He shoved himself to his feet and charged like a fool. For half a heartbeat the world narrowed to the motion — the blur of his shoulders, the spit flying from his mouth, the useless rage in his eyes. He came at me and I heard the animals inside me snap awake: Cassius low and furious, the earth answering with a hunger that tightened my veins.
“Gunter—” Tessa shouted, but it was too late for gentle words.
He swung a crooked punch. I didn’t even blink. The ground under my boots twitched and answered — small roots sliding up like fingers to catch him. One vine wrapped his ankle and turned his charge into a stumble. He crashed against me like a frantic animal hitting a wall.
I grabbed him by the collar and threw him back so hard his head smacked the packed dirt. Blood flecked his lip. For a
