Dropping low, I do a full rotation and sweep out his leg, causing his knees to collapse, and then I bounce up while he starts to fall backward. The shock on his face as he starts to go down is epic, but I should have been paying more attention and not gloating, because he recovers quickly, not even needing his hands to come right back up. He changes his stance once he’s back on his feet so the same kick won’t work again, not that I would have tried it so soon.
I lift my arms up to protect my torso and face, keeping my hands relaxed to adapt to his fighting technique. I have a feeling my prince is going to be a brawler and fight dirty, just like everything else he does.
He better not hurt you.Now that I know the voice isn’t my own, I hear the subtle differences that should have told me it was Egan all along, forcing his way into my head. If he hadn’t spoken directly to me, I wouldn’t even have known he was witnessing this. I don’t dare take my eyes from Modeus to look for my fallen, but I do answer him.
“I think you should be worried about yourself—you’re next,” I warn.
Modeus attacks again, but instead of just pinning me to the wall, he takes me down to the floor. I don’t bother trying to fight him, it would just expend energy. I go with the flow and use the momentum to flip us again, so I end up on top of him with my palm cupped around his throat, ready to apply pressure. His eyes are wide, and I think I’ve shocked him with the reversal, but he doesn’t give up.
Using his forearm, he bats against my arm, and I lose my grip enough for him to twist out from under me. Knowing he could take the advantage, I spring up to my feet and retreat a few steps. He rises much slower. “Harlow told me you loved to fight, but I didn’t know how delicious you would smell when you got wet for me.” He runs his teeth over his bottom lip.
I’m not even going to try to deny it. I would let him pin me to the floor and fuck me if he managed it, but he won’t, not this time anyway. Maybe next time, I won’t fight so hard though. “You have to earn it.”
Modeus sinks into a horse stance, keeping his body bladed. The shift keeps me from being able to sweep his legs. He’s adapting. Damn, I didn’t know I would enjoy this so much.
His next attack is even faster, but I manage to counter each blow he would have delivered to my body with a block. It only takes me seconds to realize I’m going to have to let him land a hit so I can move from defensive to offensive. When he sends another jab at my side, I absorb the blow and counter with a front kick I know I’m not going to land. As he drops his arms to block my foot, I go higher and deliver a solid kick to the side of his neck he never saw coming.
Modeus staggers back and shakes his head. I’ve dropped a few sparring partners with that move, but not him…yet. Before he can fully recover, I move in close and send several jabs to his body. He blocks some, but I’m able to land a good hit on his liver while he’s exhaling, which makes it sting even more. I know from experience.
Exploit his weakness.I don’t want to give away that Egan is coaching me, so I don’t ask which weakness he’s referring to, but I don’t need to.Pretend you’re hurt and take him down.
We exchange jabs for a few more seconds, and I throw a few more front kicks, but he doesn’t move to block me as quickly with both hands. Instead of pulling my face back when he slips a hook past my shoulder, I let it land high on my cheek.
I don’t have to fake the pain, it hurts, but I do fake stumbling backward like I might fall. When he drops his arms and rushes forward to check on me, I spin into a tornado kick, using my arms for momentum. Carefully avoiding his horn, I kick him in the side of the head.
He blinks once before his legs drop out from under him and he lands on my kitchen floor in a heap. I kneel next to him, breathing heavily and feeling guilty. When I reach forward to run my hand across his forehead, Modeus snatches my arm and rolls us like a fucking crocodile until we slam up against the bottom of my cabinets and he’s firmly planted on top of me.
“Not nice, princess,” he coos, pinning my hands to the ground, but then his brow furrows as he examines my cheek. “Shit,” he curses softly. The weight of his hands and body lessens as he pulls back. “I tagged you.”
“I let you,” I counter, still huffing.
I feel Egan’s shadow before he reaches down and grabs my hands, plucking me from the floor as he dislodges Modeus. Once I’m on my feet, Egan bends his knees so he’s eye level with me and examines my cheek while tilting my head back and forth with his hands.
“It’s fine, a love bite.” I wink at Modeus, who is now looking at me over Egan’s shoulder. “I bet he has a goose egg too. Want to examine him?”
My fallen runs his thumb over my cheek ever so gently. I make sure not to show the slight sting I feel from his caress. When his eyes narrow, I know I haven’t fooled him. Once Egan deems me fit, he steps back and allows Modeus to move closer to me.
“Thanks for the workout.” I poke him in his side before I step into his offered embrace.
He presses his lips to the top of my head and softly whispers, “Let’s do it naked next time. I’m not going to fight back either.”
I click my tongue. “If you don’t fight back, it would just be me abusing then fucking you.” I love the way we fit together, so I cuddle even closer.
“I’m okay with that,” he says with a contented sigh.
“I’m not. You want it, you earn it. Maybe not in the kitchen next time though.” I look around after leaning away from him. The wood on my cabinet is cracked from us hitting it, and there’s a mess on the floor I don’t even remember happening.
Egan and Modeus help me clean up the kitchen before I pull out a box of leftover pizza someone had the foresight to order yesterday. It tastes like cardboard, but it’s better than nothing. “Where’s Cyrus?” The gargoyle promised me food, and I’ve yet to taste any home-cooked meals.
Egan points his finger up at the ceiling.
“The attic,” I surmise, and he nods.
I toss my crust into the box and wipe off my hands. “I’m going to take a trip to Mickey’s shop today, and I think we should give you your first lesson on how to ride.” I wiggle my brows at Egan suggestively.
His stare turns flat. I love reading his face, but I think I like it even more that I’m the only one who canhearhim. “You’re going to love it. It’s the next best thing to flying.”
Egan snaps out his wings as if to prove me wrong, and I have to admit they are fucking majestic, but a ride can be practical. “If you hate it, you hate it, but you could give it a try,” I reason.
