Chapter Twenty Three

Everett

A maid had knocked on Everett’s door to inform him that he and his companions were invited to the training grounds for the day. They were all unsure of how long they had until the next trial and the idea of keeping in shape seemed like their best bet. The wardrobe in his room had been stocked with clothing that fit him so perfectly that it was almost concerning. The king of Korth seemed too mysterious for Everett’s liking. Something about the place felt off to him. He wasn’t sure why a kingdom would require three rounds of tests to become citizens. It seemed to be all theatrics to Everett.

When he was finally dressed in comfortable fighting leathers, he found his feet carrying him to Aerilyn’s door. Ever since the kiss they had shared the previous night, he couldn’t get her out of his mind. The girl had found ways to consume his brain until it was full of only thoughts of her. He’d kissed more women than he could count, but the way her lips felt on his was incomparable to anything else. He craved more of her and he was unsure of how long he could have self-restraint around her.

Everett raised his hand to the door and knocked softly, not wanting to startle her. There wasn’t an immediate answer, but he could hear her shuffling around inside the room. When the door finally cracked open, he saw a sliver of her face peeking out at him. She seemed more timid than usual, cautious of allowing him fully into the room. The realization seemed to pass across her features before she finally opened the door the rest of the way. It took Everett a moment to recover from the sight of her. The training leathers she wore clung to her body in a way that showed off every curve of her body. Her full breasts and perfect waist were enough to bring any man to his knees. “Little thief,” he smiled at her, trying to push out every dirty thought that had rushed into his mind. The corners of her lips attempted to pull into a smile, but it wasn’t her usual bright grin. “Is everything alright?” He questioned, only then noticing the blackness around her eyes that could only indicate lack of sleep.

Concern struck him as he tried to understand why the girl looked so distressed. She nodded her head slowly before pulling him into the room. Aerilyn’s eyes worriedly glanced around the hallway before pushing the door shut behind them. She didn’t waste any time, wrapping her arms tightly around his torso. Everett couldn’t hide his surprise from her reaction, slowly slipping his arms around her.

Silence filled the room as the two stood in a tight embrace. He ran his fingers down her back soothingly before sliding a hand into her hair as he grasped her small frame against his. Small cries escaped her, her shoulders moving with each sniffle. He quickly pulled her face into his palms, tilting her head up so he could meet her eyes. He’d never seen Aerilyn so afraid. Even while facing hounds, she’d never reacted to this.

“Aerilyn, darling, what’s going on?” His voice was full of concern as he tried to pry on her emotional state. “If I tell you, you can’t tell the others” she sniffled softly, her eyes finally truly meeting his. “I promise,” he whispered, kissing the tip of her nose delicately. “The man from dinner last night tried to kill me. He brought a Neuro with him. They tried to make it look like a suicide. Azazel saved me, he must’ve heard my screams. They tried to fucking kill me, Everett,” her voice cracked at the words and the sobs rushed over her once more. His chest tightened in pain for the girl before him, but even worse, fear began to pulse through him. Someone had attacked her and he didn’t hear her screaming from across the hall. The girl he only wanted to protect had needed him and he hadn’t been there for her.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here to protect you. I won’t let that happen again. We’re going to find a way to get out of here. Once we have a chance to escape, we’ll take it. As much as I care about the others, my priority is you. Until then, if you’ll allow it, I can stay in here with you so you’re not alone at night. I’ll sleep on the floor, but at least I can be here to keep you safe,” he pressed his forehead against hers, trying to find anything to console her. He wasn’t like this with people. He rarely showed emotion and cared for anyone other than his brother. Even then, their connection had a wall between them. Something about Aerilyn made him want to be better. He wanted to keep her safe. She had begun to mean something to him the moment she put her own life on the line to protect him.

“I would like that. I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep peacefully here again,” she admitted, blinking the tears from her eyes. He ran his thumb under her eyes, collecting the tears on his fingers to brush them away from her rosy cheeks. “I won’t let anything happen to you, sweetheart. You’re safe with me. I’m going to do whatever I can to get you out of here,” he promised, placing a kiss on her forehead. She gave him a sad smile and he so badly wished he could turn it into a real one. He hated seeing her in a tormented state. The fear in her eyes evoked something in him that he hadn’t ever experienced before.

“We should get to the training grounds, I’m sure the others are waiting for us. We all need to discuss a strategy of how the fuck we’re going to get out of this mess,” she sigh as she pulled back from his grasp, running her fingers through her long locks as she attempted to compose herself. He nodded in agreement even though he only wanted to pull her back to bed and force her to get some sleep. Aerilyn wasn’t the type to show weakness. She was trying to put on a facade that he could see right through. Instead of protesting, he placed a quick kiss on her cheek before sliding his hand into hers and leading her out into the hallway.

The two walked together in silence, but Everett couldn’t stop his mind from spiraling deep in thought. He couldn’t understand how he didn’t hear her screams. Their rooms weren’t far apart. Even if he hadn’t he was sure one of their companions would’ve heard it. The thing that bothered him the most was that the king was able to know she was in danger. That thought alone didn’t sit right with him.

The irony of allowing them access to a training ground was something that didn’t slip from Everett’s conscience. The king had something in mind behind letting them practice using weapons. After the first trial of his, Everett expected the next two to involve combat again. He only agreed to do the training since he had to get used to the cuffs around his wrists that held back his power. The lack of his brute force was foreign to him and he knew he needed to train to overcome the lack of magic.

The room was large with high ceilings that contained more windows than he could count. The light that poured into the room came with some heat that made him begin to sweat the moment he entered. The walls were lined with several weapons that could be used to spar in the rings that filled up the space. It was surprising that the king would so openly allow them access to weapons. It just showed how unafraid he was of them. It was a show of power, Everett knew this from the experience with his father.

Brinley and Blaise had already stood in the middle of a sparring ring, jabbing swords towards each other playfully. He glanced at Aerilyn, lifting his brow in a teasing manner. Her entire demeanor still seemed off, but he tried not to pry further on the trauma she’d experienced.

He noticed that Bastian was nowhere in sight. It made sense after the man had explained to him that his family never participated in any sort of violence. It was the way most healers were raised. He always felt guilty when they were sent beyond the wall because they never had a fighting chance. However, he was grateful Bastian had been there to save Aerilyn after the first attack.

“We should test out your sword skills, I’m sure they’re still not as good as mine,” he tried to lighten the mood with a shove to her shoulder. She finally looked up at him, a small smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. “In your dreams,” she fired back before heading towards the array of weapons. He watched as she examined them to determine which would be the best option. He didn’t comment on her choice of a large sword that seemed much too heavy for her to wield. He grabbed his weapon, weighing it in his grip before heading to the other opening sparring ring.

Aerilyn already stood in the center with the sword raised. Her stance was perfect. Her father had been a great swordsman to have taught her such flawless skills. He only wished he would have met the man who had created her. He had trained her for the worst and Everett couldn’t help but feel slightly jealous. His father had never been involved in his training, only the guards and a few instructors.

“Are you just going to stare at me or are you going to actually fight?” Her voice cut through the air in a taunting tone. He laughed at her confidence. “I tend to enjoy staring at beautiful women,” he used the flirty words as a distraction, stepping towards her with a jab of the blade. She effortlessly avoided his attack and swung her blade. The clash of the metal against metal rang out through the air around them. “Taking it easy on me?” She smirked before she attempted to swipe her sword towards him. He maneuvered to meet the swing, clashing the swords together once more.

“I thought we already went over the fact that you like it rough,” he teased, watching her cheeks turn pink. His lips curled into a smile at the sight of her becoming flustered. The words shut her right up and he couldn’t help but feel some sort of satisfaction for leaving her at a loss for words. He took advantage of the moment, spinning as he swung the sword towards her torso. She again avoided the blow, dancing around him as her blade swung towards his legs. Her short height was almost an advantage to her against his long limbs. He took note of that so that she couldn’t attempt to make another move for him.

Everett lost track of time as they continued their dance. Both of them meeting each other’s attacks every time. He had to admit that he was surprised with the amount of skill she had. It was incredibly sexy to see the woman fighting back with so little effort. He knew she had skill, but he didn’t predict that she’d be able to keep up with him so easily.

He had been lost in thought, his eyes hungrily taking in the sight of her glistening skin from the sweat she’d obtained through the sparring match when he felt a small prick against his shoulder. His eyes went wide as he noticed her blade hovering directly over his heart. He was stunned, words wouldn’t be able to explain the surprise he felt. She had got him.

“What was that about my sword skills not being as good as yours?”

“You were distracting me,” he rolled his eyes, holding his hands up in surrender. “I did no such thing,” she tilted her head, her brows coming together in confusion. “You’re a distraction, little thief. I think you might be becoming my weakness,” he lowered his voice, slowly stepping towards her. She finally lowered her sword and he continued to move closer to her. His free hand slid around her waist, tugging her body against his. “I find it impossible to control myself around you,” he whispered against her ear, feeling her shiver in his grip.

Everett quickly drew his sword, holding it against her throat. Her eyes went wide and her entire body froze. “Never let your guard down,” he smirked. “That isn’t fair, you would’ve already been dead!” She rolled her eyes in annoyance. “But you didn’t kill me. Now you’d be the one at my mercy,” he cooed, keeping the blade close to her skin. “You want me to beg?” She pressed her lips together, her wide eyes not leaving his. “I would love to hear the sound of you begging.”

Aerilyn bit her lower lip and it made something within him awaken. His core ached in a desperate need to take that lip between his teeth. “Too bad I don’t beg,” the tone of her voice was laced with lust. “I could make you beg for me. Don’t underestimate my capabilities,” he lowered the sword, bringing his lips back to her ear. “I’m quite the gentleman, but I cannot say the same for when I’m in bed.”

Everett didn’t wait to see her reaction. He turned on his heel and walked back over to the weapons, setting his sword down with them. He didn’t look to see if she followed him, but he could feel her eyes burning into his back. He heard the door to the room open and his gaze landed on Bastian entering. He looked around worriedly, looking out of place in the environment he was stepping into. He gave Everett a shy smile before he approached, nervously rubbing his hands together.

“Can you teach me how to use a sword?”

“Are you sure, Bastian? You don’t have to,” he frowned, knowing it was against everything the man believed in. “I don’t want to be helpless next time we’re attacked. I want to be able to fight back. Please,” his soft voice almost broke Everett’s heart. Instead of protesting, Everett grabbed a small dagger and handed it to the man. They shared a look of acknowledgment before heading into a sparring ring.

Everett examined the way he attempted to hold the dagger, his grip completely wrong. He approached Bastian, carefully taking the weapon from his grasp. “Try it like this,” he explained, holding onto the hilt of the dagger in a way that he would be ready to strike. Bastian stared closely at his hand before he nodded. He took the dagger back, holding it in his hand the way Everett had. “Perfect, just like that. It helps you with a better angle when you need to attack,” he took a few steps back. “Now we have to work on that stance,” he pointed to Bastian’s feet which were too close together. Everett spread his legs, keeping them shoulder width apart and bent his knees slightly. Bastian didn’t say anything, only mirroring his movements. He seemed to be a fast learner and Everett was grateful for that.

Part of him hated that he had to teach the healer how to wield a weapon. The healers were raised to believe in peace and harmony. They never picked up weapons, it was completely against their entire mindset. The king was responsible for this. Both of the kings. Korth and Orissia housed two horrible men on their thrones.

“Now, let's work on some basic movements. You’ll be a trained fighter in no time,” Everett flashed him a grin before raising his fists and preparing to teach the Healer how to be a warrior.

The exhaustion of the day fell over both of them as they crawled into bed. Seeing her in clothing that wasn’t her usual tunic and slacks took his breath away. It took everything in him to keep his hands to himself. He wasn’t sure how he would survive the entire night curled up next to her, but after she’d been attacked he refused to leave her alone at night. He felt the warmth of her as she curled under the covers. The closeness of her was enough to make goosebumps form on his skin. Her breathing mixed with his own was the only sound in the dark room. He kept his eyes on the ceiling, not trusting himself to meet her eyes.

“Something about this place doesn’t feel right,” her voice broke the silence. “I agree. Making people fight in trials to prove their worth is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard of,” he turned to his side so that they were face to face. “I’m scared, Everett.” Her words were enough to hit him harder than any weapon. He didn’t admit that he was also afraid of what was to come. He was fearful of what could happen to the girl that lay before him. He refused to let anything happen to her, but he wouldn’t be able to protect her if Azazel split them up for every trial. It would be out of his hands.

“We’re going to get out of here. Even if we don’t return to Orissia, you and I aren’t going to separate. It’s you and me now,” he reassured her. He wasn’t sure where the words came from, nor was he sure when he started feeling this way towards her. It was all so sudden. He tried to push the feelings away. “You and me,” she whispered in return, her hand finding his. He felt comfort from the small touch. It was a comfort that he had never known. He smiled at her before he pulled her close into his chest, not leaving any space between them.

“You and me.”