Chapter 9 #2
The corner of Dacre’s mouth lifted, so slight I almost missed it. His dark eyes seemed to bore into mine as my stomach flipped, and I felt warmth spread through my body. “That should do it,” he murmured in a low voice .
I felt his eyes on me, scanning me as I remained stoic, trying to hide the shivers running down my spine. “On it,” I said, hoping he didn’t notice how uneasy I felt around him.
He met my gaze with a single nod before turning on his heel and stalking off, his leather-clad muscles flexing with each step. As he disappeared from sight, I shook my head to clear the fog that had settled over me and took a breath, steeling myself to search for Kai.
I paused and thought about turning around, the thought of my warm bed beckoning me, but my feet kept carrying me forward. There was a part of me that was desperate to prove Dacre wrong. To prove I wasn’t as weak as he believed me to be.
It didn’t take long to find Kai. Within moments, his broad shoulders were visible from across the room as he circled a much smaller opponent in his sparring circle.
“Hey.” I cleared my throat and shuffled on my feet, glancing around uncertainly. “Dacre said he wants me to train with you today.”
Kai slowly pivoted his body toward me, and his eyes shifted as they locked onto mine. He paused briefly before he turned back to confront his opponent, his features set in a determined expression. “Sure thing. Just as soon as I’m done kicking his ass.”
The man across from him grinned, revealing a flash of yellow teeth. I cautiously leaned back against a jagged rock, my palms sweaty as I watched the two of them continue to circle one another.
“I’m free.” I heard a husky voice and turned to find the source. A man stood beside me, his light-brown curls tousled in every direction atop his head. His bright blue eyes shone with warmth as he smiled at me. His gaze ran over me curiously, and my cheeks grew warm from his scrutiny.
There was something about him that reminded me of Micah.
“Not happening, Eiran,” Kai called out, even as the man across from him charged, and I flinched at the sound of his kick against Kai’s thigh.
“Okay.” I nodded as I stood.
“Don’t you fucking dare, Nyra. You’re training with me,” Kai grunted as the man landed a hit.
“I’m sitting here watching you lose.”
“He’ll be fine.” Eiran made a subtle gesture with his head, a barely perceptible nod to the left.
“It’s your death wish, Eiran,” Kai warned, and I quickly followed behind Eiran before Kai could stop me.
We moved through the cavern in silence as we passed others training until we reached a corner where the shadows were thick and heavy enough to conceal us from any prying eyes or ears.
“So, what exactly is Dacre wanting you to be trained on today?” Eiran moved inside a large sparring circle, and I followed suit.
“I’m pretty sure he was just trying to humiliate me, but we were working on stance and blocking.”
His lips curled into an amused grin as his eyes moved from my face down my chest and then slowly dipped lower. I could feel a flush rising on my cheeks as I shifted uncomfortably beneath his gaze.
“Let’s see what you can do then.” He moved into a stance, his arms outstretched and his feet planted firmly on the ground, just like Dacre had done.
I inhaled a deep, steadying breath and tried to recall Dacre’s stance instructions as best I could. My gaze wouldn’t stay fixed on Eiran; his piercing blue eyes made me nervous.
“Relax,” he said with a low chuckle. “You’re not going to be able to block anything if you aren’t breathing.”
I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, forcing myself to dig deep and focus on Eiran as he came at me. He was fast, but he wasn’t as fast as Dacre.
Each time his fist or foot flew toward me, I felt my muscles strain as I tensed to block the attack. Eiran looked completely at ease while sweat trickled down my back and I struggled to catch my breath.
He was holding back and not throwing his full force at me, which I both loathed and appreciated.
As we kept going, my body adjusted to the movements, no longer feeling as stiff or as strained.
I could sense when he was about to strike and reacted quickly, reading his movements before they were made.
“Good job.” He took a step back and folded his arms, offering me one of those easygoing smiles I’d already come to expect from him. “Looks like you’re a natural.” His words were like warm honey, coating me from head to toe.
“I don’t know about that.” I shook my head as I braced my hands on my hips and tried to catch my breath. “I think Dacre’s just knocked me on my ass enough times that my fight or flight is starting to kick in.”
Eiran laughed and rubbed his hand along his jaw. “ Maybe if I train you well enough, you can knock Dacre on his own ass for a change.”
A chuckle escaped me as I tried to imagine it.
“It would probably take a miracle for that to happen.”
“I don’t know.”
I met his gaze and my stomach fluttered. His blue eyes were intense and his jaw tightened ever so slightly.
“Wilder things have happened,” he said softly. “Let’s try again.”
He motioned me forward with a flick of his fingertips, and I let myself imagine that it was Dacre standing in front of me. I raised my guard just in time to deflect a swinging punch. Taking advantage of an opening, I threw all my weight into a kick that connected with his rib cage, and I smiled.