Leda got to her feet, an unsheathed short sword in her right hand. “You know why I’m here. You tried to have me killed once it was clear you couldn’t beat me in a fair fight. I don’t know you very well, but I’m not an idiot. You’re never going to stop, even though Bokkan is mated now. Your pride won’t accept that he would want me over you.”
Venna scowled at Leda but did not speak.
“You can’t accept that you won’t be getting what you want,” Leda said.
She stopped in the center of the room, leaving plenty of room around her body so she could move.
Venna smirked and drew her sword. “You may have beaten me in the challenge, human, but there is no one to stop me from slicing the meat from your bones with my sword. No one to question the validity of the challenge if I do not follow the rules.”
I growled at her words. She was wrong. If by some miracle she managed to kill my mate, I would end her without hesitation.
Leda laughed, a high, bright sound. “You aren’t the only one who won’t have to follow the rules, Venna. I can do whatever I need to in order to win.”
Without another word, Venna swung her sword, lunging forward, aiming to slice my mate’s neck. I swallowed another growl, clenching my fists so hard that my claws pierced my palms even though I’d blunted them for my mate.
Leda evaded the swing easily, her hand coming up and opening a small wound on Venna’s thigh with a quick slice of her weapon. Purple blood dripped on the floor from the cut.
Venna backed away. The cut was shallow, but it bled freely.
I saw the moment she realized the danger she was in and decided to change tactics. Instead of relying on skill and speed, Venna came stomping across the floor at Leda. She intended to use her superior size and strength to beat my mate down.
Having seen several males attempt this, some of the anxiety inside me died. My mate was vicious and smart. She wouldn’t allow the daemoness to overwhelm her with her larger size. She intended to cut Venna down one strike at a time, just as she did when she sparred my males.
The daemoness tried to slam her sword down on Leda’s, swinging hard and fast. Leda dodged each attack smoothly. Somehow, my mate made it look easy. I couldn’t help but marvel at her. It was like watching a dance dedicated to the battle gods.
Suddenly, her sword flashed again, this time cutting a deep slice across the top of Venna’s knee. The leg collapsed beneath the daemoness, but she managed to scuttle away and evade the short stab Leda aimed at her neck.
Venna panted heavily as she struggled to get back to her feet, holding her sword out. This time, the daemoness limped when she moved, putting space between them.
“Weak little bitch,” Venna hissed.
“I’m not the one limping,” Leda said, ending the statement with a light laugh.
“That may be, but you are too weak to finish it. If you were in my place, I would have cut your head from your shoulders by now. You would be dead already.”
My mate leaned forward, not close enough to be in striking range, but to make her point. “Maybe I like to play with my prey before I kill it. There are predators in my world that prefer it.”
Venna’s eyes widened at my mate’s words. I could see the moment she began wondering if Leda truly was toying with her. She did not take her eyes from my mate, but if she had looked at me, she would have seen the smile on my face.
My human mate was smaller and weaker than daemons, but she was smart, sneaky, and, at times, cruel. And she was not lying. Ledawastoying with her—taunting her and hurting her. I knew that was her plan because she explained to me that she wanted Venna to understand the fear she felt when she had been running for her life through the forest, trying to escape Talus.
For the first time, Leda attacked first. Her strikes were quick and strategic. Venna blocked the first two easily enough but nearly missed the blade on the third. She lurched sideways to keep the edge from cutting her, but left her other side unguarded.
Leda did not hesitate. Her sword sank into Venna’s side. With a quick twist, Leda yanked it free, sending more purple blood spraying. The daemoness crashed to her knees, her free hand coming up to cover the stab wound.
Venna stared down at the blood on her hand in shock. Even after Leda had won the challenge, she truly had not believed that a mere human could beat her.
My mate thrust her sword into Venna again, this time into the shoulder of the arm holding her weapon. The heavy sword clattered to the ground as Venna’s back arched. She stared up atmy mate, true fear in her eyes for the first time since she saw her sitting in the corner.
“What are you?” Venna asked in a whisper.
“I am justice, and my face is the last one you will ever see.”
With lightning-fast movement, Leda sliced her blade across Venna’s throat. The daemoness made no sound as the blood poured from the wound. Her black eyes rolled back in her head before they closed. Slowly, her body listed to the side before it finally crashed to the floor.
Leda backed up from the blood pooling on the carpet, her eyes locked on Venna. I finally released the iron grip I had on my body and moved from my place in the corner, approaching my mate slowly. Watching her fight without intervening was one of the hardest things I’d ever done. As much as I trusted her skill, as much as she had already proven herself, it was pure torture to see her in danger of any kind. Leda turned before I could put my outstretched hand on her shoulder.
“I’m okay,” she said, looking up at me.
