Page 123 of Enchanted Shadows
Her eyes lit with my challenge. Her hair was down around her shoulders as we circled around each other with swords. I hadn’t started the day thinking I would have to fight my wife, but here we were. Life didn’t always give you lemons, but it did toss us some weapons. Though I had previously been adamant practice swords gave people a false sense of security, I was wishing more than anything these were the fake ones. That I couldn’t actually hurt her. Pretending they were might have given me peace of mind but wouldn’t do me any favors keeping her safe.
So we began our dance. I let the background fade away as the feel of a sword hilt in hand felt second nature. It could be worse. They had given us a test in something I was already exemplary at. Kessara did know her way around a sword too, as I soon learned in her first move which struck on my left side, my non-dominant side. Which she, of course, knew.
Cunning woman. And I had never been more attracted to her.
In-between her advances, I kept attacking at her feet, right, left. Left. Right.
Our swords clanged together. “Why are you avoiding my top half, Commander?” she huffed.
I spun around her, grazing my fingers across her lower back. “I don’t wish to accidentally cut your hair. If you haven’t noticed, I rather like it.”
She swung at my head before ducking down to swipe at my feet, both I easily evaded. “Flirting is not helping.”
“I’m not flirting. Merely speaking the truth. If I was flirting, you’d know.” I advanced at her skirts, tearing one slightly. “Oops.”
On we went. Though I thought her right diagonal attacks were a thing of beauty, I sensed Kessara was trying to put on a play rather than really fight me. She was showcasing my skills at a detriment to her own.
As our swords hit midair, I gritted out, “Kess.”
“What?” she hissed.
I moved at her hips, spun around her and stopped her attack at my feet all while biting out, “Stop. Holding. Back. With. Me.”
“I don’t think you really want that,” she taunted as she swung the most beautiful arc at my neck.
“Oh, I think I do,” I disagreed, stopping her sword in its tracks.
Like a switch had been flipped, she began moving faster and faster. I’d gone from just having to step away to having to counter cut into her attacks. Something I didn’t want to necessarily do but had to all the same.
I sucked in a breath when she spun around me and elbowed me in the stomach as she went.
I grinned as we reset. “That was dirty.”
“Learned that from you,” she told me.
We moved across the floor. As we did, I noted an Agrian guard standing with his own sword out, as if ready to step in should I hurt the princess.
Like I would.
Dismember her skirt, however? I couldn’t be trusted with that. The sound of her skirt tearing hit the air as I cut a line down it. It made me grin. Earlier I had made a hole, this time I made her a slit.
“Really?” Kessara asked as she looked down at herself.
“It will only work to your advantage,” I told her as I moved around her. “Your legs are distracting as hell.”
Onward we went, and just when I thought they’d never stop us, Kessara attacked me, this one a downward angle. Something I’dtell her never to do, because it left her sides open, unguarded. But just as I thought it, her leg came flying up, waiting to deliver a kick.
She’d purposely done a move she knew I’d take issue with to distract me from a lower blow.
All reflexes at this point, I caught her at the shin, holding it. “You did at least use your entire body this time, Princess.”
I kept her calf in my hand against her struggling, then tightened my abs further and drove her sword downward with my own. The sound of steel grinding against steel hit the air as I quickly removed my hand at her leg only to place it on her waist and tug her in for a kiss.
Rather than find her annoyed, I felt her kiss me back.
She finally dropped her sword, sending it clanging to the ground. Chest heaving, she took two deep breaths and then wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me again.
I threw my own sword onto hers and caught her.
