His eyes dropped to my waist as if he could see the blade. “Right, but normally you would wear it concealed.”
How many vampires knew witches carried concealed blades? I didn’t ask the question burning through my mind. I didn’t trust him to admit I carried one. Sometimes.
Kenneth tucked one knee up and wrapped his arm around it. “Had you tried to stab his heart, he would have stopped you. You should have thrown him, then as he flew out of control, hurled the knife at his heart or used the sword and sliced it through his neck.”
A shudder ran over my skin. That was the way Sarah’s brother had been killed. Enraged, Sarah had thrown the blade at Georgie, but he’d dived in front of her?—
“Monique,” Karson’s voice was a low growl, “please tell me you are here because you have news and you are not just wasting your time watching Amelia train.”
Monique leaned back against a rock and linked her hands around her folded knees. “The cameras had been disabled at the library, but I have a team looking at every camera in the area. If anyone followed her from there, we should know who the culprit is by the end of the day.”
“Who exactly do you have searching?”
“Pixie, Leyton, Leon, and a few others.”
Karson’s mouth pinched.
“The same ones we had search for Georgie,” Monique stated before he could protest. “You’ve already questioned them.” Her gaze sharpened as if she wasn’t impressed with the way there were questioned. “They are loyal.” She took a flask out of her jacket pocket and unscrewed the lid. “They want a pay increase, by the way.”
Karson arched a brow. “Having my protection is payment enough.”
He handed me the sword and unsheathed another, pacing a few feet away.
Nerves rattled in my stomach. “You seriously don’t expect me to swing a blade at you?”
“I did not give it to you to carve dinner.” He raised his sword. “Now, lift it and stand like you would if you were in combat.”
Before I could protest, Karson stepped forward and swung the sword down at me. I gasped, jerking my arm up at the last second. His blade struck mine with such force it twanged up my arm and knocked me backwards, and I dropped it.
His jaw clenched. “I told you to get your balance.”
I grumbled a curse under my breath and picked up the blade.
He swung again. I moved quickly to place more weight on my back foot and lifted my blade. This time I wasn’t knocked off balance, but the force sent the sword flying off and it skittered across the grass.
“Hold it tight, don’t just lift it to meet my blade. Put some power behind it.”
I held up my hand and called the sword back, and it floated through the air and landed in my palm.
“No powers allowed. Use your human skills.”
“That’s not fair, you’re using your vampire speed and strength.”
“He’s not actually,” Kenneth called out.
I looked up. Kenneth was taking a sip of whiskey. “Shut up, Kenneth.”
Kenneth grinned. I snatched up the sword and barely had time to turn when Karson struck again. This time, I blocked it and struck back. He blocked it with ease, and back and forth we went, the sound of our clashing blades echoing through the forest. I didn’t know how long we fought, it felt like hours, but was probably less than a minute, when my arms began to ache and my legs shook. I wiped at the sweat trickling down my face.
Immediately, Karson brought the blade down. I yanked my blade up, but it was with such force it knocked me flat onto my ass. He pressed the tip of the blade to my chest.
My cheeks burned red. Had we been on our own, I might not have cared, but he was letting Monique and Kenneth watch, and I felt humiliated. Inadequate.
I climbed to my feet, brushing the leaves off my jeans and snapped, “I need a drink.”
“I will just wait until your muscles stop shaking and your breathing is under control and for you to nourish your body before I try to kill you, shall I?”
I gritted my teeth. “Yes, you will, because this isn’t a real fight, and you aren’t actually trying to kill me.” I snatched the bottle off the ground and thumped my ass down onto a fallen log, leaning the sword against the log.
