"I hear you!" Ren summoned every ounce of bravado into her stance, refusing to bend to the girl's will. This time, she met Elaika head-on—unyielding, and defiant. But for the first time, Ren saw it. Fear. A flicker of it was buried in Elaika's eyes.
She was afraid of Ogain.
"You should know that I will never back down," Elaika snapped. "You'll betray him. I can feel it."
Ren let out an exasperated breath. "Don't you ever get tired of this? Why would I betray him?"
"Because humans are greedy," Elaika hissed, raising her foreign blades. "And soon enough, I'll be the one hunting you."
A threat. Brazen. Shameless. But it didn't frighten her. No one could scare her with death anymore as she had gone to the verge of it many times and returned.
"Yes, do it," Ren said coldly. "If the day comes that I betray him, I want it to be you who ends me."
Elaika's eyes widened, then narrowed with suspicion. "Good. Just know this, you won't fool me. You're clever, but I'm stronger."
