Flashback ( PDFDrive )

mentally prepared for the ugliness involved with what you’re learning.
And this was the only way I could think to truly get through to you.”
Tarina whistled. “Brutal. But effective.”
It was.
Sophie wanted to hate Sandor for it. But . . . she hadn’t even
managed to hold on to her weapon.
If she’d freaked out like that in the middle of a real fight, she’d
probably be dead.
She bent to retrieve the tiny dagger—which didn’t look so wimpy
anymore—wishing her hand wasn’t shaking.
“Are you okay?” Sandor asked, his eyes scanning her from head to
toe.
She tried to decide.
The monster was awake now—she could feel that. But it hadn’t
dragged her under.
And with each deep breath, she forced it to back off.
Maybe it was good to know that—to know her limits actually
stretched pretty far.
“I’ll be fine,” she told him. “I just need a couple of minutes.”
Sandor nodded, heading to his satchel and returning with a clean
towel. He held it out to her like a white flag. “I’m sorry. I hate having
to upset you. But if I don’t properly prepare you for the complexities of
this new challenge, I’m failing you as your protector. And I won’t fail
you again. Even if it means making you hate me.”
“I don’t hate you,” she said quietly, wiping the sticky red off her
skin, reminding herself it was only juice.
Honestly, she wasn’t sure what she was feeling.