Page 57 of Thief of Hearts

“Submit,” I said through clenched teeth. I didn’t have long. I kept twisting his foot, making it worse.

Five, ten, twenty seconds later, he finally reached out and patted the ground three times, indicating that he submitted.

I let go of him and fell back. The stadium shouted their approval. The healers were there, turning me on my side, moving my tunic out of the way.

The last thing I saw before I passed out was Zain’s concerned face.

His face was also the first thing I saw when I woke up later.

I was in his bed and he was lying next to me. I looked over and saw that Dagger was sprawled in my cot, having usurped the entire thing.

“How are you feeling?” Zain asked quietly, causing my heartbeat to quicken. I hadn’t realized he was awake.

“Better,” I said. “How did I get in my night tunic?”

“Do you really think that I would pass up the opportunity to see you naked again?” At my expression, he laughed and said, “The healers changed it after they cleaned you up. I wasn’t even in the room.”

Being this close to him, lying in his bed . . . I found that I wouldn’t have cared if he had done it.

“Is Erebus still alive?” I asked.

“For now. That was a cowardly move. Completely dishonorable.”

I raised both of my eyebrows. “I thought you said the point of the fight was to win no matter what. That honor didn’t play a part.”

“That applies to me, not you.” Before I could point out how illogical he was being, he continued. “Erebus is on my list, along with that Lemnian. But unfortunately, I’m still a competitor and I can’t kill the people who very much deserve to die.”

Again I found my chest warming at the idea that he wanted to protect me. No one had ever wanted to protect me. I’d always been on my own.

“I’ve been wondering something since the fight,” he said softly, as if he’d managed to calm himself down. “How did the Lemnian stab you? I’ve seen you move. You should have been able to anticipate the attack.”

I was too tired to construct a wall that would keep him out. “I was thinking about you.”

He inhaled a sharp breath and I watched the different expressions as they crossed his face. “And I was a distraction. I don’t want to be a distraction for you.”

It didn’t matter if he wanted it or not—it was happening. I was certain it would happen again.

“Is that why you’ve been fighting what exists between us?” he asked.

Zain was being very blunt. “Why? Were you planning on trying to talk me out of it?”

“No, I just want to understand.”

And even though I knew he was a liar, I believed him.

He added, “I am not a novice, and while I don’t wish to sound arrogant, I know when a woman wants me.”

Of course he knew I wanted him. How could he not? I hadn’t done a very good job of hiding it.

Earlier today I had lightheartedly accused him of not being up-front as a Thracian or Daemonian would.

It would make me a hypocrite if I were to avoid being up-front with him now. I would give him the complete truth. “You are different than other men I’ve been with. Before it was all very straightforward and there were no games.”

“I’m not playing games with you, illora. Other than the official ones we’re competing in for the tournament.” He somehow managed to edge closer, his leg very nearly touching mine. My heart sped up at the thought that he might be naked under that blanket. “You’re not used to men saying nice things to you. Complimenting you.”

“No.”

He studied me in the moonlight, his dark eyes glittering. “What else?”