Wolf pushed himself off the crate, hurtling toward her.
Cinder braced herself against the instinctive panic.
The anticipation of one more hit tightened every
muscle, despite the fact that he was still going easy
on her.
She squeezed her eyes shut moments before impact
and focused.
Pain shot through her head like a chisel into her brain.
She gritted her teeth against it, attempting to numb
herself to the waves of nausea that followed.
The impact didn't come.
"Stop. Closing. Your. Eyes."
Jaws still clenched, she forced one eye open and
then the other.
Wolf stood before her, his right hand in mid-swing
toward her ear.
His body was still as stone—because she was
holding him there. His energy was
hot and palpable and just out of reach, the
strength of her own Lunar gift keeping him at bay.
"It's easier to have them closed," she hissed back.
Even those few words put a strain on her mind,
and Wolf's fingers twitched.
He was struggling against the confines of her control.
Then his gaze flickered past her, as a thump between
her shoulder blades sent Cinder tumbling forward.
Her forehead collided with Wolf's chest.
His body released just in time for him to steady her.
Behind her, Thorne chuckled. "It also makes It easier
for people to sneak up on you."
Cinder spun around and shoved Thorne away.
"This isn't a game!"
"Thorne is right," said Wolf. She could hear his
exhaustion, though she wasn't sure whether it
came from the constant melee or, more likely,
his frustration at having to train such an amateur.
"When you close eyes, it makes you vulnerable.
You have to learn to use the gift while still being
aware of your surroundings, while still being active
within them."
"Active?"
Wolf stretched his neck to either side, eliciting a
few pops, before shaking it out.
"Yes, active. We could be facing dozens of soldiers at
a time. With any luck, you'll be able to control nine or
ten—although that's optimistic at this point."
She crinkled her nose at him.
"Which means you'll be vulnerable to countless more.
YOU ARE READING
Cress
Teen FictionTheir best hope lies with Cress, a girl trapped on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she's being force to work for Queen Levana, and she...
