“Right back atcha.” I grinned, more of a baring of teeth.
“You little—” Daron launched himself at me.
Oh, yay. I didn't have to wait after all. My prey was attacking me.
I slipped to the side, clasped my hands into a ball, and bashed Daron in the back of his head, using his anger and momentum against him. He went sprawling in the dirt. Soldiers who were just returning from the bathhouse after a day of training stopped to gawk at a human taking down a faerie knight. A crowd started to form as Daron jumped up and spun to face me. His head cocked sharply, in that Avian way, and he sprung again, this time more carefully. He caught me right in the jaw. My head snapped back and I fell into my tent, landing on the floorboards hard. Shaking the ringing from my ears, I rolled, and as Daron came lumbering in, I bent over and rammed my shoulder into his stomach. We fell to the ground outside my tent, and soldiers started to cheer.
Rolling, punching, kicking, we fought like a couple of teenage boys, both of us knowing that we couldn't give it our all. No matter how mad we were at each other, this fight wasn't like our usual battles; we weren't trying to kill each other. But we were trying very hard to injure.
I grunted as Daron's fist found my belly, then he shrieked like a bird when mine met his nose. Blood sprayed and dirt turned to mud on my slick skin, still wet from my swim. I grabbed Daron's pretty hair and used it to shove his face into the dirt; it wasn't fair that I was the only filthy one. Plus, I only had on a pair of shorts, while he was fully dressed. Nope, not fair at all. I kneed him in the balls, earning another shriek from. Instead of curling up as most men would after such an assault—one most men wouldn't resort to, but let's face it, I was outmatched and had to fight dirty in both a literal and figurative way—Daron just got meaner. His hands went to my throat and began to squeeze.
“That is enough!” the Falcon Lord's voice cut through the cheering.
The crowd went silent as the warlord stepped up to Daron and me. Daron let go and surged to his feet, leaving me gasping and covered in muck at the Falcon Lord's feet. Not that I cared about looking like a mess in front of him. Much. Fuck, all right, I was really embarrassed.
The Falcon Lord reached down and helped me up, his gaze softening on me briefly. “Are you all right, Captain Ruhara?”
“Yeah, thanks. I was holding my own until he went for the kill,” I muttered.
“You kneed me in the balls,” Daron growled.
“You're a faerie; I had to even the odds.”
“You little—”
“I send you to extend an invitation and youattack him?!” the Falcon Lord cut Daron off.
Daron paled. “My lord, he refused and was being disrespectful.”
“Did he throw the first punch?”
Daron looked ill; he lowered his gaze to his boots.
“Yeah, I did,” I said.
Daron's head jerked up, his eyes widening.
The Falcon Lord's gaze narrowed, going back and forth between us. “I will take your word for it, Captain, but just so you know that I'm not a fool; I don't believe you for one second.”
I grinned at him, blood trickling from my split lip. “You mind if I go and shower now, my lord?”
The Falcon Lord snorted. “Go. But later tonight, you will join me for dinner.”
I started to open my mouth to refuse.
“That is no longer an invitation, it's anorder, Captain,” he added.
“Fine,” I huffed and went to collect my bathing kit.
I expected Daron to smirk at me as I passed him. Instead, he gave me a grateful nod. Huh, maybe he wasn't entirely a prick.
Chapter Six
“What are you doing here?” the Falcon Lord asked as I strode into his tent later that night. He was sitting at his war table, his gold hair swept back and his belt off, leaving his tunic to gap at the neckline. A nice amount of sculpted chest showed through that V.
“You invited me to dinner,” I reminded him.
“Yes, but it's barely seven.”
