Vera cursed, her eyes barely tracking the movement in time to twist out of the way. But Reniya was relentless, increasing her speed and raining blow after blow down on her, each one as fatal as the last.

She whirled, heart hammering as she tried to keep up, but Reniya’s blade came at her again, harder than any previous hit, and her arms buckled, warning her they wouldn’t take another hit like that. Not without the ability to enhance her own strength in response.

Her only chance at winning was using the last bit of her stamina to dart in and catch her off-guard, but it was possible. Speed had always been what had given her the upper hand in the past.

Pivoting, she planned to strike low, hoping to knock her off balance enough to get her to the ground. All she needed was one second to get her blade up against her throat, and she’d win.

But instead of landing what should have been a guaranteed blow, Reniya anticipated it, twisting with inhuman speed and lunging.

Jaren’s warning shout rang out over the excited yells of the other Magyki just before Reniya’s blade made contact with Vera’s chest. It sliced through her tunic and into the flesh above her breasts, ripping a scream from her throat.

Then she dropped, sweeping a leg out to kick Vera’s right out from under her.

She flew back, the pommel of her sword falling from her hand as her shoulders slammed into the ground, pain shooting through her body like a battering ram.

She lay there, sprawled in the dirt in front of everyone, including her mate and motherfucking Taeral, blinking away the spots in her vision. She’d fucking lost.

Wincing, she lifted her head and glanced at her burning chest. Sure enough, both the new tunic and breast band Jaren had just purchased were completely ruined, her flayed skin visible underneath.

Curling her torso, she forced her throbbing arms to move, shoving up into a sitting position. Her entire body screamed at her, her torn tunic sticking to her chest, but she ignored it, biting her tongue hard enough to bleed.

She wouldn’t utter a single groan of pain, refusing to give anyone the satisfaction of hearing it. Who the fuck tapped into their abilities when sparring with real weapons?

“Sorry about your clothes. I wasn’t expecting you to miss an obvious hit, but at least I avoided your nipples.”

Vera’s nostrils flared at her jovial tone, and she seethed, more embarrassed than anything. She felt like a child training with Elric for the first time all over again.

“I would’ve blocked it just fine if it’d been a fair fight,” she spat, finally glaring up at her.

Reniya’s blade lowered, and she tilted her head to the side, looking genuinely confused. “Fair fight? You were armed just the same as I was. What’d you expect me to do? Cuddle you?”

Laughter barked out from the side, grating down her spine. “The warrior human didn’t expect you to use your gods-gifted abilities in a spar,” Taeral said, looking all too fucking pleased as she picked up Suki’s discarded sword from the ground.