Page 47 of The Elven Spymaster's Thief

Illeron

Bounding backward away from me, Avril adjusted the grip on her knife and fell into a ready stance. I advanced, feinting to her left. She easily blocked it. Keeping my speed down, I tested her skills and reaction times. Her responses were instinctive and quick, a sign of being well trained. However, she wasn’t fast enough to fend off an elf.

Using more force than I should’ve, I struck her knife from her hand. We broke apart. She retreated, breathing heavily from the exertion. A glimmer of frustration flared in her expression before she suppressed it.

“You aren’t even breathing heavily,” she accused.

“Your reflexes are good.”

She shook her head as she leaned forward in an attempt to catch her breath. “Don’t hesitate. Just say it.” Peering up through the strands of hair that had escaped from her braid, she grimaced. “It is hopeless.”

“Not entirely,” I countered. “You have a character quality that he won’t expect.”

“What? The ability to annoy you?”

I allowed a wry smile as I plucked the errant blade from the floor. “The element of the unexpected.”

She blinked up at me with a frown.

“You constantly surprise me by doing what I least expect. Here,” I offered her back her knife. “Come at me again. This time don’t think about your training. Do something unexpected. Set me off balance.”

Surprisingly, she did. Charging me with a wild yell, she tackled me around the middle. I stepped back in surprise. Before I could get my bearings, she had jabbed her knife at an angle that would have jabbed up and under my ribs, a killing blow if it had been long enough to reach my heart.

I grabbed her wrist. She twisted away, dropping the knife into her free hand and slashing at my side as she turned. I released her, only to kick out at her legs. She fell but immediately rolled to her feet again. Knife still in hand, she lunged at me, but at the last moment, she swerved. Ducking beneath my arm, she landed another blow to my ribs.

“You are purposefully moving slowly,” she accused.

“I am, but partially since I am pleasantly surprised.”

“Stop it.” Anger sparked in her eyes as she tightened her grip on the mock weapon. “I can't train if you aren't trying.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

She grimaced. “He is going to do more than hurt me. He intends to kill me.”

Conceding her point, I increased my aggression. After a handful of instant pins, she began to grow frustrated. When I pinned her to the floor a sixth time, this time with my face inches from hers as I knelt over her, she got a mischievous glint in her eye. Pulling her hand free from my relaxing grip, she reached up and threaded her fingers through my curls. Then, she kissed me.

I pulled back, stunned. “What was that for?”

She laughed. “You said to be impulsive.”

“I didn’t say to kiss him.”

“He wasn’t the one I was kissing.” She studied my face. “Now, I have offended you.”

“Not offended.” The twisted pain in my chest wasn’t offense. It was a strange mixture of fear and desire. I groaned.

Never had she been more appealing with her hair wild and spread out around her head and her dark eyes sparkling with amusement. Add to that the lingering impression of her mouth on mine, and I had to close my eyes to resist claiming her mouth in return.

I buried my face in her shoulder. I had promised I would wait before declaring myself. Waiting until she was free to say no without fearing I would throw her out to the mercies of the elf intent on killing her. I rolled to the side, landing hard on my back. The pain helped to cool the ardor pumping through my veins.

She shifted. Fingers traced my ear, smoothing back the curls that always rioted over their points. “Illeron?”

“Give me a moment, love.”

She didn’t retreat. Instead, she moved closer. Cool fingertips smoothed my forehead, tracing my eyebrows.

“Did I hurt you?” she asked hesitantly.

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