Hell no! I hadn’t waited an entire hour for Tara to beat me to it.
“Come on, Tara,” Sylas tried to reason with her. “We both know you’ll win. She’s not a threat to you. She’s just here to have fun, right?”
Look at him, trying to shield her from danger by being a fucking victim.
Tara jerked her head back. “Sylas, you’re terrible at fencing. Don’t play the hero. Pick your weapon, newbie. We have a tradition here at Pantheon; we ‘duel to first blood,’ meaning no masks on. Unless you’re afraid?”
That tradition dated back to the Renaissance. It used to be a demonstration of skills and courage to resolve a conflict, adopted by the Pioneers as their personal favorite. The fight would only stop once blood was drawn.
“Okay,” Dalia said, her voice breaking as she lowered her mask, ensuring it made contact with the floor as softly as a feather settling on a breeze.
“En garde. I can’t wait to carve my initials on your cheek.”
And that was my cue.
“Not so fast,” I intervened. “I’ll take care of her.”
Dalia was mine to mess with and no one else’s.
“Are you seriously taking her defense?” Tara squinted her eyes at me. “You’ve softened, Levi, and it’smyfencing class.”
“On the contrary. This one is mine. You have your pet. I have mine,” I countered, mustering a smile. “Now, back off, Tara.”
“Fine, have your way with her.” She snorted. “The whole school has their eyes set on you, don’t fuck this up.”
“When did I ever?” I went back to Dalia and opened my arms. “Put your mask back on. I’m playing it fair.”
She didn’t. Dalia’s grip tightened on her foil, and defiance flickered in her eyes as she muttered, “I don’t care. Do what you will.”
My lips curled when I met Sylas’s disapproving stare. I bowed dramatically. “As you wish, my pet.”
Dalia squared off against me. The clang of steel against steel resonated through the practice room. With a fierce lunge, she initiated her assault, aiming to dismantle me. I sidestepped her blade and evaded her attack without a hint of difficulty.
Once.
Twice.
“Come on, little thief, is that all you’ve got?” I taunted, avoiding another attack. “You’d think all those years playing violin would have helped, but your arms are weak.”
Her arm trembled from the repeated parries and attacks. She lunged forward, her blade aiming for my shoulder. She failed, and the corners of my mouth lifted.What will you do next?
“Stop playing with her, Levi!” a student yelled.
“Come on!” another screamed, and I resisted the urge to slice his mouth open. I wanted to pretend my little thief and I were having a private one-on-one here. Was that too much to ask?
“Your downforce is lousy. You’re small; you should be faster,” I commanded her.
My foil swept down in an arc toward her. She didn’t manage to deflect the blow. Light flickered red. I could imagine the pounding of her heart as she gritted her teeth.
She didn’t give up. She focused on her footwork, trying to attack, but the clash of our blades sent a jolt of vibration down her trembling arm. She staggered back, her footing unsteady. I took advantage of her momentary weakness, my blade finding an opening and scoring a point against her on her arm.
Red again.
“You’re weak,” I sneered. “If you don’t use my momentum to counter, you’ll never win.”
“Why are you pretending to teach me?” she snapped.
“I don’t like easy wins,” I said.
