71. Ahmina
AHMINA
Lennox led them through the Academy grounds to an area with tree cover.
It was a warm evening, and Lennox pulled his sweater over his head with one hand, his shirt lifting along with it.
Ahmina couldn’t help but stare at the trail of hair that went down his lower abs, into the waistband of his pants.
Pants that she tried to take off him only a week ago.
She forced herself to look away, cheeks heating.
Instead, she turned her attention to Zeina, who had climbed a nearby tree. She sat in it like she belonged there, and the tree cradled her as she settled in on an upper branch, analyzing the bark beside her.
“Does she always do weird stuff like this?” Ahmina whispered to Lennox.
“Yep.” He chuckled. “Want to practice some throws?”
Ahmina nodded, grounding herself into her fight stance, fists raised.
“Ahhh, Mina baby, no.” He shook his head, still smiling. Something about Lennox calling her baby made her heart flutter. “No wonder you’re losing fights. Is this what Barrow taught you?” He became suddenly serious, holding back how he really felt about Barrow, she was sure.
“Here.” Her body stiffened as he moved behind her. It was the same position Barrow had taken when they sparred with Lennox on the Battlegrounds.
Lennox froze. “You okay?”
“I’m fine,” she lied.
“Is it okay if I?” His voice was gentle, soft. She relaxed a bit.
“Yes.”
Tentatively at first, and then more confidently, he put one hand on her rib cage, to steady her as he tapped her outer leg, “Put this back one out wider.” She moved, following his direction.
“Sit down lower into your center of gravity but stay light on your toes.” He guided her by the shoulders, before giving them a little massage. “And loosen up. Tense muscles tear.”
Ahmina melted slightly at the touch. She hadn’t realized how tight her upper back and neck were.
“Alright, here we go.” Lennox circled back to stand in front of her. “Attack.”
Ahmina jumped forward, faking a dagger launch at Lennox’s left arm and then swerving to twist his right arm, holding him captive from behind.
“Nice,” Lennox said lightly, and she released him. “Again.”
She had been practicing her sparring skills with Rory in the stance Barrow had taught her, and even though she had found a way to make it work, sparring under Lennox’s direction made her realize how hindered she had been.
With some simple adjustments, her attacks were smoother, swifter even.
This time she went for Lennox’s leg, but he was too fast and had her restrained before she could even grab her dragger.
The third time, she ran at him full force.
They met each other move for move, Lennox with a giant grin on his face the whole time, until fatigue hit and she had wrapped her whole body around his torso just to gain some leverage.
“You’re holding back,” she gritted out.
“I’m easing you into it.”
“Don’t treat me like I’m breakable. You’ll piss me off.”
Lennox’s laugh made her smile, and he slammed her against a large tree. “How’s this?”
It knocked the wind out of her, but she used it to her advantage, slipping her dagger up to his throat. At the same time, his forearm braced against her collarbone, pinning her to the tree.
“Good,” he said, his voice tight as his eyes travelled all over her face.
Their chests heaved from the exertion and sweat dripped down his hairline.
That’s when she realized her legs were wrapped around his hips, and she was only inches away from kissing that beautiful lopsided smile of his.
She slid down his body, refusing to acknowledge how much she liked the feel of him against her, and they took their fighting positions again.
“This time,” Lennox said, “I wanna see your best dagger throw.”
“What? No.”
“Yes. You need real practice.”
“No. What if it hits you?”
“Then I won’t worry about you tomorrow.”
“Since when do you worry about anything?”
“I don’t. Except you. Tomorrow. Throw. The. Dagger!”
Ahmina scowled at Lennox. The thought of hurting him made her stomach turn.
“Lennox.” She sighed. “I can’t do that.”
“You’ve done it before.”
The memory of them dangerously close and alone in the hallway filled her mind. She had been so overwhelmed. So confused by everything she had been feeling—for Lennox, the situation with Barrow, her impending failure.
“That was different.”
Lennox lifted a brow. “Zeina has a healing potion. She will fix me right up if you actually hit me. And from what I’ve seen, the chances of you hitting me are low.”
“Oh realllllyyyyy?” She challenged.
“Absolutely.”
“Maybe you just haven’t seen my best work yet.”
“Throw it!”
Before she could think, she threw the dagger, aiming at Lennox’s left shoulder. He dodged it just in time.
“Bullseye.” He smiled. “If I didn’t move you would have punctured my joint, leaving me disarmed on that side. Well done, Mina.”
Ahmina was smiling too.
“Your turn.” He threw his dagger.
Her body worked faster than her mind, catching the dagger by the shaft before it slid into her upper thigh.
“Lennox.” She breathed hard. “You almost pinned me to the tree.”
“I knew you would catch it. Otherwise I wouldn’t have thrown it.” He gave her shoulder a gentle, playful push. “And besides, a thigh puncture is easy to heal, and I am very precise with my dagger throws. Did I not throw it exactly one inch to the left of your femoral artery?”
She looked down. She had caught it in that exact spot.
“How did you know I would catch it?”
“Because you’re ready.” His eyes gave him away. When she looked into them, she knew he was telling the truth. There was something else too, more he wasn’t saying. Some deep hidden emotion, fighting to be freed.
Ahmina recognized it because it lived inside of her too.
He admired her.
The three of them walked back to the dorms in silence, Zeina carrying a new collection of plants. Tomorrow would decide Ahmina’s fate. And despite what Lennox said, she still didn’t know if she was ready.
But she didn’t have a choice.