Chapter 248

AURELIA’S POV My body healed quicker than I thought it would. Within days, the soreness dulled, the bruises faded, and though I wasn’t fully strong, I no longer felt like a fragile piece of glass that might shatter at the slightest touch. It was on one such morning, as I sat on the edge of my bed brushing out my hair, that Darius appeared in the doorway. His expression was stern, purposeful, the kind of look that always made my stomach flutter nervously. “From now on,” he said without preamble, “I’m going to train you.” The brush slipped from my fingers and clattered against the floor. I turned to him, startled. “Train me?” His jaw tightened. “You should at least know how to defend yourself. You can’t rely on others all the time—not even on me or Kael. You need to be able to fight back.” My heart skipped a beat. The idea terrified me. My father’s voice rang in my head as clearly as if he stood behind me: Girls have no place in the arena. Their role is to look graceful, to support their