The air in the training room was thick with heat and exertion, the faint scent of sweat and worn-down mats lingering. You were breathing hard, but so was Griffin. That alone was a victory.

“You’re getting faster,” he said, flashing that signature smirk. His hands were loose at his sides, but you knew better. Griffin Cross was never really unguarded.

You grinned, shifting your weight on the balls of your feet. “Maybe you’re just getting slower.”

A chuckle rumbled in his chest, and behind him, Katya leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching with keen amusement. Grant was next to her, nodding slightly, a quiet sort of approval in his eyes.

“Alright, hotshot,” Griffin said. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

You didn’t hesitate. You launched forward, twisting at the last second like Katya had taught you, using momentum to get past Griffin’s defenses. He reacted fast—he always did—but you anticipated it. You dropped low, sweeping at his legs, just as Grant had drilled into you a hundred times before. He staggered.

Excitement flared in your chest. You almost had him.

Griffin recovered quickly, but you were already moving, using his momentary imbalance to get in close. You faked left, feinted right, then went for the takedown move Katya had hammered into you.

He should have gone down.

But in the next moment, Griffin twisted at the last second, countering with fluid ease. Before you could blink, the world flipped, and suddenly, you were the one pinned.

Flat on your back. Griffin’s weight pressing down. One of his hands gripping your wr-st above your he-d, the other braced near your shoulder. His knee slotted betwe-n your l-gs.

Your breath caught. His, too.

The training room went silent. Katya made a sound suspiciously like a suppressed laugh.

Griffin’s blue eyes flickered, something unreadable behind them. And then, the corners of his lips curled into that damnable smirk. “Guess I win,” he murmured, voice lower than before.

Your heart thumped.

Somewhere in the background, Grant sighed. “I told you this would happen.”