Freya linked arms with me again. “Let’s go show you off!”
We walked out of the shop to where Griff was waiting, perched on the railing of a low bridge. He rose to greet us but then froze. His eyes swept over me, his mouth parting. Freya released my arm and gave me a little push into another twirl. Griff swallowed heavily but made no comment, just scrubbed a hand over his jaw as he fell in step behind us.
I could feel his eyes burning into my back and I added a swish to my step, Freya instantly joining in.
We caught up with Finn, who grinned appreciatively when he saw me. “Don’t you look beautiful,” he said warmly. “I especially love the color.”
He offered me his arm and I took it, still linked with Freya on the other side. The three of us wandered through the market, leaving Griff to bring up the rear. When I glanced back at him, his eyes were fixated on the spot where my hand touched Finn’s arm.
This had to be more than friendship and duty.
We ended up going back to the house, where Griff cajoled Finn into sparring with him. Finn was surprisingly decent, holding his own against Griff.
They stripped down to the waist given the heat and humidity and it was like watching a work of art. I couldn’t take my eyes from Griff’s lean torso, muscles rippling under sun-kissed skin as he executed flawless strike after flawless strike. He dipped, and Finn’s sword went flying. Finn laughed ruefully and went to retrieve it.
“Aren’t they glorious?” Freya’s voice was filled with admiration.
“Finn is surprisingly good.”
“Oh, no.” Freya laughed. “Griff was holding back.”
“Thatwas holding back? What does it look like when he doesn’t?”
“Pure, lethal beauty.”
Griff moved with an ease I envied. But what truly caught my eyewas how comfortable he was. He was always poised, inspiring confidence that he’d be able to handle anything a situation might throw at him. But there was an easiness here that had been missing in Valdris. And blessed Erde, it made him shine. He acted much more like Finn, as he good-naturedly baited his brother into attacking before pointing out the flaws in his footwork. Finn ribbed him back, and while Griff at the castle would have given a slight smile and moved on, here he dished it right back at him. This was who Griff was naturally, without the weight of the realm on his shoulders.
After Griff disarmed Finn a second time, motioning for Finn to pick up his sword, Finn laughed and held up his hands in mock surrender. “I’ve had enough of getting my ass handed to me for one day.” He wiped a towel over his brow, mopping up sweat.
“In that case.” Griff turned to me, a gleam in his eye. “You’re up, Princess. Let’s see what Kaia has been teaching you.”
“Aren’t we on holiday? And I’m in a dress.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “And you think an enemy will hold off on attacking you because you’re on holiday and not dressed to fight?”
I sighed. Much as I hated to admit it, he had a point.
“I promise I won’t harm your pretty dress,” he said, as he crooked a finger at me and beckoned. “Now come here.”
Ignoring the flood of heat and his use of the wordpretty, I gave in and took the sword Finn handed me, rolling my eyes at the shit-eating grin on his face.
Just as we had two nights ago, we danced—only this time, instead of it being in a ballroom, it was with blunted steel. My skirts swirled around his legs, attempting to trip me and I had to adjust to compensate. A flurry of blows brought us in tightly to each other, our bodies pressed together. He bore down on me, and I stared up at him, working to lessen his hold.
And then he released me. In the suddenness, I stumbled, but caught myself almost instantly.
“I won’t break,” I called to him.
“I know,” he replied, circling. I matched him, looking for any signof weakness. “But I might.” With that cryptic remark, he spun in again, a flurry of motions.
My sword went flying, and he instantly lowered his. But I wasn’t done. I flung out my hand and summoned my fire channelblade. Twin gasps came from Finn and Freya, but approval was the only thing in Griff’s eyes.
We circled again, and with a flash of movement, he darted in. My channelblade met his metal one. Sparks flew. But as strong as he was, my fire channel was just as strong, and for once, we were more evenly matched.
“Excellent, Princess.” I saw satisfaction and pride, and something deeper that made my heart stammer.
Dismissing my fire sword, I held out my hand and the practice sword flew back into it.
He grinned again, and we got back to it.
