“You?” she quipped.
His dimple flashed. “Always. But if I’m not around, I want you to run. Escaping your attacker will always be your best option. The ring is for when a fight is inevitable.” His mouth pressed into a line. “Your last defense needs to be your knife.”
She winced.
“I know it’s not ideal, but if you’re fighting for your life, you can’t hesitate.” The skin around his eyes tightened. “My sisters were taught this from the cradle, and I need you to remember it, too: if they’re attacking you, you have every right to hurt them. And you need to be ruthless. You, especially, can’t hesitate to deliver a deathblow. Because if you’re going to be debilitated by their pain, you need to make sure they’re incapacitated as well.”
Her stomach twisted.
Clearly seeing her reluctance, he said, “I hope you’re never in that situation. But I need to know you’ll do whatever it takes to survive. Can you promise me that?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “I promise.”
Relief bled through him. “Thank you.” He reached out, tucking a loose curl behind her ear. His eyes searched hers. “However hard you fight, know that I’ll be fighting just as hard to reach you.”
Feeling the truth in his words brought her comfort, even though the thought of taking a life still made her sick.
“We’ll train with your knife another day,” Carver said. “For now, I want to focus on showing you how to break free of different holds.”
When he grasped her wrists, she couldn’t help but notice the soft rasp of his callused skin against hers. It raised the fine hairs on her arms and made it hard to concentrate on what he was saying.
“If an attacker has you like this, you’re unable to run—or even use the ring effectively—until you break free. Instinct will tell you to pull away from me, but I’m stronger than you. You won’t win that way. Instead, step closer.” He paused, waiting for her to do so.
Heart still beating a little too fast, she did as he said.
“Do you feel that?” Carver asked.
She felt everything. Her body fairly hummed at being so close to him, and she could feel his own awareness spike. It was edged with desire, and something more. Something deeper.
“Amryn?” His voice was a little rough. “Did you feel the tension in our arms? How it naturally relaxed when you came closer?”
She forced herself to focus—just as she sensed he was forcing himself to focus. “Yes.”
“Good. That release of tension means your attacker’s hold will inevitably loosen. You’ll be able to twist away now. Try it.”
She twisted her wrists, and her hands slid free.
“Good,” Carver said. “Let’s try it again, faster this time.”
He grasped her wrists once more. She stepped closer, already twisting her wrists in an effort to free herself. It worked.
“Again,” Carver said.
They continued practicing until Amryn’s movements were fluid and strong. Confidence poured through her, and she couldn’t help but smile as she broke his hold once more. “I can’t believe how well that works!”
Carver grinned, pride and pleasure sparking. “You’re a fast learner. Let’s try another type of hold.” He came around her, and it took great force of will not to turn and watch him. Not that she didn’t trust him behind her, but because her pulse was skipping with the knowledge that he was going to touch her again.
His chest brushed her back as his arms circled around her, locking her arms to her sides. The scent of sandalwood and spice surrounded her. “This hold might feel more unbreakable, but as long as you don’t give in to panic, you can still get free. All right?”
It wasn’t panic flaring through her right now. Still, she managed to nod.
“Breaking this hold won’t be quite as painless for your attacker, but we’ll see what we can do. Rather than exerting your energy by pulling away from me, you need to drop all your weight down. Go limp.”
She did as instructed, and Carver’s grip tightened to hold her. Somehow, they were even closer than before, the heat of his body burrowing into hers. But though he tried to compensate for her body’s sudden shift, his hold wasn’t as strong as before.
“Your next move will be determined by how low you manage to drop,” Carver said. “An elbow to my stomach, groin, or inner thigh will all deliver shock, and just enough pain to make me flinch back. That’s when you shove away. Got it?”
“Yes.”
