Page 24 of Bound to Three Fae Beasts

“Not completely useless, then,” he said as he attempted to grab my knife-hand while slashing at me. I sacrificed my arm again, shoving it right onto the knife so I could throw my weight against him.

The motion sent him stumbling back. I whipped my knife behind my back, tossing it when it became apparent I couldn’t keep it from him. He laughed in my face and I headbutted him, cracking my forehead directly into his nose. This time, the watching crowd let out a collective gasp. Seb stumbled, his hold on his knife loosening. I took a risk and chopped my fist at his wrist.

The blow hit and his knife clattered to the floor. I kicked it out of the barrier.

As Seb regained himself, I dashed for my knife and snatched it back up. The world spun as I straightened and the wounds on my arm throbbed. I didn’t dare look to see how back the damage was. Blood poured down Seb’s face, making him look even more dangerous than normal.

His eyes practically glowed as he smirked at me. It wasn’t the same angry glower as before, but rather he looked almost excited. I could see his assessment changing, kicking me up into a more dangerous category. And he seemed to like that I was more dangerous than he thought.

Something tingled over my skin. Something that was too warm and pleasant to be caused by blood loss, but I told myself it was blood loss anyway. He was a powerful fae, and I should not like the way he was looking at me, as though I was finally starting to catch his interest.

He stripped off his tunic and ripped the sleeve, taking his time to bind the injury to his shoulder. My skin started to feel cold, and I risked a look at my arm, only to regret it. My stomach dropped when I saw the blood pooling beneath me.

I might have some experience evading the likes of Kili and fighting back against him, but he had no training. Someone like Seb could snap his neck without even using magic. He could do the same to me.

The watching students jeered at us, but I blocked out their words. I desperately wished Thatcher would call an end to the training, but I knew he wouldn’t. I had not yet been beaten enough. Seb feinted, and I overcorrected as I struggled to keep up with him. A cruel smirk spread over his face.

“You should have bound that wound while you had the chance. All I have to do is wait for the blood loss to take its toll,” he said in an exaggeratedly patient tone, as though he really was teaching me.

“Yeah, but this way I can get blood everywhere and look cool,” I mumbled back.

Seb snorted. He sauntered toward me, as though I was really too weak to do anything but wait for him to finish the job. I slouched, making myself look more unsteady. When he reached for me, I swung the blade up, aiming for his throat. He didn’t move, and I jerked myself, slicing the air next to him instead.

His eyes flashed with triumph as I froze. He’d deliberately left himself open. Why?

“You won’t survive this school if you’re unwilling to make the killing blow,” he murmured, so quiet that nobody else could hear. His head lowered slightly, his eyes flicking to my lips, of all things. I inhaled sharply, and he tensed. His normal sneer came back. “Do yourself a favor and throw yourself from the tower. It will be less painful that way.”

I swung around clumsily, slashing at his chest, but he caught my wrist easily. As his fingers squeezed around my wrist, my tunic slipped. His skin touched mine, and a shock jolted through me. Something hot and cold all at once, vibrating from that spot to ripple over my skin. I gasped as I wobbled.

My gaze flicked up to Seb’s eyes. They were open, showing true shock. His mouth parted slightly. It occurred to me that I should pull away, that I should try to sever whatever this spark was. But it felt good, and instead of pulling away, I wanted to step closer. He smelled wonderful. How hadn’t I noticed his scent before?

Seb’s foot caught my ankle and yanked my feet out from under me. The air was driven from my lungs as I hit the mats. He snatched the knife from my limp hand and flicked it upward. The knife caught on my tunic and slipped. The edge of it pierced my neck, and there was a thunderous boom. Seb was thrown off me as light blinded me.

The magic circle. It had flung him off. I clawed at the mats, struggling to get myself under control again. I had to get up. I had to defend myself. Whatever that spark was hadn’t stopped Seb.

“Lord Sebastienne, no killing,” Mr. Thatcher scolded from outside of the circle.

Seb tossed the knife aside and came at me again. I flipped myself to my stomach, but my attempts to push myself to my knees were in vain. My lungs wouldn’t work and my arms couldn’t hold my weight. A ringing started in my ears. The barrier still flickered around us, so Thatcher hadn’t called an end to the match. How much more did he want?

Panic laced through me as Seb straddled my hips, pinning me more firmly to the ground. He wrapped an arm around my throat, but not tight enough to choke me. I felt his muscles trembling with his rage. The barrier finally disappeared, and I bit back a sob of relief.

“Get off her,” Mr. Thatcher ordered, but Seb only tightened his hold. I grabbed his arm, trying to tug it free from my neck.

Seb’s mouth brushed my ear, sending alarm bells ringing in my head. “Don’t think you can fool me with that cheap little trick. You just made the worst mistake of your life.”

“I said get off,” Mr. Thatcher bellowed. Something rammed into Seb, sending him flying off me. The motion jerked my neck, and I felt something crack. For a terrifying moment, I thought my spine was broken.

Then Penry and Freta were there. Together, they flipped me onto my back and poured the contents of a potion down my throat. It burned, and I choked. Thatcher loomed over Seb, his aura pulsing out. Silas stood next to where the two girls took care of me, half turned toward where Jasper and Gareth watched Thatcher. Red glared at the three of us.

“I didn’t cause any damage she can’t recover from without a potion,” Seb said, his face blank once more. “She looks a mess, but I didn’t get anywhere close to killing her. She’ll be fine.”

“You need to find better ways to be a good mentor,” Thatcher rumbled at Seb. His voice was deeper, timbral with layers of sound that beat pleasantly against my ears. I found myself wanting to be a better mentee, just to please the teacher.

It was gone quickly as a fresh wave of pain went through me.

Seb got to his feet, brushing himself off. He glared not at Thatcher, but at me. Then he turned on his heel and marched away. Gareth shook his head as he followed after Seb. “Now you know how he gets when someone doesn’t follow his orders,” he said with a casual grin tossed my way.

Thatcher glanced back at me, frowning. “Mr. Silas, you can take Miss Azriel to the nurse’s offices.”