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Zared stepped back from his opponent. He glanced over to us and caught me watching. He smiled and nodded.
The distraction was all Vayne needed. He leapt to his feet and swung his staff again, sweeping Zared's legs out from under him.
It was Zared's turn to land in the dust. Vayne pushed him onto his back, pressed his staff across Zared's chest and straddled his legs.
"Never let yourself get distracted by a pretty face," Vayne said. "If this was a real fight, you'd be dead."
"If this was a real fight, there wouldn't be a group of women watching," Zared pointed out.
"That depends on the circumstances," Vayne said with a grunt. He pressed the staff down harder, then rolled off Zared and onto his feet. "That's enough for one day. Get cleaned up. You're on guard duty."
Zared rose and glanced towards me. He looked like he might argue, but Vayne gave him a look, like they'd had this conversation before.
"Yes, sir," Zared said eventually. He smiled at me before he disappeared into a wide building, presumably the guard quarters.
"If you want to share a meal some time, you can find me in the palace library." Illaria nodded before she slipped away with the crowds.
The word library piqued my interest. I figured there must be one, but I hadn't seen it yet.
I was about to leave too when Vayne came and rested his forearms on the fence in front of me.
"It sounds like you've made some friends," he remarked.
I tried not to stare too much at his glistening torso. He was as prickly as they came, but with sweat gleaming in every groove of his chest and abs…
I swallowed.
"One or two," I agreed, my voice slightly squeakier than usual. "A few of the people here have been hospitable." I didn't even attempt to hide the double meaning. He wasn't one of them.
"Tavian in particular," he said, ignoring my dig. "He and his cock seem to enjoy spending time with you."
"I like spending time with him and his cock." I wasn't going to apologise for that, not to him or anyone else.
"I'm sure you do," he said, his tone and eyes dark. "You seem the type to enjoy being told to shut the fuck up and spread your legs like a good little human."
I didn't know if I should laugh or punch him in the face.
Instead of doing either of those things, I said, "You seem familiar with that type. Fucked a lot of humans, have you?"
He curled his lip at me. "No, are you offering?"
I snorted. "You wouldn't know what to do with me."
"Only because my standards are higher than to stick my cock into someone like you."
"And by that you mean a human?" Punching him in the face seemed more and more plausible by the minute. "What is your problem with us anyway?"
I was almost eyes to chin with him, only the fence between us. "You look at me like I'm some kind of vermin."
"Aren't you?" he threw back at me. "You want to prove yourself? Come in here and work off some of that anger with me." He scooped up both staffs from where they lay discarded on the ground. "Show me you have some spine. Zared has, can you?"
I couldn't see a gate, so I climbed up the fence and dropped down the other side, my boots kicking up dust as I landed.
I snatched the staff from him, gripped it in two hands and swung it at his head. For a second I thought it was going to connect, but he ducked at the last moment and danced back.
"That the best you've got?" he taunted.
"I thought Fae fought with bows and swords. What's up with the stick?" I swung it around in the air a few times, getting a feel for it.
