Page 69 of Vicious Princess
I snort. “I wasn’t about to let a murderess stand there and continue insulting me!”
Daegel raises his voice. “You must learn to pick your battles, Wildarrow! Leti is extremely dangerous. You might be a Decarios, but she’s a damnfaeDecarios—a highly trained one. You could have been hurt!”
I raise my voice at him, too. “Don’t tell me to learn how to pick my battles when you sure as fuck don’t know how to pick girlfriends if that’s your ex!”
Daegel shakes his head. “Yeah, well, she’s an ex for a reason.”
“Clearly, you have a type,” I say. “You really thought it would be a good idea to bring me to watch your ex-girlfriend as an example of a Phantom Ranger?”
“I didn’t know she’d be there. I haven’t seen her in months.”
“Well, it sure as fuck looks like the time apart didn’t change the way she feels about you.”
Daegel quirks an eyebrow. “Is that…jealousy I hear in your voice?”
“You wish,” I snap. “I’m just trying to wrap my mind around the fact you, an Ezkai, dated someone like her?—”
A dangerous, hot, and badass Phantom Ranger.I don’t finish the sentence, of course. I don’t have a right to feel jealous. Not after I shut him down when he tried to connect.
“Well, what can I say? I’m full of surprises,” he deadpans.
I roll my eyes. “I’m ready to go back to the barracks.”
“No. You’re not,” he says. I cock my head to the side. “Come on. Did you think this was it? You need to train while the night is still young.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Daegel doesn’t take me back to the academy. Instead, he uses the streets of the city as our training grounds.
“I want you to use your surroundings to your advantage in a fight,” he says. “Not only does it require a different set of skills, but also a whole new level of mastering your bow and affinity.”
“Of course,” I mumble, looking down at the bow in my hand. “What else.”
Daegel smiles to himself. “Enough brooding, Wildarrow. That won’t win you the respect of your bow. Might even make it more stubborn and sassy.”
“As if that’s possible,” I say and grip it harder.
The bow remains silent in my hand.
“Okay, I’m ready. Where do we?—”
I don’t get to finish the sentence, because Daegel advances towards me, swinging his slim dual swords.
I barely manage to block the blow with the side of my bow. Murmuring apologies to my weapon, I push back and then duck sideways to put distance between me and Daegel.
He comes at me, his blades swinging without missing a beat. Instead of fighting him, I choose to run.
Use your surroundings.
Okay, yes. I’m only good in a fight with a bow if I put enough space between me and my enemy. And elevation.
I don’t dare glance behind my shoulder at where Daegel is running after me. But his steps are close. Dangerously close. My heart pounds loudly in my chest. I don’t stop.
In an attempt to throw him off and give myself more room, I make a sharp turn into a street on the right. When I notice that there’s a tall fence at the end, I curse. But then I see wooden crates stacked next to it.
The sharp turn wins me a couple of extra seconds.
I dart for the wooden crates and climb them swiftly. When I reach the roof, I push the last crate so that Daegel doesn’t follow.
