Page 24 of Vengeance Becomes Her

CHAPTER NINE

Rhiannon walked a little taller today as she headed down to the garden to meet Tristain.

She watched his gaze as he assessed her chosen training ensemble. He started with her shoes, a practical pair of boots, and continued up the legs of her pants, clearly appreciating how they fit snuggly from her ankles up to her waist, accentuating her every generous curve. She couldn’t help but notice that he lingered where the laces of her top tied into a taut bow, pushing her breasts together in a way that held them secure, but also made them even more prominent than usual.

She couldn’t keep the smile out of her voice as she let the satisfaction roll through her.“Good morning.”

“Good morning.” Now he was looking at her with a much more serious expression. “Are you sure you’re ready? I mean you look it, but I just want to make sure you’re mentally and physically prepared for this kind of challenge and the toll it might take on you.”

The way his words tumbled out awkwardly was just as satisfying as his appreciative perusal. She had never heard him sound nervous before. This was going to be fun.

“I am.” She stopped just a few inches in front of him, looking up from beneath her long lashes. “Does this meet your requirements?” She gestured at her outfit with a flourish.

“Oh, it far exceeds them.” A mischievous smile lit up his features.

She wasn’t necessarily excited about the rigorous activities that awaited her, but the day had already started off better than she’d expected.

While she’d become distracted by flirtatious thoughts, Tristain was channeling his inner instructor. “So, first, I want to assessyour current abilities. This will cover three categories, endurance, strength, and balance. I have several drills planned, but let me know if it gets to be too much and we can take a break. You set the pace. Please don’t push yourself past your limits. I don’t want you passing out like…” he realized his mistake too late.

Apparently, Jade had cornered him and filled him in about yesterday. She likely warned him to go easy on her, too.

Rhiannon let out a frustrated sigh. “I see my sister filled you in on myincidentyesterday. Well, you don’t need to worry, I can handle it. And I’d appreciate it if you two didn’t whisper about my health behind my back.”

He looked like he wanted to argue more but decided against it. “Let’s getstarted then.”

Tristain led her to the open grass area just behind the house where he had laid out stones at various distances.

“I want you to run to the nearest marker, then come back. Then you’ll run to the next farthest marker, and come back, and so on. Does that make sense?”

Rhiannon nodded, dread pooling in her stomach. She worried she was overestimating her capabilities. Her pride couldn’t handle it if she ended up embarrassing herself.

Tristain’s voice cut through her racing thoughts. “Remember, you can stop if you need to. Don’t push yourself past your limits. And, I already know you’re about to say you know your limits, but let me just emphasize that pushing yourself too hard before you’re ready will only put your goals farther back. That just means you’ll need to take time off to recover from an injury. Trust me, I know what I’m talking about.”

While his warnings challenged her still-fragile ego, she also trusted his expertise.

“Okay, I can do that.”

She walked over to the starting line he’d marked with sticks, crouched into a running stance, and started on his command. She’d only made it to the third of five markers before she was out of breath. When she got back to where Tristain waited, she leaned over bracing her hands on her knees as her breath came in sharp pants.

Tristain appeared beside her with water. “Here drink this, but slowly, you don’t want to make yourself sick.”

Her throat and chest were burning, but the water was cool and soothing. She took a few breaths in between, coming to terms with just how tired she was. She dropped to the ground, closed her eyes, and let the cool breeze wash over her, breathing in and out in time with the wind as it tousled her hair. She knew it would be difficult, but she didn’t realize it would be challenging on sucha basic level.

Tristain waited patiently for her to collect herself, tilting his head up to the sun.

After a few moments, she opened her eyes, surprised he was simply waiting for her. It struck her as odd that where Silas was demanding and always pushed her to be quick to action, Tristain was in no hurry. There was no pressure here, just patience. The thought gave her the reassurance she needed as she pushed herselfoff the ground.

Now at eye level, she noticed that his face had started to pinch and his eyes had gone distant. That reassurance scattered in the wind.

“I’m sorry I’m such a disappointment. I didn’t realize I’d be so quick to tire either.”

His brow furrowed, confusion winding his features tight “Disappointment? What? No, that’s not it at all.” He let out a long sigh. “I know you need to do this and I want to be the one to help you. I just didn’t think it would be this hard.” He shook his head, taking a deep breath. “Watching you struggle, looking at you, it brings back a lot of memories. It’s hard not to think about Leylah around you.” He ran a hand through his own loose curls, tugging at the roots. “I’m sorry, but if we’re going to train together, I need you to know this isn’t easy for me either.”

Rhiannon appreciated his honesty, it even made her more willing to put her trust in him. Selfishly, it made her feel a bit better that she wasn’t the only one struggling through this.

“I’m sorry for your loss. I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through. I see why you’re so passionate about preventing it from happening to anyone else.” She pushed herself up off the ground. “I know the council fell through, but whatever else you need, I’m willing to help.” She held out her hand and they shook on it.

She could be strong again, she would be, and he was going to help her get there— even if it almost pushed them both to their breaking point.

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