She took a deep breath as his gaze lowered to her breasts.Her black sports bra showed her ample size to the best advantage.It was the distraction she needed.
Lashing out with her left leg, she swept Talik off his feet.He hit the ground with a thud.It shouldn’t have been so enjoyable to watch, but she was petty.
Talik looked surprised for a second before he gracefully jumped to his feet.He wiped off specks of rubber from the gym mat and smirked.“Kiki, you only had to ask if I wanted to play.”
“I already told you not to call me that stupid nickname,” Khalida said between clenched teeth.She forced the fury down and made her way to another punching bag.“For the record, I do not want to play.”
“Pity.”
She stopped as she slowly turned, her fists clenched beside her.He was trying to bait her, and in most cases, she would have walked away.Right now, the urge to commit some form of violence was rushing through her.And she’d never walked from a challenge given by Talik.“Three rounds.No weapons.”
Talik raised an eyebrow and looked around the empty gym.“There isn’t anyone to adjudicate.”
“Should I be worried about you fighting dirty?Has it been a while?”
He laughed.The sound sent an alarming wave of warmth through her.
“Want to place a friendly wager?”Talik asked.
“We aren’t friends.”
What she really wanted to do was wipe that smile off Talik’s face.And if it meant beating him in a fight, that was perfectly fine with her.She looked at him, eyeing him as an opponent.He hadn’t lost his muscular physique and was clearly still quick on his feet.Their recent brutal encounter with the wayfarers had reminded her how ferocious on the battlefield he could be.
She’d beaten him before.Numerous times.Over the centuries, she had honed her skills to a level few Atlanteans could equal, and there was no reason to go easy on him.He was bigger than her, but she was faster and more agile.
“Do you need a break?”Talik looked her over.“You look exhausted.And I wouldn’t want to be accused of cheating.”
Khalida forced herself to smile.Talik was as cocky as ever.That part of him hadn’t changed.“It’s called a warm-up.”
She walked toward the dark-gray mats and motioned for him to follow her.A large white square outlined the boundary of the dojo.The outer area of the gym was full of equipment, but the center was predominantly used for sparring.
“Do you remember the rules?”
“It hasn’t been that long,” Talik dryly replied.
It had been centuries.But that didn’t slow down the onslaught of memories, some tinged with happiness, that rose to the forefront.She instantly shut it down.After Rome, the hunt for the Anki could continue without them both being on the same continent.
“I changed my mind,” Khalida said.“About the wager.”
“I’m listening.”
“Once we finish this mission, we never see each other again,” Khalida said.The words came out neutral, but underneath, if Talik cared to pay attention, her heart was racing, and it had nothing to do with her workout.She would have loved to have demanded they not work together, but she didn’t want to go against the vision of a seer, even if she didn’t entirely trust them.
“You aren’t asking for much,” Talik slowly responded.“Never is a long time, since our lifespans are connected.”
She didn’t need to be reminded.“Minor detail.”
“And if I win.”Talik paused.Letting the silence between them draw out unnaturally.“I own three months of your life.”
Khalida didn’t like the sound of that.“Three months to do what?”
Talik smiled.“You will have to wait and see.Deal?”
She crossed her arms across her chest.“And the reconnaissance, are you willing to go against Sypha’s vision?”
She stepped back on her heels.It didn’t matter what he would do with the three months.She was going to wipe the floor with him and happily watch him limp out of the gym and out of her life.Forever.
Talik didn’t move.He was a gambler, but he wouldn’t go against Sypha’s visions, likely for the same reason as her.He just needed to be reminded why they had to work together.
