Page 88 of Until the Stars Fall

I nodded, though I was sure Connor had heard him even from twenty paces away.

He was dressed in a white linen shirt and black pants, and I tried not to let my eyes drift away from his face as he circled the ring. I pivoted as he moved, keeping my sword trained on him. Unlike Matthias, he didn’t wait for me to strike first.

I barely blocked his first blow, but despite that, he gave me no time to think or recover, immediately bringing his sword around to strike again. When his sword tapped me on my back, I groaned in frustration. He simply smiled, his golden eyes dancing as he watched me. We continued for quite some time, striking, lunging, and blocking. And just as it had been with Matthias, I never did manage to hit him.

Still, as frustrating as it was to be failing, I couldn’t deny I was having fun.

Sweat beaded along my forehead, and I swiped it away with the back of my hand before it could fall into my eyes.

“Does my girl need a break?” Connor asked, smirking.

I struggled to steady my breathing but managed to respond, “No, does my Wolfie?”

Matthias’s single laugh hit my ears, and I smiled.

“Not until one of us is on our back,” he said, and my core lit up at the prospect. I clenched my teeth, frustrated with my body’s reaction. I was supposed to be mad at him—annoyed, not aroused.

Connor lunged, and I spun out of the way, swinging my sword at his back as I moved. But he moved faster, stepping just out of my reach. Spinning my sword around, I brought it over my head and down, expecting him to easily block my strike. But I wasn’t prepared for him to push me backwards once our swords met. My feet slipped out from under me, and I was falling.

Before I hit the ground, his arm was around my waist, holding me up and sending a flash of pinpricks up my spine.

His face was so close to mine that his breath warmed my cheek. His eyes held me captive.

“So much for getting me on my back,” I said.

He answered by planting a kiss on the tip of my nose. Then, sliding his lips to my ear, he whispered, “Oh, I’ll get you on your back, but I won’t have an audience when I do.”

I swallowed hard, my body heating with unwanted passion once more. Even if I’d had a good retort, I didn’t trust my voice, so I said nothing. He set me back down on my feet and slid his arm from around me.

“Done for today?” he asked, as if he hadn’t just ignited every stars-damned inch of me.

Nodding, I handed him my sword. “See you at lunch?” I asked, trying to sound as casual as I could.

“Of course, my bride,” he said, flashing me the most endearing smile I’d ever seen on his lips.

CHAPTER 43

Connor

As soon as Lieke left the training center, I dropped my chin to my chest. It had only been five days, and I was already worn down, more by my guilt than anything else. Every time I spoke to her or smiled at her or did anything remotely affectionate, Mrs. Bishop’s voice rang in my head.

Don’t toy with her heart.

Yet here I was, doing just that with every touch and look.

I tried to reason with myself, insisting I wasn’t going to hurt her. But that didn’t change the fact that I was manipulating her for my own selfish reasons. By doing this, I was no better than my brother. In fact, I might be worse.

“Well, that was interesting,” Matthias said, interrupting my self-loathing.

Lifting my head, I avoided his eyes and moved to put the practice swords away. “Oh?” I asked, though I already had some notion of what he was about to say.

“Does this mean you’ve finally let go of that mate nonsense?”

That wasn’t what I had expected him to say. I turned slowly. “What?”

He shrugged and rubbed a hand over his jaw as he approached me. As he leaned an elbow against the table, the corners of his mouth turned down like they always did when he was pondering something. “I mean, I know you’re justpretending”—he made a quoting gesture with his fingers as he said the word—“ but that seemed rather real from where I was standing.”

I rolled my eyes and strode toward the door, tossing my response over my shoulder. “It’s just acting.”

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