Page 47 of A Fate so Cruel

He allowed the first few bits of young trees to unfold. Let the vines grow until they were taller than himself. Then his magic roared to life. His body ignited, the secondary pulsequickened. Warmth spread through his veins and into the ground at his feet.

The vines and bushes bent toward him, rushing to strike, but Rion’s magic spun in a vicious storm that shredded the leaves and branches in one stroke.

Selina snarled and lunged again, her weapon raised. Rion parried it and she—let it go. His eyes widened when she reached for his throat with her bare hands. Rion grabbed one wrist and spun them. They tumbled to the ground, their magic and bodies both wrestling for dominance.

Selina twisted his wrist and bucked her hips, but he rolled with the movement and slammed her back on the ground. One hand pinned her wrists above her head and he trapped her arms with his magic.

She kneed him in the gut, but Rion didn’t break his hold. He pinned her legs with his own, then braced his free hand beside her head while the other closed around her throat. She wasn’t breaking the hold his magic had on her arms.

Her vines still grappled with his magic three feet below the surface. One tendril escaped his hold and emerged, but he crushed it with half a thought. Another almost broke the surface and he suffocated the attempt.

Their chests were heaving, the pair pressed tightly against one another, then her body fell slack, her magic with it. And she . . . laughed.

His eyes widened again as a singsong voice echoed from beneath him. “Fine, fine, I yield.”

Rion didn’t move. He kept one hand on her throat, the earth locked around her body. He studied her, then her magic.

Manipulative, Saoirse’s voice reminded him. He wouldn’t be lured into a false sense of security only for her to stab him in the back. Those watching took half a step forward. If he killed her, he’d likely have to fight them as well.

Selina held his gaze without flinching. Hers seemed to soften, as if realizing the thoughts running rampant in his mind. That gaze drifted to his arm. “Are you going to let me up?”

“Are you going to stab me in the back?”

She chuckled. “Not today. I mean, we can stay like this if you want, but if I’m going to be on my back, I prefer not to have so many layers between us.”

Rion’s face heated and he ripped away from her as if he’d been burned. He watched the earth and her movements, waiting for the strike. A hint of magic. Another hidden blade.

Nothing came.

Selina dusted the dirt from her pants and straightened. “Well, I guess at least some of the rumors are true.” She reached to undo her hair tie and smooth out the wild strands.

“And the rest?”

She shrugged. “We’ll see as we go. Come on, I’ll introduce you to the others.”

She was so . . . casual about it. She’d been pinned beneath him and still hadn’t shown an ounce of fear. And what she’d said . . . Rion shook the thoughts away and followed her.

“I thought the team was classified.”

“The mission is classified. The rest was just your brother trying to irk you, I think.” She spoke of Alec casually, too. Perhaps they were friends then.

“Your reputation doesn’t precede you, I’m afraid.”

She smiled over her shoulder before spinning to walk backward with her hands clasped behind her back. The motion reminded him of a youngling. “Being covert is part of my job. If you’d heard about me, I wouldn’t be very good at it, would I?”

“Are they all assassination assignments?”

She spun forward again. “Most.”

“And the bystanders who see your face?”

“I’m sure you can use your imagination.” He could, but if she eliminated everyone who’d seen her, then that made her more ruthless than he’d previously given her credit. He tucked the information away.

Rion eyed the rooftops, searching for the tail that’d been on him the last few days. If they were meeting her team— “I have something I should probably deal with first.”

She didn’t stop walking. “Anything interesting?”

He wondered if he should mention it at all and decided his commander should probably know their enemies were on to them. “I’ve had a tail the last few days. I’ll deal with it.”

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