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I jumped to my feet, swinging the sword—missing—and swinging again. Seven dodged with expertise, deflecting every blow with a flick of his wrist. He was an expert with the sword and his years of study showed.
As he laughed, my anger grew, I yelled out, diving forward and managing to clip his arm. His laughter stopped, some of the crowd around us gasping. His blade swung again, crashing into mine and straining my muscles as I blocked.
He was so close, I could scent him. Trees. Oh fuck, I was supposed to hate him. What kind of tree?
If he weren’t swinging a sword to keep me away, I might have latched onto him and found out. I had to be closer. His sword released, sliding against mine. I barely dodged the blow as it slammed into the ground.
Rage sparkled as he continued slamming his sword with all his strength and gaining ground on me. Shadows shrouded around us in the broad daylight as he pulled me into the Shadow Vale.
I tripped backward again in the darkness, but this time Seven didn’t laugh. He pounced forward, his blade to my neck, straddling my body and holding me down.
“Still not afraid?” he snarled, eclipsing us into an orb of his shadow. I could only see his dark silhouette, the spark of his eyes. I knew I should have been afraid. But I wasn’t.
24
Dove
Seven’s shadow completely surrounded us, I couldn’t even see Seven, only felt him on top of me. The foam sword released from my neck as Seven tossed it aside.
He replaced the blade with the gentle caress of his hand, his thumb brushing over my neck. My heartbeat pattered like a bunny caught in a fox’s teeth, frozen in shock, playing dead.
Somewhere, I could hear Mr. Varma declaring him the winner, as if our fight was part of a tournament.
Leaning down and closing the little space between us, Seven spoke, words only for my ears. He growled, the vibrations reverberating through me, his breath hitting my ear sent shivers through my body straight to my core where our bodies pressed together. His fingers brushed against my neck. “Death right at my fingertips. We’re only at the edge of the Shadow Vale. Drag you a couple more feet, and you’d be dead. Youshouldfear me, Fated.”
No fear came despite the vulnerable position. Because the Fated bond was insanely stupid, it made me feel safe. Safe with the devilish Shadow kitsune, hidden in his darkness.
His hardness pressed into me. And not just his muscles behind thin layers of fabric that separated our bodies.
Foxfire zinged through me from the close touch, cool comfort encasing me, hiding me. I didn’t need the order of the Archfox to make me want him. I would have him right here in front of the entire academy. I pleaded, “Seven.”
The pressure released instantly. His thumb brushed against my neck gently, as though ensuring no damage had been done. Then he held me in place as he pressed his nose into my hair.
This wasn’t a fight. This was Seven scenting me, getting his fix of me like a drug. Using the guise of a fight to keep pretending he hated me. Hiding it from Kairos and Enko as a hate-filled sparring session.
Just a few more seconds of that delicious pulse of the foxfire from his touch, something inside me pleaded as I fought against it.
His lips pressed down on mine, his tongue lashing out with fury or passion. Pine and peppermint, our lips fought for dominance like our swords.
Seven broke the kiss, teeth skimming my lips as he broke away, his eyes widened in shock. He reverted to a scowl as he glared down at me.
My palms rose to his chest, not sure if I wanted to push him away or pull him closer and finish the kiss. He searched my eyes. The shadows above him broke like clouds after a storm. We stared at each other for a frozen moment in time, the foxfire thrumming from the direct contact with his skin for so long.
Kairos or Enko pummeled him, I’m not sure which. By the time I saw it, the three were in a tangle of fists and abs on the ground. With the two of them at full strength swinging, Seven remained on the ground, taking the beating without defending himself. His nose was bloody, his cheek red.
“Stop!” I yelled, diving toward the fight and putting myself between Seven and my other Fated men.
Enko’s fists clenched as he glared down at Seven, his slight twitch told me he was about to lose control again. The feral haze glazed over his eyes, like he wasn’t all there. Something else held his control.
Seven stood up, letting his nose bleed openly now as he stalked off toward the forest.
“That’s it, the show's over!” Mr. Varma yelled, trying to break up the crowd around us. When he passed by, he glanced at Kairos, Enko, and me. “Get her to the infirmary for a check up.”
Kairos moved forward to help me up, but I shook my head. “I’m fine. He didn’t hurt me.”
My eyes were on Seven, halfway to the treeline, a finger rising to my lips.
“He wouldn’t hurt you, Dove. At least not physically,” Kairos said, deadly calm. The calm before the storm. How much had they had seen within his shadows? I reveled in the memory of Seven’s body pressing against mine, letting the flutter of excitement fill me.
