Page 26 of Vengeance Becomes Her

CHAPTER TEN

Rhiannon went into her second day of training with a better attitude and renewed determination. She would run those sprints, she would best that left jab, and she would conquer anything else that he threw at her.

If she had to take it slow for now, so be it. Every strangled breath, every flare of pain, and every hard day would remind her of her goal—make him pay.

When she reached the garden she saw Tristain admiring the red rose bushes that lined the perimeter.

“They’re beautiful aren’t they?”

His smile was as warm as the late-summer’s day when he turned to look at her. “Roses are my mother’s favorite.”

“They’re pretty to look at but the thorns almost make them not worth the hassle.”

“Beautiful flowers with thorns are still worth having, you just have to give them a little more care.” His eyes lingered on Rhiannon in a way that sent heat racing through her.

She was speechless as she fought the urge to smile. He knew what he was doing but she wouldn’t let herself get distracted by his charms. She reminded herself of the harsh lesson she’d just learned by letting her desires get the best of her.

Tristain took one last whiff of the rose in front of him before sliding right into the instructor role.

“Let’s get started.” He pointed to the starting line. “Run until you can’t run anymore, then we’ll resume where we left off yesterday.”

Rhiannon ran and ran, making it past the one that had been too much for her yesterday. But after about five minutes, she started to slow. Her pulse pounded through her body, her face had grown hot, and her legs burned. She knew she needed to stop, but herpride wouldn’t let her quit already. Thankfully, Tristain called it, allowing her to preserve her dignity.

“Let’s move on, you’ve proven yourself.” He waved her over. Rhiannon opened her mouth to protest, but he interrupted her. “I know you can do more, but I’m starting to get lonely over here.” He smiled reassuringly.

She greedily gulped down half her water supply while her heart slowed back down. When she was finished, they moved on to punching drills.

Tristain was careful to give her space as he instructed her.

“Do fifty hits with your right, then we’ll move onto your left. I want to focus on that today but let’s get you some good hits in first to build up momentum.”

With every punch she threw, she felt a little bit of the tension and fear she’d been holding onto release.

This was the most therapeutic outlet she’d found and she was almost reluctant to go home when the day came to an end. Almost. Her shouting muscles prevented her from going at it endlessly.

They continued the same drills for the first two weeks of training. Tristain told her that he wanted to build up her stamina and her confidence so she wouldn’t feel defeated once they worked their way onto more challenging exercises.

Even after just that short time, she had become noticeably stronger and carried herself a little more lightly. Her appetite had almost returned to normal, likely because of how hard they’d been working her body. Her skin had even started to warm, inching back toward her natural olive complexion. Her health was returning slowly but surely.

These small victories had started to help her feel a bit more like herself and she could see those same feelings reflected in the eyes of her family. Her mother’s brow wasn’t always furrowed in worry, her sister didn’t spend quite so much time watching her every move for signs of fatigue.

She was grateful for how much she’d gained in her short time training with Tristain, but she wouldn’t tell him that—at least not yet. She was still a bit wary about trusting him, but she was willing to use his skills to further her plans. Plus, he knew things she didn’t about Silas, and that could only help her. She needed to know more about him, find out his weaknesses and learn who he was at his core, so she’d have a slight chance of gaining the upper hand on him at some point. She knew her odds were slim, but she wouldn’t just sit here and let him go on about his life, taking from others as he pleased with no remorse. She would rather die.

These thoughts ran through her mind as she practiced a new set of kicking drills, threatening to throw her off-balance at any moment.

Tristain cleared his throat, bringing her back to the present. “Do you need a break? You seem distracted.”

She stopped mid-kick, bristling at his insinuation that she wasn’t putting her all into it. She was dripping sweat, her entire body aching. She wouldn’t have been surprised if she looked down and her thighs were on fire.

“No, I’m fine. Am I not allowedto get tired?”

He narrowed his gaze at her. Apparently, he wasn’t in the mood for her thorns today.

“Well, technically no. What do you think would happen if you were fighting someone and you let your exhaustion get the best of you? It wouldn’t be good.”

“Oh, you mean I can’t just get lost in thought when someone’s coming at me with a sword? What would I do without you? Thank you so much for your sage wisdom.” She gave him a blank face, emphasizing her irritation at his patronizing tone.“What’s going on with you today?”

Tristain eyed her carefully. “Tell me why you’re really doing this. You can’t actually expect me to believe you’re out here working so hard every day just for your health. You could be doing something much less intensive if thatwas the case.”

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