“Will you pout when you lose?” I asked, batting my lashes.
“Losing to a fierce dragon queen isn’t the worst thing thatcould happen.”
We exchanged grins, and then we exploded into motion.
Steel rang as our blades clashed. From the marble-ringed fountain to the thick hedges of the maze, we danced a deadly duet. I ducked and spun, laughing when he grumbled under his breath, too slow to block. But he was faster than expected, ja. Strong too, ja. The problem was, he was also easily distracted.
“I can see through your shirt,” he growled as we exchanged strikes. “And it’s cold!”
“It’s not my fault nature loves me,” I snickered, twirling out of reach and aiming a slice at his shoulder.
He caught my wrist mid-strike, twisted, and suddenly I was yanked forward, crashing into his chest. The impact stole my breath in a thousand different ways, leaving his heavenly scent trapped in my lungs.
He smirked. “Tsk tsk. Someone left herself wide open.”
“Ah, but someone else fell for her trap.” I hooked my boot behind his knees and shoved. Hard.
He went down with a grunt, and I followed, blades forgotten as we rolled across the grass, grappling for dominance. Every brush of skin against skin sent heat spiking through me. My hair spilled over his face; his hands gripped my hips. We locked gazes. Stilled.
One wrong breath, and this would no longer be a game.
He leaned toward me. I leaned toward him.
“Fight dirtier!” a voice called from above.
We both jolted.
I tilted my head slowly. Sure enough, one by one, my sisters had arrived like oversized she-lizards, perched across tree branches and mossy stone. Adelaide waved. Bronwyn, Freida and Gretchen shared snacks. The others cheered.
“Bite him!” Lucinda encouraged.
“Claw his back!” Millicent added, chomping her potato chips.
“Did anyone bring chocolate?” Bronwyn asked the group, licking her fingers after finishing off a peach slice.
“Oh, for the love of—” I rolled off Taron with a huff and sat in the grass, brushing leaves from my leathers. “Do you allmind?”
“Nope,” Emma chirped, biting into a sugared plum. “This is more entertaining than the duel I just caused. It ended in bloodshed and an annulment.”
Adelaide tilted her head. “If this is your version of resisting temptation, Queen Ice Maiden, you’re doomed.”
Taron laughed, running a hand through his hair, now dusted with leaves. “Do you come with a fan club wherever you go?”
“I come with consequences,” I muttered, glaring up at my sisters.
Rather than flinch back, as she’d done before, Gretchen pretended to shudder. “Oh, scary. The berserkatrix who can’t even overpower a mythology professor might spank me.”
“And deeply unhelpful commentary.” I rose and straightened my top. But okay, yeah, I loved that the girls were thawing toward me.
Adelaide blew me a kiss, taking credit for the development, as if she’d arranged all of this on her own. I glanced upward with a sigh.
Taron stood beside me, sword back in hand, smirking. “Rematch tomorrow?”
“I don’t think I can handle a rematch,” I admitted. Even now, I barely stopped myself from stepping into him and snuggling close.
He leaned in, voice low and lethal. “So you’ll be too sore. Fine. I’ll give you a massage instead. All business, none of it funny.” Eyes sparkling, he cupped the side of my neck and brushed the pad of his thumb against my thundering pulse. “Maybe some of it will be funny business.”
And just like that, my heart did something foolish. Terribly, tragically foolish. But I refused to consider what it was. Nope. Not here, not now. Moving on.
