“Good, but you can do better, darling. Try again.”
“I’ll show you better,” I growled.
I pushed myself to my feet without his help and aimed the morning star right at his chest. Sitri’s eyes widened in surprise. His sword stopped my momentum, but the impact splintered the wood and broke his weapon in two. Sitri’s backward step just narrowly took him out of the path of my strike. The hiss of metal on hardened hide told me he wasn’t fast enough, and the scratch it left behind filled me with satisfaction.
Sitri laughed. “You’re a quick learner, I’ll give you that.”
“Thanks, I try.”
The warm glow of pride washed over me, and I basked in it, encouraged by Sitri’s words. Iwasa quick learner. That was the skill that had kept my head above water in life. At last, in death, it was recognized.
Sitri straightened himself up, dusted the wood shards from his armor, and reached for his belt. From their sheaths, he drew his signature spiral daggers. Their three blunt edges converged at a sharp tip—graceful, wicked, lethal. They were weapons as real as my own, and adrenaline rushed into me at the thought of facing down the battle-hardened Prince, armed with his tools of choice. My heart raced, anxiety mingling with anticipation.
“Don’t worry,” he called to me, “they lack a cutting edge. I haveseen you struggle against agile opponents before. I’d like to see you use your force to counter my speed.”
“That hardly seems fair.”
“Fair or not, you’re going to have to learn if you want to survive down here.”
I took a step back as Sitri advanced. He held one weapon low while the other hung near his face.
“Any advice from the expert?” I asked.
When I bumped against the rough wood of the arena’s outer fence, I realized my fatal mistake.
Sitri smirked. “Don’t get backed into a corner, or you’re done for.”
Trapped between an armed enemy and a wall, he gave me no choice but to engage him, to hold him off in the limited space between us.
I swallowed. “And if I’ve already messed that up?”
“If you must fight in close quarters, be mindful of your weapon’s weight and your center of gravity. Don’t bother landing hits. Focus on creating an opening for escape, and take it. Go on, try it now.”
With inhuman speed, Sitri lunged. The first dagger aimed for my shoulder, and I intercepted it with the head of my morning star. The impact sent sparks flying. He launched a second strike at my stomach. I barely whipped my weapon around and knocked the knife from his palm. The morning star’s weight swung out of my control, and I nearly lost my grip. By the time I’d recovered, Sitri had shifted behind me. Cold steel pressed against my neck. In the shock of its kiss, my weapon slipped.
A hand as firm as iron swept up my idle wrists. My face met the rough wood of the fence, and Sitri’s body held me tight against it. I struggled, but couldn’t shake him. Even my demonic strength wasn’t enough to overpower him.
“Checkmate, darling,” Sitri purred.
A sharp nip to my ear punctuated his words. I shuddered beneathhim. My frustration died out, and the subtle warmth of desire crept across my skin. I went lax, savoring his body against mine. He leaned forward, rocking our bodies against the fence, muscles taut, heat radiating through his armor.
The Prince was powerful. He was lethal. But even with his knife at my throat, somehow, I felt safe.
“Showoff,” I grumbled. “You can let me go now.”
“And what if I’d rather keep you pinned? What if I want to feel you beneath me, thoroughly subdued?”
“Then you’re an assholeanda showoff.”
“Point taken.”
Sitri chuckled as he released my wrists, and I broke away from the fence to shoot a murderous glare in his direction. It only deepened his smile.
“Once more, from the top,” he ordered as he turned and walked back into the arena.
Seeing an opportunity, I snatched the dagger that lay on the ground at my feet. When he faced me, he found its tip inches from his face. Sitri jolted, and his lips parted in a wicked grin.
“Well, aren’t you a devious little thing? I’ll be taking that now, if you would kindly give it here.”
