Page 96 of To Fight and To Fold

Thea's gaze narrowed. "Why? Is it such a hardship to be in my company?" she drawled.

Aaryn rolled her eyes to distract herself from the way that sarcasm made her stomach pitch.

"I don't want to hurt you," Thea said, and lifted her hands in a gesture of peace. "That's all."

Aaryn tilted her head back with a groan, and—oh. Thea was doing this on purpose, to rile her up.

I know your game, she thought, and decided not to play. So… Aaryn attacked.

Thea's eyes widened in surprise, and Aaryn silently celebrated for only a heart's beat before Thea fought back.

And suddenly Aaryn was on the ground, blinking up at the blue sky and Thea's smug smile. She slipped away, one hand leaving Aaryn's waist, the other from behind her head, and sat back on her heels.

"You'll have to try harder than that," she said, and extended a lithe hand.

Now Aaryn was no stranger to Thea's touch, despite how little contact she'd allowed herself. Thigh to thigh on the grass during lunches, her head in Thea's lap, or—just the other morning, when Thea had swiped her thumb over Aaryn's lips. But Thea stared at her so casually, teasing, as if Aaryn wasn't still replaying the way Thea's arms had felt around her, a brief point of contact, even with the foot tucked behind her heels to send her toppling to the ground. The phantom press of Thea's protective fingers at the back of her head still lingered.

It occurred to her that this whole sparring thing might be a terrible, terrible idea.

"Are you… okay?" Thea asked, brow scrunching. "You didn't land that hard, right?"

Aaryn cleared her throat, shaking the thoughts and sensations away. "No, of course not. I'm fine," she said, and placed her hand in Thea's, who pulled her up effortlessly, the flex of her biceps tensing. Aaryn averted her gaze and promised to be diligent.

She lied to you. It doesn't matter that she was actually doing you a favor—bringing you to this arguably beautiful place. It doesn't matter how attractive she⁠—

Thea ran a hand through the crown of her hair, and Aaryn lost her train of thought.

After that, Aaryn learned Thea was—well. Impressive. It was clear she had years of experience under her belt, whereas Aaryn had but a few weeks. Aaryn was the one who had to catch her breath, not Thea. And at moments, Thea looked entirely unbothered by Aaryn's attempts, which made frustration and something a little hotter flare in her belly.

So Aaryn bit her.

"Ow!" Thea shouted, her voice booming in Aaryn's ear. She released her forearm with a feral grin, and Thea scoffed as she studied the bite. "Oh my skies, you bit me!" Her disbelief morphed into a wide smile. "Good job. Didn't learn that from your beloved prince, now, did you?"

Aaryn rolled her eyes and felt something exciting spark within her. "Are you sure you're not the one with feelings for him?" Aaryn drawled. "Because here you are, bringing him up again."

"How did training go with him? No, wait! Let me guess." Thea twirled a strand of hair and giggled obnoxiously. "Oh, Prince, I could never hurt you."

"I do not sound like that," Aaryn groaned, and belatedly realized there was a whine in her tone. She tilted her head high, hands on hips, and spat, "I'll have you know I got the prince on his back plenty of times."

Which gave Thea the perfect ammunition, and a mischievous joy curled her lips. "Oh really now?"

Aaryn's cheeks went even hotter, and she shook her head. "That's not what I meant."

"It's what you said, though," Thea taunted.

Aaryn grumbled, betrayed by her own tongue and unsure how to recover from it. She charged Thea again, eliminating the space between them faster than she expected.

"You don't have to keep teasing me about it. I get it." Aaryn was not pouting. Just drawing attention to the fact that Thea could let it go.

Their gazes met as they sparred, suddenly inches apart now. Aaryn could see the different flecks of deeper navy in Thea's eyes, like splotches of night left in the morning sky. The satisfied smirk⁠—

"Get what?" Thea asked, and skated back before Aaryn could bring her knee up between them to get her in the stomach.

Why are you staring at her lips? Comparing her eyes to sunrises? Aren't you annoyed with her? Focus on that.

"The prince—Evergale. None of it is what I thought it was. I know."

"And?" Thea pushed.