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I turned around, and he winked, making me regret gracing him with any attention.
“I’d rather die.” I wrinkled my nose, wanting him to feel how much I disliked him.
“Oh, Dallas.” The redheaded man patted him on the back. “Even after Alina being gone for fifty complete cycles, your chemistry is still intact. I know what will happen tonight.”
A gag lodged in the back of my throat. I was at a complete loss. I’d insulted him, and they were treating it as foreplay. These idiots needed to leave.
The only one who didn’t seem to be a complete jerk was the quiet man beside Dallas, who hadn’t said a word. But the way his forest-green eyes watched me made me uncomfortable, so I turned back to face Maeve.
She was right. I didn’t need to act like a princess. I snorted, unable to hold back the noise at my random thought.
Maeve pretended not to notice as she lifted both daggers and commanded, “Again.”
I rolled my shoulders, adjusted my grip, and watched her eyes lock on my side before she charged again.
With as much speed as possible, I dropped the dagger from my left hand and blocked her. I used a downward motion, knowing she was stronger than me and she’d wind up cutting me again. With the dagger in my right hand, I jabbed her shoulder, wanting to even the playing field.
The edge of my blade hit her armor and vibrated in my hand.
That didn’t matter. I’d managed to hit her.
Before I could counter, Maeve swung out her leg and took mine out from under me. I crumpled to the stone but caught myself with my free hand. When I jumped back to my feet, Maeve kicked me in the stomach. I soared backward and landed hard on my ass. My body jolted as my tailbone throbbed, but I refused to quit after two small attacks.
“You surprised me,” Maeve said, moving toward me and extending her hand. “The fact that you could tell where I was aiming was good. I figured you’d assume I’d go for your shoulder again.”
I glanced at where she’d sliced me. The leather was damp from my blood, but the sting was already gone. She hadn’t cut deep, but I’d expected it to sting for a little while.
Strange.
But I had more important things to focus on.
Taking her hand would be a sign of weakness, one I couldn’t afford.
“I’m good.” I couldn’t hide the wince as I stood. My ass was literally on fire, and when I took a step, I wanted to groan. At least I managed to hold it in.
“Frozen sakes, this is worse than a conversation with a Winter fae,” one of the dumbasses whined. “There’s no blood, and despite Maeve’s protest, she’s taking it easy.”
Maeve rolled her eyes. “I’m trying to help her, not kill her. I barely kicked her, and you see how far she went.”
My face burned. She made me sound helpless, something I’d always feared back home. Helplessness got you hurt. I’d trained hard with Stan for seven years, and I was one of the strongest women in the gym, but that seemed like a different life. Here, I couldn’t keep up with Maeve’s strikes and blows.
“Let’s get out of here,” one of the men said.
I kept my back to them. I didn’t have any reason to be ashamed. They’d kidnapped me and brought me to a strange world I’d never asked for or wanted to be a part of.
Gathering every ounce of self-control, I forced myself to face them, and the expressions on their faces confirmed what I already suspected.
They viewed me as weak.
The man with gray-and-purple hair strolled around the edge of the stone. “Let’s head to the tower and make bets. I have a feeling I know who’ll be the first to die.” His gaze cut to me.
I flipped him off. I didn’t give a damn that they didn’t understand the gesture—it brought me joy.
“Uh…” He glanced at Dallas. “What does that mean?”
“No idea.” Dallas shrugged and strolled toward me. “You all head inside. I’ll be right behind you.”
The four men obeyed their king, and resisting rolling my eyes was more painful than my throbbing tailbone.
