Disappointment welled. I’d hoped that he would kiss me again, like some foolish girl. Hope only ever let you down. Fortunately, it wasn’t my only option. The other choice, the one I would take, was to forget my attraction and focus on my task ahead.
That night had never happened.
Stefano poked his head into the doorway then. “Ready to head toyour room?”
Dirt and grime still marred his ruddy cheeks. “Why aren’t you resting? Or getting yourself cleaned up?”
He looked at me as if I had two heads. “I’m your guard.”
“Can’t someone replace you for today?”
“Harthon made me your permanent guard.”
I imagined it was a sort of promotion for Stefano. He deserved it. He was sweet and kind, and had proven his abilities in spades on our journey.
“So, anyway, are you just going to keep staring at the bookshelves? I can tell Felda to hold the bath water.”
I’m not staring at bookshelves. I’m pining over a lost kiss like a stupid girl. Or, I was. Not anymore.
Those words were not leaving my mouth.
I marched over to him, pasting a smile on my face. “Lead the way.”
Chapter 21
“Come on, Fish Eyes. You can do better than that.”
A growl reverberated in my throat as I scanned Callen for openings. As always, there were none. I’d have to create my own.
Swiping at the sweat dripping over my brows, I stared him in the eyes, fighting the tendency to look at the area I aimed for. Callen had exploited that very tendency countless times over the past two days, reminding me of it every time I landed on the carpeted floor.
“Are you going to just stand there, growling like an adorable little wolf, or are you—”
I lunged, kicking for his right knee. Ever since we began combat training the day I returned, the kick had become a favorite move of mine. It was one Callen had blocked many times. As expected, he blocked it again now.
Perfect.
Expecting the deflection, I kept my force from transferring into the kick, and used it to drive fist up into his stomach instead.
Except he blocked that maneuver too, with a quick forearm that had me stumbling back. Skies, the man was impenetrable. I’d only managed hits when he clearly allowed them, never once finishing a strike during our end-of-practice scenarios. Yesterday’s scenarioinvolved me, on the floor, trying to crawl out of the hold of someone who had me pinned. Today’s involved me trying to get Callen to step back from his current position. He’d easily stood his ground.
“That was clever. I liked that,” he praised as I fought to catch my breath.
“You didn’t even budge.”
“No, but that’s not the goal. You won’t get me to budge for at least three months of this. The goal right now is to have you think strategically in a fight, like you just did.”
A wholethree months? “Try one month.”
He smirked, an annoying dimple appearing in his cheek. “Fish Eyes, that’s pretty ambitious.”
“I’m feeling ambitious.”
He shrugged, sidling up to me. “Want to make a bet, then?”
“Do you make bets with all of your trainees?”
“Yep. It’s quite fun to see them lose all the time.”
