Rue’s POV

I stopped fighting the ground beneath me and felt it instead, the weight of my body, the alignment of my spine, the tension coiled deep in my limbs.

I had not survived by flailing. I had survived by enduring, waiting and learning when to strike.

When Haven charged again, confident and careless, I moved forward.

I shifted my weight, twisted my torso, and slammed into her flank with everything I had been holding back. Devastating power surged from me.

My claws caught and my shoulder ...