hoping he’d go away. Instead, he pulled out his sword and faced me.
“What if I need something from you?” he asked, beginning to circle me.
I grasped my sword the way Rowan had taught me and swallowed thickly.
“What could you possibly need from me?” I inquired nervously, my eyes following his predatory movements as he continued move around me in slow, deliberate circles.
“I can think of a few things,” he answered darkly, making my heart jump. Without warning, he lunged at me with his sword.
Not wasting a moment, I faked to the right, seeing his blade pass inches away from my torso. Deftly retaliating, I managed to clang my sword forcefully against his, a burst of sparks exploding from the colliding blades.
“Nice,” he growled, pushing me back.
I threw a gust of wind at him which caused him to slide back a few feet, but he only smirked wider at me, clearly enjoying himself. He rushed me again and again, relentlessly, until I was gasping for breath. My ability to resist him had definitely improved, and although I wasn’t unable to defeat him, I was still able to hold my own.
Before I had a chance to enjoy my improvements, he hooked his leg under mine and pulled, sending us both crashing to the ground. My body thudded heavily on the cold dirt. He landed on me, crushing my chest. He stared down at me, his blue eyes searching my own, his lips holding a hint of a smile. The look was so familiar I drew in a sharp breath.
“You’re getting better, Princess,” he murmured, gazing down at me without bothering to shift his weight off. “A lot better, but you’re still not great. I do believe you need a new weapon.”
“And what weapon would that be?” I wheezed out.
His eyes swept my face quickly, his lips parting like he was going to say more.
“Ana?” Kellin’s deep voice interrupted us before I could get an answer from Tarek.
I hated to say it, but Kellin sure had a way of interrupting us. Any weapon would be better than the sword. Tarek climbed to his feet and held out his hand for me to take. I reached out and let him pull me up, making sure to dust off my dirty, blue cotton dress. I even ran my fingers nervously through my hair as Kellin took a step toward us with Soran in tow.
“Are you well?” Kellin asked, shooting a look at Tarek who didn’t seem at all bothered by his presence.
“Yes.” I nodded, combing my hair again.
Kellin reached out and thumbed my lower lip gently before turning his steely gaze on Tarek.
“While I understand it’s your duty to train the princess, may I remind you of the boundaries it entails? You should not, under any circumstance, knock her to the ground and cause her harm. And you most definitely should not find yourself on top of her at any point.”
I’d never heard Kellin speak that way, his voice emanating enough authority to send chills down my spine.
“And how, Prince Niall, do you expect her to learn to fight if I’m gentle with her?” Tarek asked, his eyes narrowing at Kellin.
“Through example,” he growled, reaching out and wrapping a protective arm around my waist.
“Kellin, honestly it’s fine,” I cut in, glancing between the two.
“How about we ask my sister how she feels about it?” Soran suggested with a glance at me. “Analia, are you comfortable with Tarek’s way of instructing?”
“Um, I guess so. I mean, it hurts sometimes, but I think it’s important so I can learn from it.” I shrugged helplessly. “I don’t think I’d learn as well if we were easy with one another. My enemies won’t be gentle with me.”
Kellin winced at my words and dropped his hand from my waist.
“I’ll be assisting with her training while I’m here,” he stated, drawing his sword from its sheath and looking to Soran, who shrugged.
“I don’t think that would be a bad idea. It’ll give her an idea of different fighting styles,” Soran agreed thoughtfully. “Tarek?”
“I’m merely a peon here,” he grunted. “However, I’ll follow whatever decision you make. I don’t think it’s a terrible idea to switch up styles. We should probably work on her wielding skills while we’re at it.”
“Well, that bit will be left to you all since I don’t possess those abilities,” Rowan broke in, glancing at Soran who shrugged indifferently. “And I really don’t want to be the one you practice that stuff on.”
“So, it’s settled,” I said brightly,