And I wasn’t done.
I surged forward. Not with strength but speed. I dropped low, sweeping his feet out from under him with all the force I had left. He went down hard, hitting the dirt with a grunt.
Before he could recover, I straddled his chest and shoved the wooden blade against his throat. The only sound to break the silence was our ragged breathing.
Malesh let out a low whistle, Eamon choked on a laugh, and Riordan just grinned.
Ryker stared up at me, eyes wide with shock.
I leaned closer, pressing the practice sword a little harder against his skin. “Still not going easy on me?”
“Wouldn’t dream of it, Temptress.”
I stayed there, panting hard, sweat dripping from my brow and onto his chest. His pulse thudded beneath my sword, persistent but calm.
The bastard wasn’t even winded.
Ryker’s eyes darkened in a way that made my stomach flip. “Do you intend to keep straddling my hips? Because if you do, I’d much prefer we take this inside.”
I shoved myself to my feet and stepped away, losing my practice blade in the process. As Ryker rose to his feet, he brushed the dirt from his leathers. A faint smear of dust clung tohis cheek, and I almost reached for it before I remembered who I was dealing with.
He handed me my sword, and I took it without a word.
“Well,” Riordan said, breaking the tension. “That’s the first time I’ve seen anyone knock him on his ass since we were children.”
“I intend to make it a habit.”
My declaration had Ryker grinning. “Promises, promises.”
A rush of heat enveloped me at the reminder those words invoked.
My back pressed against the wall. Ryker on his knees before me.
An involuntary shiver racked my frame, and I worked to keep my thoughts from showing on my face. From the half-smirk curling Ryker’s lips, I’d done a poor job of it.
Malesh sent me a lazy grin. “You might want to run, Cadence. He gets petty when you bruise his ego.”
“I don’t have an ego,” Ryker said, sounding offended.
Eamon barked a laugh. “Sure. And I’m a virgin.”
“You’re all dismissed.” The command was little more than a growl, but they didn’t move. “Now.”
Riordan studied me for a beat, then nodded. “Nicely done, Cadence.”
Then they all filed out of the training yard, leaving me alone with the storm I’d just provoked.
Ryker turned to me, crossing the space between us. “You’re fast,” he said. “Your footwork needs improving, but Malesh has done a good job training you so far.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“You should.”
The moment stretched as the breeze kicked up, tugging at the strands of hair stuck to my neck.
“Why are we really doing this?” I asked.
“If you’re going to be in my world, you need to survive it.”
