I inhaled deeply, swallowing down the knot growing in my throat. Shaking the lingering tension from my limbs, I shifted my stance and prepared myself.

Ethan’s movements remained measured, and deliberate, as if he had all the time in the world to wear me down. And he did. After a while, I was running on fumes, my breaths had grown short and my muscles ached beyond possible redemption. Or so it felt.

But I still had enough in me to show I hadn't been playing around in the time that had ...