Chapter Seven
They were in the backroom of the Devil’s Crown gym.The heavy bags lined one wall, and the mats another.He’d come here a thousand times to clear his head, to put his fists to use instead of his thoughts.
Today, though, wasn’t about him.It was about Mara.
She stood in the middle of the mat, bare feet planted, fists up just like he’d shown her, her eyes sharp.She looked good.Mara was focused, alive, and there was an undeniable hint of defiance on her lips.
She had tied her hair back, but a few strands fell loose against her cheek.Sweat glistened along her collarbone, and he tried not to stare too long.
“Again,” he said, voice flat to hide the heat rising under his skin.“Elbow high this time.Don’t telegraph your move.”
Mara scowled at him.“You always say that,” she complained.
“Because you always do it,” he shot back.“Now hit me.”
She did, or tried to.Mara drove her elbow cut toward his ribs, but he caught her wrist and twisted lightly, enough to break her stance.
“Too slow,” Viper told her.
She yanked her arm free, glaring.“You could give me a second to actually connect,” she mumbled.
“That’s not how it works in a fight.”He stepped closer, showing her how to pivot.“You hesitate, you lose.No one’s gonna give you a fair shot.”
“Except you,” she said quietly, meeting his gaze.
Viper froze for a beat.That soft and honest tone got under his armor faster than any punch.He cleared his throat.
“I’m not your opponent, Mara.I’m teaching you to make sure you don’t end up back in a corner again,” Viper told her.
She nodded, but he saw the flicker in her eyes.Mara was probably remembering her encounter with the Iron Serpents.He didn’t want her thinking about them or remembering the fear.
“Again,” he said.
This time she came at him harder, surprising him.She ducked low, feinted, then aimed a knee toward his side.He blocked, but the force behind it still hit through his guard.A grin tugged at his mouth.
“Better,” Viper said.
“Maybe you’re getting slower,” she teased.She seemed a little breathless.
“Watch it,” he warned, voice a little rough.
She caught that, too.He could tell by the quick lift of her chin, that spark in her eyes.“You don’t like being challenged, do you?”Mara asked.
He stepped into her space, close enough that her breath mingled with his.“Not by you.”
“Why not?”she asked, almost daring him.
“Because I’m not sure who’d win.”
Her lips parted slightly.The world narrowed to the heat between them, the sound of their breathing, the steady thud of his heart.He wanted to step back, but he didn’t.
She moved first.Tried to throw a punch, but he caught her again, this time grabbing her wrist and turning her until her back hit his chest.He locked his arm around her midsection, controlling her movement.
