Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

DACRE

As our weary feet trudged over the rough, uneven streets, I struggled to keep my eyes open.

My body ached with every step, but my father strode confidently ahead of me, the weight of his longsword barely noticeable as it hung from his back. He never complained about the fatigue, no matter how long he had been out on patrol; only a slight hunch in his shoulders betrayed any sign of weariness.

“Get some rest.” He extended his arm, palm open and fingers splayed, the movement fluid and familiar. As he traced a circular motion, the soft light of the glowing lanterns flickered and swirled before they dulled and smoke crept around them. “We don’t know what’s to come.”

It was the thing he always said when he left me. It used to fill me with the thrill of adventure we would face, but now it felt ominous. Everything about the rebellion had become uncertain since losing my mother.

“Night.” I turned away, my stomach in knots, and trudged in the opposite direction. I glanced over to the home he was heading to—the one that held so many memories of what we used to be. The ghosts of those days seemed to linger in the shadows that surrounded it.

I moved over the long bridge, heading for the warrior quarters, and I couldn’t wait to hit my bed. I could have used a long session in the springs, but now when I thought about them, all I could think of was Nyra.

And that pissed me off.

She pissed me off.

Trust was a rare commodity for me, but with her, it was nonexistent.

I hesitantly pushed open the heavy wooden door, wincing at the loud creak as it opened, and the sound of loud laughter washed over me. In the corner of the room, Kai’s figure was outlined against the flickering glow of the fireplace.

His eyes were trained on me as I approached, his arms crossed tightly across his chest. “Anything?”

I shook my head because tonight’s scouting had been worthless. My father kept picking up surges of power near the base of the waterfall below where the palace rose high above, but we hadn’t been able to track it to anything.

But he was relentless.

He always had been.

“How did training go?” I winced as I tried to shift my weight off my aching feet and onto the cool, hard surface of the wall behind me.

“Training with who?” He chuckled softly. “Your girl told me that you wanted me to train her, but as soon as I asked her to give me a second, Eiran stepped in.”

My jaw clenched as I forced my gaze away from my best friend and toward the people seated around the hearth.

Eiran was so smug and arrogant, the thought of him assisting Nyra in her training made me want to put my fist through a wall. I pictured her sharing secrets with him that I was dying to know, and I couldn’t stop the frustrated growl that escaped from deep within me.

“She’s not my girl.” I swept my gaze over the crowded room and finally caught sight of her. She sat cozily beside Eiran. Their heads bent close together as they chatted and laughed, completely unaware of my presence. A sickening sensation churned in my stomach, and I gritted my teeth until they ached.

Eiran leaned closer, his lips inches from her ear, and his hands moved dramatically in the air, emphasizing his words. My vision tunneled as waves of anger surged through me.

I pushed away from the wall, my heart pounding as I crossed the room. The group of them sat in a tight circle, all of their eyes trained on Nyra as she laughed.

Wren looked up at me and grinned, her smirk irritating as she saw through me. “Hello, brother.”

Nyra straightened, her eyes meeting mine. I took a breath as I tried not to fall into their depths, annoyed with my desire to be on the other end of her smile.

“Can you not follow simple instructions?”

Wren let out an annoyed laugh.

“What?” Nyra asked as her eyes flicked between mine.

“I told you that you were to train with Kai after I left, and you couldn’t do that one simple thing.” I huffed.

“Calm down, Dacre.” Eiran’s lips parted in a slow, infuriating smirk, and the corners of his eyes crinkled with amusement. He subtly shifted his body closer to hers. “She trained with me.”

My gaze met Eiran’s, and I could feel the small amount of patience I had snapping.

“She’s not yours to train,” I growled, my voice low but heavy with anger. “And she’s not here to be entertained.”

Nyra choked on an unamused laugh.

“Excuse me?” Her eyes narrowed into slits as she glared at me. A flush crept up her cheeks, and I could almost feel the heat radiating from her skin.

I should have stopped pushing her and gone to bed.

But I wanted to keep pushing.

People made errors when they were angry. They made mistakes that would reveal whatever the hell it was they were trying to hide.

And I was desperate for her to make one.

“What part are you confused about?” I cocked my head slightly, and the flush on her cheeks spread down her smooth neck.

“I trained with Eiran because Kai was busy. It isn’t a big deal.”

The possessiveness that rushed through me surprised me, even as I struggled to keep it in check.

“It is a big deal,” I said, my voice barely sounding like my own. “You train with who I tell you, or you don’t train at all.”

Nyra buried her teeth into her bottom lip as if she were trying to hold back the words she wanted to say, and I found myself captivated with watching the movement. “I learned more with Eiran than I did with you.”

My sister had the nerve to snicker at that, but I didn’t pay her any attention.

“Let’s go.” I nodded toward the stairwell.

“What?” Her voice was a thin, trembling thread of sound. Her eyes widened as she looked back at my sister as if she could protect her from me.

“If you learned so much from Eiran, then let’s go. You can show me exactly what he taught you.”

“It’s late, Dacre.”

I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth as Eiran’s arrogant voice filled the room. My chest tightened, and I felt a burning need to show them all that nothing Eiran could give her would ever be better than me.

“No one asked you, Eiran.” I didn’t spare him a glance as I spoke. “Let’s go, Nyra.”

She swore under her breath as she pushed to stand, and I couldn’t hide the smirk on my face. She hated me as much as I hated her.

She trailed behind me as we left the building, the cool, damp night air hitting us as we moved outside. I led her down the path to the training grounds, and even though I hadn’t been able to detect a trace of power from her, I knew if she had it now, she would burn me to ash.

She didn’t say a word as we reached the clearing, and a wave of anticipation rushed between us as we moved into the sparring circle.

Her dark hair was loose and fell in thick waves along her shoulders, and her full hips swayed as she paced in front of me.

“Are you always this pleasant when you return from patrolling?” she asked, breaking the silence that surrounded us.

I ignored her question. “Show me what you learned.”

Her expression was hard to read, but the way her gaze flicked over my body appeared calculated. Good.

She moved into the fighting stance I had shown her this morning, and I was surprised by how few adjustments she needed.

“I showed you that.” I crossed my arms as I assessed her.

“Did you?” She raised an eyebrow and cocked her head to the side, mirroring the way I had assessed her earlier. “I’m pretty sure it was Eiran.”

“And what else did Eiran teach you?” I practically spit out his name.

Nyra’s eyes narrowed at my harsh tone, and it appeared we were both looking for a fight. “Why do you care?” she asked, her voice laced with anger. “You wanted me trained, didn’t you?”

“I want you to train with someone who knows what the hell they’re doing. I trust Kai.”

She relaxed out of her stance. “And you don’t trust Eiran?”

“I don’t trust most people,” I answered her honestly.

“That is more than obvious.” She waved her hand in my direction. “What exactly did I do to piss you off so much?”

“Do you want me to count them off?”

“If that would help.”

I circled around her slowly, and she brought her hands up, loosely stepping into the stance I taught her as if it were already becoming second nature. “First of all, you’re a fucking traitor.”

She jerked her head around and looked at me over her shoulder. “Because I’m from Marmoris?”

“Because you lived in that damned palace, watched what those bastards did every day, and still you had the nerve to put our mark on you as if it was a ticket to freedom and not a death sentence for most of us.”

She gently shook her head. “That’s not what…”

“I recognized you from the raid.” My jaw twitched as I moved back around the front of her. “We were there to free our people your king had locked away. We were there to try to stop a monster who ate at our power until the rest of us starved to death.”

“He’s not my king.”

“My mother died for this mark.” I lifted my sleeve and pointed to the mark I had earned. “She died, and you make a mockery of everyone who died for this by putting this mark on you when you haven’t done a damned thing to earn it.”

She cupped her hand over her wrist almost protectively, but the forgery wasn’t even visible through her sleeve. “I’m sorry,” she stammered.

“Show me what he taught you.”

She searched my face, and I gave her nothing. The only thing she would find there was the rage I was allowing to fuel me.

I expected her to wait for me to make the first move, but she surged forward and swept her leg out in my direction.

I averted it easily, but she recovered far faster than she had this morning.

Maybe Eiran had taught her something, after all.

She threw her left elbow out toward my ribs, and I blocked it with my forearm and quickly countered by slapping my hand against her stomach. She grunted and stumbled back but quickly regained her footing.

There was a fire in her eyes now that hadn’t been there before.

We circled each other, trying to anticipate the other’s move. I admired the width of her hips and the way her chest rose and fell rhythmically with each breath as she moved from one foot to the other.

“That’s all he taught you?” The smirk on my face matched the insult in my voice as I watched her expression contort with even more anger.

“No. All those moves came from you.”

I couldn’t stop the chuckle that bubbled out of my throat, and she took advantage of the distraction. She shot forward and slammed her knee into my thigh, and I cursed as a shot of pain lanced through me.

She quickly wrapped her arms around my neck as if she thought she would be able to pull me down, but it did nothing except lift her from the ground.

I tightened my own arms around her middle, holding her tightly against me, and she shoved against my shoulders, trying to get away.

“I see your time with Eiran has taught you a lot.” I tugged her harder against me, feeling her body perfectly lined up against mine. “Was he trying to teach you anything other than how to get in his bed?” Nyra’s body went rigid against mine.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Her voice was low and breathy as she struggled against my grasp. Her body writhed against mine, and I felt utterly out of control.

I released my hold on her, dropping her to her feet as she stumbled and took a step back.

“Get out of here.” I pointed toward the path that led back to our quarters.

“What?” She crossed her arms over her chest as if that would protect her. “You can’t just dismiss me like that.”

“I just did.” I glared at her as I tried to control my breathing, tried to control any part of me. “You’re not learning anything else from Eiran. You’re mine to train.”

“I’m not yours to do anything with.” She took the smallest step back from me.

I was angry and frustrated and had no control over the possessiveness I felt. “You’ll train with me and only me. If I catch you with him again…”

“You’ll do what?” she snapped with her hands on her hips. “You’ll kill me?”

I took a step closer to her, my eyes locked on hers. They were so blue in that moment that I felt like I was lost at sea. “Did you show him your power?”

“I don’t have any.” The muscles in her neck bulged as she spat out the words.

“Everyone has magic.” I said it so flippantly, and she looked away for a moment, unable to hold my stare.

She was hiding something.

“That’s what my father said too.” Her gaze looked haunted now even as her rage simmered. “Do you know how many hours I spent trying to train myself into finding my magic? How many different people were brought into the palace to make me find it?”

She clamped her mouth shut, and I narrowed my gaze on her. “For a handmaiden’s daughter?”

“I’m done with this conversation.” She started to turn from me, but I snatched her wrist in my hand before she could.

“I’m not. What the hell did you really do in that palace?” Just tell me one of your truths.

“It’s none of your business.”

“Lies make you a traitor.” I tightened my grip on her wrist, but not enough to hurt her.

“You already think I’m a traitor. Me keeping secrets isn’t going to change that.”

“You keeping secrets is exactly what will get you killed.” I tugged on her wrist until she was right in front of me. The toes of her boots knocked against mine, but I paid them no attention when her chest heaved and pressed against my own.

I could feel the heat of her body against mine, and for a moment, I allowed myself to indulge in the desire that had been simmering beneath the surface.

I leaned in closer to her, our faces only inches apart. “You know I won’t stop until I find out the truth,” I whispered, my lips brushing against her temple.

She said nothing, just stared straight ahead at my chest.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” I released her wrist and took a step back before I did something foolish.

Nyra’s breath caught in her throat, and for a moment, I thought I saw the same desire that was somehow drowning my anger staring back at me.

I took another step away from her. “Don’t train with Eiran again.”

“Of course, sir.” She made a show of bowing before me. “I wouldn’t dare disobey you.”

I bit down on my tongue so I wouldn’t say something I was going to regret. Or did something I would regret.

I turned my back to her and walked away, making my way toward the edge of the room. I needed to cool off.

“Get some sleep. We’ll begin training early tomorrow.”

I heard no sounds of her movement, and when I turned back around, Nyra was still standing exactly where I had left her.

“Yes?”

She clenched her fists at her sides and looked toward the mouth of the cave, then back at me. “I don’t know how to get back to my room.”

I ducked my head as I grinned at her frustration. Figuring out the cave system of our hidden city was tough, but I had lived here so long that I knew it like the back of my hand. I sometimes forget how difficult it could be.

“All you had to say was that you needed my help.” I openly smiled at her, and she narrowed her eyes.

“I didn’t say I needed your help.” She crossed her arms. “Can’t you use your magic to call for Wren or Eiran?”

Her words felt like tiny daggers piercing my skin. The anger inside me built up until I was sure it would burst out at any second. “What’s your goal here? Are you just trying to piss me off tonight?”

She shrugged her shoulders as she glanced away. “Is it working?”

I rubbed my lips together as I watched her, then headed for the exit, and she followed me. “Just so you know, the more you piss me off tonight, the harder training will be tomorrow.”

She scoffed as she caught up to my side. “I doubt you would take it easy on me even if I was on my best behavior.”

She wasn’t wrong. “I’m not going to deny that,” I replied gruffly. “But if you keep pushing me, I’ll be rougher with you.”

Nyra’s eyes widened, and I could feel the heat grow in my stomach.

I felt the swelling in the front of my trousers as thoughts of being rough with her clouded my mind.

She was a traitor.

I adjusted myself covertly as we walked in silence, then I waved her forward as we crouched below the low-hanging rock that kept the training grounds separate from the rest of the city.

We reached a fork in the path, and Nyra’s nose scrunched. “Which way?” she asked as she looked around the dimly lit tunnels.

I pointed. “To the right.”

She nodded and led us down the path, her light footsteps echoing off the walls.

“I’m guessing there’s no chance of me sleeping in tomorrow since you kept me out while the rest of this damn city is sleeping, huh?”

The city was eerily quiet, and a sliver of guilt crept up on me.

“Not a chance.”

“Figures.” She lifted her hand and let her fingers trail over the damp wall of the cave. “I still can’t believe this has all been down here this entire time. It’s like a whole other world.”

She sounded as if she were talking to herself instead of me, but still, I answered her.

“It’s our world, and it keeps us safe.”

She let out a soft “hmm,” and I had a sudden desperation to know what was going through her mind.

But she didn’t share another thought.

We walked in silence for a few more minutes before we finally reached the warrior quarters.

She turned to me, and for a second, I thought she was going to say something.

But she simply nodded her head once and shoved her hands into her pockets before she disappeared through the door.

I followed after her, and she looked back over her shoulder as she heard me coming up the steps behind her.

We were housed on the same floor. Wren’s safety was my top priority.

“Are you following me?” She turned to face me fully as we reached the top of the stairs.

“No.” I scoffed and kept moving until I had to slide my body past hers to get through the narrow stairwell. She sucked in a breath as my chest brushed against hers. “I’m headed to my room.”

She huffed as she followed me into the hall and stopped at her door.

“Your room is this close to mine?” She scrunched her nose.

“Trust me, I wished we had an open room elsewhere, but this is where they put you.”

She pressed her lips together before her hand moved to the handle of her door.

“I’ll see you in the morning, traitor.”

“I can’t wait,” she threw over her shoulder before she let it shut behind her.