LILY ALWAYS noticed when Jeremiah was near. His scent wrapped around her like a warmth she couldn’t name.
He stood a few feet away, arms folded, gaze slicing through the dim like a blade meant to reveal truths. His jaw worked, as if he had been weighing this decision long before he called her here.
“We’re training again,” he said, voice deceptively even.
Lily blinked. “I thought you said yesterday that I needed rest.”
“You do,” he replied. “And you’ll get it after. But after what happened—after what could’ve happened—you need to be able to defend yourself without me stepping in.”
There was something different in the way he said it. Not distant. Not cold. Heavy. Like he hated the idea of her being hurt more than he hated his own fear.
She swallowed. “Okay,” she said softly. “Then show
