I strip off the gray top, throw it onto the ground, and grab a leather strap on either side of me. I hope this test doesn’t make me burn the way I did in the cage.

Zahir stands beside Flanagan, mirroring his posture.

Seonu comes into the room, her expression grim. She doesn’t meet my eyes as she readies herself about two yards away. Another one who thinks I should be locked up. Given the loss of her partner last year, though, I can understand her suspicion.

She spreads her feet, sinks into a stance, and begins performing the Qigong-type katas I saw the students practicing outside.

Her palms ignite with silvery-white flames, and her shiny bob shifts like black liquid as she sways through the moves, arms sweeping in wide circles. The mysterious Flame glints like dancing starlight in the dim room.

Seonu gathers the energy from inside her and creates a ball of swirling fire between her hands. When the orb reaches the size of a tennis ball, she shoves it toward me. It hits me square in the chest. Tingling warmth washes through my torso.

When my only response is a blink, she begins another round of katas. She builds the swirling silvery fire to the size of a football. When the energy hits me, I feel heat but no discomfort.

Seonu frowns. She hunkers lower and draws enough Flame to create a fiery beach ball. Her blue eyes flash with venom as she shoves the ball in my direction. This time the burning prickles through my arms to the end of my fingers. A pleasant sort of heat, like a warm bath. It softens some of the tension gripping my shoulders.

When she gets no reaction from me, Seonu huffs. I might be enjoying her frustration just a little.

The next ball of Flame takes longer to generate. I can’t help watching the line of her tight curves as she rocks through the moves, her arms twirling and circling. The clinging brown leathers accentuate her fine, muscled legs. She’s a stunning woman, except for the permanent sneer.

Once she holds a mass of glistening silver fire, she steps closer to thrust it into my chest. This time, I feel the impact. I grip the leather straps as my back thuds the wall behind me. The heat bursts through my body like hot gas and leaves me with a suffusing warmth all the way to my toes. It seems to concentrate in the abdomen and groin area. It’s nice.

When the heat settles, I grin at Seonu. She narrows her eyes.

“Are you feeling any symptoms of overload, Michael?” Zahir asks. “This would be an uncomfortable burning or symptoms of a Haze.”

On the mention of Haze, every eye in the room dips below my waistline to check out my rising semi. For eff’s sake.