17. SEVENTEEN
SEVENTEEN
Darius
Death is easy to avoid with proper plans, but not always injury. Staefan and I spent the last week going over every security point and guard assignment for the wedding, testing scenario after scenario until no openings are left.
I need Mina in perfect health to deliver Kalisham.
“A week is hardly enough time to plan an assassination attempt with any degree of success,” Staefan points out under his breath. He dismounts his horse, handing the reins to a stable hand.
Zala seems capable of coming up with a successful plan that quickly, but so far, he and his shadows have been silent. Either he doesn’t care Mina is here or he’s biding his time. My esteemed council, on the other hand, is a bit restless. Even a half-baked plan can be dangerous if left to fester.
Alexi confirmed that no attempts have been made on Mina yet, but she is making a name for herself in the city, drawing both good and bad attention.
The younger citizens praise her use of a no-name designer, while others voice their concerns for her lack of respect for established businesses.
People will always find something to complain about.
In the end, I hope giving a new designer a chance will be favorable.
As we walk back to my office, my legs ache, stiff from the long ride through the forest. I roll my shoulders until they pop, cracking my neck next.
Hunting parties are common in the summer and provide an opportunity to stock up on meat and pelts. Socializing with other lords is exhausting, but I relish the chance to get out of the office and stretch my senses for a day.
Mina’s bow technique is as deadly as promised. I took down several large bucks and a bear that had been terrorizing a few cottages. A search of the area confirmed the bear was a lone traveler.
They’re unusual this close to the city, so I wanted to make sure the people were protected before coming back. Everyone else returned hours ago.
“What of her ladies?” Staefan asks, holding open the door to my office. I light a candle and sigh at the papers waiting for me. They’re as welcome as a sudden downpour on a campfire. The walls of my spacious office seem to close in tighter, robbing me of the peace hunting brought.
I make quick work of my jacket, tossing it on the back of the chair, and try to recall the activity reports from the other spies. “Nothing out of the ordinary. Mina delegated her tasks well. They’ve all been too busy to plot anything.”
A little bird taps on the window. Dinner passed hours ago, and most people are in bed. Odd that Alexi would choose not to come himself for an update.
I open the glass doors and untie the note, holding the hasty scribbles up to the candlelight for a better view. Staefan starts in on a small stack of papers, eager to finish his half as soon as possible. “Trouble?” he asks.
I survey the work in front of me and can’t seem to muster the desire to tackle it. “A certain princess snuck off to the training grounds.”
Staefan doesn’t look up from his paper. “Hardly newsworthy.”
Mina’s visited the training grounds after hours on more than one occasion to teach Jaime a few basic self-defense techniques. I doubt she wants to become a soldier, or Mina would’ve already reassigned her.
Mina also expressed the importance of self-defense to her ladies, but they apparently have no desire to train.
“This time she’s alone,” I clarify.
Alexi can handle her safety and report in tomorrow. There’s no reason for me to go in person to check on her.
My feet carry me to the door against my internal orders, curiosity outweighing my desire to sit in a stuffy office for the next few hours. “Feel free to go home early. I have an errand to run.”
Staefan’s sigh speaks volumes, his judgment heavy as he follows me outside until we part ways. He heads home to Tayla, while I turn toward the smaller of the three training arenas.
No one should be here until sunrise for morning drills. The lamps are unlit. Silence greets me as I move deeper into the building. My eyes adjust to the shadows, aided by the moonlight fighting with the clouds and illuminating a silhouette in the center of the arena.
Mina dances in fluid circles, arms carving the air with grace, the movements precise and well-practiced. Moonlight glints off a small blade with each turn.
A shiver of excitement runs through me. To be on the receiving end of such a dance would surely guarantee death for most.
Silver flashes closer. I step to the side so the blade sinks into the wall instead of my head. The impact echoes around the space like a low scream.
“It’s rude to sneak around in the dark.” Mina appears in front of me, her breathing even despite the effort of her movements before.
I pluck the blade from the wall and roll it through my fingers. “Do you need me to point out the hypocrisy?” Her light laugh kisses the dark. “Or perhaps the consequences of attacking the emperor?”
The clouds shift, lighting the space between us a fraction more. She traded in her dress for loose pants and a simple gray tunic. “No attack. Just a test.” Her wicked smile greets me.
“If I had failed to move and been struck?”
She opens her palm, and I set the blade in it. “Then you wouldn’t be the man I thought you were, and our alliance wouldn’t be needed.”
I close the distance between us, aware that she could strike any number of vulnerable spots. I leave them open in challenge as I secure a piece of hair that fell from her long braid, tucking it behind her ear.
A strategic test, not because I want to touch her.
“Good thing I moved then.”
“Indeed.” She seems unaffected by my touch.
The desire to break her mask the way she broke mine takes over. I pull my own dagger free from my boot.
“Care for a dance partner? Or are you ready to retire for the evening?”
Mina studies the blade. Shadows dance in her eyes before she replaces them with a confident smile. “If I can’t sleep, I might as well teach you something.”
“Lead the way.” I laugh. The sound was foreign for so many years, yet she draws it out of me with the same ease as her knife skills.
I discard my vest and loosen the collar of my shirt.
We meet in the center without speaking and bow. Before I can even straighten, Mina sprints forward lightning-quick. I parry her blade with ease, but with each thrust we gain momentum.
The two of us move in circles, the dirt floor scraping under our boots with each lunge. The moon plays hide-and-seek, so I call on all my senses to track Mina. I sidestep her next attack in the dark, my body aware of her very presence.
We trade blows, but Mina is faster. Her fighting style more quick-footed than I’m accustomed to. A line of blood blooms under my clavicle as we break apart. I finger the thin cut with a growl.
“Your left shoulder moves marginally slower than the right,” she points out through heavy breaths.
The old scar pulls, barely affecting my movements. It’s gone unnoticed by all but three people in my life. Now four.
I return Mina’s vicious smile and close the distance.
She parries my two strikes, but on the third I drop the blade and catch it with my free hand. She leans out of the way, but not before my blade bites into her side. The cut is tinier than the one she gave me, but she fingers the hole in her tunic as if it were a mortal wound.
“This is brand new.”
I choke back a laugh at the indignation in her voice. “I’ll buy you a new one.”
Her jade eyes narrow as she lunges for my throat. Overconfidence or fatigue leaves a small opening in her stance, though. As I parry, I bring my leg out and sweep her to the ground.
Before she can roll away, I follow her down and pin her in place with my whole body.
My blade sits at her throat while my other hand secures her right arm to the ground above her head. Even so, I can feel my back stinging from the sharp bite of her dagger tip.
We both landed with a killing blow in play.
Our chests kiss with each ragged breath, smiles a mirror of one another. I can count on one hand the number of people who can challenge me with a blade, and Mina now joins them. Sparring with her is even more fun than sparring with Staefan.
“A draw,” I concede, lowering my blade and releasing her arm.
She removes her blade but neither of us makes an effort to peel apart as we catch our breath. Her gaze darts behind me. I can tell she’s replaying our battle the same way I already did. I should learn not to be surprised by now.
Mina is a warrior through and through.
My aching muscles appreciate the latter fact. I can’t wait to see what other weapons she can use. Or the hand-to-hand combat of Kalisham. How will she challenge me next?
A foreign warmth squeezes my chest, but I chalk it up to excitement about our next match. Hopefully she’ll be open to another.
My forearms rest on either side of Mina’s shoulders. As our breaths even out, she brings her hands between us, resting them on my chest. Her fingertip traces the blood trickling from the cut she inflicted.
I welcome the stinging sensation, hungry for her touch.
She shifts under me until I’m situated between her knees, our bodies pressed together.
Her floral scent mixes with her sweat, and I wonder if she tastes salty or sweet.
Gravity pulls us closer together until I’m a breath away from answering my question.
My eyes are transfixed on the inviting tilt of her soft pink lips.
Before I can seal our mouths together, she thrusts her hips against mine. A spiral of heat zips through me at the contact.
I blink, and in the next moment, I’m on my back staring up at her victorious smirk, with two blades at my neck.
She flipped me.
I outweighed her, yet she maneuvered me with little effort.
I was distracted by her nearness and let my guard down—no. Even if I hadn’t been distracted, she would’ve pulled off the move because I underestimated her dexterity. Mina fights better than most of my men.
Her confidence is breathtaking.
“No draws,” she whispers.
She sits back, straddling my hips with her hand on my chest. Her laugh vibrates through me.
I can see the moment she feels me. The confidence in her gaze slips away as she glances between us. Her thighs tighten around me, and I hiss out my next breath. Blade be damned, I grip her waist and hold her tight against me.
Every small shift from her is a form of torture.
“Mina, unless you’ve changed your mind since last week, I need you to slit my throat or get off.” My voice comes out rougher than I intend.
The clouds shift, and her expression in the dark is a mystery. Is she blushing and shy or interested? In that moment, I’m fool enough to risk my life for the answer.
After another moment of painfully heated contact, she lifts off me, taking the blades with her.
The moment she’s gone, my body cools as if to protest her absence. My thoughts clear with each passing second, and I kick myself for giving in to my baser instincts.
I suck in a deep breath and pull myself up.
Mina tucks her dagger into her pants. I hold out my palm, and she places my dagger there, careful not to touch me at all. Without a word, she walks away.
I dare not move, even long after she disappears, until I gain control of myself again. Until the desire to go after her fades.
I replay the fight in my head. Dagger or her touch, which is the deadlier threat?
I should be grateful she pulled away and held to the boundaries we put in place last week at dinner. They’re less complicated and better for both of us.
Mina is a tool to achieve my legacy of change. I’m not interested in her for more than her ties to Kalisham and the trade routes she can establish. I’ve merely gone too long without allowing myself to be with someone that intimately.
I would react the same to any woman wrapped around me.
I sheathe my dagger and go to collect my discarded vest, trying to convince myself that’s true.