He parried her next swing. “I understand why you are angry—”
Dyna arced the blade, slipping past his defenses, and brought her knife to his neck. He froze, his throat bobbing.
She wasn’t angry. She was furious. “If you speak another word, I’ll stick this knife in some part of your body.”
Cassiel’s eyes widened further, but his mouth sealed shut. Dyna unleashed every convoluted emotion as she attacked again and again. At first, he held back, defending instead of attacking, and it only made her more furious. She swiped at him wildly, nearly cutting him several times. There was no more speaking as he met her, swing for swing. Every contact of skin burst like fire and electricity, igniting the depths of her being.
The armor didn’t make her better, it only made her faster, but he attuned to her newly heightened reflexes and pushed her until they were both panting and drenched in sweat. His shirt stuck to his body, outlining every dip of muscle.
How was he going to approach her the way he did, and look at her in a way that confused every part of her, then leave her to deal with it on her own? He always retreated, and she was tired of it. As frustrated as he made her, she wasn’t ready to surrender to the war in her heart.
“You do things to provoke me,” Dyna said through a heaving breath. “To make me despise you. Well, it won’t work. I’m not turning my back on you.”
She came for him again, but Cassiel caught her wrist and spun her around. Her back slammed into his chest. The irony wasn’t lost on her. His arms clamped around her, binding her arms to her sides so she couldn’t move. But Dyna didn’t fight him off. The fight melted out of her. She was finished.
“So, please don’t push me away,” she murmured, blinking away tears as she watched the sunshine bathe the field. “I don’t want that.”
Cassiel remained quiet for a long moment, his heavy breaths tickling the back of her neck. His feelings catapulted through her. His dejection. Regret. The hollow pang of misery inside him. He held her pressed against him so firmly she felt his rapid pulse on her spine. Her arms tingled where his fingers found her skin.
“Dyna—”
She flipped the knife in her hand and jammed it into his thigh. He released her with a curse. The apology rushing to her tongue cut off at the sharp pain shooting through her. Cassiel stumbled away, and her stomach churned at the sight of the knife handle sticking out of him. Not because of the blood leaking down his leg, or even the fact that she’d done it. Dyna pressed on her thigh and bit back a whimper. It throbbed in the exact spot where the blade pierced him.
His silver eyes flashed, but his mouth curved with …pride. “That hurt.”
She winced. “I warned you.”
Cassiel stared at her strangely, as if he couldn’t believe she said that. “It seems you have a hidden violent side.”
He gripped the handle, and a flinch went through her at the sudden jolt of pain.
“Wait.”
“It’s fine. I will heal.”
“No, wait. Don’t—”
Cassiel yanked it out, and she dropped to her knees with a cry. He was at her side in an instant. “What happened?”
Dyna gripped her thigh, pressing on the invisible wound. But there was no blood. No knife.
“I felt it,” she whispered, gawking at him. “When the blade went in and came out.”
He stared at her thigh, something like horror crossing his face.
“Cassiel?”
He shook his head as he moved away, his expression frozen.
She grabbed his arm before he could stand. “No more of this. Tell me what this means.”
His uncertainty flickered through her, mixed with alarm. “I … I’m not sure.”
“You lie.” She let him go, slumping back. “You lied about the bond and you lied to me again. I think … that is why I’m angry. You didn’t trust me to understand, as you don’t trust me now.”
He lowered his gaze to the ground, his jaw working. The gentle breeze flowed across his shirt, fluttering the ends of his inky hair.
“Can you feel my pain too?” At his silence, Dyna glared. “Shall I stab you again?” He nodded, and she let out a groan. “We cannot continue like this, Cassiel. We are bonded. I don’t fully understand what it means, but I know it means something, and we have to address it.”
