“You’re too large for a fair fight,” she continued. “So, it was either pinching you somewhere tender or putting a hole in you.”
“Good point,” I muttered.
“Shall we continue?” she asked.
My answer was to charge her.
We sparred for another half hour, both of us holding back enough not to harm each other. I managed to pin her three times, but it was much more difficult than I expected. She was quick and fought in a completely different style than I was used to, which made it almost impossible to anticipate her next move. Even when I tried to rely on brute force, she honed in on the weakest points of my body and ruthlessly used them against me.
Leda took me down three times as well, knocking me to my knees once, sweeping my feet out from under me another, and the final takedown was with the same choke she’d used on Venna. I still had no idea how she got behind me.
My vision turned black within a minute of her arm locking around my throat. Before I was completely out, she released me, holding my upper body against hers as I gathered my wits.
“You are a warrior to be reckoned with,” I said, shaking my head as I moved away from her.
“I think we both know you could kill me with one blow if you truly wanted to,” she answered. “The only reason I’ve bested any of your men is that none of you wanted to damage me.”
“I might be able to kill you with one blow, but I’m too slow to stop you if you decide to slice open my arteries with your dagger. I don’t know a single daemon who is quick enough to evade or block your strikes.”
She sighed, a faraway look in her eyes as she stared out over the trees growing on my estate. “I hope it never comes to that. I don’t want to have to kill anyone else.”
I stepped in front of her, and her gaze rose to mine. “But you will if your life is in danger,” I said. “Promise me.”
Her eyes burned with golden fire. “I already have. When I woke up in that cell before the auction. They weren’t daemons, though. I think they were imps like Masu, but one of them had yellow eyes.”
I nodded. “I’m glad that you defended yourself. When they stole you from your home without a binding contract, they earned that death.”
Leda shrugged. “Maybe. I’ve been too busy trying to survive to think about it until now. I killed two creatures. Did they hurt me and frighten me? Yes. But I don’t think they would have killed me.”
She wasn’t wrong there. They would have seen her as an investment and done everything they could to avoid damaging her. But that didn’t mean they wouldn’t hurt her at all.
I opened my mouth to tell her that I would always protect her. That she would always be safe with me.
But the sound of hoofbeats in front of the manor caught my attention. Rage filled me, and I clenched my fists. If Venna had returned to cause trouble or potentially harm my mate, I would kill her myself.
Chapter
Eighteen
Leda
A ferocious scowl spread across Bokkan’s features, and his black eyes took on a reddish tinge.
“Someone is coming.” He snarled.
He took my hand and strode around the side of the house. I had to jog to keep up with him.
“Could we slow down a bit?” I asked.
Bokkan glanced down at me, his vicious expression softening for a moment. Immediately, he slowed and shortened his steps so I could keep up with him.
“Are you expecting a visitor?”
“No.” His deep voice was little more than a growl.
When we rounded the house, there was a male daemon dismounting from a huge horse. One of his horns was half-covered by dull metal, and he wore leather armor over a pair of breeches and knee-high boots. He looked rough, as though he’d lived hard, and his harsh features had a cruel cast. There was an aura about him that sent a chill slithering down my spine.
This daemon was dangerous, and he wasn’t here for a friendly visit.
