“Good girl,” he praises, since I can still focus in suchdifficultmoments. Though his words make things a hundred times harder... and that only ends up with him beinghard.
*****
By the final day, my leg supports my weight without any problem. The training sessions have grown more intense, but shorter, aiming to improve my movements rather than exhaust me. By now, Ares and I move together with a dangerous synchronization.
“You're as ready as can be,” he says when our final sparring match ends in a draw. That’s the closest I’ve come to beating him.
I wipe my brow, still refusing to accept how much I need his approval. “I was ready before I started this training.”
He smiles, seeing right through my pretense. “Were you?” he asks, his fingers brushing against the scar on my healing leg. “This says otherwise.”
“That was an accident,” I hiss, holding my ground.
“An accident that saved your life.” His eyes look onto mine. “Don’t go there,” he warns, just like every time I bring up what happened in Kharon. The way he broke all of his rules to protect me.
I never saidthank youfor that. Deep down, I know I’m too proud and too stubborn to do it. ButI amgrateful for it.
“Let’s grab something to eat, I’m starving,” I smile, moving the conversation into a whole new direction.
Ares seems to approve. “Yeah, you’re not the best version of yourself when you’re hungry,” he taunts. “Let’s go. Tomorrow we play.”
seventeen
-Brynn-
I don’t usually wear gowns, but this feels like a second skin. Mainly, because you can see everything through it.
I study my reflection in the mirror, observing how the designer has incorporated flesh-colored mesh in strategic places, creating an illusion of exposed skin while concealing the scars I got at the asylum.
The black material catches the light as I turn, revealing hints of gold thread woven throughout the fabric. Not what I would usually wear, but I don’t mind having all eyes on me tonight, especially since this is a game that can be played in many ways.
The three weeks of forced recovery have made me restless, hungry for action, for blood. Tonight, I finally get my share.
The door opens without a knock, and Ares’ large figure fills the frame, changing the air pressure in the room in an instant.
"You'll do," he says, trying to look uninterested, but his eyes betray him.
I grab a pillow from an armchair and throw it at him.
Of course, he catches it before it gets to do any damage. His lips curl into a devious smile as his gaze travels the length of mybody, lingering on the places where the dress is bound in see-through fabric.
I must admit, he doesn’t look half-bad himself. He wears a tuxedo that looks painted onto his frame, the black fabric emphasizing his wide shoulders. His hair is pulled back into a tight braid, exposing the sharp angles of his face. He’s both dangerous and beautiful, like something feral dressing up just for civilization, but without any real chance to tame the beast within.
Okay, I was lying earlier. He looks fucking amazing.
"Will I?" I lift my chin, smiling as if I’m trying to taunt him back, refusing to show how his scrutiny affects me.
"More than do," he murmurs against my ear. "You're exquisite. A perfect distraction."
My body responds like I’m not in control of it. My pulse is quickening, my skin is heating, but I try my best to look neutral. "Am I just a distraction to you?” I ask, well aware of what he’s actually saying. I just want to toy with him.
It’s working. Heat rises as he drops a hand to the small of my back, pulling me toward him. “I wouldn’t have risked everything just for a distraction, little curse,” he says, burying his nose against my neckline, where he leaves a trail of kisses that make my knees melt. “But you do need to be a distraction for everyone at the party.”
“I’m not the distraction. I'm the blade."
His laugh vibrates against my neck. "Tonight, you're both."
*****
