Page 37 of Condemned to Love

"Focus," he barks. "The dark elves won't go easy on you."

Gritting my teeth, I dodge his next strike and sweep his legs. He goes down hard but pulls me with him. We grapple on the ground until I manage to pin him.

"Not bad," he admits grudgingly.

Later, I limp to the dining hall where Selene fusses over my new bruises.

"You're working her too hard," she scolds Aldric as he joins us.

He shrugs. "She can handle it. Isn't that right, Red?"

"I'm fine," I insist, though my body screams otherwise.

Jessa plops down beside me with a grin. "Looking rough there, El. Need me to kick Aldric's ass for you?"

I laugh, wincing as it jars my ribs. "I can handle him."

"Oh, I bet you can," she says with a wink.

As I eat, my gaze drifts to the other warriors limping into the room. A knot forms in my stomach. We're training hard, but will it be enough? What if we lose Selene or Jessa... or Aldric? The thought makes my chest tight.

Aldric catches my worried look and his expression softens slightly. Under the table, his hand finds mine, squeezing gently. For now, we're safe. But war is coming, and I can only hope we'll be ready when it does.

After lunch, Jessa and Selene pull me aside to help patch me up. We settle into one of the empty libraries, and Jessa starts applying a soothing salve to my bruises.

"Damn, El. Aldric really did a number on you today," Jessa says, her fingers gentle on my ribs.

I wince. "Yeah, well, you should see the other guy."

Selene snorts. "I did. He looked annoyingly unscathed."

"Hey now," I tease, "aren't you supposed to be on my side?"

"Always," Selene says, her amber eyes warm. "But facts are facts."

Jessa finishes with the salve and hands me a cup of herbal tea. "Drink this. It'll help with the soreness."

I take a sip, grimacing at the bitter taste. "Ugh. Are you sure this isn't poison?"

"Don't be dramatic," Selene chides. "It's good for you."

"Speaking of good for you," Jessa says with a sly grin, "how are things with Aldric?"

I feel my cheeks heat up. "Fine. We're... training."

"Is that what they're calling it these days?" Selene quips, surprising me.

"Look who's talking," I retort. "I saw you sparring with Raziel yesterday. Since when did you become a warrior?"

Selene blushes. "I'm not. I just... thought it might be useful to learn a few things."

"Uh-huh," Jessa and I say in unison, exchanging knowing looks.

"Sparring always leads to one thing with my mate…" Jessa adds, giving Selene a knowing look. Selene blushes but doesn't answer.

"You're picking it up fast though," I add, nudging Selene with my shoulder. "Soon you'll be kicking ass with the rest of us."

Selene rolls her eyes, but I catch the pleased smile she tries to hide.

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