Page 52 of The Kiss Of Death
Speaking of the devil, Levi loomed nearby, his gaze scanning me and Sylas, probably planning something vicious.
“Trust me, I don’t tell my father everything either. I’m on your side, Dalia.” Sylas’s hand lightly grazed my arm, his smile reassuring. Then he turned to my new friend. “Amelia, nice to see you too.”
“You know my name?” the Guardian girl asked with a puzzled frown.
“Of course.”
“Okay, class,” the teacher announced. “I trust you’ve warmed up correctly. Plug yourself on the track, and pick a partner to practice our parry-riposte drills. We’re practicing épée today, so hurry up.”
Levi made a beeline toward me, his purposeful stride cutting through the towering stone walls of the gym’s alcoves.
“Do you want to spar together?” I whispered hurriedly to Amelia.
She surveyed the room briefly, her eyes flicking between Sylas, Levi, Tara, and finally settling on me. “I see. Why not?”
Quickly, we donned our fencing masks and grabbed our épées, making our way to the last piste by the windows. Attaching our weapons to the large plug trailing us, we tested their conductivity with a light tap before retreating to our en garde lines. We practiced some retreats, worked on our balance, and learned to quicken our ripostes.
I stole a glance at Tara, locked in combat with Levi. With a casual flick of his wrist, he countered each attack as though they were merely a minor inconvenience. Rather than launching attacks of his own, he focused solely on deflecting hers. His passive stance provoked Tara, who responded by intensifying her strikes and hastening her movements along the piste.
“Let’s switch for a bout,” the teacher announced.
“Partner up with me?” I recognized Sylas’s warm, regal voice even with his fencing mask on. “I’ll go easy on you.”
A smirk tugged at my lips. “Well, then, prepare yourself to lose.”
But before we could even begin, Levi’s épée halted our tracks, his blade cutting through the space between Sylas and me. The glint of steel reflected the determined set of his sharp jaw and the unwavering darkness in his eyes.
“Sylas.” His voice was laced with a sadistic edge as he brought his épée to rest, the tip poised with controlled grace. “How about you don’t hide how pitiful you are by pretending to go easy on a weaker opponent, and you take me. First at five.”
“You don’t have to entertain him,” I urged, though my voice seemed to fall on deaf ears.
“Fine, Levi.” Sylas’s voice hardened.
Levi’s chuckle sent a shiver down my spine. He donned his fencing mask, ready to face off against Sylas on the piste. Amelia and I remained staring, not even bothering to focus on our own bout since neither of us switched opponents.
“En garde!” The referee’s command shattered the silence.
“Two opposites fighting for one woman’s attention,” remarked Amelia, a hint of amusement in her voice. “If this doesn’t end up in a bloody mess and broken hearts.”
I began to understand Amelia’s penchant for the macabre and the gloomy.
“Having Levi’s attention is not a good thing.” I folded my arms on my chest, silently praying that none of them would murder the other. “And as for Sylas, they just don’t like each other. I don’t even know why, but it doesn’t have anything to do with me.”
With a mocking gesture, Levi lowered his guard, inviting Sylas to attack. Sylas’s steps were hesitant as he slowly gained some of Levi’s territory, his épée poised for defense.
It’s a trap.
“No, wait,” I whispered, knowing Levi was luring him in to dismantle him.
But Sylas launched an attack that Levi counterattacked, scoring a point on Sylas’s shoulder and sending him stumbling backward. Most students had their eyes locked on their fight. It always was the case when it was related to Levi—except for Tara, who was busy brutalizing her own fencing partner.
“He’s good,” Amelia commented. “It’s like he can read each of Sylas’s moves before he even makes it.”
I winced. He was humiliating Sylas on purpose. It was all calculated. Levi’s tactics were ruthless, his every action designed to dismantle Sylas both physically and mentally. He exploited every opportunity to assert his dominance by making him run on the piste, struggling to regain his footing, or scoring the most epic points to amaze the crowd.
When Levi was done with Sylas, the crowd lost its interest.
“Switch partners!” the teacher yelled.
