Chapter 34 Tensions Rise
Tensions Rise
Iarrived at the outdoor training grounds with only ten minutes to spare. I hoped to arrive a bit earlier to burn off any lingering nerves before my first ever training session with the Serpent King, but my personal detour kept me delayed.
A ghost of a smile tugged on my lips upon hearing metal scraping together, signaling my bodyguard was still here, the familiar sound of his frustrated grunts sounding from the training grounds.
Such noises used to also excite me in the bedroom, but, after what I just did in my own chambers—and with another man in the forefront of my mind—they didn’t entice me as much as they once did . . .
My smile slipped at this revelation, then completely dissolved the moment a flash of blonde hair reflected against the strong sunlight overhead.
The goddess of the Emerald Glades was sparring with my bodyguard.
Inhale. Exhale.
It is not time to kill her, Seera.
Rolling my shoulders back, I donned a fake smile as I approached the vast rectangular training grounds. However, my balance faltered the moment I stepped into the closed off ring, my shoes sinking into a spongy material.
This was less than ideal, since I forwent my shorter training heels for a golden stiletto that must have been at least five inches. Alas, I’d survive whatever happened today, for this wasn’t my first—nor would it be my last—time training in my beloved heels.
As a matter of fact, whenever my horrid soul expired and drifted off to the Land of the Wicked, I hoped Reena would be kind enough to bury me in my favorite pair of heels: my black leather sky-high pumps with those beautifully wicked golden spikes ascending the length of the skinny heel.
My grin felt less forced from such a steadying thought as I took in the scene playing out before me. Landon and Adalina were locked in an intense match, their swords cutting through the air with splitting precision as they dealt brutal blow after blow at each other.
Much to my surprise, and possible demise, Adalina was decent with a sword.
Fuck, who was I kidding—she was more than decent.
If she could force Landon to retreat multiple times against her sturdy strikes, she must train regularly.
An annoyed huff fell from my lips, making my bodyguard’s gaze cut to where I lingered.
Our eyes locked for a split second, but that was all the time Adalina needed to inflict a shallow cut across Landon’s chest. He swore, his fingers dipping over the cut and shining a bright red when he pulled them back.
“You were doing so well, until you allowed yourself to get distracted. A deadly mistake, Landon.” Adalina sang my bodyguard’s name like it was her favorite melody.
For the second time within seconds, my smile turned into a scowl as I watched my bodyguard cast a bashful smile at the god—one he used to grant me when I first took him into my guard.
“You fight well yourself, almost like a warrior,” Landon said, his chest heaving from exertion.
My jaw worked. He never was out of breath when we trained together.
Adalina let out a subtle laugh. “I fight like a warrior, because I am a warrior.”
I perked up upon hearing her confession, irritation rippling through me at the fact that this god was a skilled fighter.
This would only make her that much harder to defeat one day—hopefully, some day very soon.
Landon reached for the hem of his navy blue shirt, lifting it to wipe away the sweat gathering along his brows. The motion left most of his abdomen exposed, simultaneously providing a significant amount of chiseled muscles for my eyes to feast on.
A small gasp rang through the warm air, and it appeared his small show not only distracted me, but the god standing before him.
Adalina’s gaze dipped to devour every inch of his exposed skin, and when her tongue darted out to wet her lips, I nearly closed the space between us to cut off the fake Serpent Queen’s head.
Balling my hands into tight fists at my side, I swallowed my anger and sealed it away for another day.
The day I’d shake the world once more, and finally bring the rule of the gods to an end.
Adalina’s bottom lip pouted the moment Landon dropped the hem of his shirt, hiding his muscles from the god’s prying eyes.
Something foreign built inside of me, right in the void where my soul used to be.
I rubbed my thumb against the spot, curiosity stirring in me at what I was feeling as I watched Adalina stare at Landon like he was something she wanted to devour.
Was that . . . no.
No, it couldn’t be.
Yet, as a prickle of annoyance speared through my chest, I questioned if the Serpent King was right yet again when he taunted me about being jealous.
I scrubbed a hand down my face, a small groan slipping out as I fought the conflicting emotions rattling through my body.
Gods, I hated feeling.
Landon extended a hand toward Adalina, a silent offer to re-rack her weapon. She handed the hilt of her sword to him with a grateful smile, and Landon started off toward the weapon rack at the edge of the training ring.
“Don’t put that away,” I commanded, halting my bodyguard in his tracks.
He looked over his shoulder, cocking a curious brow at me.
“Do you have one more match in you?” I arched my brow right back at him, which made my bodyguard flash me one of his most devastating smiles.
“Always for you, my Queen.”
The smug grin I cast back at Landon wasn’t just for him, since I could feel the god’s eyes burning into me from the sidelines.
And because I was feeling extra petty after her ogling my bodyguard, I turned to make eye contact with Adalina.
The moment my gaze found hers, she was already staring at me like I anticipated.
Although she tried to smile warmly back at me, I saw a crack in her facade.
Her smile didn’t fully meet her eyes, instead a darkness stirred in the pits of them.
With a small huff of satisfaction, I accepted the sword Landon thrust at me, but I frowned when I saw what weapon he offered up. I leaned forward, dropping my voice to a mere whisper for only him to hear.
“Did you give me a light sword on purpose?” I smiled through gritted teeth, not daring to let my mask of smugness fall before the god who was still watching me like a serpent about to devour a measly rodent.
My bodyguard also leaned in, a mischievous smile fell onto his lips as if he was about to reveal a secret.
“Once I see you can wield a weapon properly and win a match against me, then I will consider offering you a heavier sword.” He grinned as he turned his back on me, already moving on to ready himself for our match.
I forced out a laugh to cover my anger at Landon’s condescending words, but it came out far more high-pitched and awkward than intended.
How the fuck did Adalina make her laugh sound like the birds delicately chirping within the forests when I sounded like a dying animal?
My lips pressed into a tight line as I readied myself into a fighting stance and lifted my sword in front of me. I made sure to keep my back heel slightly propped up, just as Landon advised years ago, so I could move around my opponent swiftly.
“Begin!” My bodyguard shouted, signaling the start of our match.
He didn’t wait for me to attack, instead his sword barreled straight for my heart.
I quickly stepped to the left, already raising my weapon to deflect his next brutal strike.
We continued to dance around the ring as Landon swung his sword against mine with a series of devastating blows.
He left me with no chance to go on the offense, and I felt my irritation flare with each of his strikes.
My overthinking was holding me back, and it was making me appear weak before the prying eyes of a god. The best I could do in this moment was defend against his strong jabs, but I had to do something else, anything to give me the upper hand.
An idea spurred to life in the darkest corners of my mind .
. . I had to let Landon cut me, but I had to make it look real.
If my bodyguard felt bad for landing a strike and simultaneously slicing me open, my plan could work.
No, it would work because it had before—when we trained together earlier this week.
I was Landon’s weakness, and I was ready to unleash the vicious queen dwelling inside me, who’d been begging for release since stepping into the Emerald Glades.
I was not above using other people’s weaknesses against them, even if it was someone close to me.
When my bodyguard struck again, I jumped backward, faking a stumble courtesy of the spongy mat we sparred on.
For a split second, my balance faltered and my sword clumsily bobbed in my hand, giving Landon the perfect opening to slash me across the ribs.
I had no time to block his strike, and I was certain his sword rang true based on the stinging licking across my ribs.
I gripped my side in faked agony, pulling my falsely shaking hand back and examining the sticky liquid coating my fingertips—blood began to trickle from my gushing wound and onto the golden mat.
To drive home my performance, I gasped and let my sword slip from my hand, so I could keel over and clutch my already healing wound.
“Oh, gods. Seera! I didn’t mean to—” A pained look passed over my bodyguard’s face as he lowered his sword, letting it also drop onto the mat.
He moved toward me, undoubtedly to coddle me like I was an infant.
He was such a fool for falling for this move twice.
I waited until he was a mere step away from me, reading myself to strike like the serpent I was. Then, like a tightly coiled snake finally making its move, I quickly slapped him across his face.