Page 76 of The Edge of Darkness

I shook my head and laughed as I walked over to the side of the pavilion and swapped my dagger for my sword.

Niall sauntered over to me, water gliding down his blade and dripping from the strands of hair that hung over his forehead. “Got any energy left for me?” He grinned.

“Always.” I grinned back.

I turned my back to him, knowing he would advance first—thinking I had let my guard down. The moment he took the bait, I made a simple swipe of my hand, and his foot slid out from under him. He went down on a knee to catch himself.

I was really beginning to like that tactic.

“Be careful. It’s slick up here,” I called out over my shoulder with a smirk as I walked to the center of the pavilion.

His eyes pulsed like molten gold. “Playing dirty, are we?”

“I thought you’d like to see my progress.”

His shadows shot out for me from where he continued to kneel.

A test.

I pushed my shield out, and the shadows darted away before they touched it, regrouping in several masses. They launched at me from multiple angles, and a pulse of my light sent them skittering back to their master through the droves of rain.

Turning on my heel, I tucked my hands and blade behind my back, waiting for his next advance.

He took note of my stance and smirked as he rose to his feet. “Someone’s getting cocky.”

“Confident,” I corrected him.

My talk with Remic last night had given me a new outlook. I wouldn’t allow doubt to seep in. That would only pave the way for error and failure. Instead, I would channel the confidence that I’d always had in myself. At least then I would have a strong foundation for what I might face in the future.

“It’s a good look on you,” Niall said, approaching me once more. Then, with the wave of his hand, the buttons on his dark shirt undid themselves and he pulled an arm free of its sleeve. He switched his sword to the other hand and began peeling off the other sleeve, slowly revealing his toned upper body. He tossed the sopping wet shirt to the outskirts of the temple and waited for me to meet his stare.

“Is that really necessary?” I asked, rolling my eyes at his abandoned shirt, even though I was practically drooling at the way the water slid over his exposed muscles.

“Wet clothes hinder my movements,” he said.

I’m sure, I thought.

I watched his movements. Watched him twirl his blade, the metal cutting through the rain with a tinkling sound. The muscles in his forearm flexed, and when he rolled his shoulders and swung the sword again—readying his stance—a lick of heat curled low in my core.

I blinked the rain out of my eyelashes so that I could better focus on his physique.

His voice sounded in my mind. Like what you see?

I’m only trying to better gauge my opponent, I thought back—a blatant lie. I wanted to stare at him and watch the water glide over his shroud and weave through the groves of his abdomen as he twirled that damn sword around, and around, and around⁠—

Lightning split the sky above us, and thunder boomed half a second later, jolting me from my thoughts.

Come closer and get a better look, he taunted.

I didn’t take the bait. I stood my ground and lifted my chin in defiance, waiting for his move.

“Stubborn little thing,” he said.

He took two steps forward, then leapt.

My sword met his, once, twice, again, and again as he drove me back into the corner. I pushed out a pulse of light and quickly cut to my left. He didn’t miss a beat as he followed, sending a stream of shadows toward me. I wiped them off their track with a thought and lunged back at him with my blade. He blocked it with a burst of his own power, which sent the raindrops around me into my cheeks with a stinging bite.

In a flash, he was upon me, and my shield wasn’t quite quick enough. His shadows gripped my wrists, holding them at my sides. I dropped my sword as he raised his and pressed the rounded pommel up under my chin, tilting my head back.