Removing my hand from Time’s shoulder, I flashed an apologetic smile at Henry and Eleanor before following Dominicus, pausing just long enough to take my staff from him.

  I felt Time’s stare burning into my back all the way to the road, where Dominicus finally stopped and nodded in satisfaction. “Normally, I’d take you further to keep creatures from stumbling into camp, but I doubt your companion would appreciate that, so here will have to do.”

  I ignored the jab and studied him, unsure what kind of ‘training’ he had planned. My still-sore ribs doubted it would be easy or pleasant. Pushing that thought aside, I hummed. “So, what are we starting with?”

  He scanned the road, nodding as if confirming something. “Usually, I’d focus on enhancing your senses first, but we can do that while traveling tomorrow. For now, we’ll focus on practical combat experience.”

  A low growl rumbled behind me. I turned, freezing at the pair of glowing eyes lurking in the bushes. They shone like miniature moons against the night’s darkness, and I instinctively tightened my grip on my staff. I only half-registered Dominicus’s next words.

  “Which means I’m going to let you fight that Lunar Wolf, and I’ll only step in if it looks like you’re about to die.”

  That was his idea of teaching?!

  I didn’t have time to chew him out because, with a soft crunch of leaves, the wolf lunged.

  It was too close to dodge. Its massive form loomed over me, and I swung blindly, more out of instinct than thought. The staff slammed into its shoulder, sending it rolling to the side. Dominicus nodded. “Good hit. You have a decent grasp on stance and technique. That’s half the battle. Now, let’s see if you can finish it. Your strike barely chipped away at its hit points.”

  A scathing retort sat on the tip of my tongue, but the wolf recovered in a blink, its glowing eyes locking onto me. I barely dodged before it slammed into the spot where I’d been standing.

  It spun, drool sliding in thick strands to the ground. Dominicus grunted. “You’re hesitating. When it landed just now, you had an opening—you should have taken it. Your weapon isn’t designed for high damage output, which means you need to focus on stunning enemies and finishing them off at close range. Preferably with a dagger.”

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  He pulled a dagger from somewhere and tossed it to me. I scrambled to catch it without slicing open my fingers, barely gripping the handle before the wolf surged forward again.

  The blade felt wrong in my hand. A flash of the weapon that had killed me surfaced in my mind, souring my stomach, but I shoved the thought away and rolled to avoid the attack. Dominicus wasn’t going to help, so I’d have to deal with my issues about knives later.

  After I wacked him hard enough to make him see stars for a week.

  Focusing, I watched the wolf’s muscles tense as it prepared to lunge again. This time, I didn’t hesitate. Swinging my staff, I cracked it against its head, the impact reverberating up my arms.

  The wolf yipped and staggered, eyes unfocused. Not giving it a chance to recover, I drove the dagger between its eyes, ignoring the nausea that flared when warm blood welled between my fingers.

  It swayed, then collapsed. No breath, no movement.

  I leaned on my staff and exhaled, relief and unease washing through me in waves. The blood on my fingers burned like fire in the chilly night air.

  Dominicus nodded, satisfied. “Good. You’re already improving. And since that wolf was level five, you should’ve gained at least one level from it.”

  Wait, what?

  Squinting at the wolf, I stared in slack-jawed disbelief as the menu popped up.

  Lunar Wolf

  Level 5

  Hit Points: 0/50

  Mana: 0/0

  Status: Deceased

  He’d thrown me against a level five monster when I was several levels lower and had zero experience?!

  Rage surged, shoving aside the lingering unease. Dominicus, completely unaware of my rising fury, continued. “I’d have preferred something stronger, but this is a good start. Another should be along soon—Lunar Wolves hunt in packs. Next, we’ll see how you handle multiple opponents at once.”

  I’d barely survived this one, and he thought I was ready to fight more?

  Not a fucking chance.

  I should have listened to Time. And I’d accept whatever ‘I told you so’ he threw my way later. But first—

  Straightening, I swung my staff without a second thought. It crashed over Dominicus’s head with a resounding crack.

  Some rational part of me muttered that hitting the higher-level warrior might not be the wisest move, but it was drowned out by the sheer fury boiling inside me.

  What he’d done was reckless, stupid, and needlessly dangerous. And he was damn well going to hear about it.