Page 28 of Dark Princess Ascending

Someone blew a whistle, and suddenly, they were moving. Rob blocked Arwel's first strike more by instinct than skill, falling into the patterns they'd practiced countless times. But this was different from training—there was real power behind Arwel's attacks now, but Rob still suspected that the Guardian was holding back just enough for him to last longer than two seconds.

Rob managed to dodge a kick, but Arwel's follow-up punch caught him in the ribs. He heard Gertrude gasp, but he couldn't spare the attention to look at her.

Using his slightly heavier build to his advantage, Rob attempted to grapple Arwel to the mat. For a moment, he thought he'dsucceeded, but then the world spun, and he found himself face down, arm twisted behind his back.

"That was very good," Arwel said, his words sounding slurred, coming from between his elongated fangs, but Rob could still hear the amusement in his voice.

He wondered how Arwel could be amused while getting aggressive enough to produce venom. The fight had been a joke, but he'd managed to last longer than two seconds, and maybe that had been good enough.

Despite knowing it was futile, Rob struggled against Arwel's hold, his pride demanding he at least put in an effort. Then Arwel pressed his knee between Rob's shoulder blades, holding him firmly in place, and a moment later came the sharp pain of fangs piercing his neck.

The world exploded into sensation. Fire raced through his veins, but it wasn't painful—it was euphoric, transcendent. Colors seemed intensified, sounds sharpened, and everything had taken on a crystalline clarity.

Then darkness swept in, and Rob fell into it willingly.

He came to with his head pillowed in Gertrude's lap, her fingers gently stroking his hair. "Welcome back," she murmured.

Rob blinked, trying to orient himself. His body felt heavy but not unpleasantly so, and the residualeffects of the venom left him feeling oddly peaceful and content.

"How long was I out?"

"Just a few minutes, thank the merciful Fates." She leaned over him and kissed his forehead. "I would have freaked out if it took longer." She helped him sit up. "How do you feel?"

"Like I got hit by an ice cream truck," he admitted, "flattened but happy and satisfied."

Arwel appeared beside them, offering him a hand up. "That's normal. Come on, brother. Let's get you cleaned up."

Rob accepted the help, swaying slightly as he got to his feet. The crowd had thinned somewhat, though many still lingered, offering congratulations and good wishes.

"You did well," Arwel said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Now we just wait to see if it takes."

"How will I know?"

"Oh, you'll know." Arwel grinned. "Trust me."

Margo waited for Arwel to let go before slipping under Rob's arm to support him. "You're an impressive fighter, Rob. I didn't expect you to last that long."

"And there was no slam poetry required." Gertrude slipped under Rob's other arm. "Let's get you home."

Rob laughed, then winced as his ribs protested. "Maybe I should save that for next time if this doesn't take."

"It'll take," she said with certainty. "I can feel it."

"Me too." Margo cast him a confident smile. "Tomorrow morning, you'll start transitioning, which will be a bummer because you will miss Marina and Peter's wedding."

He chuckled. "I can live with that."

15

MORELLE

Morelle stood in front of the mirror in the master bathroom and ran her fingers through her short hair, which had grown a lot over the past several days. She assumed that since her body no longer needed to work on rebuilding itself from the skeleton up, it could finally dedicate energy to re-growing her hair.

She no longer looked bald, and that was a big improvement. Perhaps when it got a little longer, she could style it like Amanda's.

Curiously, no one had commented about their resemblance. Was she the only one who had noticed? Amanda was a little taller, though not by much, and they had similarly shaped faces, eyes, and lips.

Their personalities were different, though, and maybe that influenced how people saw them.Amanda exuded an extroverted confidence, while Morelle was much more reserved, not just because she was still learning and was unsure about how to act and what to say. After a lifetime of isolation, she didn't feel comfortable surrounded by people, and today was no different.