Chapter 33
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
ALINA
Days followed one after the other, and my body still refused to get stronger, making me feel like it was slowly but surely winning.
I was not advancing fast enough. Both Frid and Cara could do so many things that I could never dream of doing.
One day, when we were practicing defense flying, I watched Cara’s dark suit molding into the familiar dragon shape within just moments.
I could never do that, I had to think about it, concentrate on it, and then my change took a substantial amount of time.
To make matters worse, Cara could not join us every day because of her work, but she still progressed much faster than me.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. Some people are naturally good at certain things. You’re just good at other things.” Frid meant to cheer me up, but accomplished the opposite.
“What, precisely, am I good at?” I frowned.
“You’re good at all the girly stuff.”
“Girly stuff?”
“I don’t know . . . Walking, holding your little finger out when you pick up your cup, dressing nicely.”
“I feel so useless.” I crouched, wrapping my arms around my knees and burying my face.
“You’re not useless, just advancing a little slower than the others.”
“I want to die.”
“You’ll get there, don’t worry,” Frid said. “Let’s switch to blades.” She picked up two swords, wrapped in a thick cloth.
I stood up, preparing my stance, when she extended an arm with a sheathed sword, placing it in my hand.
Swords were a little easier. I had spent my childhood watching my older brother perfecting his skills, and my fiance loved showing me how to handle a blade. That was the only area where I improved faster than Cara.
“How come Tynan doesn’t have a sword?” I asked in between exercises.
“You can’t take your mind off the guy even for an hour?” Frid smirked.
“Of course not.” Then I quickly changed the subject. “I just noticed that all of you have a weapon you prefer. You like your sword, Victor likes his sword but I’ve heard he is also very good with his bow, and Sol has his axe.”
“When we were training, every new weapon had to be earned. Meaning we had to win first to get everything the other person had.”
“But what if you lose? How do you fight next time?”
“If you lose, you could always pick from the items that were less desirable. We had a rack with sticks, knives, and other useless items. Since Tynan was forced to participate, he lost quite a bit, especially in the beginning. He learned to rely on his knives, because they were always available, even after he lost again and again.” Frid made a slicing motion with her arm.
The soft sunlight reflected on the surface of our blades as we practiced combinations together.
When the sun was nearing the horizon, both of us walked back to the castle.
On the way back, we passed a gathering of men of various ages training together.
My eyes darted from one figure to another looking for Tynan.
I spotted Sol who was speaking with a pretty, dark eyed girl.
His axe rested on his shoulder, and his usually serious face stretched into what could almost be called a rare smile.
For a moment I forgot what I was saying, shocked by the view.
“There they are,” Frid pointed, and I saw Tynan and Victor sparring together.
The other men formed a circle around them, watching the exchange of heavy blows. It was not a particularly fair fight since Tynan towered over Victor. Both of them held thick, wooden sticks that were supposed to substitute swords.
“Just like the good old days.” Frid smiled, crossing her arms on her chest.
I watched the two men, shirtless, circling each other.
My breath caught as I saw the muscles in Tynan’s back flex.
My cheeks flushed. It was embarrassing, but I could not take my eyes off his golden skin, perfectly shaped arms, and his fast, confident movements when his whole body worked in perfect union.
“He’s dropping his arm way too low.” Frid observed.
“Who?”
“Victor. Aren’t you watching?”
“Oh, yes. I see.” I bit my lip, because clearly I saw nothing.
“Just imagine the shock if I could join them. It’s nothing new. I’ve heard all the sneers and remarks many times before,” she muttered.
“Frid! Long time,” a vaguely familiar voice called, and both of us turned.
I recognized Denis, who, thank the gods, knew nothing about me.
“Denis?” Frid tilted her head to the side.
“Did you come to join the training?”
“Nah. We’re just passing by.”
“It’s a shame that they don’t allow women to join,” he said as his eyes landed on my face.
I lowered my gaze, not willing to get myself involved in any drama. From what I remembered, I had talked to him a couple of times and he got some wild ideas.
“Who’s your friend?” He looked straight at me.
I stayed silent, forcing Frid to give him my name.
“Aly. Her name is Aly.”
“Aly? Nice to meet you, Aly,” he said.
Frid watched me for some time, before returning her attention to Denis. They talked about the news from the town, and their training while I stayed quiet. There was no way I would give him anything to work with. One time was enough.
“Hey, if you need a training partner, I have time,” he said, his gaze fixed directly on me.
“Sure. It’s always more fun to train together.” Frid responded.
Suddenly, I heard a muffled groan.
“What the fuck, Ty?” Victor shouted.
I turned to where the two men were practicing and saw Tynan walking toward us, his expression unmistakably savage.
I should have been intimidated, but other feelings filled my head and I welcomed his exhibition of raw, possessive, dominance.
My breath caught, and I felt the pull. It was nearly impossible to suppress.
Tynan stopped directly in front of Denis, who did not seem intimidated at all.
“Darragh? What can I do for you?” Denis placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
“Move along,” Tynan said.
“What?” Denis chuckled.
“I said, move along.”
As much as I enjoyed seeing the brooding and possessive side of Tynan, I did not want the situation to escalate any further.
“Come on, you can’t still be going on about a fight that happened years ago,” Frid said, and my ears instantly perked up.
“I’m always here, if you ever want to set things right,” Denis said, before moving away.
I looked at Tynan, his eyes were menacing, unhinged, almost wild, as he watched Denis leave.
“What are you up to?” Victor asked Frid.
“Never mind. We have to go.” Frid pulled me along.
I looked away and sighed. It has been so long since the last time we were intimate. I could not help wondering if something had changed.
Did he even want to be with me?
I knew we were mated, but he never made any attempts to bed me, and it made me feel unwanted, pathetic, and miserable.
“What’s up with those two anyway?” Frid muttered.
“I wish you hadn’t invited Denis to our training. Things could get ugly between him and Tynan.”
“You’re right. Well, I hope he doesn’t come. Not after Tynan let everyone know that you’re off limits.” Frid stopped and took off her cloak, and I followed suit.
We ran until mucus ran down my nose, my throat burned with flames, and felt raw. I was grateful no one else could see me like that. My legs refused to go any further and I proceeded to limp along after the girl ahead of me.
“You’re making progress,” Frid cheered me on.
“I don’t . . . think so.” I exhaled and black dots obstructed my vision.
“It takes months to undo years of inactivity,” Frid reasoned.
“Months?” I leaned forward, clenching my stomach.
“Of course. To get to where I want you to be will be easy, keeping yourself on the same level is much harder.” She continued her slow jog.
I groaned, stumbling after her.
After hours of walking, running, lifting rocks, lunges, and sword maneuvers, I returned to Tynan’s room, feeling half-dead.
There was no way to describe the level of exhaustion I felt.
Every muscle, every bone in my body screamed in protest. I knew I would heal quickly, and by tomorrow most of the aches and pains would be gone, but I still had to get through the night.
I could not wait until dinner, so I called for a servant and asked for a bath and something to eat.
I fell asleep in the chair while I was waiting and while the servants filled the tub, I gobbled the cuts of cold meat and crispy white bread and the freshly harvested tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. I didn't even taste the food. I was starving and would have eaten anything they brought me.
After my bath was done, I wrapped myself in a towel and walked toward the bed.
My flying suit was carefully folded over the back of the chair, I looked closer, admiring the precise stitching and the soft, form-fitting leather.
The magical properties of the suit were still too difficult to comprehend.
The material that felt dusty and damp when I took it off, was now dry and smelled like fresh leather without even a hint of my hard earned sweat. I sighed, looking back at the door.
I was going to wait for Tynan and spend some time with him before dinner, but as soon as my head touched the pillow, my eyes closed.
Through the thick veil of my deep sleep, I vaguely noticed the feel of a hard male body, the familiar scent, and warmth. Tynan wrapped his arms around me, and I rested my head against his chest. His hand traced through my hair, and I felt a soft kiss against my forehead.