Page 38 of Anywhere

“Gee, you don’t say. Thanks for pointing out the obvious,” I grumbled.

I didn’t bother to tell her that my father had tried to make me go to class to learn, but I’d refused to do anything and had sat in the corner, not participating. In hindsight, that may not have been such a wise decision.

“Training will be every morning until you get better,” she said.

“Thanks, but I’d rather take my chances than get beaten by your twig again,” I said.

Mari whipped out her knife and flicked it between my legs. It sunk to its hilt in the ground.

“Oh, fuck!” My eyes went wide as I took in the hairsbreadth of space between the sharp blade and my cock, which had tried to shrivel up and hide.

I tried to shuffle away, but she was quick. The canne in her hand was suddenly pressed under my chin. I flinched.

“Consider this your last warning. You speak to me like that again, and next time, I won’t miss. When it comes to training, I’m in charge, and what I say goes until I say otherwise. Tomorrow at seven, you meet me out here, or I’ll come in and get you.” She slipped the cane from my chin, spun it in her hands, then bent over and grabbed her blade.

Squatting, she pointed the blade at me. There was this brief—terrifying—moment when her eyes locked with mine, and I truly thought she had changed her mind and was going to cut me up, regardless.

“You have talent, but you’ve never bothered to learn. Not bothering to learn makes you weak. Weak in this life is not an option. You will be training with me every day for three hours until you’re not a fuckin’ danger to everyone around you. So get used to the welts, learn to love ‘em until you can block the blows. Once you’re done with me, Rhys will take over your training to teach you the sword. This is non-negotiable.”

She stood in a fluid motion. “I will not allow you to put Rhys’s life in danger because he will do whatever he needs to in order to protect you. As noble as that sounds, it is better if you can protect each other. Yes?”

“Yes, you’re right,” I said.

Mari turned and marched away.

Groaning, I pushed myself up to my feet. “Well, that was one ass-kicking. Might as well go get my second round in before the day is over,” I mumbled, rolling out my shoulders.

Picking up my canne, I placed it on the rack and limped across the lawn towards where Gregory said Rhys liked to go. Cresting the small rise that led down to the water’s edge, I stopped to take in the beauty. Sunsets and shimmering water had never been things I’d cared about, yet I couldn’t stop staring. The magic and history of this place reached inside me and made me want to do things I’d never thought about before. Things I’d always taken for granted.

I scanned the entire area, looking for Rhys. I was just about to turn away when a glint in the sunlight caught my attention. Off to the right, so far away that I could barely make him out, I spotted Rhys on a dock. I was completely mesmerized and found myself walking toward him without giving it a second thought.

He’d taken his shirt off and worked with the sword I’d seen him use last night. He looked like he was performing a deadly dance as he moved along the wooden structure. The sharp blade arced through the air. The sun caught the metal and caused it to shimmer like a beacon. There was a sheen of sweat on his body, and his face was tight with concentration.

No matter how we had come to be, there was no denying that the old me—the one before the pairing ritual—would still be drooling for a taste. I didn’t need a connection to appreciate the sight before me.

Rhy’s every movement showed the sheer strength of his fit body. Muscles flexed in his forearms, in each cut line of his abdomen, and the tapered Adonis V that disappeared beneath the black kilt. The tattoos lining his sides, arms, and shoulders, the chain around his neck, and the leather cuff at his wrist, added to the look. He was dangerous. That’s what my mind and power told me.

And I wanted every inch of him.

I wanted to lick the sweat from his body as I fucked him hard. I wanted to see how much he could take and when he would scream, it was too much. He would never yield. Submit yes, but yield no, and that made me shiver as the image of Rhys tied up while I pounded into him flashed before my eyes.

Heat flooded my body, and the emotions I’d been bottling reared their head again. I cleared my throat, and Rhys’s eyes flicked in my direction, but he never stopped moving. I couldn’t turn away, and my eyes landed on the mark I’d made on the side of his neck. The dark, purplish beacon that told everyone he was mine.

“If ya got somethin’ ta say, den git on wit it,” he said.

My initial reaction was to be bristly back, but I reined it in. I’d already mouthed off more than my fair share today, and it had almost cost me my dick.

“I didn’t sleep with Liam, and he didn’t give me a blow job or anything else,” I said.

I considered it a win when Rhys stopped moving and placed the tip of the blade on the dock to lean on the handle. He was breathing heavily, his glorious chest rising and falling, and I had to force myself to keep my eyes on his face.

“Ya mind explain’ what that was ‘bout in that kitchen, den?”

Smart or not, I stepped onto the narrow dock and made my way towards Rhys. With every step, the connection grew until I was breathing just as heavily from the sheer willpower it took not to reach out and touch him.

“I…” I ran my hand through my hair and crossed my arms over my chest. “I was jealous,” I hated that I had to admit it.

“Aye, for what?”