Page 52 of Enchanted Shadows
As Molly burst out giggling, I tipped my head back to the sky. These women and their comments. “Sam.”
“I know, I know. My mouth is going to get me in trouble.”
It was difficult to stay mad at them when they were all so damnhappy about me getting shot with some water. “Do it again, and your mouth will be the reason your legs get an extra workout in.”
“But we already ran it twice today,” Pippa snapped.
I turned toward her. “You don’t think I’d make you run it three times?”
“He would,” Summer whispered. “He totally would. Back down from the wet General, Pip.”
Pippa gave her a nod. “Okay.”
“I was going to let you be done for the day.” I had to stop for their groans. While I did, I dried my shirt with my Enchantment. “But rather than run, let’s practice some more self-defense for the next twenty minutes.”
Halfway through, I called Zara over.
“Yeah?”
She’d been sparring with Wren who took the opportunity to grab a drink of water while I talked with Zara.
“I’ll make you a deal. Let’s spar. You and me. You get a good hit in on me, and you can keep your secrets. You don’t, and you tell me what’s going on.”
“So you can play the part of the hero?”
I noted she didn’t say no right away. This woman was competitive. She tried not to be. Hadn’t ever said a word about it, but from the way she always had to have more skips on the lake than me, the way she carefully avoided the top three spots on our runs but was consistently in the top five, she was competitive. And I knew it. “No. So that I can protect this team properly. Have you ever considered that you might be putting the rest of them at risk because of all your secrets?”
That had her head dropping to her shoes for only a moment. “Fine.”
“Fine,” I repeated. “But no holding back.”
She inhaled and it sounded almost like a growl. “Believe me, I would love to kick you.”
I beckoned with my fingers for her to come at me. “Make it count, honey.”
I took up a mostly defensive stance. My feet were barely set when I stopped her shot at my face with an arm and stepped away from her elbow that she spun around with to get my face.
She threw one more punch, which I deflected, before going for the kick. Right at my manhood.
I not only caught it in time, but held on, the result being that Zara had to hop a few times in place. I pulled her closer so she wouldn’t have to hop. “I meant to throw your whole body behind the kick, not kick me in a place in which it counted.” I pulled her in even closer. “You ready to talk yet?”
“What happened to telling you when I was ready?”
I finally let her foot drop. “I’m getting a little impatient. It’s been a week.”
She rolled her eyes at me and we were moving again. The others had stopped to watch us. Five minutes later when we stopped, I still hadn’t let her land any good hits on me. I felt my magic flare and assumed Zara was plotting my murder that very moment.
I turned to the others. “Who’s next?”
But before one of them could respond, my magic flared again. I had just turned to look over my shoulder but was lifted into the air and thrown. My magic burned beneath my skin as I righted myself in the air, just to be grabbed onto by some very large dragon talons.
“Your Highness!” I exclaimed from her claws. She let out an amused roar and threw me onto her back.
Fortunately, I was somewhat ready for it and used my magic to get myself seated on her back as we circled around, flying high above the training ring.
“Hell yeah!” I grinned with a fist in the air as her wings beat strongly. “Welcome home, Es.”
I’d known Keir and Esta were arriving from Dra Skor today. They were bringing Ruelle to see Wylan. Their first trip since she was born.
