rooftop.
Watching.
Waiting.
Skye offered her a hand.
Tara slapped it away and stood on her own.
He grinned. "Again?"
Tara exhaled sharply. "Again."
⸻
Day Three: Fractures in the Past
Something had shifted.
Not in the training. That was the same—grueling, brutal, unforgiving.
It was in her.
Tara had started to remember things. Fragmented memories—disjointed, broken pieces that didn't fit together.
Not just of her childhood.
Of something else.
Of voices she had never heard.
Of whispers, of something ancient, something watching.
She hadn't told anyone.
Not yet.
She didn't know how.
⸻
Day Five: A Promise Tested
The warehouse was low on rations.
It wasn't uncommon, but it was dangerous.
Ballad and Landon were preparing to leave, their weapons hidden beneath worn coats.
Landon kept glancing at her.
Tara knew why.
He had made a promise to her—he wouldn't leave her again.
And now, he had to.
Tara's stomach twisted, but she shoved the feeling down.
This wasn't about her.
This was about survival.
She stepped forward, catching his wrist.
Landon tensed.
Tara offered him a small smile. "Go."
His green eyes darkened. "I—"
"You'll come back," she said, quiet but firm.
Landon's breath hitched.
She could feel Ballad watching them.
Tara squeezed his wrist once, then let go.
Landon exhaled slowly.
Then, with one last glance, he turned and disappeared through the warehouse door.
Tara stood there for a long time.
She had spent so much of her life afraid of being abandoned.
Now, for the first time—she wasn't.
⸻
Night Five: A Shift Between Them
She trained alone that night.
The air was thick with cold, the rooftop sharp beneath her bare feet.
Skye watched her from the shadows.
"Your stance is wrong."
Tara rolled her eyes. "You think I don't know that?"
He tilted his head, stepping closer. His presence felt different tonight.
Not dangerous.
Something else.
Something unfamiliar.
He stopped in front of her, studying her with those black-glimmering eyes.
Tara's pulse stuttered.
Not out of fear.
Out of something she couldn't name.
"You're pushing yourself too hard," Skye murmured.
Tara exhaled sharply. "Isn't that the point?"
He didn't answer.
Instead, he reached out.
She didn't flinch.
His fingers brushed against her wrist, his touch cold but steady.
Tara swallowed hard. "What are you doing?"
Skye's voice was soft.
"Listening."
Tara's breath hitched.
For a second, she didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
Because something about this moment—this quiet, this stillness—
It felt like recognition.
Like something that had always been there.
She just hadn't noticed it before.
Tara's stomach twisted.
Not in fear.
Not in anger.
In something else entirely.
She took a slow breath, pulling back.
Skye let her.
He said nothing.
But as she turned away, she could feel his gaze linger.
And Tara knew.
Something had changed.
She just didn't know what it meant.