Shadows of the Crown

6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Caspian

“ E ither you’ve lost all ability to weave since yesterday, or something’s on your mind,” Gavriel states harshly, obviously annoyed with my lack of effort. I sigh, swiping a hand down my face.

“I don’t know.” He gives me a look that says I’m lying. I shrug. “It’s really nothing, just the new guests to the castle.”

“Has one of them tried to hurt you?” He stiffens, prepared to go after this made-up attacker.

“No,” I laugh as I shove his shoulder, walking to the table at the side of the training room. I gulp down a glass of water before continuing. “Nothing like that. Something just feels off…I can’t explain it.”

He nods slowly, considering my words. “Is it possible you’re just uncomfortable with so many killers living amongst you?”

I should be wary of the many assassins that now walk these halls, but I’m not. I do not feel like talking about it further, though. “Yeah. But I think I’m just tired. I’ll go rest for a while, then I’ll be back to best weaver ever status.” He barks out a laugh, and I roll my eyes at his disbelief.

I'm out of the room before he can say anything else, flipping him off and indicating I don’t want him to follow. He should technically be on duty right now, but he gives me space when I need it.

Plus, he won’t like where I’m headed.

My eyes widen as I take in the indoor training room provided for the assassins. I’m relieved it’s empty, as my father has prohibited any castle staff or nobility from entering. Ridiculous rule, but I don’t doubt any one of these competitors would tell him of my rebellion to obtain his favor.

Everything appears brand new. There are several mats for hand-to-hand, a wall of every type of weapon imaginable, and even sets of bars used for stretching and toning.

The accommodations are quite nice, which is interesting. I haven’t known my father to go to such lengths before, especially for guests. I step into the middle of the room—onto a training mat—and take a deep breath.

“This room is for competitors only.” I tense at the voice, willing myself to not immediately spin around and look guilty.

I turn slowly, facing my accuser.

Fuck me . Fuck the Angel.

There’s only one person in the realm who’s known to have that hair: the Silver Wraith.

She raises a brow, and I take in her features. Her long, silky hair is tied at the top of her head, with pieces surrounding her face. Black leathers cover her mouthwatering curves, and I bite my lip to hide my body’s reaction to them. Her hands clasp behind her back as she stands contently, knowing she could certainly sink one of those blades on her thighs into my head before I blinked again. My eyes drag to her face, to soft lips curved upward slightly. Cunning, green irises glare back at me while a second brow raises, and I can sense the amusement emanating off her.

Shit, I was definitely not subtle in my perusal, and she watched me take in every inch of her body. I feel my dick harden and suddenly find the wooden bars interesting. Her head tilts in my peripheral; she must be highly entertained by how foolish I’m acting. You would think me no better than a young boy seeing a woman for the first time.

Who knew an assassin could be so breathtaking?

I clear my throat as sweat forms on my brow and a tingling sensation under my skin slides down my spine. “I am a competitor,” I state quickly, though not with confidence. From the lack of recognition when I turned around, I do not believe she knows who I am. Maybe I can get out of here without her alerting my father that I broke one of his rules . She seems like someone who would enjoy doing that.

“Is that so?” Her voice is like rich, melted honey seeping into my pores. “Because you weren’t at the initiation ceremony.”

Stay calm. There were many people there; no chance she memorized them all .

“Been watching me, have you?”

“No.” She walks toward me slowly, her hips swaying gently with each intentional step. Fuck, I should not be attracted to someone like her. Murder is not a quality I'd accept in a woman…though the tightness in my chest claims otherwise. “But I never forget a face. And yours was not at the ceremony.” She stops a foot in front of me, her unwavering gaze causing my breath to hitch.

She’s a frightening little thing.

She’s also just a woman…I can handle her. I give her a charming smile. “Perhaps you just didn’t see me. You’re mistaken.” Her eyes narrow slightly, one side of her lips rising—would she enjoy it as much as I, if I bit them?

“Perhaps. Or perhaps I should threaten to slice off your precious cock, and then we’ll see if I’m still mistaken.” Her bright eyes harden, and she smiles, though it’s menacing as all traces of amusement fade from her face.

“You would fight me?”

“Without a second thought.” She paces around me, and I follow her direction. I would be foolish to trust my back with someone who has a reputation like hers. “The rules state competitors may fight outside of trials—even to death—as long as the challenge is accepted by both parties…which you should know, since you’re a competitor.” She stops in front of me again, angling he r head while her eyes roam my body as if she can’t quite decide whether I’m her next kill or next fuck.

I'll take either.

My breath quickens when I process what she just said. I can’t fight her…sure I’m trained by the best, but this woman is deadly. Savage. She wouldn’t hesitate to behead me and bathe in my blood. “You’re right,” I stammer, unable to think of anything else to say. Maybe I shouldn’t have told her I’m a competitor. She surely wouldn’t challenge the prince.

But I’m also a little excited at the prospect.

“Do you accept the challenge, then?” How is she so fucking still?

“And what makes you think you could best me?” She actually smiles then, and I’m hypnotized. A small laugh leaves her; it’s an evil laugh, but the sound goes straight to my dick. Her tongue darts out to caress her bottom lip, and I follow the movement carefully. I have never wished to be a piece of flesh more.

“Charming.” Her amused voice shatters my aching thoughts as she raises an eyebrow. “I was actually thinking the same about you.” Deadly and confident? My kind of woman.

“All right, I’ll bite. What makes you think I couldn’t best you?”

She makes a show of inspecting me head to toe, only to meet my gaze again with an unimpressed look. “A lot.”

“Oh, you’re good.” I shake my head, knowing I have no choice but to spar with her. Well, at least it will be a spar for me; the look in her eye says she’s hungry, and I’m her next meal. I suppose if she wanted to wrap her mouth around my flesh without using a blade first…

“I accept.” I barely get the words out before she swings her leg to knock me on my back with a grunt.

I look up at her, still standing with both hands behind her, like this is just some silly game. Maybe it is to her. But now I’m pissed.

She waits for me to rise, not showing a single speck of fear or calculation. Of course she wouldn’t. She’s the most feared person in our kingdom.

I shouldn’t find that hot.

“Play fair, wraith, or you’ll be going against those rules you seem to love.”

Nothing. No reaction. I thought the name would get to her, but I’m sure everyone she meets knows exactly who she is. Her hair is as unique as her face.

“Since you know of me, you must also know that I do not play fair, ” her silky voice caresses every part of me. I unsheathe my sword and swing toward her waist, but she’s no longer there.

A heavy blow hits the back of my knees and I drop to all fours, cursing myself as I sit back. I peer up at her smirking face and decide that this isn’t such a terrible position to be in.

“Hm.” She pushes a strand of my black hair off my forehead, grazing her soft fingers along my skin before continuing. “Maybe you aren’t as useless as I thought…you could certainly do many th ings from down there that wouldn’t require that sword.” She pointedly looks at the weapon on the floor, her tone teasing. Aether, she’s a bitch.

I snatch the weapon and stab forward with a speed that impresses even me. She catches the sword between her legs, not caring that the sharp steel could sever her limbs with little effort. I let go of the hilt and strike my fist into her gut, but she barely registers the hit. Instead, eyes of raw venom stare down at me, probably annoyed I could get a hit on her.

Leaping up to strike again, she grabs my arm and twists our bodies until our backs are touching. She bends forward and heaves my body through the air, forcing me to land on my stomach. Hard. I’m trying to get breath back into my lungs when I’m rolled over and her toned thighs wrap around my hips, holding me in place.

“Well, wraith, since the rules allow competitors to fight with consent, I would assume that applies to other things, as well.” I smirk and run my hands along the top of her fitted leathers. Fuck me, she feels good…her legs stiffen, and I know she feels the evidence of my attraction to her violence. There’s just something about a woman who knows her way around a blade, infamous murderer or not.

I shove to punch her gut once more, though she learns quickly. She grabs my fist—grabs. From mid-swing. As if the force of my intention was nothing but a small inconvenience. She twists my hand until my body is forced to follow, lest I leave here with a broken wrist. She scoffs, shoving my arm away and standing. I tilt my head back to meet her eyes; she watches me, bored.

“Again. But this time, quit being an idiot and put in effort.” She sounds almost angry, as if I've offended her.

I roll and push to stand, grabbing my sword carefully as I watch her. “Or what?” I was already putting in effort , but I have a feeling she'd kill me just for admitting it. A brow raise—what would it take to get an actual reaction from her? I really want to find out. “Fine, don't answer. But when I win, you owe me something of my choosing.” Not even a glimmer of humor flits through her eyes. She takes one step, tilting her head.

“And what would that be?” I open my mouth to answer, though I do not actually know…I didn't think that far. She doesn't wait to hear my confession, before flinging a blade in my direction, knocking into just below where I grasp the hilt of my sword. My hand flexes, dropping it, and she's in front of me slamming her foot into my cock before it fully lands on the mat. I stumble backward, resisting the urge to gag from the waves of pain.

“Fuck, give me a minute, will you?” She chuckles, shrugging as she continues advancing, though slowly.

“It's not my problem you're slow and unobservant.” Why did I agree to this?

I tug on my kinetic strand, reaching for one of the blades on the wall and flinging it at her head before I second-guess the choice. She doesn't move—doesn't even flinch as she flicks her wrist and sends the blade backward just before it sinks into her skull. My jaw drops as I watch the weapon thud to the floor, clanking loudly. For a moment I freeze and consider how foolish it was of me to attempt such a thing, at the Silver Wraith of all people; but when I meet her eyes, there's a playfulness to them that wasn't there before.

She's not angry I just tried to kill her…

“That was better, though next time refrain from staring at your next move as you execute it.” I roll my eyes, watching her as I throw nearly every weapon on the wall at her before my next heartbeat. Her hand snatches one from the air that nearly connects with her cheek, the rest maneuver around her and clamber into the mirror. I wince at the loud crack, willing the entire thing to not fall apart before I can find someone to fix it. The wraith throws her head back to laugh, spinning as she twists the small blade through her fingers.

She says something—likely an insult—though I don't hear as I rush after her and shove her body into the wall. I unsheathe a blade from my belt and press it to her waist as my weight smushes her front to the stone. She gasps when I press into her, my grip loosening from the barely perceptible sound.

She chuckles darkly. "You truly make it too easy,” she breaths before her elbow connects with my throat—fucking bitch. I choke and push the uncomfortable sensation away as I block her next swing. We spar for several minutes, though I'm convinced she's hardly trying as sweat builds along my skin while she doesn't even look a bit worn. She pauses on a mat, a sinister smile spreading across her face.

“I know you’re lying,” she states as she circles me, looking like an ethereal predator. “You are not one of us.”

“And why would you say that?” I follow her movements, trying to anticipate where her next advance will be.

“The Aether can hear your footsteps without strain. You’ve nearly tripped twice, which tells me balance is not part of your training regimen. And…” She fakes right and knocks a knee into my side. Before I can grab the area, she’s behind me, holding me up with a blade pressed to the delicate skin above my rapidly beating heart.

“You leave your left unguarded. You’re practically inviting me to come slit your throat.” Her voice is pure sin, and my breathing speeds up for a whole new reason. I nearly lean into the sharp touch before I remember I’m not supposed to enjoy this.

“Fair. You win,” I concede, not really paying attention to my words with the way her pelvis presses into my ass.

“No, I think you do,” she purrs, and I almost groan. Aether damn this woman; of course the Angel would send me someone so unbelievably sexy but so off-limits. “I don’t give advice for free; but your performance was pathetic, so I’ll be lenient just this once.” The lust fades from my mind, replaced with a burning sensation slithering up my neck.

“Are you going to lower your blade?” I spit, done with these teetering emotions I’m feeling.

“Don’t let me catch you in here again. I won’t be so kind a second time.” She releases me, stepping around my stunned body as she sheathes her blade. I bite my lip at the sight of her striding out of the room, and stupidly find myself speaking again.

“I told you I’m a competitor.”

She halts, peering over her shoulder and looking deeply into my soul. “And I told you I never forget a face…prince.” She leaves me alone with my mouth agape.

I chuckle to myself, cursing my treasonous body. Finally convincing my legs to move, I hurry from the room before the wraith returns and fulfills her threatening promise.