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“Now, come on, princess. It’s time to train,” he ordered.
Eager to get started, I reached my hand out to him. A flicker of surprise crossed his face at my willingness. He took my outstretched hand and suddenly jerked me into his body. If I had been wearing heels, I probably would have broken my ankles trying to stay upright. But in my sneakers, I was able to skid to a halt, slamming into the hard wall of his body. I grunted at the impact.
In the second before we disappeared into the darkness, I saw him genuinely smile for the first time. It was a feline smirk that disappeared into the black until all I could see was the glow of his green pupils.
We dropped back onto the training area on the rooftop, and for once, he pulled away from me before I could pull away from him. I had been subconsciously leaning into his body, so that when he disappeared so suddenly, it was like a wall I was leaning against disappeared. I caught myself before I fell on my face.
“What the hell, Nik?” I barked, righting myself.
But any further words of chastisement died in my throat. He was several paces away from me, across the rooftop, but I saw the hard, predatory look in his eyes.
“Try to stop me with your magic,” he ordered.
He took menacing steps toward me. The floor beneath us quaked under his steps. When he reached me, he tsked in disappointment.
“Did you even try to stop me from getting this far?” he chastised.
“I don’t know how!” I replied in frustration. “Isn’t that what you’re supposed to be teaching me?”
“Helpless little princess, aren’t you?” he mocked.
His words stung, despite his seductive tone.
“You mean to tell me”—he purred darkly—“that there isnothingyou can do to stop me from doingthis,” he said. He ran the calloused palms of his hands down my arms. I stiffened, but the sensation caused a tingling at the nape of my neck and my hair to stand on end.
“What else can I do to you, princess? Maybe I’ll take you back down to my bedroom. Tie your hands over your head so high and tight that you have to stand on your toes,” he purred.
His mouth was hovering over the top of my shoulder, at the hollow where my shoulders met my neck.
“Nik, what the fuck?” I said, exasperated, pushing at him.
But he didn’t budge. He stood over me, his breath warm on my neck.
“Stop me, Alarie.Damn it!” he barked. “Fightmebefore you find yourself opposite someone who isn’t me. Or are you just going to spend your whole life waiting around for a Prince to save your ass?” he ridiculed.
There was anger in his words. And I felt the blood rushing to my veins, thudding to meet his anger. I wasn’t helpless. When Stefan had reached out for me, I had knocked him back so hard that he’d fallen on his ass halfway across the room. I’d like to see tough, gorgeous Nik sprawled on his ass.
He pulled at the ponytail I wore high on my head, forcing my eyes to his. His grip was firm.
“Push me away, princess.”
His hand in my hair tightened, the length of my ponytail now wrapped around his hand. The angry blaze in his eyes began to fade into disappointment as nothing happened. I didn’t want his pity.
I thought of being cornered by Cole in the hallway of the High Court and how I had to be saved by Jay. I thought of the lesser fae man’s hands wrapped around my mouth and how Nik had saved me. But then I thought of how I had felt when Stefan was cornering me, helpless, desperate to escape. And then the burst of satisfaction that I had felt to see him thrown against the wall, away from me.
Nik began to loosen his hand in my hair. He was giving up on me. But I could do this. I pictured Nik thrown on his ass, across the roof where he had started this exercise. I’d wipe that glint of amusement off his stupid face.
Before Nik’s hand had left my hair, he took a couple of steps away from me, stumbling as if someone had pushed him hard on the chest. I hadn’t managed to throw him across the rooftop like I had wanted, but I had done it. Somehow, I had shielded myself.
“Good girl,” he growled.
My body hummed with satisfaction.
23
Alarie
“Looking good, Mand,” Cass greeted me as I appeared out of nowhere, surrounded by inky black shadows. We were in the main bar at House Rein, Rhett’s bar, because I’d asked Cass to meet me here.
