Page 74 of Vicious Princess
Quickly, I gather the books and return them to the librarian. With a wave, I dart through the door out of the library and rush towards the training hall. The academy is quiet at this time, most fae either already in bed or getting ready to be.
When I enter the training hall, it’s dark. My steps halt. The door shuts loudly behind me. I glance around the space, trying to hear anything.Where on earth is Daegel?It can’t be that he left just because I’m five minutes late…
The sound of feet shuffling behind me reaches my ears a second before an arm wraps around my neck.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
The arm around my neck tightens, cutting off my air supply, and panic rises in my chest.
Immediately, my mind goes to Kata.
No way this bitch didn’t learn her lesson at the burn rite.
The familiar scent registers a heartbeat later.
My fucking gods.
I elbow Daegel in his side, but his core is tense. He barely reacts to the impact of the punch. I don’t give up, though, elbowing him on his other side while also kicking my heel back.
A kick to the shin is always painful. Fae or not.
With a curse, he lets go of my neck and puts some distance between us. I whip around on my heel to face him. But all I see is darkness.
My human sight is too weak to make out anything around me. My breathing is heavy, and I focus on steadying it together with my racing heart. I plant my feet carefully as I walk in a small circle, trying to figure out where Daegel went and what his next step may be.
The unknown is killing me. I have no clue when or how he might strike.
Yet I will my vitals to calm. I’m in full control, my senses heightened. Daegel is damn good, his feet so light that I can’t hear anything.
I have no clue where he is. That’s why I go tumbling onto my side when he swipes his feet over my ankle.
The stone floor is hard and cold. I roll over and away immediately. A hand wraps around my ankle, and I kick the other one in attempt to hit him in the face.
But he snatches my other ankle and drags me closer to him. The moment he lets go of one ankle, I use it to my advantage and swing my leg, catching him in the side.
With one ankle still in his grip, I roll away and make it as hard as possible for him to hold me. Daegel’s grip is ironclad, though. With a yelp, he pulls me in.
My lungs heave when the weight of him presses on top of me. I might not have bested him in a fight, but from the way his breathing is labored, at least I know I made it hard to tackle me.
That’s not the only thing I made hard, though.
With all my will, I try to ignore the erection that presses against my lower stomach.
“You’re not fighting fair,” I manage to say. “I can’t see shit in the darkness, unlike fae.”
His warm breath tickles my cheek. “Ah, so when you’re the one playing dirty, it’s okay, but when someone else is, then it’s not fair?”
I scoff. “When did I play dirty?”
“When you won that race to the castle against me purely because you started running first. Is human memory really that short? Or is it that you only remember what suits you?”
A giggle escapes me. “I see someone’s ego was wounded by losing to an untrained human Decarios, huh?”
“I wouldn’t call you untrained. But you definitely have room for improvement, princess.”
“You can’t call me that anymore! I won the race.”
His lips are so close to mine, we share a breath when he says the next words: “That win doesn’t count. You can fight me on it if you wish.”
