Aelia’s lips pressed into a tight line as she tried to block him, failing most of the time despite him dropping to what felt like slow motion. He kept her moving, kept her thinking, and she began to see the rhythm he was setting, gradually blocking him more and more.
There was a rock hidden in the long grass, and when her foot caught it, she flew, propelled by the backwards step she had beentaking. His hand was on her elbow in a fraction of a second, but she didn’t need him to catch her. With unnatural speed, she righted herself, twisting out of harm’s way and safely back onto her feet.
He was caught completely off guard, stunned by the sheer rapidity of her reflexes. The grin that lit her face had his breath leaving him in a ragged sigh, one she completely misinterpreted.
“I told you I was fast.” And her smile took on a mischievous gleam.
Aelia was on him with newfound ferocity, throwing herself at him in every way she could think of. Although stunned at first, Keeran fended her off easily, batting her away again and again.
Her grin faded almost immediately, her eyes flashing with frustration as her breathing started to come in gasps. Gods, she was quick, and strong, too. He’d never encountered an artemian like her, her reflexes so fast her body was quickly recognising the patterns in his attacks. She was no Dragon, not even close, but with a little training, she’d be a force to be reckoned with. The thought made him grin, his teeth glinting in the flickering light of the fire.
“How are you so quick?” Aelia asked between breaths.
“How are you?” he shot back. “Stop dropping your left elbow, it leaves you open to attack and makes it hard for you to strike with it.”
He demonstrated, swiping his elbow towards her, slow enough for her to block it. She lifted her elbow into a more defensive position, trying to mimic him. He let her practice a few times before he moved on, yelling tips at her, pushing her hard. If her concentration failed, or she forgot something he’d told her, he added a little extra weight to his blows. It wasn’t long before she was cursing him.
Keeran turned in a circle around her, yelling a barrage of commands about her footwork, when her elbow dropped. Again.
He gritted his teeth, patience wavering, and swept into the opening she’d left him to deal her a memorable jab. She cried out, stepping back to hug her recently healed side.
“Elbow up,” he reminded her, calmly. There wasn’t time for her to keep making the same mistakes over and over again. Dropping into a crouch, he curled his fingers at her, encouraging her back towards him.
“You’re a fucking jerk, you know that?” she hissed, glaring daggers at him.
“You’ve mentioned it once or twice.” He couldn’t help the lopsided grin that spread across his face. “Now get over here.”
“Why, so you can show off some more?” Aelia bit out, folding her arms across her chest.
“Darling, if I were trying to show off, you’d be flat on your back.”
A dark smile pulled at her lips, making Keeran’s chest tighten. “Well, I’m game if you are.”
Keeran’s own grin fell from his face as he replayed what he’d said. Her smile had words scattering from his brain like bees from a hive. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out, his chance at a witty reply scuttling off into the silence. He’d settle for any reply at this point, but the thought of Aelia flat on her back, his for the taking, had turned his mind to jelly.
Aelia had no such difficulty. Unfortunately.
“Or are you all bark and no bite?” She quirked an eyebrow, leaning closer with her arms still tightly crossed. “Because so far, all you’ve done is nibble.”
Keeran’s blood roared in his ears before it rushed elsewhere, quickly. Any doubts he had about her wanting him vanished, and the other half of him stretched itself into his consciousness, black and scaled and wanting Aelia with a need that had his fists clenching. A few days ago, he’d have killed for her to flirt with him, but everything had changed last night.
The fucking pair bond was not something he was prepared to risk, not even for her. The thought snapped him back to himself, his fear of the bond kicking his brain into gear.
“Why don’t we even the odds a little?” Keeran said huskily, his voice betraying what he was fighting to suppress. He gestured to her dagger with a dismissive flick of his fingers. “Take that out.”
Aelia blinked, surprised at his cold tone, but her hand dropped to the hilt of the dagger obediently.
“You want me to use this?” The steel reflected the firelight as she unsheathed it, gleaming wickedly. It was a beautiful weapon, worth more than he suspected she realised. Not for the first time, he wondered where she’d got it.
“I want you to try your best to cut me,” he said, tone hard, face unreadable.
Aelia scoffed. “You can’t be that cocky.”
Keeran allowed a little of the darkness to enter his eyes, just enough to trigger that innate fear response in her. From the way her face paled, it worked. He ignored the way his heart sank into his boots; how easily people recognised the evil in him, even her, even now.
“How about we make a deal?” He smiled wickedly, pushing past his self-loathing. “If you manage to draw blood, I’ll cook every meal until we find Beserkir.”
“And if I don’t?” Aelia side-eyed him, suspiciously.
