He flashed me an astonished smile as he deepened the move with more control than he had before. “Miss Archer, do you enjoy fighting?”
I ruffled the hair near his ear, noting the ache in my chest as my fingers sifted through the soft strands. I sighed. “No, Jacob. I don’t enjoy fighting. I enjoy winning.”
Before he could react to my statement, I hooked my ankle around his and jerked him off-balance. The grip on his saber loosened, and I swung my arm out to snatch it from his hand. Lowering into a fighting stance, I grinned at his wide-eyed expression.
His mouth parted in an awed circle. “You have to teach me that move, Miss Archer.”
I returned the saber and shrugged. “To be honest, it’s not so much the move that makes overcoming your opponent possible; it’s recognizing the other person’s lack of faith in your ability. Had you known, you might have had your guard up. Never let your opponent take you by surprise.” I wagged my finger. “But better yet, always assume everyone is an opponent.”
We both jumped as Bowen threw back his head and laughed. The booming sound echoed through the dome, and Jacob’s eyes grew wider than when I disarmed him.
“Now you’ve done it, Miss Archer. You’ve really done it.”
“Done what?” My voice sounded strained as Bowen stopped laughing and stalked closer, prowling to the center of the mat. The heat from his gaze could have melted the frost on the glass.
Jacob thrust the saber back into my hand. “You’ve amused the beast.”
Chapter 9
Bowen
Very little surprised me anymore. People acted according to predetermined notions, and I prided myself on always being one step ahead. It was one of the things that made me a great treasure hunter: I’d honed the ability to know when someone was leading me down the wrong path. But Liana was a puzzle I’d only started to solve.
The tiniest curve of her lips alerted me to her true intentions. It would have been easy to miss, and I wasn’t sure any good would come from watching her so closely. Not that I had much of a choice. She owned the room. The brightest thing in a room full of sunshine.
Selecting a matching saber from the training rack, I weighed it in my hands. A thrill of anticipation shot through me as I stepped onto the mat. Jacob scurried out of my path. He sank onto the viewing bench and stuffed a cookie into his mouth, watching with rapt attention. Brutus settled beneath him, catching the crumbs as they fell.
I raised the tip of the saber in a challenge, my brow arched. “And this morning, you called me bloodthirsty.”
A flush painted her cheeks. “You admitted it freely.”
“I would have admitted it sooner if I’d known you felt the same way.” The corner of my mouth twitched. “Be straight with me, Liana. You enjoy letting people read you the wrong way. You use it to your advantage.”
Her eyes flared as I paced closer. She bit the side of her lip, worrying it between her teeth. Indecision lasted only a moment before she lifted her blade in response. The tip pressed against my jacket. If I took another step, it would meet my heart. The steadiness of her grip should have alarmed me, but it only made me want to move closer and put her to the test.
“You do the same thing,” she countered.
“Do I? Then what am I leading you to believe right now?”
She narrowed her gaze. “You’re leading me to believe I have the upper hand in this situation.”
“You don’t think you do? There’s a blade ruining my jacket that says otherwise.”
“But you’re not nervous. You’re still moving closer.” She stepped back on her heel to keep from lodging the saber in my rib cage when I did exactly that.
I laughed softly. “What’s one more scar when you already have so many?”
“Stop deflecting! You’re trying to distract me.”
“Is it working?”
“No.” She scoffed and angled her head up a notch.
“Then how come you’re about to run into that glass case?”
A crease marred her brow as she reached behind her with her empty hand. There was no glass case, but the action made her lose focus just enough that her saber dipped. I took advantage, darting forward in an attack.
Quick to recover, she parried the blow, and steel struck steel. She rolled her wrist and advanced, thrusting her blade at an angle. I evaded the move, grinning wide as our blades met again. The clash echoed through the dome.
