“THE HELL YOU CAN,” I said aloud to no one.

“No, you can’t,” said Lissa, with an expression that matched my own incredulity. “I know you’ve been learning to fight with fire, but you haven’t done any staking.”

Christian’s face was adamant. “I have—a little. And I can learn more. Mia’s got some guardian friends here that have been teaching her physical combat, and I’ve learned some of it.”

The mention of him and Mia working together didn’t do much to improve Lissa’s opinion. “You’ve barely been here a week! You make it sound like you’ve been training for years with some master.”

“It’s better than nothing,” he said. “And...