AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Maybe I do,” I replied, not bothering to remove my eyes from Ryker. Those three words felt better than I expected them to.
Von didn’t say anything, but I caught that smile slip away, and I felt a sense of satisfaction—of smugness. Two could play this game. But what game was this exactly? My mood darkened.
“Train with me,” he commanded, his tone almost playful.
“Fine,” I said flatly as I trotted down the cement stairs into an open area, not bothering to wait for him. I plopped down on a black metal chair and hastily shoved my feet into my training shoes, all too eager to battle.
His scent, amber and sandalwood, barreled into me a second before his tunic hit my face. I jerked my head up from my laces, my hand shoving his shirt away, his scent lingering too long on my skin.
I bared my teeth at him.
He grinned wickedly.
How dare he stand there like that without a shirt. Those rippling pectorals and trademark abs—they were criminal. I stole a glance at his tattoos, that messy canvas that somehow resembled art, that resembled him and all that he was.
A windstorm of a male. The kind that sucked you in, fucked you hard, and then left you in the dust—messy-haired and wide-eyed and never the same.
Was that what he was doing withher?
Jealousy rode me hard.
Growling, I shot to my feet and charged towards him, firing a fist his way. He chuckled and deflected it with ease, but I was quick to return another. I dropped into a combo of jabs, muscle memory moving my arms on their own. Pent-up frustration made my movement sloppier than normal. Ezra would have strung me up for it—but Von was already on it.
“Keep your arms tucked in. You are leaving yourself exposed,” he directed, his hand blocking mine with inhuman speed.
I swung again, concentrating on his stupidly perfect nose.
Another block.
I feigned to the right and brought up my fist, but his hand deflected it like he was swatting down a fly.
“Concentrate,” he scolded. As if it werethateasy. The bastard grinned, his gaze connecting with mine. “Do you need me to put my shirt back on?”
“Fuck you!” I seethed.
An infuriating smirk. “Is that what you would like to do, Little Goddess?”
I glared at him before I fired another one, and another one, until I was quickly soaring through punches. My speed picked up, my movements quicker than before, as my body had warmed up.
Hand to hand, Von was untouchable. I knew I would tire out long before he did, but I refused to lose this time.
I raced towards the weapons rack, my shoes kicking up the dead grass in my wake. Von was behind me, an arm’s reach away. I grabbed a round wooden shield, shoved it onto my arm, and twirled around as I rammed it into his chest, the force so great, he stumbled a few steps back.
His head jerked upright as he regained his footing. “Seeing you with a shield, it nearly brings me to my knees, Kitten.”
“Do not call me that,” I hissed as we circled one another like vultures about to square off over the last slab of meat.
“Ask me why it nearly brings me to my knees” he ordered me, stepping one foot over the other, continuing our rotating stand-off.
“I couldn’t give two shits,” I growled.
“You have such a dirty, dirty little mouth.” His eyes shifted to my lips, a toying grin on his.
It dawned on me—he was playing.
But I wasn’t.
I made the first move, flipping the shield onto its side and taking aim for his neck.
