"Forever?" Her voice shook with disbelief and fear. "But that's impossible! We both know I'm stronger than you. Once I've had time to train properly, there's no way you could ever keep me under your control." She took a shaky breath, willing herself not to show any more weakness in front of Zurri .

"So what do you want? Just for now?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly. "As long as I can prove myself and return things to the way they were before..."

"I... I did," she muttered, her face pale. "But please, just for now. Give me some time to train and prove myself." She swallowed hard, trying not to look at Zurri 's angry expression. "Then we can forget this ever happened."

Her eyes darted around the room, anywhere but on his face, as she struggled to maintain her composure. The thought of being under Zurri 's control forever was terrifying, but she couldn't show any sign of weakness or he might never let her go.