Just give up. Why focus on fighting when you could focus on f?—
“That’s it, there you go.”
She almost crumbled to the dirt when his heat left and he rounded her, still swaying back and forth to help her keep rhythm.
“Good, just like that,” he crooned, mirroring her once again. “Now, I want you to picture the way Faldir had you this morning—fist in your face, directly in front you—and I want you to add the next logical attack to this movement.”
Lunara’s body was in some kind of trance, still going through the motions while she tried to decipher his words. “Um…”
She froze when Brand struck out, as if to punch her square in the nose, stopping shy just as Faldir had and holding there. “Take a step back and look at my body position.”
Yes, please.
Lunara coughed as she did what he said, surveying him from head to toe.
“You’re at an advantage, using the hand most don’t. Your attackers won’t expect that and will leave themselves vulnerable because of it.” He pointed at his stomach and ribcage, the other hand still raised. “Faldir spoke true when he said you could have gutted him. See how open this is?”
“Y-yes.”
“Ribs are much harder to navigate. If you hit one—instead of going between—it’ll be a nasty jolt for you and a minor wound for them. Go for the soft parts instead until you improve your aim and accuracy. Throat, gut, groin, and so on.”
Sisters above, she’d never be able to do it.
Brand chuckled. “You will. The mind is excellent at taking control when our life is on the line, as long as it knows what to do ahead of time. That’s why we practice.”
Wonderful. You don’t even know when you’re talking out loud, instead of keeping your bleeding thoughts to yourself.
“The more damage you can do the better. So, I want you to pretend to slash me, and then let your body flow into the next natural attack.”
From her position, Lunara went through the maneuver a few more times to let herself feel what he meant. “Okay, I think I understand.”
“Excellent. Go ahead.”
Lunara moved closer and sucked in a steadying breath. At his nod, her arm swept out and then thrust back in, mimicking a stab to his exposed abdomen.
If it had been real, she’d have skewered him right in the liver after spilling his innards. The thought made her stomach roil, but she swallowed back the bile creeping up her throat. She could do this, if needed. She could.
“Yes, Lunara. Perfect!” He clutched her hand and brought it closer, completely unperturbed by the sharpened end of her dagger being so near him. “That’s it exactly. Right there.”
She tried not to beam at his praise, but…
There. That’s it. Good. Excellent. Perfect.
Thosewords.They burrowed deep and did things to her she didn’t understand. Heart fluttering, skin warming, bone melting things. She couldn’t catch her breath, couldn’t stop smiling. Stars above, he said them with such conviction that she almost believed it.
Almost.
Brand released her but didn’t step away. “If you let your body do what it already knows to do, if you follow your instincts, you’ll be just fine.”
For once, the flush tingling across her cheeks was not from embarrassment, but excitement. As for her instincts, they were telling her to toss the weapon and throw her arms around him. To forget every worry that had consumed her for so long and see what life had to offer outside of them, even temporarily.
It didn’t have to be permanent. Just a fling. A few days of gratification to scratch the itch and then she could hide away wherever she liked.
There’d been a sort of detachment to the way he’d been plastered behind her before, regardless of how her mind had misbehaved throughout. That had been training.
With a gorgeous male who isn’t for you.
Necessary proximity.
