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"We will talk to your father about this after training, Stella Don’t keep Jupiter waiting any longer," she demanded and I obeyed

I bounded down the stairs and into the kitchen My father was still staring at the door over his newspaper as if he still couldn’t believe Tristan had just left his house I alhed at his incredulous expression until I noticed Seth standing at the kitchen sink in the same kind of shock

Crap

He looked up at me and our eyes met but I immediately wished they hadn’t Seth looked hurt… no worse than hurt

Seth looked betrayed

Chapter Eighteen

Training was brutal Not only did Jupiter refuse to let eant that shouted his orders like I was experiencing s I wanted to suggest to Jupiter that re me of how close I came to failure was not a motivational factor inhi me off

And then there was Seth

Seth…

Seth was definitely taking out soression on me

"You’re dead," he announced as I lay on my back with his sword atall kinds of rowl escaped runted a reply without round was so frozen and my fall had been so hard that I left a permanent Stella-shaped indentation in the earth Seth pulled his pirate sword back to his side and then offered me his hand I took it and he pulledposition so that I was ready to go again His eyes cut away froain

Ugh

"Get rid of your weapon," Jupiter called from across the field "And this time try not to die!"

I tossed my sword like a javelin into a snow bank on the opposite side of the open field and closed my eyes to center myself Seth wasted no time and before I could even inhale an entire breath I had to duck out of the way froht ready to run toward my weapon, but had to leap into a back flip instead

Before I started actively fighting, I used to watch action h at the theatrics of some super heroes I never believed there was an actual, real life moment when a back flip would be essential to one’s survival

Until today

A back flip just savedto killanother sword slice He caught ed his sword deep and withdrew I let out a frustrated screa sure you’re prepared," Seth panted with a twisted, cruel curve to his usually chareneral direction ofmy eyes focused on him the entire time I desperately wanted to watch his sword; ht out the sharp tip plunging toward me I forced myself to keep my eyes trained on his body, the direction his hips and shoulders were pointed, the place where his eyes fell, gave away his own moves just a fraction of a second before his weapon would follow

"I get your point," I grunted, ju his cutlass towardto unbalanceto fall for the sarunted, half shouted with the effort to continue to attack me

"I messed up," I tried to whisper so Jupiter couldn’t hear us, but I was practically running forexercise and I was heavily out of breath I risked wiping the sweat off , only then I had to take a second ed another one of his potentially lethal blows He missed me, but noas further away fro happened with Tristan last night He just caht, and we fell asleep," I explained quickly while he stalked towardto say

Both hands gripped his sword above his head and he brought it towardsto kill me Apparently I didn’t need to be scared of Aliah after all

I let out a very girly, very unprofessional screaround in a painful, sliding softballinto hoged cuts and frozen burns ice is capable of No time to think about my injuries, I rolled up to my feet and sprinted across the field to my weapon

Thankfully the katana had landed with the hilt sticking out of the snow and I was able to grab it as I ran by and circled around to ranite as he circled aroundfor the opportunity to strike

"Finally!" I heard Jupiter holler froe "It should not have taken you that long to get to your weapon Stella!"

I brushed off his words of "encourageroaned and then flinched when he jerked his arh, instead he continued to circle with rowled, theanywhere near you I am your intended"