Page 122 of Forcing Fate

He blinked and tilted his head, frowning. “Do they teach all my soldiers to fight the air?” Amusement colored his tone, and I blushed in embarrassment.

“Surely, you don’t mean for me to hit you, sir.”

I begged the sun, moon, and stars that he didn’t mean for me to fight him. I didn’t stand a chance against the average soldier. To General Rafe, I was as dangerous as a gnat.

A wicked smile crossed his face. “Don’t pull your punches.”

He threaded his fingers behind his head, giving me a huge target. I frowned, watching his muscles pull taut as he stood there, waiting.

I didn’t know which was worse. The idea of him actually fighting me, or him asking me to hit him with no danger of retaliation. “It would be unseemly for me to strike a General, sir,” I choked out.

“It’s an order, then.” The taunting smile dropped from his face, his patience fading.

I brought my fists back up to my chin and tucked my head down. I could do this. He wanted me to show him what I had learned. I could do this. I snapped a fist out to graze his stomach. My knuckles barely pressed into the layer of muscle under his tunic before jerking back. Again, I threw a quick punch at his chest, doing the same thing.

As I readied for another strike, I struggled with my heavy winter cloak, threatening to wrap up my arm. Fixing it, I glanced up and fear settled in my stomach like a stone. He glared at me with the fury of the sun, and I took a step back, trying to put distance between us.

He lowered his hands and took a ground eating step toward me, snatching my cloak. He gripped the front, closing it over my arms and torso, trapping me.

“First, never fight with a cloak over your shoulders,” he growled, giving me a shake before throwing it back over my shoulders. “Second, don’t pull your punches.”

I shivered from the sudden cold and the fear that his burning gaze instilled. I tried to swallow, but my throat wouldn’t work. He stood in front of me, his top lip curled in disgust, and I felt like a paralyzed rabbit.

“Fight,” he ordered, taking another step toward me, crowding my space.

I opened my mouth and backpedaled, away from his anger, away from the dangerous mountain of a man.

“Fight!”

He snatched the neck of my tunic and charged, shoving me back against the wall. He glared, pinning me against it. I clutched his right forearm where he held me and looked up, eyes wide with terror. He was so much bigger than me—so much stronger. I was nothing to him. I might have put on a brave face when I thought we were on somewhat equal terms, but there was nothing equal about this. There was nothing fair about this, no way I stood a chance. I couldn’t get the upper hand, even if I had proper training. The odds were stacked too high in his favor.

His left hand moved fast. My head lashed to the side with the force of his open-handed blow. I blinked as stars danced across my vision. The sting dug deep into my cheek and I straightened to gape at him. The hand he slapped me with slammed against the wall next to my head.

“FIGHT!” he yelled in my face.

Something snapped—a dam let loose all my rage. The world tinted red, and I curled my fingers around his forearm, digging my nails into his skin. He grunted and warmth ran over my fingers as he jerked away.

My vision cleared, and I reached up to slap his cheek. I knew it was a futile move, but I had to do something. He whipped his head back, and I took that moment to slip out. He spun, grabbing my cloak. I twisted in his grasp as he jerked me close and tucked up against his left side.

Knowing it was his blind side, I clawed at his back, trying to grab onto anything I could. His muscled arm rammed into my face, and I turned and acted, not thinking for a moment.

I bit his exposed tricep.

He cursed and threw me away from him. I stumbled for footing, hauling in a gasping breath. Cursing, he rubbed at the bite, and I charged again. I leveled my shoulder with his stomach.

I expected to push him back a few steps at least, but I misjudged how heavy he was.

I hit the wall of muscle that was General Rafe and tumbled backward, landing hard on my rear. The force of my momentum continued my fall, and my head slammed against the dirt. He braced his feet on both sides of me and he smirked down at me.

He smirked.

I pressed my body flat to the ground and launched a foot up, aiming between his legs. He snapped his thighs together with a grunt, trapping my foot between them. I growled and fought as he reached down to seize my ankle. He hauled me up. Blood rushed to my head as I squirmed and kicked with my free foot till he caught it as well. He dangled me in the air, and I grappled, fighting like a wild animal before realizing he had me.

I lost.

His body shook with a chuckle. I sighed and dropped my hands to the dirt as he lowered me back to the ground. I blinked up at the wooden ceiling, wondering what I had ever done to deserve this beast of a man in my life.

He crouched beside me. “Good girl.”

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