“It doesn’t have to be, no, but I have one more thing to show you, if you’re not completely over it.”
She arched an eyebrow and closed the distance between us, threading her fingers through mine and leaning into me in a way I absolutely loved.
“For the record, I never get tired of looking at weapons. I just hate not having one. So, yes, please. Show me what you’ve got.”
“In the armory?” I acted scandalized, waggling my eyebrows suggestively. “Unconventional, but all right…”
“Ugh, I’ve already seen your dick! It’s magnificent, but not wise to pull it out while surrounded by sharp objects if you want to keep it. Show me theweapon.”
I chuckled low in my throat as I turned and pulled her to a small case in a back corner. She’d wandered past, but this one had compartments where things could be tucked out of sight. That was where Cristian had stocked the weapon I’d asked for.
“So, I’d never try to replace what you had before. Just for the record, I think it’s important to say that before I show you.”
“I appreciate that, thank you.” She squeezed my fingers, and I pressed the door of the case to make it pop open. Then I slid out the rack.
Twin short swords with wicked, curved edges hung suspended. They were black as night and sharper than sin, each one of them formidable on its own. But together, they held a secret.
“Short swords? I haven’t been trained in short swords, but… maybe?” She scrunched her face up adorably.
“Watch this before you say no.”
I lifted them both carefully from the rack, butting the two grips up to each other and twisting.
They combined into one extended staff with a matched blade on both ends. Her eyes widened with understanding.
“Holy shit, it’s perfect!” She made grabby hands, so I proffered it for her to take. She took two big steps back, then gave it a few practice swings, bouncing on the balls of herfeet with excitement. “What’s this called? Like obviously when they’re separate, they’re short swords, but…” She twirled the joined blades with practiced ease, making a gracefully deadly circle without even looking at her hands.
“It’s a double-bladed staff.” She grinned, then easily moved through another series of spinning forms more complex than the first. “Can I keep it?”
“Consider it an early bonding gift. I had Cristian get it just for you. I thought you’d like the way it handled and, eventually, the flexibility.”
She leaned up on her tiptoes and pressed a passionate kiss to my lips, which I savored. When she pulled back, her eyes were bright. “Best gift ever. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” I smiled as she went back to swinging it, her movements lithe and graceful as she danced with her new weapon.
The next morning passed in a busy blur, and by the time I looked up, we only had a few hours free before we needed to start donning our weapons to assemble for the battle.
I was antsy, on edge aboutwhomight be showing up for this initial skirmish. So far as I knew, Fiona had had two specific visions, both of upcoming clashes. One that showed tonight, with wolves on the field. But an earlier vision had shown a massive battle with more supernaturals, at an unspecified time.
My gut told me that tonight was only the beginning. The first foray, for them to test our defenses.
But rather than waste our last few hours of peace, I stole Elodie away from the sparring ring after she’d had plenty of time to practice with her new weapon. She was an impressive sight asalways, and even within a day, she’d picked up a frightening level of proficiency. It was close enough to her old weapon that her basic stances were flawless.
She wasn’t a hundred percent with splitting the swords and fighting closer two-handed, but Elodie could take out the average enemy on her worst day, I was sure.
Not Bran, though. The thought weighed heavily on all the males. One of us would have to take him on, and while everyone expected it to be Kane… I just wasn’t sure. There was this niggling feeling I couldn’t shake off.
So, while Elodie had been going through her forms, I’d practiced with my new guardian’s broadsword. It was odd because it seemed the sword itself augmented my usual speed and skill. And as a blacksmith, I was already proficient. I liked to practice with my creations.
But magic worked in strange and wonderful ways, and using the sword was like having eyes in the back of my head. When Elodie deemed herself ready for a sparring partner, I bested her consistently and even disarmed her a few times. Sure, part of that was her novelty with the staff. But mostly? The sword washelpingme somehow. Because I was pretty sure that with her own sword, Elodie could at least give me a solid run for my money. Okay, fine, she would kick my ass with one hand tied behind her back.
It was definitely the sword giving me the edge.
But now that we’d put the weapons away, I held her hand and led her toward the bonfires. I didn’t know whose idea it was to light them, but it seemed like the best way to spend the early evening hours. The Hungarian pack members who’d come to fight were gathered around one giant fire to the east, so that was where I led her.
“I’d like to introduce you to someone very special tonight,” I started, suddenly nervous.
“Oh yeah? It’s not your ex-girlfriend, is it? Because I can handle a lot, but…” She arched an eyebrow, the implication clear. If I had an ex hiding in a closet that I wanted to spring on her, they’d meet the pointy end of her shiny new blade.
