Lucas’s POV
I should’ve left the training grounds the moment I saw her.
That would’ve been the smart thing, the respectful thing but smart and respectful were never my strengths.
So instead of walking away, I stayed in the shadows near the tree line, my arms crossed, my eyes locked on her.
Ava.
She was drenched in sweat, strands of hair plastered to her forehead, her chest heaving as she hammered her fists into the dummy again and again. Her movements weren’t perfect, she still dropped her elbow, still leaned too much into her right foot but damn if she didn’t move like she had fire in her veins.
And maybe she did.
Because when her fist connected, sparks lit across her skin. I saw it clearly this time, not a trick of the light, not imagination. Real sparks, power.
She was different
