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Chapter1
Being in Faerie was proving more dangerous to my health by the day.
And that was without taking into account the whole letting-the-crown-prince-drink-my-blood part.
My right foot slid a fraction of an inch back as my sword arm trembled under the pressure of the blade it kept from slicing into my arm.
“Mmph.” A grunt escaped my pursed lips against my will.
The prince of the Unseelie was inches from my face and had the audacity to grin down at me. “When will you admit defeat, Cora?”
Any other time in my life, a sexy grin complete with a damn dimple on the face of a pretty boy would have had me begging for a reason to fight the smile off of them. And yet right now, I wanted to drop my sword and do everything but fight.
Prince Noah’s grin widened and my sword shifted back as my wrist gave way.
“Cora!” Captain Aron Coltrain’s voice reverberated off the walls around us despite the training room being filled with other warriors. “That form will get you killed if you can’t find a way to be steady.”
I nodded once, trying not to flinch from being called out with so many others around. Especially since being the prince’s feeder already brought attention to me I didn’t want. Well, that and the fact that I’d almost been beheaded publicly in the courtyard a few short months ago before single-handedly fighting a Seelie spy and a fire-breathing dragon on the roof of the palace and protecting the royal family.
All in my first few months in Faerie.
I ran my hand over my neck, swinging my sword in a circle and facing Noah again.
“Your Majesty,” I said, waiting for him to join me at the ready.
Noah chuckled while raising his own weapon. “A glutton for punishment.”
He lunged, quickly but not quickly enough to catch me off guard. I blocked his attack and spun, whirling closer to him and pinning his blade to the floor.
“That’s better, Cora,” Captain Coltrain called out as he passed Noah and me.
He was finally heading off to watch the others, and my body relaxed at the notion that we’d be able to have a few moments without being critiqued and watched so closely.
“Even the captain knows your time beating me is drawing to a close.”
Noah unlatched his sword with speed that outmatched me thanks to being a fae.
I faked an exaggerated gasp. “Cheating against a human.”
His laughter rang out, chiming along with the clangs of our swords as we sparred, moving harder and faster as we circled each other, each lunging for an attack before the other could recover from the previous engagement.
Noah twisted, this time pulling my back into his chest as he trapped me with his free arm. “The only reason you’re not on your back on the mats at the moment is because I try to encourage you just enough so that you won’t give up.” His lowered voice tickled the nape of my neck, and instead of tensing for a fight, my body sank into his, totally melting against his strong and steady frame.
No, Cora.
I squeezed my eyes together tightly before inhaling quickly and ducking away from Noah. He had been distracted as well, otherwise I wouldn’t have escaped his grasp so easily.
“I’m better than you let on.” I winked and attacked once more, bringing my sword above my head as Noah blocked hit after hit.
He grunted when my last strike was closer to his body than I normally came. “Truce for now. Let’s go over base steps. Slow. You could use the practice.”
I curled my lip at the teasing jab but nodded. My muscles were already aching and we still had enough time left in training that if we continued at the pace we were going, Noah wouldn’t need to pin me to the mat in a fight—I’d fall there myself.
We circled slowly, walking through attack and defend motions with each other. The training exercise was the first thing I’d learned from the captain; it was a series of motions we’d assembled over time. The combination of swinging my sword through the air and aiming offensive blows, along with retreating and defensive measures was supposed to come naturally. I struggled with some of the footwork, and so most of the time, the captain spent over an hour having me do the mini routine.
“Was the other week difficult for you?”
The question caught me off guard. Noah and I saw each other every day, so for him to inquire about something during training that was in the past was unexpected.
