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“It’s another tip. You’re tensing up. You should be calm in a fight, even if someone’s criticizing you or purposely riling you up. Don’t show weakness even if they’re yelling in your face.”
“Are you criticizing me for real or purposely riling me up?”
“Both. The goal is not to get riled up. How about you ready the vial in your hand if you want to use your potion? There’s a trick I know to hide it the whole time.”
At her agreement, he went to retrieve some cloth and ripped a strip to wrap around her wrist to her elbow. With a few knots, he showed her how to store vials inside and guided her through the process.
“I used to hide weapons inside my scales when my fire wasn’t enough. It’s a good way to catch others off guard.”
“You? I can’t imagine your fire not being enough.”
“Some enemies are immune to fire,” he said. “Others have defenses ready against it. But they don’t know about the hidden weapons. Here.”
He took a couple of vials from her pockets and inserted them around her arm, patting them closed. He stood behind her and lifted her elbow once more, sensing when she adjusted and eventually became attuned to her new position. Sapphire was quiet, absorbed in her task, her body lines taut and ready.
“I’ll set up a mark. Hit it before it disappears.”
He whispered it against her ear, another purposeful distraction. Her jaw quirked, but she was otherwise still, waiting with bated breath. When her shoulders relaxed, he flicked his wrist and let a piece of rock fly, its speed so fast that it was nothing but a blur before them. But her gaze followed the movement, and her hands were already dancing to match that speed.
He placed his hands on her waist, willing it not to twist. “Steady. Hold your position.”
Her punch flew, vibrating harder as it hit the center of the rock before her enhanced magic did its job and blew it to smithereens. He flicked his wrist again until a second rock hurtled her way, but she was ready. She held her other hand out and caught it mid-air, then sent it rocketing toward the sky. Her elbow trembled slightly and her breath heaved, but the rest of her body didn’t move at all.
“That was my hardest punch yet,” she exclaimed. “My fastest too.”
He smirked when he noted the delight in her voice, so raw and open. The smirk vanished when her scent drifted in his nostrils, that familiar feminine musk and magic combining to form the hottest, most sensual essence there was. Coupled with her erratic breathing, it did things to his insides, then to his outside, and soon his erection was pushing painfully against his trousers.
Klaus gritted his teeth at the forceful wash of desire, his hands burning on her waist. Carefully, he removed them before he could haul her over his shoulder and carry her like a caveman.
“That’s great. Now, all you need to do is to maintain that position and you’re good to go. Even when you’re sitting down or lying down, whatever position they send you to…”
“Elbow in line with shoulder,” she finished, then frowned at his continuous retreat. “Where are you going?”
“I just remembered some things. I’ll leave you to your practice.”
It was the cowardly way out, but he supposed it was better than explaining that her scent alone was enough to turn him on like a mindless brute. He continued his retreat until he was in his cave, where his shaft blew up in full force, jutting out to mock him.
“Not touching you,” he muttered, then stalked toward his workstation dragging pieces of melted gold and gemstones. The anvil took every pounding he slammed down for the rest of the hours, oblivious to the frustration he was trying to remove from his system. When his fingers itched from time to time to wrap around his insistent cock, he hit harder, flattening the gold into ruin, and picking up another piece.
Eventually, he managed to wrangle control back in and used his hammer more carefully, shaping the chains around the blue gemstone before they hardened. Sweat poured down his back and the sounds he made with his tools gave him a sense of comfort, but it was the way the necklace was coming to life that satisfied him the most. When he was done, he hung it on a post beside the anvil and stepped back to admire his handiwork.
“That looks so nice.”
He would have jumped if he was a jumpy man. Instead, he whirled and gaped at Sapphire, who was eyeing the necklace in awe.
“How are you doing that?” he demanded. “Most people can’t sneak up on me.”
With a small smile, she held up her glowing fingers. “I’ve been making sounds around you and figuring out which ones you ignored the most since I arrived in Oslo. It was difficult with your sharpened senses, but it works when you’re distracted. I can see why you’re distracted, though.”
She passed by him to peer more closely at the necklace, taking in every detail with utmost concentration. She whistled low in her throat, then instinctively reached out before she stopped.
“You can touch it,” he found himself saying…demanding, even.
Her fingers touched the chain, then cruised down the pendant that winked at her. He bit back a sound when the simple action sent a glimmer of heat straight down his belly, tightening his gut—as if she was touching him directly.
“Beautiful,” she murmured. “When you said you made the gift pieces, it was hard to believe. But I see it now. You don’t do simple. Your chains are intricate and complicated just like you.”
He watched her quietly, unable to tear his gaze off to look at some damn gemstone. How had he ever thought she was plain when she was the most beautiful creature that he had ever laid his eyes on? She was even more beautiful when she glowed just like this, her appreciation over the simplest things trumping everything else.
