Chapter 34 #2
She tightened her grip on the dagger and planted her feet, trying to steady herself.
Each movement was controlled and focused until it came time to defend.
Thrust, slash. Thrust, slash. Her strikes were solid, but her defense kept falling apart.
Over and over, she tried to redirect an invisible blow, but her grip slipped, and her balance gave out.
In a real fight, she’d already be bleeding.
Her next sidestep sent her boots sliding in the mud. “Shit,” she hissed, swiping wet strands of hair from her face.
“You need to start slow. Control first, then speed.”
She didn’t need to turn to see who stood behind her.
“Are you here to humiliate me more? Haven’t you done enough of that today?”
There was a slight pause. Then footsteps approached, stopping behind her. She didn’t move.
Kaldrek’s hands, rough and strong, rested over hers, adjusting her wrist with surprising gentleness.
He nudged her foot with his boot, fixing her stance.
Then he stepped in close, his chest lightly touching her back, his warmth cutting through the cool, damp air.
She clung to her breathing, though the nervous heat rising in her belly threatened to give her away.
His voice was low against her ear. “You want to hold the dagger like you’re shaking hands with it. Keep the blade angled outward for control.” He guided her arm forward. “Extend. Drive the tip straight toward your target. Keep your wrist firm.”
Then his hand was on her thigh, the contact of his palm striking through her soaked leathers. She inhaled sharply, and he didn’t miss it.
“Feet apart. Stay light. Watch me.”
He stepped forward to demonstrate. Rain slid down his face and followed the line of his jaw. His arms tensed with each movement, every precise step keeping her eyes locked on him.
“Now you.”
For a moment, she forgot why they were even here.
Why was he helping her now after being such an ass earlier?
Was it guilt or something else? She didn’t ask, mostly because she didn’t want it to stop.
So she reset her stance and mirrored his movements, pushing herself to focus.
Again and again, until the burn in her muscles drowned out everything else.
When they stopped to catch their breath, she asked, “Did I do something to upset you last night?”
He stilled, his mouth opening then closing again.
“You always do something to frustrate me,” he said at last, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
“I mean it, Kaldrek. You seemed… particularly annoyed this morning. Why?”
A muscle in his jaw twitched. “You didn’t do anything.”
“Really? So you just enjoy making a spectacle out of me?”
His laugh was soft, edged with something close to bitterness. “I push you to see what you’re capable of. Not to humiliate you.”
Evelyne stepped forward, closing the space between them. “That’s it?” Her tone sharpened. “You expect me to believe today was just some test?”
He didn’t answer, exhaling through his teeth as she approached.
“No,” she said firmly. “Not good enough. Tell me the real reason. Why did you come at me like that? What are you trying to prove?”
His voice cut through the rain. “That you need work.”
She stared at him, unflinching, so he kept going.
“No one’s pushing you. You’re pampered. Alaric watches you like you’ll fall apart if the wind shifts. And Heidara?” He scoffed. “She’s too soft to say it, but she knows. Deep down, she knows you won’t survive when it matters.”
Each word landed like a blow. A cold reminder of just how unprepared he thought she was.
And still, as Evelyne looked at him, one question kept circulating: why did he care?
Kaldrek had treated her and Alaric like burdens since this journey began.
If he thought she was useless, why not let her fail? Why did it seem to bother him so much?
How generous of him to let them both tag along on this grand mission north.
But now she saw what he really thought of her: that she was weak, useless, and nothing more than dead weight.
He was being a prick, but she didn’t believe for a second that was the real issue.
Something else was eating at him, and she wasn’t about to back down.
Not a chance.
She took another step forward, lifted her chin, and met his eyes. “So you think I’m too fragile to care for myself?”
His face twisted with aggravation. “No. I never said you were fragile. I think you’re more than capable of surviving. But I also think you’re too pampered.”
“That’s not really why you’re on edge, though, is it?” Her voice dipped, laced with quiet certainty. She moved in again, close enough to catch the faintest shift in his breathing. “Tell me what truly set you off, Kaldrek.”
The air between them changed, and his gaze flicked over her face like a predator assessing its prey.
“You love pressing, don’t you?” His voice lowered too, rough and edged with warning.
Evelyne didn’t waver. She held her ground, heart hammering. “Maybe I just don’t like being lied to.”
He shook his head slowly as a wicked smile played at his mouth. “You want to know why I’m on edge?”
He moved before she could react, one hand slipping to the back of her neck, tilting her chin upward. The other found her lower back, drawing her in until there was no space between them.
A quiet gasp left her lips as his mouth lingered near her ear, his breath warm against her skin.
“Because you drive me mad, Evelyne.” His breath shuddered as his grip on her tightened. “Everything about you gets under my skin, and I don’t know why.” His eyes dropped to her mouth as his thumb brushed her bottom lip. “Especially this defiant mouth.”
Her pulse slammed in response, each beat a war drum between them.
“I caught the shift in your scent last night. It seems my little comment got you all worked up.” As if reliving it, he closed his eyes and let a satisfied growl rise in his chest.
He could smell it—her arousal.
“And that sweet scent of yours kept me up. All. Damn. Night.”
Her knees nearly buckled when his lips ghosted over her throat, the barest touch, a tease meant to unravel her. And it did.
A quiet, breathy moan slipped past her lips, so soft, so fleeting, she barely registered it. But he did—and groaned, taking in another slow breath, savoring her scent. Then his voice lowered further, rough and heavy with hunger.
“Fuck. I can’t even think when you smell like that.”
He dragged his tongue along the curve of her throat, unhurried and possessive, claiming her without restraint. Evelyne dug her fingers into the leather at his shoulders as her resolve slipped with every passing second, and the heavy ache in her abdomen deepened.
She should stop this and step away. But all she could think about was how damn good his touch felt. How effortlessly he broke down her defenses. And how badly she wanted more. If he didn’t kiss her soon, she might drop to her knees and beg for it.
Kaldrek growled softly against her skin, pressing tormentingly slow kisses along her jaw, each one igniting another spark of heat inside her. Her patience snapped, and she grabbed the collar of his leather vest, pulling him in. She needed more.
He let out an amused huff and clicked his tongue. “It seems I drive you just as mad. Is this what you want, Evelyne?”
Her breath came faster, her chest rising with each unsteady inhale. “I…” Gods, what did she want? “I want—”
She never got the chance to finish. Instantly, he went rigid, his head snapping to the side. Every muscle in his body coiled tight like he was sensing something unseen.
Her pulse pounded in her ears. “What is it?” she panted. All desire and heat faded.
He turned to her, and her breath caught when she saw his eyes. They were no longer brown but pure black, and a threatening snarl pulled at his lips.
“We have visitors.”