Chapter 10 #2
We circled each other, trying to anticipate the other’s move. I admired the width of her hips and the way her chest rose and fell rhythmically with each breath as she moved from one foot to the other.
“That’s all he taught you?” The smirk on my face matched the insult in my voice as I watched her expression contort with even more anger.
“No. All those moves came from you.”
I couldn’t stop the chuckle that bubbled out of my throat, and she took advantage of the distraction. She shot forward and slammed her knee into my thigh, and I cursed as a shot of pain lanced through me.
She quickly wrapped her arms around my neck as if she thought she would be able to pull me down, but it did nothing except lift her from the ground.
I tightened my own arms around her middle, holding her tightly against me, and she shoved against my shoulders, trying to get away.
“I see your time with Eiran has taught you a lot.” I tugged her harder against me, feeling her body perfectly lined up against mine. “Was he trying to teach you anything other than how to get in his bed?” Nyra’s body went rigid against mine.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Her voice was low and breathy as she struggled against my grasp. Her body writhed against mine, and I felt utterly out of control.
I released my hold on her, dropping her to her feet as she stumbled and took a step back.
“Get out of here.” I pointed toward the path that led back to our quarters.
“What?” She crossed her arms over her chest as if that would protect her. “You can’t just dismiss me like that.”
“I just did.” I glared at her as I tried to control my breathing, tried to control any part of me. “You’re not learning anything else from Eiran. You’re mine to train.”
“I’m not yours to do anything with.” She took the smallest step back from me.
I was angry and frustrated and had no control over the possessiveness I felt. “You’ll train with me and only me. If I catch you with him again…”
“You’ll do what?” she snapped with her hands on her hips. “You’ll kill me?”
I took a step closer to her, my eyes locked on hers. They were so blue in that moment that I felt like I was lost at sea. “Did you show him your power?”
“I don’t have any.” The muscles in her neck bulged as she spat out the words.
“Everyone has magic.” I said it so flippantly, and she looked away for a moment, unable to hold my stare.
She was hiding something.
“That’s what my father said too.” Her gaze looked haunted now even as her rage simmered. “Do you know how many hours I spent trying to train myself into finding my magic? How many different people were brought into the palace to make me find it?”
She clamped her mouth shut, and I narrowed my gaze on her. “For a handmaiden’s daughter?”
“I’m done with this conversation.” She started to turn from me, but I snatched her wrist in my hand before she could.
“I’m not. What the hell did you really do in that palace?” Just tell me one of your truths.
“It’s none of your business.”
“Lies make you a traitor.” I tightened my grip on her wrist, but not enough to hurt her.
“You already think I’m a traitor. Me keeping secrets isn’t going to change that.”
“You keeping secrets is exactly what will get you killed.” I tugged on her wrist until she was right in front of me. The toes of her boots knocked against mine, but I paid them no attention when her chest heaved and pressed against my own.
I could feel the heat of her body against mine, and for a moment, I allowed myself to indulge in the desire that had been simmering beneath the surface.
I leaned in closer to her, our faces only inches apart. “You know I won’t stop until I find out the truth,” I whispered, my lips brushing against her temple.
She said nothing, just stared straight ahead at my chest.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” I released her wrist and took a step back before I did something foolish.
Nyra’s breath caught in her throat, and for a moment, I thought I saw the same desire that was somehow drowning my anger staring back at me .
I took another step away from her. “Don’t train with Eiran again.”
“Of course, sir.” She made a show of bowing before me. “I wouldn’t dare disobey you.”
I bit down on my tongue so I wouldn’t say something I was going to regret. Or did something I would regret.
I turned my back to her and walked away, making my way toward the edge of the room. I needed to cool off.
“Get some sleep. We’ll begin training early tomorrow.”
I heard no sounds of her movement, and when I turned back around, Nyra was still standing exactly where I had left her.
“Yes?”
She clenched her fists at her sides and looked toward the mouth of the cave, then back at me. “I don’t know how to get back to my room.”
I ducked my head as I grinned at her frustration. Figuring out the cave system of our hidden city was tough, but I had lived here so long that I knew it like the back of my hand. I sometimes forget how difficult it could be.
“All you had to say was that you needed my help.” I openly smiled at her, and she narrowed her eyes.
“I didn’t say I needed your help.” She crossed her arms. “Can’t you use your magic to call for Wren or Eiran?”
Her words felt like tiny daggers piercing my skin. The anger inside me built up until I was sure it would burst out at any second. “What’s your goal here? Are you just trying to piss me off tonight?”
She shrugged her shoulders as she glanced away. “Is it working?”
I rubbed my lips together as I watched her, then headed for the exit, and she followed me. “Just so you know, the more you piss me off tonight, the harder training will be tomorrow.”
She scoffed as she caught up to my side. “I doubt you would take it easy on me even if I was on my best behavior.”
She wasn’t wrong. “I’m not going to deny that,” I replied gruffly. “But if you keep pushing me, I’ll be rougher with you.”
Nyra’s eyes widened, and I could feel the heat grow in my stomach.
I felt the swelling in the front of my trousers as thoughts of being rough with her clouded my mind.
She was a traitor.
I adjusted myself covertly as we walked in silence, then I waved her forward as we crouched below the low-hanging rock that kept the training grounds separate from the rest of the city.
We reached a fork in the path, and Nyra’s nose scrunched. “Which way?” she asked as she looked around the dimly lit tunnels.
I pointed. “To the right.”
She nodded and led us down the path, her light footsteps echoing off the walls.
“I’m guessing there’s no chance of me sleeping in tomorrow since you kept me out while the rest of this damn city is sleeping, huh?”
The city was eerily quiet, and a sliver of guilt crept up on me.
“Not a chance.”
“Figures.” She lifted her hand and let her fingers trail over the damp wall of the cave. “I still can’t believe this has all been down here this entire time. It’s like a whole other world.”
She sounded as if she were talking to herself instead of me, but still, I answered her.
“It’s our world, and it keeps us safe.”
She let out a soft “hmm,” and I had a sudden desperation to know what was going through her mind.
But she didn’t share another thought.
We walked in silence for a few more minutes before we finally reached the warrior quarters.
She turned to me, and for a second, I thought she was going to say something.
But she simply nodded her head once and shoved her hands into her pockets before she disappeared through the door.
I followed after her, and she looked back over her shoulder as she heard me coming up the steps behind her.
We were housed on the same floor. Wren’s safety was my top priority.
“Are you following me?” She turned to face me fully as we reached the top of the stairs.
“No.” I scoffed and kept moving until I had to slide my body past hers to get through the narrow stairwell. She sucked in a breath as my chest brushed against hers. “I’m headed to my room.”
She huffed as she followed me into the hall and stopped at her door.
“Your room is this close to mine?” She scrunched her nose.
“Trust me, I wished we had an open room elsewhere, but this is where they put you.”
She pressed her lips together before her hand moved to the handle of her door.
“I’ll see you in the morning, traitor.”
“I can’t wait,” she threw over her shoulder before she let it shut behind her.