Was that a piece of my hair flying through the air?
What the fuck?
My eyes narrowed, and my grip tightened on my swords. I charged the ancient lord head on.
Our swords clashed together in the silence.
I ducked under his lifted arm, using my smaller stature to advantage. As he spun around to face me, I slashed one sword in the air, my other meeting his sword above our heads.
His blue eyes blinked. I grinned.
We both stalled, watching as a piece of silky black hair floated down through the air between us, landing like a feather onto the ground next to the identical section of black hair already lying there from my head.
The vain lord lifted his gaze and scowled. “How about we don’t butcher each other’s hair? I think we’re even now.”
“Agreed.” I chuckled and shoved away from him.
Eachclangof our swords was invigorating, pulsing inside my veins, when, before with Phoenix, I’d just been going through the motions. With Lord Belshazzar, my cheeks flushed, not only from exertion but also from excitement. The Overlord kept me on my toes, pushing me harder…and then harder. My blue eyes sparkled with merriment, only matched by his own, the lord smirking with each dirty trick I tried on him—and failed at.
Then I tripped backward over a downed rock.
A sudden smack on my ass kept me from falling backward, my eyes widening as I stumbled to a stop, amazed to still be on my feet. The lord hadn’t appeared to move from in front of me, except for his long black hair that mysteriously blew to the side in a strong breeze. I pointed one of my swords at him, muttering in shock, “Yeah, none of that shit, my lord.”
The Overlord snorted, roguish allure dancing in his frosty eyes. He teased in his deep tone, “I’ll let you fall on your ass next time, your majesty.”
I rotated my wrists.
Christ. I hadn’t had this much fun in a while.
With a grin etched on my face, I charged him again. The lord met me blow for blow, the jarring in my arms satisfying. Moisture dotted my brow and his, both of us working up a healthy sweat. It was a perfect dance of battle.
Until it wasn’t.
I grunted when I missed the kick aimed at the back of my legs. No smack on my ass saved me this time.
I went down on my back but quickly rolled to the side when his sword followed me down. I bounced back up to my feet, meeting his next blow. I tried not to pout. I really did.
Lord Belshazzar chuckled quietly, even as he kept his attack steady. “You asked for it, Gwen.”
“Shut up,” I grouched. I swung again.
Hell, I was already dirty.
I dropped to the ground in a flurry of movement, catching him by surprise and knocking his balance off kilter, his swing way off. I shoved both feet right into the front of his thighs as hard as I could. I was back on my feet before he even landed on the ground. I smirked down at him, relishing the look of revulsion on his face when he looked up from the blood-mud, just barely catching himself from face-planting into the mess—now in a push-up position.
I mumbled, “Oops.”
A sardonic black brow lifted. “Oops? Really?”
I nodded. “Oops.”
He stared, his lips lifting into a grin, his eyes heated with playful pleasure. “You’re going to pay for that.”
Fuck me.In the best possible way, please.
An embarrassing giggle escaped my lips when I was suddenly swordless and lifted off my feet by an equally swordless Overlord. My back slammed into the wall closest to us. I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. I pretended to scowl, but the effect failed as a burst of laughter leapt up from deep within my belly.
I shook my head, my white smile brash in the cave of doom. “Why didn’t you stop yourself from falling?”
