Training was intense, but Zoey felt something new stirring inside her something powerful, wild, and untamed. Riven stood beside her in the clearing, his golden eyes steady and calm.
"Like this," he said, gently taking her hands in his. His touch was warm, charged with a strange energy. "You have fire in you. Let it rise, but don't fight it. Let me help guide it."
Their fingers locked, and for a moment, Zoey felt the surge of both their powers intertwining—his dragon energy flowing into hers, stoking the flames that danced across her palms. Fire erupted from her hands, brilliant and alive, lighting up the trees around them.
From a distance, Jace watched, jaw clenched. He didn't say anything then, but later that night, he found her alone, wiping the soot from her fingers.
"Zoey, what's your problem?" he snapped. "You've been hanging out with that Riven guy a lot."
Zoey raised an eyebrow, her voice flat. "I mean... you can't be mad, Jace. We're not together. Remember? You kissed my best friend while I was in a coma."
He sighed, stepping closer. "Look, I'm sorry. It was an honest mistake. I thought I lost you, Zoey. I was messed up drinking, smoking... I wasn't myself. I didn't know how to handle it."
"Jace, just... go," she said softly, turning away.
He hesitated, then walked off, shoulders heavy with regret. But as he stepped outside, he found Riven leaning against the wall, arms crossed.
"Back off Zoey," Jace warned.
"I'm not here to fight you," Riven replied coolly. "I'm not going to argue over her. That's not what she'd want."
Jace scoffed. "You think you're better for her?"
"I think she deserves someone who understands what she's going through," Riven said simply. "You think that's you?"
Jace turned away with a bitter laugh.
The next day, the tension boiled over. Julia paired Riven and Jace for combat drills. What started as practice quickly turned into a full-blown fight. Neither held back. They moved with fury and frustration, fists flying until, at last, they struck each other at the same time both collapsing into the dirt, panting.
Zoey stood nearby, torn. Jace had hurt her deeply, but they had history. He knew her. Loved her. But Riven... Riven didn't push. He understood the weight she carried. And something about him sparked the flame in her that refused to die.
That night, Zoey caught Jace watching her as she laughed quietly with Riven by the fire.
When Riven stepped away, Jace approached.
"Do you even miss me at all?" he asked, his voice cracking slightly.
Zoey looked at him, eyes shimmering with conflict. "I don't know who I'm supposed to miss anymore," she whispered, before walking off, leaving Jace standing in silence.
Later, as the moon rose, Riven found Zoey sitting alone, her knees pulled to her chest.
"I lost someone to the Hollow One," he said quietly, sitting beside her. "My sister. She was like you. A hybrid. We couldn't save her."
Zoey looked at him, eyes wide. "I'm sorry."
He nodded. "That's why I fight. That's why I'll help you, no matter what. I get your darkness, Zoey. Because I carry my own."
In that moment, they sat together two souls forged in fire, surrounded by shadows, but clinging to each other's light.
And somewhere nearby, Jace watched... feeling like he was losing her all over again.