Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

NYRA

Icouldn’t see the sun, but I knew it had yet to rise when Wren shook me from my sleep. I had groaned and tried to pull my blanket over my head, but she had simply laughed and jerked it away.

I was exhausted.

But I had dressed and followed Wren to the training area, just like I had the day before. I stopped mid-step when I saw a very irritated-looking Dacre waiting for me in one of the sparring circles. His face was flushed, and beads of sweat dotted his brow as if he had already been here for hours. His arms were folded across his chest, and his eyes narrowed as I approached.

As I stepped into the ring, he stood at the opposite end, his muscles tense and eyes fixed on me. He didn’t speak a word, but his intense gaze followed my every movement, as if he was studying me for weaknesses.

We circled each other warily, both of us waiting for the other to make a move. His muscles were taut, and his eyes were fixed on mine with an intensity that made me uncomfortable.

Following Wren’s instructions, I inhaled deeply and focused every small movement of my body. But every time I caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of my eye, my balance wavered. Those stolen glances were like magnets, pulling me toward him and away from my concentration.

And just like that, for the fourth time since arriving, I found myself sprawled on the ground, courtesy of his distracting presence.

“Your stance is all wrong,” he grumbled and extended his arm out for me to take, but I stiffened and pushed myself off the ground. My legs trembled as I stood, feeling a deep ache in my overworked thighs.

“I’m standing exactly like you told me to.” I dusted the dirt from my trousers and crossed my arms in an attempt to look as annoyed as he did.

“You aren’t.” He moved around me, his fingertips lightly brushing against my right thigh before giving it a soft tap until I shifted it out of the way. His breath was warm on the back of my neck as he passed.

I gritted my teeth as I moved my foot forward, but he wasn’t satisfied.

“More.”

I made a move to take a step, and he quickly shifted his weight, kicking out his foot between mine and causing mine to slide to the right.

“You could use your words, you know?” I quipped when he almost knocked me off balance completely.

“I could, but I’ve found that you’re not a very good listener.”

I fought the urge to growl as he walked around me and deliberately stepped back into my direct line of sight. I rolled my eyes before letting out a heavy sigh.

“Feel how your weight is distributed more evenly. Do you feel more sound on your feet?”

I did, but I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that. “Not really.”

He pressed his lips together and the corner of my mouth curved up in a smirk.

“Your arms should be in front of you, ready to block whatever is coming your way.” His strong grasp wrapped itself around my wrist like a snake before he forced it up in front of me. I could feel his powerful grip searing my skin, as if branding me.

“You know the only time I’ve ever been attacked in my life was by you.”

Dacre’s eyes gleamed dangerously as he slowly and firmly moved my hands to where he wanted them. His grip was sure, confident, and unyielding. “You were caught by the King’s Guard, and if you had been trained better, you would have been able to get away, but here you are.”

He took a step away from me, studying my posture with cautious eyes. His gaze traveled slowly down my body, pausing at my hands before slowly dipping to my feet. “Did your parents never teach you any sort of self-defense?”

“No.” I raised my chin even as a chill ran over my skin. “I don’t think they ever thought I would need it.”

He took another step back and his eyes narrowed as he rotated around me. I stood motionless, my cheeks flushed pink, my hands held exactly where he had put them as he assessed his handiwork.

“Where are your parents now?”

My throat felt so tight and constricted as his words hit me; yet I forced myself to take a deep breath. “I don’t know where my father is.”

It wasn’t a lie. I hadn’t seen him since the raid. There had been an increase in guard presence in the capital city ever since the raid. Everyone thought they were looking for a rebel sympathizer, but I knew they were looking for me. It was the reason I didn’t do my first thieving job with Micah until months after we found each other.

But my father wouldn’t dare show his own face outside of his palace.

There had been rumors that he was still tucked away safely beyond the palace walls, but there had been other rumors that he had fled.

But I knew my father better than that.

“And your mother?” He moved back around to the front of me and studied my feet.

“My mother is dead.”

He raised his eyes to meet mine, and I saw a shadow pass through them. His expression softened briefly in what looked like guilt before hardening again. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry. It wasn’t your precious rebellion that was responsible for her death.”

His knuckles whitened as he balled his fists, the veins in his forearms bulging. His eyes shifted away from me, and I hated that I felt guilt over my words as I watched his nostrils flare. “Your right foot should always be in the back. You have more control that way.” He stepped back and moved into his own stance that matched the one he had just placed me in. “We should train you to be prepared to kick with your left.”

“You already saw that I can’t kick,” I grumbled.

“Then we’re going to train you until you can.” He lunged forward so quickly that I didn’t have time to think. I felt my breath catch in my throat as I desperately tried to backpedal away from him, but I struggled to keep my balance.

“Kick out,” he growled at me, and I lifted my hands as I tried to remember what he had shown me. “At least try to block me.”

I launched my foot forward with all the strength I could muster, but it was futile. In a split second, he had seized my ankle and held it in midair in his hand.

He jerked my foot forward until my body slammed into his. His body was warm against mine, and my cheeks grew hot as I desperately tried to turn away from his gaze.

But he didn’t let me go. He gripped the back of my neck, his touch firm and steady, as he forced me to look up at him, and he ran his hand slowly up my leg until his fingers rested gently on the back of my knee. His dark eyes looked into mine, unblinking and intense.

“A child could have blocked that kick.” His voice was scathing, and I could feel his warm breath against my cheek.

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding in my chest.

My breath caught in my throat as panic began to swell within me. His fingers dug into my calf, his grip tightening with each passing second. I tried to yank my leg out of his grip, but he held on tightly with a fierce determination that enraged me.

“Pathetic.” His voice was low, but the word shot through me as if he had screamed it.

I let my leg go heavy in his hand, and I slammed the rest of my weight into his chest. He wasn’t expecting it, and both of us lost our balance.

Dacre’s eyes widened as he fell backward onto the ground, and I landed on top of him with a groan as my knees collided with the hard dirt floor. Our bodies were pressed together, his hand now gripping my thigh, and I could feel every inch of him through our leathers.

For a moment, neither of us moved, our bodies so close that I could feel his exhales roll through me like a warm breeze.

“Son.”

The sound of a man’s voice sliced through the air like a knife, and Dacre pushed me off him with an iron grip. I stumbled backward, my heart racing, as he leaped to his feet. Sweat dripped from his brow as the air in my lungs fled.

“I think that’s enough for today,” Dacre said sternly, his eyes avoiding mine, as he turned to the man standing just outside the sparring circle.

The man squinted his eyes, narrowing his gaze as he studied me. He looked so much like Dacre, except for his bright-green eyes that matched Wren’s and the gray hair that was sprinkled throughout the black. His lips parted, and he spoke again, the intensity of his scrutiny making me shift uncomfortably. “I need you on patrol this afternoon.”

Dacre’s back straightened, and he nodded. “Of course,” he replied in a tight voice.

The man finally shifted his gaze away from me to Dacre. “Finish what you’re doing and meet me,” he said before turning on his heel and moving away from us.

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. My hands nervously clasped together in front of me as I stood a few steps behind Dacre. His eyes were fixed on the direction the man had just gone, and I cleared my throat before cautiously speaking.

“I’ll find Wren.”

“No.” He slowly faced me, his expression drawn and unreadable. His jaw was tight, and his eyes were narrowed as if he was trying to figure something out. “She’ll go too soft on you. You need someone who will push you.”

I rolled my eyes and rubbed my sore muscles that were proof that Wren had pushed me. By the time we climbed into bed last night, I thought I would cry from the way my muscles ached.

“I’ll find Kai.” He scanned the large cavern, his brow furrowed with concentration. I watched him, craning my neck to try and catch a glimpse of Kai, though I hadn’t seen him all morning. But that didn’t matter—all I could focus on was the way Dacre moved, the movement of the muscles in his back as he looked for his friend.

He was…distracting.

“Shit,” he cursed under his breath when he didn’t find him.

“Don’t worry. You go do your little patrol, and I’ll find him. Any special instructions other than to try to kill me?”

The corner of Dacre’s mouth lifted, so slight I almost missed it. His dark eyes seemed to bore into mine as my stomach flipped, and I felt warmth spread through my body. “That should do it,” he murmured in a low voice.

I felt his eyes on me, scanning me as I remained stoic, trying to hide the shivers running down my spine. “On it,” I said, hoping he didn’t notice how uneasy I felt around him.

He met my gaze with a single nod before turning on his heel and stalking off, his leather-clad muscles flexing with each step. As he disappeared from sight, I shook my head to clear the fog that had settled over me and took a breath, steeling myself to search for Kai.

I paused and thought about turning around, the thought of my warm bed beckoning me, but my feet kept carrying me forward. There was a part of me that was desperate to prove Dacre wrong. To prove I wasn’t as weak as he believed me to be.

It didn’t take long to find Kai. Within moments, his broad shoulders were visible from across the room as he circled a much smaller opponent in his sparring circle.

“Hey.” I cleared my throat and shuffled on my feet, glancing around uncertainly. “Dacre said he wants me to train with you today.”

Kai slowly pivoted his body toward me, and his eyes shifted as they locked onto mine. He paused briefly before he turned back to confront his opponent, his features set in a determined expression. “Sure thing. Just as soon as I’m done kicking his ass.”

The man across from him grinned, revealing a flash of yellow teeth. I cautiously leaned back against a jagged rock, my palms sweaty as I watched the two of them continue to circle one another.

“I’m free.” I heard a husky voice and turned to find the source. A man stood beside me, his light-brown curls tousled in every direction atop his head. His bright blue eyes shone with warmth as he smiled at me. His gaze ran over me curiously, and my cheeks grew warm from his scrutiny.

There was something about him that reminded me of Micah.

“Not happening, Eiran,” Kai called out, even as the man across from him charged, and I flinched at the sound of his kick against Kai’s thigh.

“Okay.” I nodded as I stood.

“Don’t you fucking dare, Nyra. You’re training with me,” Kai grunted as the man landed a hit.

“I’m sitting here watching you lose.”

“He’ll be fine.” Eiran made a subtle gesture with his head, a barely perceptible nod to the left.

“It’s your death wish, Eiran,” Kai warned, and I quickly followed behind Eiran before Kai could stop me.

We moved through the cavern in silence as we passed others training until we reached a corner where the shadows were thick and heavy enough to conceal us from any prying eyes or ears.

“So, what exactly is Dacre wanting you to be trained on today?” Eiran moved inside a large sparring circle, and I followed suit.

“I’m pretty sure he was just trying to humiliate me, but we were working on stance and blocking.”

His lips curled into an amused grin as his eyes moved from my face down my chest and then slowly dipped lower. I could feel a flush rising on my cheeks as I shifted uncomfortably beneath his gaze.

“Let’s see what you can do then.” He moved into a stance, his arms outstretched and his feet planted firmly on the ground, just like Dacre had done.

I inhaled a deep, steadying breath and tried to recall Dacre’s stance instructions as best I could. My gaze wouldn’t stay fixed on Eiran; his piercing blue eyes made me nervous.

“Relax,” he said with a low chuckle. “You’re not going to be able to block anything if you aren’t breathing.”

I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, forcing myself to dig deep and focus on Eiran as he came at me. He was fast, but he wasn’t as fast as Dacre.

Each time his fist or foot flew toward me, I felt my muscles strain as I tensed to block the attack. Eiran looked completely at ease while sweat trickled down my back and I struggled to catch my breath.

He was holding back and not throwing his full force at me, which I both loathed and appreciated. As we kept going, my body adjusted to the movements, no longer feeling as stiff or as strained. I could sense when he was about to strike and reacted quickly, reading his movements before they were made.

“Good job.” He took a step back and folded his arms, offering me one of those easygoing smiles I’d already come to expect from him. “Looks like you’re a natural.” His words were like warm honey, coating me from head to toe.

“I don’t know about that.” I shook my head as I braced my hands on my hips and tried to catch my breath. “I think Dacre’s just knocked me on my ass enough times that my fight or flight is starting to kick in.”

Eiran laughed and rubbed his hand along his jaw. “Maybe if I train you well enough, you can knock Dacre on his own ass for a change.”

A chuckle escaped me as I tried to imagine it.

“It would probably take a miracle for that to happen.”

“I don’t know.”

I met his gaze and my stomach fluttered. His blue eyes were intense and his jaw tightened ever so slightly.

“Wilder things have happened,” he said softly. “Let’s try again.”

He motioned me forward with a flick of his fingertips, and I let myself imagine that it was Dacre standing in front of me. I raised my guard just in time to deflect a swinging punch. Taking advantage of an opening, I threw all my weight into a kick that connected with his rib cage, and I smiled.