Page 107 of A Fate so Cruel

Breathless, she waved him over. “You slept in late.”

“I’ve been up for a while.” He threw the water skin.

She caught it and popped the top to take a long swig. “Watching, I presume?”

“For a bit.”

“Creep.”

Rion chuckled. “You said you wanted me to train you, remember? What better way to see what I’m working with?” He drew his sword.

Selina arched a brow. “Now?”

“Now.” He lunged without warning and Selina barely had enough time to lift her blade. They clashed and she gritted her teeth, her feet scooting back slightly as she tried to maintain her balance.

Rion didn’t relent. He kept battering her with strike after strike, moving in different patterns to see how she’d adjust. She was fast herself, though the exhaustion slowed her down.

His magic danced around the pair, eager and excited. Selina ignored it. She ducked beneath Rion’s next strike and came up at his side with her sword aimed for his thigh.

Rion already had a knife in his other hand and shifted his forearm to block the movement, reinforcing his arm against the steel with magic.

Selina retreated a step, briefly scanned his body for any weakness, then lunged at him again. Rion simply stepped out of the way, but she dropped to a crouch and swept his legs out from under him.

His body hit the ground hard, then she was over him, a knife aimed at his throat. Rion’s heart jolted and his magic sped to wrap around her wrist, stopping the blade just before it met his skin.

“How was that?” she breathed, a hint of triumph flashing in her eyes.

Rion’s mouth had gone dry, an exhilarating mixture of trepidation and awe coursing through him. Selina’s legs were on either side of his hips, her body hovering just above.

Rational thought disappeared entirely as he studied the swirling amber depths of her eyes. He knew he should say something, or at the very least remove the sharp object from her hand. Instead, Rion’s hands drifted to her thighs. He wouldn’t move further without her permission.

Her eyes tracked the movement, then she met his gaze. For a brief moment, Rion thought she might try to kiss him again. In fact, he hoped for it. Just to feel her close. Wanting the way he wanted.

But Selina stood instead and Rion didn’t stop her. He tried to remember her question and cleared his throat. “You don’t lean forward anymore.”

“I’ve been working on it.” She didn’t meet his gaze.

Perhaps he shouldn’t have touched her at all. “About before.”

“We were drunk,” Selina interrupted, her voice cold.

It hit him like a blow. “Right.”

“It’s best not to linger on anything that could complicate the mission.”

“Right,” he said again and turned to stare at the rising sun. Palpable silence filled the morning air.

Selina sighed and threw her hands in the air. “Look, I know it was my fault. I’ll own up to that. I wasn’t trying to lead you on or anything, I just—”

“It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not. We have a job to do and I don’t need you out of sorts because I did something stupid.”

A smirk played on his lips. “Worried for me again?” He pressed a mocking hand to his chest. “I’m touched.”

He turned that smile toward her and could have sworn color tinted her cheeks. Selina cleared her throat. “I’m going to the river to rinse off. Don’t you dare peek.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

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