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I took it from him, and he stood next to me, showing me how to parry an attack. He made me swing upward over and over again until I got sick of it. The fabric was thin and already tearing.
My right arm was growing tired, and we’d only been at it for ten minutes. I was about to ask for a break when Bleddyn stepped behind me and placed his left hand on my middle.
Pulling me against him, he whispered into my ear, “Let me help you. Spread your legs so you have a solid stance.”
Oh boy. His words took on a different meaning in my besotted mind. The shiver running down my spine intensified as his thighs pushed against mine, forcing them apart. I suppressed a groan at the way he manhandled me so expertly.
When he was happy with my position, he used his other hand to pose me like an action figure. “Stay upright with soft knees. Keep your chest above your hips. Just like this.”
He reached across my body, pulling my shoulders back. Moving both hands down the side of my ribcage, his thumbs brushed against my nipples. The stimulation through the rough fabric brought them to attention, and I pressed my lips together to stop an embarrassing moan. His juniper scent surrounded me, and if he’d asked me to drop my pants right there and then, I would have without hesitation.
Instead, he straightened my hips, and then brought his hands back up to position my arms. My head was swimming, and when he stepped back, I would have fallen over if he hadn’t given me a gentle shove forward until I found my feet again.
The bastard knew exactly what he was doing. His face gave nothing away, his expression motionless and calm, whereas my panties were soaked. But then he spoke, giving himself away.
Because his voice was raspy, and when he thought I wasn’t looking, he adjusted the front of his pants.
Chapter fourteen
OnceBleddynwassatisfiedwith the way I blocked imaginary strikes, we moved on to the next skill.
“Hold your sword tighter, but not too tight.”
It wasn’t easy without a proper handle on the wood. Splinters pierced my fingers through the fraying fabric. I grit my teeth until a big one drew blood. I yelped and dropped the practice sword.
Bleddyn took my hand and examined it. “You have soft, easily damaged skin. We need to get you gloves before we continue our lessons. I shall send for some, and we will do more this evening.”
Without letting go, he led me back inside, and Olwen gently washed the tiny wound. Then she placed an ointment on it, smiling at me. “You will be fine, milady.”
“I know,” I said, embarrassed about the fuss she was making over a scratch. Then I remembered my manners. “Thank you. I very much appreciate your help.”
Bleddyn had disappeared, and I was on my own with Olwen. She still held my hand, staring at my face again. It was like she was psyching herself up to tell me something she was reluctant to share. So I fought the compulsion to pull my fingers back and waited for her to speak.
She rubbed my skin one last time before letting go. Then she said, “Before I bought this tavern, I was the royal midwife. It was my greatest joy and pleasure, but also my greatest failure when Prince Prys and his sister were born. Their mother, Princess Arwen, died despite my best efforts, the Mother Goddess bless her soul. Her body could not survive after giving birth to the twins.”
I listened politely, but a small seed of foreboding grew in the pit of my stomach. The woman sat pensively until I asked, “What happened to the twins?”
She seemed lost in thoughts, contemplating the table surface between her hands. “They grew up as the best of friends. Yet everything changed when they came of age. Princess Arwen was the older of the two by three minutes, and therefore the heir to the kingdom. But things could have turned out differently if it had not been for the falling out.”
My ears perked up. “What falling out?”
“Princess Arwen fell in love with a mortal, a human. Her father would not allow the liaison, and Prince Prys took his father’s side. It still could have been cleared up, but then one day, the princess disappeared.”
I sat up straighter, sure that the story somehow concerned me and my family. The former midwife held my gaze with her quicksilver eyes and said with finality, “She was never seen again. She has entered the annals of our people as the Lost Princess. There are few who remember her life, but I do. And you, young half-Fae,youare the spitting image of her.”
She took a deep breath while I waited on tenterhooks. “I believe you to be the daughter of our lost princess and the granddaughter of King Rhys.”
That was not what I’d expected. My mouth dropped open and my eyebrows shot up. Was she serious? Early on at the Academy, I would have laughed and brushed away the story as nonsense. But then I’d learned my mother had concealed my Fae heritage for all of my life.
And then there was my father’s death. There were so many hints and clues that something wasn’t right with my family, but it had never occurred to me I might be in line to the Faerie throne.
I shook my head violently, overwhelmed by the fanciful thoughts. No, there was no way I could be a princess. The whole thing was insane.
The older woman regarded me intensely as I struggled with my inner turmoil. She placed her hand on mine and said softly, “I already sent a message to Prince Prys. If you went to the royal court, you would not get an audition for months. But the prince holds me fondly in his memories, and he will meet you here tomorrow.”
***
BLEDDYN
