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That would be instant death.
I leaned toward her as she landed, grabbing her wrist. I twisted hard. My mouth twitched when I heard the metal clank against the floor. Another flash of metal cut through my sight line. I caught her arm in my hand, stopping it midair.
I was bladeless. I needed to recover my sword before she had time to stab me from behind. I closed my eyes and kneed her in the stomach. Hard enough that I felt her gasp for air on my neck. My magic pulsed, pounding against my chest. I ignored it and ran toward my sword.
I reached out; my fingertips brushed against the handle. Then there was a flash of searing pain. Red blood dripped from my hand from where her dagger had cut me. My magic blazed around the wound, igniting the pain again and again as the blood dribbled out. I snarled.
“Any requests for how I kill you?” she taunted, but her voice was raspy. She was buying time to recover.
She wanted time and I needed to distract her as I grabbed my weapon.
“No,” I answered. “But I would like to knowwhyyou want to kill me.” In truth I didn’t care. I needed to watch her. See where her body was hurting, where she was weak. I shifted ever so slightly toward the blade on the floor.
“The king commands it,” she replied, almost automatically.
The answer wasn’t what I expected. The Blade was a menace to the entire kingdom; her bloodshed was unmatched. Surely some part of her enjoyed it, or at the very least enjoyed the pleasures life as the Blade awarded her. “You don’t dream ofnotserving the king?” I asked, trying not to sound too interested. I needed to find her weakness. Her reasons for killing would be meaningless once I avenged Rylan’s murder.
“That’s the thing about crowns,” she whispered. “When one head falls, they’re placed on another.”
I paused. Those words. I had said something very similar to Nikolai all those years before, convincing him to join me in taking down the king. Did the Blade know? My heart rate fluttered and so did my magic. Sharp stings of worry jabbed at my skin. The shadows around us grew darker. My magic pushed against my control, threatening to burst out into the open.
I needed to end this. Before others got hurt.
My hand inched closer to my sword, while I still faced the Blade. “Only if you leave a crown to claim,” I whispered. Metal met my fingertips.
She lunged, sliding across the floor and kicking the sword out of reach. I leaped to my feet, readying myself for her attack. The Blade flipped off the floor and I swung at her. This time with my fist.
She ducked. I swung. I punched. She dodged.
We circled each other like caged beasts. Only one of us could leave the victor. My magic tore at my skin. My hands tensed, trying to keep it contained until this was over. I swung again, but she stepped to the side with a feline quickness.
I ducked as she levied a kick. I straightened and swung once more, aiming for her left. She stepped to the side again, but this time I expected it. I hurled myself at her, pushing us both against the pillar.
A loud crack echoed against the rotting walls. I looked down and saw a dark braid spilling out of her pinned hood. Then I saw her eyes. Silver pools of light encased in the shadows my magic had darkened.
An electric shock blasted through my body. It was warm and radiant, like basking in the sunlight of a long summer’s day. Magic. My magic. It radiated from me, trailing down my arms toward . . .
Her.
She was calling my magic forward. There was no coldness or pain, only warmth. I could see the magical glint in her irises. Silver mixing with violet.
“It’s not possible,” I whispered. I had heard the stories. Feron had explained it to me myself. Could that really be what I was feeling?
She said something, fighting against my hold, but I couldn’t hear her. All I could hear was the deep pulse of magic matching my heartbeat. Our heartbeats.
I blinked, trying to focus on her words. Her brow was furrowed. Anger. She was angry. How could she be angry wrapped in such lightness?
“You can’t feel it?” I realized in a whisper. She tilted her face toward mine, bringing us a fraction closer. My magic responded with another pulse of warmth.
She was drawing me in. Magic and body. I’d never felt anything so strong. I focused on her face, cut and bloodied, but beautiful. Radiant. Her silver eyes blinked, and I lowered my face to hers. Succumbing to whatever magic existed between us.
Her lips were soft. Like a breeze at dawn, gentle but with the threat of growing into something dangerous. I kissed her again, pressing my body against hers, feeling the warmth of my magic flood through both of us. My hand tightened on her hip as my tongue memorized her taste. Her mouth was seductively sweet, like a poison that consumed me fully.
She pulled me closer, biting my lip. Any control I had disappeared. My hand climbed to her neck, pulling at her hair as I bit her back. Anything to get her closer to me. I would devour her all night if she let me.
A small moan escaped her lips. I blinked. Could she feel the magic too? Did she feel the same intoxicating rush?
One kiss and she’d ruined my plan. One kiss and I knew I could never kill her.
