“What’s the point of this?” she demanded, keeping her focus on the movement of his two daggers at all times.
“I want to know if you have the courage to fight me without hesitation.” He leaned forward. “If you have the strength and swiftness to beat me.”
“So basically, you want to know if I have the guts—or stupidity—to fight you.” She rolled her eyes. ”If you are a male in your prime, you shouldn’t have any problem winning against a lowly diplomat human. Just don’t be mad when you lose.”
Jaiya growled and dove forward, dodging Idris’s first swing as his cockiness caused him to misjudge the speed of her attack. She slammed the dagger into his side, pushing him back hard enough he lost his footing in shock and confusion.
If he wanted her to fight, she would.
There is not a black hole’s chance that I’m backing down now.
He had assumed she wouldn’t accept his challenge that she’d be afraid to piss off the royal family the night before their most important meeting. He was intent on judging her, testing her, for some asinine reason.
She took a deep breath as he recovered.
“Lucky shot.”
She raised an eyebrow. “That wasn’t luck.”
“Don’t worry, you won’t get another one in.”
They paced around each other in circles as each waited for the other to make the next move.
They took the first step forward at the same time, both dodging at the last moment. She spun as his tail grabbed her leg and pulled. Her survival instincts kicked in, and suddenly, she was on the offensive.
With a burst of energy, Jaiya twisted below his next attack, bending out of his reach and dropping to the ground. Idris flipped and landed on his back, tail still wrapped around her ankle.
Jaiya swung her free leg over him and straddled the prince, one dagger to his scaled neck, the other to his scalp.
“Surrender!”
They both panted hard as she waited for him to yield. She glared at her defeated challenger, unable to comprehend why he went to such lengths just to test her skills—unless he wanted her killed.
A sudden chill crept down her spine at that thought as she pinned him in place.
“Sire!”
Jaiya glanced in the direction of Erlyn’s voice, wondering how she could defend herself against another opponent.
Something golden smacked her face, knocking her to the ground. She lost her grip on her two daggers, and they clattered across the floor.
Suddenly Jaiya was the one on her back with a dagger at her throat, her hands pinned above her head.
A pair of teal eyes peered down at her, his face flooded with what she hoped was respect. His long, dark hair blocked her view of the outside world, the combined light of their suits seeping in from the holes his golden horns left in the curtain.
“Prince!” Erlyn’s voice was closer this time.
Idris leaned closer, his body pressing heavily upon hers.
“Yield,” he ordered.
Jaiya swallowed, feeling the sharp nick of the blade barely brush her skin.
She turned her head to the side, exposing her neck to the dominant male, as blood trickled from her fresh wound.
“I yield,” she whispered, closing her eyes. Her voice barely registered to her own ears.
The weight of the blade lifted away as the prince trailed his nose along her neck, breathing in her scent.
