AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“How will I ever learn anything if you won’t actually teach me?” she huffed.
My eyes went back to my book, making my boredom apparent. “Someone went and told my brother about our last lesson and now I’m not allowed to touch you. You’ll have to figure it out yourself.”
The sound of her steps retreating was accompanied by the disappearance of her hovering shadow. I flipped another page, sighed, and then returned to the start of the chapter. I had not digested a single word on these pages, too distracted by Emilie.
I tuned out the world around me and focused on the discolored pages, some of the letters fading from time. I had just read an interesting tidbit on the oversized bats with venomous fangs when a flash of metal whizzed by my ear.
There was a thud, followed by a lingering echo, and the din of the rest of the training field faded away. I pried my eyes from my book to find a small metal knife buried in the wooden wall behind me, no more than ten inches from my forehead.
I slammed my book shut as I stood from my chair. Counting my breaths to remain calm, I tugged at the blade and pulled it free from its resting place. Slowly, I turned to face Emilie.
“Are. You. Fucking. Insane?”
There was a mix of fury and regret in her eyes, battling to see which would win. I was curious to see as well. Which would it be, princess? Would her rage win out? Her bubbling contempt for me that was nearing its tipping point? Would she let go of that sweet façade?
Or would remorse prevail? I secretly hoped it wouldn’t. If she tried to apologize now, I’d likely be sick at the depths of her insincerity.
Own it, Emilie.
“I…I—” she stammered while I took a creeping step toward her.
Don’t start games you can’t finish, Emilie.
The closer I got, the more she seemed to shrink. I could practically feel a shudder roll through her body as I closed the space between us. Each deliberate step sparked excitement in my own veins. I felt the hairs on my neck stand straight as our eyes locked.
Towering above her, I watched her throat bob as she swallowed. I had to give her credit for at least not shying away. She stood her ground even when I invaded her personal space. A wave of floral and citrus hit my nostrils and my calculated steps faltered.
Emilie looked up at me through thick lashes and in an instant, I knew which one she would choose.
She seethed. Her only regret was that she’d missed her mark.
“Next time, it’ll be your heart. If one even exists under that armor of yours.”
My heart pounded in my chest, a foolish insistence that I did, in fact, have a heart. I didn’t know why it chose that moment to spring to life.
I made a pointed glare at the target beyond her, the one she’d missed repeatedly. “I highly doubt that,” I said in a low whisper.
She huffed, the warmth of her breath brushing across my neck. My stomach tightened. The tension between us was magnetic. Pushing and pulling me at the same time. Getting under her skin was a high unlike any other. I waited eagerly for her next move in this game we were playing. And maliciously plotted my turn in response.
Then something odd happened. Her fingers lightly grazed mine, the delicate touch throwing me off guard. Not at all what I’d expected. Before my brain had a chance to catch up, she wrapped her hand around my knife’s handle and tugged it from my grasp.
When she backed away, I regained my composure. I was an expert at guessing adversaries’ next moves, and yet I hadn’t been able to guess her complete shift in demeanor. I hated that it only made me more curious to see what she’d do next.
Emilie's shoulders relaxed, and the fire in her eyes simmered. She closed her eyes, and I counted to three before she opened them again. “Teach me,” she said, this time with more desperation, more of a plea.
It occurred to me that if she’d been any other person, I would’ve caved to her requests right then and there. If she’d been anyone else, I would’ve taught her from the beginning. But I couldn’t do it. Call it pride. Call it stubbornness. Whatever it was, I was certain that my initial assessment of her had been correct. She was a leech, a parasite, and the sooner we got rid of her, the better.
I ground my teeth as I considered the many women of Renoa that my brother could’ve chosen. Why had he chosen Emilie of all people? I stared at her with her untamed brown hair, hazel eyes, freckles sprinkled across her nose and cheeks, her pink lips—I wanted to believe that she was ordinary, nothing special. But even I had to admit, she had a rare natural beauty.
My jaw tensed, the realization sinking in that I would never be able to get rid of Emilie. We were in for a long journey, with her as the Queen of Osavian. The idea of submitting to her made me want to throw something.
A tray of knives stood to the side, practice blades with dull edges and tarnished handles. I grabbed the one closest to me, noticing a chip in the side, just below my thumb, which I traced with fascination.
I set my eyes on the furthest target, the smallest circle merely a speck. But as I concentrated, that small circle became clearer, almost like it was growing in size. When I pulled my arm back and flung the blade forward, I knew with absolute certainty that it would find its mark.
A dull thud rang out through the field as the blade lodged inside the small black circle.
Emilie inched closer to me, and when I turned, I noticed her features arranged in a look of awe and longing, her mouth parted slightly.
