ounce MMA gloves. She stepped through the ropes. She felt a familiar, cold calm settle over
her. It was a sensation she hadn’t allowed herself to feel in five long years.
Jax stepped up first, wearing a cocky grin. He bounced on his toes, throwing flashy, shadow-
boxed combinations in the air. "Ready to learn something, sweetheart?"
Elara stood perfectly still in the center of the mat. Her stance was narrow, relaxed, almost
entirely unassuming. She didn't raise her hands to a traditional guard. "Whenever you are,"
she whispered.
Jax lunged, throwing a lightning-fast one-two combination aimed at her head. He expected
her to flinch, to back away.
She didn't. In a fraction of a second, Elara slipped inside his jab. It was a micro-movement,