She ignored the dig at her aptitude. Orelia would never be the harbinger of death he was, and she didn’t want to be. But learning how to protect herself properly could only benefit her, so she lifted the banned blade, squatted into position, and flashed him a taunting grin of her own. “Then teach me.”
They practiced until sweat dripped down her temples and hair clung to her neck. Vade went slow, teaching her different defensive moves before working on a few offensive ones. Surprisingly, he didn’t mock or degrade her when he knocked the sword out of her hands, which happened frequently. He simply waited for her to pick it up, then began again.
Despite the light weight of the blade, her arms ached after less than an hour. She dropped the sword and panted with her hands on her knees. “I need a break.”
Vade wiped the sweat from his brow. “You’ve done well, so I guess I’ll allow it.”
She huffed a tired laugh. “I think that might be the first nice thing you’ve said to me.”
He grabbed both of their waterskins and handed Orelia hers. “I’m sure I’ve said something before.”
She took a long drink, nearly moaning at how cool the water was as the sun baked her skin.
“I could get you to where you’d be as good as me with a sword.”
She choked on her water at the ridiculousness of such a statement. “I would never be as good as you, fae.”
Vade picked up his greatsword and handed it to her. “Tell you what, keep this one on you. We’ll practice so you get used to it. Besides, your weapons belt is too sparse anyway.”
She paused. “I don’t think I want to keep a seidr blade on me. It feels . . .wrong.”
He cocked his head. “You still have my dagger. Does that feel wrong? And did it feel wrong when you were practicing with the sword?”
“Well . . .no.”
“Don’t think of it as illegal. Just think of it as a tool, like anything else.”
Hesitantly, Orelia slid the sword into her belt, marveling at how it adjusted to the size of the sheath.
“How does the blade know to shorten?” she asked.
Vade shrugged. “The ingenuity of sorcery.”
Orelia withdrew the blade and watched it elongate just so she could put it back in and watch the blade somehow fit.
“You would be impressed with something like this,” she teased.
Vade’s lips quirked. “You like it, too. Don’t lie. I see how much you enjoy my sword.”
There was a strange sultriness in his tone that made her skin heat. Without a tight-lipped expression, deep lines on his forehead, or furrowed brows, he looked kind and open, and it made him all the more handsome.
It won’t last long, she told herself.You’ll screw up again, and he’ll be right back to yelling at you.But Orelia didn’t want to waste an opportunity where he seemed to be in a good mood.
He had paid an obscene amount of money to keep other men from buying time with her at The White Pony, and she hadn’t exactly shown much gratitude the night they’d fled Ricaboro.
She reached out and placed a hand on his bicep, ignoring the way the muscle flexed beneath her touch. “I’m really sorry aboutRicaboro. It’s just that there was a girl in my home brothel who was separated from her sister who works at the Pony. I thought I could sneak in and tell her how Millie was doing, maybe even heal a few girls while I was at it, then come right back.”
She should have let go of his arm, but Orelia didn’t want to, and the look on Vade’s face said he didn’t want her to either. He stepped closer, bringing his delicious masculine scent with him. Something so distinctly him that she’d recognized it at the Pony.
Orelia absentmindedly swiped her thumb across his muscle. “I like having the gift of healing, and I just wanted to share it with others who might have needed it. I want to use what I was born with for good. It makes me feel . . .useful.” Her eyes dipped to the ties dangling on his tunic, and the truth came out quietly. “I’m not sure I’d be worth much without my healing ability.”
She swallowed, realizing the internal thought had slipped out for the first time. She’d never even shared it with Teegan. Feeling far too vulnerable, Orelia released his arm and took a step back. “But I know what I did was wrong. I shouldn’t have left the inn.”
Vade’s eyes focused on hers. “I shouldn’t have left you alone, especially knowing how excited you were to see the city. But I had no idea where you were, and anything could have happened to you.”
She knew his concern was only for himself since he would reap the consequences of her actions, but shame washed over her for how selfish she’d been not to think of him when she’d stood across the street, debating whether to enter the brothel. If Doyle had taken her somewhere else, somewhere farther away, the binding spell wouldhave activated. With Vade not knowing where to find her, it’s possible they both could have died from the spell’s pain.
“I’ll be more conscientious of my actions in the future,” Orelia said. Regardless of how rude he was most of the time, Vade was still her responsibility. She was the one who’d trapped him with the spell, after all.
