Maya, not warning her, warning him. Evan stepped closer. You should be careful. Maya's eyes stayed on his. I have been.
He reached for her arm. Maya shifted back. His hand missed. Denise saw it from across the room. The same movement.
Small, efficient, controlled. Evan's jaw tightened. Then he shoved Maya. Not hard enough to knock her down. Hard enough to make a point.
A few people gasped. Nobody stepped forward. Maya absorbed the movement and regained her balance. She looked at him. Don't touch me.
Evan glanced around. The silent faces made him bolder. Nobody had stopped Lauren in the dining hall. Nobody was stopping him now. He grabbed Maya's wrist.
The bracelet twisted beneath his fingers. The bronze disc flashed outward. Zero. Maya's body became completely still. Let go.
Evan tightened his grip. Or what? Grant finally moved. Evan. Too late.
Evan shoved Maya a second time. Something changed. Not in Maya's face. In her center. She stopped giving ground.
Her right foot settled behind her. Weight balanced, shoulders loose. Denise's breath caught. Evan pulled on Maya's wrist again. Maya moved.
It happened so quickly that half the room understood it only after Evan was already on the carpet. Maya rotated her captured arm just enough to break the grip. Her other hand redirected his shoulder. She stepped outside his balance. A clean sweep took his leg without striking him.
Evan went down. Maya followed only far enough to control the fall. One hand at his wrist, one at his upper arm. No punch, no kick, no blow at all. 2 seconds, maybe less.
Evan stared up at her in shock. The room was silent, utterly silent. Maya released him immediately. Then she stepped backward, hands open, breathing steady. Lauren's champagne glass trembled in her fingers.
Kyle, standing near the back, had stopped smiling. Grant's face had gone pale with anger. Evan sat up. What the hell is wrong with you? Maya looked at him.
You grabbed me. You attacked me. No. He scrambled to his feet. She attacked me. This time, several people had seen everything.
But Maya noticed something terrible. Some still looked uncertain. Not because they had missed it, because Grant Bradford was standing 10 feet away and doubt was easier when power was in the room. Evan pointed at Maya. She threw me to the floor.