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But I would lose the battle against the barriers that kept me and Ren apart.
20
The next morning, I walked into the arena to train, and Ren stood there waiting for me. He wore training clothes. His leathers were casual and embroidered with gold thread—without the gems and jewels that he wore on his royal robes when he had to meet with advisors and pass laws. He looked…normal.
“Morning,” I said.
“Good morning. Are you ready to train?”
I nodded, but I didn’t feel ready at all.
“Let’s warm up,” he said.
He put me through a bunch of drills, but where Dex had stood on the sidelines, barking orders, Ren warmed up with me.
“You’re training, too,” I said after we’d done half an hour of intense cardio to warm up. We stood at the side of the arena, drinking water, breathing hard.
“I don’t let my warriors do anything I won’t do myself. Some kings believe their armies are there to fightforthem. They watch from a safe distance. I believe that if I’m asking my warriors to sacrifice their lives for something, I better be willing to do it, too. If I won’t do something, how can I expect them to do it?”
I didn’t know what to say. The more I got to know Ren, the more I liked him. He was a decent male.
Noble.
Off limits.
Damn it, Ellie, he is off limits!
“Come, let’s get started,” he said, putting his bottle down. He walked to the center of the arena.
“We’re doing hand-to-hand today,” he said.
He took a step forward so that our bodies were almost pushed against each other, and his closeness made me feel dizzy. We’d both trained hard and were already sweating, but the scent of his sweat, mixed with the spices of his cologne, was intoxicating.
I sank into a battle stance automatically. I’d done this often enough that even when I wasn’t thinking clearly, my body knew what to do. Thank the Goddess, or I was going to look like an idiot.
“Are you ready?” Ren asked.
I nodded. He hit me so fast, I didn’t see him move until after the impact. I let out a sharp breath at the pain that blossomed on my arm.
“You’re not ready,” he said. “You need to focus.”
He was right. I wasn’t ready. I couldn’t afford what I felt for Ren to affect my fighting skills. Shit like that could get me killed.
“Ready?” he repeated.
This time, when he hit me, I blocked the blow and countered, getting a hit on his ribs.
I winced. I’d just hit the King, but Ren laughed.
“That’s better.” He stepped closer again.
This time, I tried to ignore the heat between us when he was so close to me. I tried to forget about the scent in my nostrils that turned me on, making my body flush with heat. I focused on his movements—fluid and battle-hardened. I tried to predict where he was going, so I could counter him.
Ren’s face changed when we fought. Delight filled his eyes, and he loved to be active, loved to move.
And he was damn good at it, too.
His eyes were drowning deep when they locked on mine, and I had to push myself to focus on what he was doing. He threw light spells at me, and I blocked his magic easily. He was taking it easy on me. He was far more powerful than the meager blows he sent my way, but I wouldn’t have been able to fight him if he’d used his full strength on me.
