“Again, woman,” Simon’s voice broke in. “Obey me.”
Right, right, and when Maria glanced up, that was without question a smirk, curling cool and mocking across his lips. As if he’d knownexactlywhat she’d been thinking, the asshole, and truly, if he was giving her a chance to punch him in the neck, she should be taking full advantage of the opportunity.
So she stepped closer, and widened her stance, just as he’d instructed. Feeling for the floor, for the strength in her own torso — and then drew back her fist, and pummelled him straight in the throat.
The impact still felt like a hammer-blow, reeling down her outstretched arm, but she’d actually managed to hold herself in place this time. And the punch had felt stronger, too, and though Simon still hadn’t moved, something else had flicked across his watching eyes. Something almost like… approval?
“Better,” he said. “Again.”
Again. Maria didn’t hesitate this time, just shot out for his throat — and as she made impact, Simon actuallyblinked. Blinked, fromher punch. And for some inexplicable reason, she felt herself half-smiling at him, her brows rising, as if waiting for his comment, hisfavour…
“Good,” he said, sparking an undeniable swirl of warmth in her chest. “Again.”
Maria obeyed, willingly this time, earning another grunt of approval as her reward. And when Simon ordered her to aim for his belly next, and then to switch and use her other arm, she obeyed that too. Again and again and again, punching against this solid, infuriating orc with as much strength and speed as she could muster, until her brain was inexplicably, blissfully empty, and the rest of her was sore and hot and gasping, and dripping sweat all over.
“Enough, woman,” Simon said, easily catching her fist before her last punch made impact — and his eyes held to hers, brief,approving, before dropping down to her reddened, stinging knuckles. And then, to Maria’s astonishment, he raised her hand to his mouth… andlickedit. Trailing his slick black tongue over her raw, pulsing skin, lingering,tasting.
Maria stood very still and watched it,feltit, her chest still heaving from the exertion — and when Simon lowered the hand, and gestured for the other one, she immediately lifted it, her lashes fluttering at the feel of his hot tongue, seeking against hot skin with strange, heart-swarming purpose…
“Is this reward enough, woman?” he murmured, his breath skating over her knuckles. “Has the pain yet passed?”
Maria blinked at his eyes, at his slowly smirking mouth — and there was the distant, astonishing realization that her hands actuallydidn’thurt anymore, and that they even looked less raw than they had just moments before. And that the rest of her now felt very sore indeed, and what if this audacious orc were to use that tongue onallthose hungry places, and…
“We shall return to this,” Simon murmured, his lips still curling up — and in this dangling instant, Maria had no idea if he meant the punching, or the licking, or both. “Now rest. Regain your breath, and watch us. And drink the water we fetched you, ach?”
Herwater? He’d jerked his head toward the nearest raised steps, where Baldr was currently sitting next to a bulging waterskin. And Maria didn’t know whether to be pleased, or highly insulted — had Simon truly intended the water to be herreward? — as Baldr leapt down, and grinned at her with palpable approval.
“Nice mettle, Maria,” he said with a wink, as he walked past her, rolling out his shoulders. “Skai like that.”
Maria’s face flushed even hotter, and she rushed for the safety of the steps, where she grabbed for the waterskin, and yanked the stopper out. She did not care, she told herself, as she gulped the cool, refreshing liquid down her parched throat. She didn’t care about Simon’s stupid games, or his stupid rewards, and she surely didn’t care what he thought of hermettle. Did she?
But as she lowered the waterskin, her eyes settled almost instinctively back on Simon, who was now circling around Baldr with slow, prowling steps. He moved so lightly, so gracefully, his massive body loose and relaxed, his clawed hands hanging easy at his sides…
Baldr lunged for him with astonishing speed, his fist striking straight for Simon’s face — but somehow, impossibly, hemissed. Because Simon had slid only a half-step backwards, just out of Baldr’s reach — forcing Baldr to catch himself, shift his stance, before lunging in again. Aiming for Simon’s gut this time, surely too fast foranyoneto avoid —
But Simon somehow caught the punch with his hand, his leg kicking out behind Baldr’s — and in a flurry of movement, they crashed to the floor. Baldr wildly slamming his elbows into Simon’s belly, and aiming sharp kicks toward Simon’s groin, while Simon grunted and shifted, grasped Baldr’s arm, his grip snapping tight —
“Mercy,” Baldr croaked, kicking at Simon with his leg — and instantly Simon was off, away, on his feet. But also reaching down a hand, and drawing up Baldr after him.
“Again,” Simon said, as he stepped back, his body loose, his eyes warm. “And watch my legs, ach?”
Baldr nodded, breathing deep — and then once again lunged, driving hard and fierce for Simon’s form. And again, Simon avoided, evaded, waiting — until he tackled Baldr in a shocking display of brutal force, trapping him in a painful-looking headlock this time, while Baldr pounded out his defeat onto the floor.
“Better,” Simon said with a grunt, as he released Baldr’s neck, and rose back to his feet. “Again.”
It was the same way he’d spoken to Maria, the same pattern — and as she watched Baldr lunge back in, she realized it was the same restraint, too. The same… generosity. Simon was…teaching?
But yes, surely, he wasteaching. Because while Baldr was clearly a quick and powerful fighter, he was still visibly, vastly outmatched by Simon — a fact that Simon didn’t seem to care about in the slightest. Instead using his superior size and skill to test Baldr, to show Baldr his errors, to give him room to experiment and play and learn.
And in watching them, Maria found she was learning, too. Noticing how Baldr exclusively aimed for Simon’s face, throat, or groin. How Baldr kept his hands in fists, because the one time he didn’t, Simon took him down with a single yank on his fingers. How Baldr was far better off prolonging things on his feet, using his smaller size to weave in and out, because once they were on the ground, it was always only a matter of breaths before Simon was victorious.
It was truly engrossing, fixing Maria’s full attention to every attack and counter-attack, while the rest of the room melted away. And when something moved beside her, she actually yelped, and flinched sideways — only to discover that it wasDrafli. Lounging silent and unnerving on the step beside her, arms crossed, as though he’d been sitting there this entire time.
He was dressed today, at least, but his eyes were just as disdainful as every other time they’d met, narrowing dangerously on Maria’s face. And then he leapt up without a word, striding over toward where Simon had, once again, pinned Baldr to the floor beneath him.
Drafli didn’t speak as he approached them, but instead kicked his bare foot at Simon’s side, and reached down to drag Baldr up. An action that Baldr willingly accepted, though his flushed-red face didn’t quite look at Drafli, not even when Drafli flicked a clawed finger against his sweaty cheek.
“Still better each day,” Simon said to Baldr, with a heavy clap of his hand to his back. “Some day, I shall be the one calling foryourmercy.”
