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“I need the sugar to keep up my energy,” I said, stuffing a forkful of eggs into my mouth.
Ruslan’s brawny shoulder bumped into mine. “That you do. Can’t have you falling asleep while I’m in between your thighs again.”
I nearly choked on my eggs as my cheeks flamed, along with another part of me. I drained a glass of water to force the food down, and when I placed it back on the tray, Ruslan lifted it, hopped from the bed, and took it to the bathroom, returning with a full glass moments later.
He took such good care of me.
After I’d given myself to him, he’d morphed into something softer, at least when we weren’t between the sheets. He oversaw my physical training, tended to my every need, even anticipating them, and ensured I was eating enough. His massages were heavenly, especially as my magic was fully tapped out by the end of the day, not a drop left to ease the ache in my muscles. He showed me a side of him that no one else saw, for beyond these walls, Ruslan was the ruthless prince who demanded perfection from his soldiers.
And yet Kazimir had not left my mind, and guilt gnawed in my belly at every twist and turn down this path I walked with Ruslan.
I wasan insidious bloom in the sparring ring. I was often underestimated due to my size, but just like a rose, I hid my thorns until my beholder had grown cocky and distracted, then struck when they least expected it. Facing one of Ruslan’s soldiers, a Bear Shifter Félvér named Savich, I held white flame to my twin blades, the heat cutting through the frosty mid-morning air. Blood rushed in my ears, blocking out all sound as we circled each other.
Savich was burly and moved slowly, often leaving his right side open when he retreated from a series of heavy blows, so I waited patiently, trying to maintain control of my breath, as I blocked and parried.
“Let your emotions go, Izidora!” Drazen called from outside the training arena.
I ignored the half Dragon, instead cutting to my left and dodging a strike from Savich. But the male knew my intention, and a foot slipped out faster than it should have, sending metumbling to the ground and my blades scattering as I tried to catch myself with my hands. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ruslan’s white-knuckled grip on the wood panel in front of him, but he would not step in – no, he expected me to perform like the rest of his soldiers.
The ground trembled as Savich’s knees hit the ground beside me, his arms latching across my chest and pulling me against him as we tumbled through the dirt. But Savich’s arms were like tree trunks, which meant I could use my petite frame to slip out of his grip. I waited until we landed on our sides, then with all my strength, I smashed my head back, connecting with his nose, and walked my feet to the side, bridging off his chest until I had enough space to slide my torso underneath his hands. In a flash, I crouched and backed away, one hand remaining outstretched defensively while the other searched for my fallen blades. My boot hit something hard, and I spared a momentary glance behind me, finding my first sword, just as Savich pushed to his feet and reclaimed his mace.
Blood spurted from his nose, but if it bothered him, he didn’t show it. Waiting again for an opening, we danced through the ring, Savich the aggressor and I the supposedly helpless female. But my magic was strong, far stronger than that of the males in Ruslan’s personal guard, and all it took was one mistake on their part for me to win.
While he retreated, Savich’s legs drew too close together. Using my agility, I sprung on him, building a low block out of white magic behind his feet and causing him to fall flat on his back. The sound was like a falling tree, and his eyes grew wide at my trick. White flames re-appeared on my blades as I wasted no time pinning him beneath my boot, using deadly sharp tips pointed at his throat and groin to subdue him.
“I yield,” he said from the ground, and I banished the flames and sheathed my blades across my back.
“You are a tricky little one.” Savich’s voice was as gravely as the ground around the stables, though the Bear was anything but angry with me.
“Gotta keep you on your toes,” I grinned, offering a hand to help him up.
He took it, though I didn’t think I was much help in getting the giant male off the ground. “Or off my toes, so to speak.”
Before I could respond, Drazen called out for me, and with a sigh I trotted over to the fence where he stood with Ruslan. “You’ve got to let your emotions flow through you while you fight, especially when you’re working with both swords and magic,” Drazen chided.
But I couldn’t release the death grip I had on my emotions, not when surrendering to the flow meant breaking the last of my resolve to not fall for Ruslan. That part of me that held onto the idea of Kazimir was locked in a wooden box in the back of my mind, though the wood rotted with every small act of kindness from Ruslan, and every reminder that Kazimir might not have had my best interests at heart. If I broke the lock, there would be nothing holding me back from accepting that Ruslan might in fact be my mate.
“They get in the way,” I snapped. “Besides, I still won.”
“This time,” Ruslan growled. “But when there is a battle raging around you? Probably not. You’ll never see that arrow flying for your chest until it’s too late, or the opponent sneaking up behind you while you fight another, if you’re putting so much focus on keeping your emotions locked away.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know I’m supposed to be this great weapon for you, you don’t have to remind me.”
Ruslan’s eyes flashed with black fire, and he snatched my arm and yanked me to him, the wood beam separating us digging into my stomach. “You know you are so much more than that to me, sprite. If I thought you’d be harmed on the battlefield,I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on what was in front of me. I want you to be strong so you can defend yourself when I’m not there. I’d die without you.”
I’d die without you.
The sheer intensity of Ruslan’s infatuation knocked me off balance, and I was swept away in his smoky gaze for the hundredth time. To be wanted, to be loved, so deeply was everything I’d ever dreamed of, and there was no doubt in my mind that he meant those words with fervent sincerity.
And that was yet another difference between Ruslan and Kazimir. Ruslan never made me feel like a victim or someone in need of saving. Instead, he showed me how to be my own hero.
“I know,” I whispered, reaching a hand to stroke the hair coating his sharp jaw, siphoning away a spoonful of Ruslan’s anger with that touch. He leaned into my hand, pressing a kiss to my palm, then released his grip on my other wrist, locking our fingers together.
“Are you tired? Do you need a break?” he asked, the world melting away as his gray eyes searched my blue ones.
I blew out a breath, then chewed on my lip, before deciding to admit the truth. “I am exhausted.”
Two strong arms lifted me over the railing, then Ruslan curled me against his chest. “I’ll fly us up to the palace, but when we leave later, you have to try flying down.”
