Page 20 of A Delicate Conquest

She washere.

He had to act now or risk screwing things up big time.

The stakes were higher than ever.

This was going to be one of the most difficult things he’d ever had to do in his life, but now he had Rykal in his corner, apparently.

And the very last thing he wanted to do was disappointher.

“Very well,” Mavrel grated as the pain stabbed behind his eyes. “Let’s see if your little method works.”

As cocky as ever, Rykal flashed a fang-tipped smile. “Of course it works, my brother. It’s been tried and tested time and time again. Once I’m done with you, you’ll be plasma-proof, and she won’t be able to resist you.”

EIGHT

“Do you want a setting,or leave it blank?”

“Blank,” Mavrel said. He liked the minimalism of the pure black walls and the black floor. “No light, either.”

“Fine.” Rykal uttered a command, and the training chamber reverted to its default settings.

“Don’t kill me,” Mavrel growled.

“Of course not. I won’t go easy on you, either. See if you can hit me.”

“Tch.” Mavrel lunged forward, moving freely now that he’d exchanged hiskashkanfor a pair of loose trousers. Like Rykal, he wore nothing over his torso.

He wasn’t actually expecting to be able to hurt Rykal, and he didn’t think the First Division warrior would concede cheap points out of some misplaced notion of sympathy. Still, Mavrel was going to do everything in his power to try and score the hit.

Rykal had just created an infuriating challenge.

Very well, then.

Mavrel punched and thrust.

Rykal danced and weaved effortlessly.

The chasm between them was obvious. Rykal was a natural-born fighter, enhanced by the deadly virulent nanites that hadbeen grafted into his system. He was virtually indestructible, able to heal from most wounds in an instant, and capable of forming an impenetrable exo-armor with just his mind.

Well, it was more complicated than that—it was a neurologically modulated response—but to the uninitiated, it probably seemed like magic.

Mavrel only had one advantage—if it could even be called that.

His reach.

He wasn’t faster or stronger, but he was about half a head taller than Rykal. He had longer arms.

What he needed to do was create a distraction.

He increased his speed, targeting Rykal’s head, forcing the warrior to move faster and faster.

His strategy was simple—aim for the point between Rykal’s eyes. Move as fast as possible. Rykal wasn’t going to counterstrike.

So far, Rykal had only dodged, but now, for the first time, he put his arm up, blocking Mavrel’s strike.

Mavrel’s hand connected with Rykal’s forearm, which felt like a hardened block of Calldium, and this was without the nanite exo-armor.

Good.

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