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She grabbed the sword back from Cassius and tossed his dagger to him, stalking to the center of the ring. She got into a ready position. She had held back when she had sparred with him the first time. She always did with those who didn’t know where she was raised. This time would be different.

“Do you want to fix your hair first, Lady?” Ryker asked smugly, noting the loose braid that was barely holding together now.

Scarlett tugged the string from the end of her hair and tossed it to the side. “I will not say it again: I am no Lady.”

And she launched into an attack.

She held little back as she sparred with the Captain this time. Her silver hair flew around her in a wave as she ducked, twirled, and met him blow for blow. She tried to study his every movement, but he was fast. Fast like she witnessed a select few at the Fellowship. Fast like she was.

Impressive.

Scarlett blocked a blow and held her footing despite his strength.His golden eyes flickered with surprise and curiosity as she mustered her strength and pushed back. She could see why he trained the king’s armies. His skill was impeccable. Precise and controlled movements that only came from years and years of practice and training. Where had he trained?

As they moved about the ring, she let herself drift down into that pit of calming rage. That place where she drew up strength and focus, honed by her own years of brutal training. Fury only allowed out when it was needed. She channeled that ire into each swing, each thrust, each blow. Some thought she needed to learn to control that rage. Others delighted when she unleashed it.

She heard Cassius growl her name in warning. Too much. She was too close to letting all of herself out of that cage. Cassius would know. She gritted her teeth, annoyed that he had distracted her.

And that distraction cost her.

She caught the Captain’s grin right before he knocked her blade from her hand.

“As fun as this has been, I have other things to tend to,” he taunted.

He swung the sword, aiming to bring the point to her throat to end the match, but she gave him a wicked grin. She saw the shock flash on his face as she surged forward. He jerked his arm back to avoid actually slicing her with the blade. Faster than a striking asp, she ducked under his arm, spun, and landed a kick clean to the back of his leg. The Captain barked out a curse as he caught his balance. Before he could right himself completely, she punched him in the side. She brought up her other hand to land a blow to his face, but he caught her by the wrist.

“We’re not done here yet,” Scarlett purred. She wouldn’t let it show, but she was getting tired, and he was so damn strong. She strained against his hold but couldn’t break it. She brought up her other hand to push back, but he caught that wrist, too. They had maneuvered out of the actual sparring ring long ago, having moved nearly halfway across the room.

Now, still gripping her wrists, he forced her back and back. She couldn’t do anything against his brute strength. Despite all her training,he was still bigger and stronger. She felt her back hit the wall, and he forced her back against it. Cassius was monitoring things, but he wouldn’t interfere unless she signaled to him to do so.

She struggled against his hold again and almost as if he allowed her to, her fist came a little closer to his face. His eyes were fixed on her curled hand, on her right fist, where a ring glittered.

The Captain brought his golden eyes to her icy blue ones. “Where did you get that?” he breathed, barely more than a whisper.

“It was my mother’s,” she replied through gritted teeth, her strength failing.

The ring boasted a crest of an owl above a gold flame set into a sapphire stone. Her mother had given it to her the night she had been so brutally killed by Dracon. She could still picture her face, the tears that glimmered in her eyes when she’d given it to her, as if she’d known it would be the last time she’d see her.

The Captain put an arm on her elbow to steady her as he released her wrists. She stumbled slightly, unable to hide her surprise and confusion by the sudden end to the sparring match. She didn’t know what to say to him.

He studied her a moment longer, then he leaned in close. His breath was hot against her ear as he whispered in that imperceptible whisper, “You win,Lady. I shall send word for when we are to train.”

She could do nothing but stand there in stunned silence as the Captain turned, gathered up his discarded weapon, and left the training quarters without another word.

“What the hell was that about?” Cassius asked, closing the distance between them.

“I have no idea,” Scarlett answered, her eyes still on the doorway he had disappeared through.

“You are really going to train with him?”

She finally broke her stare and met Cassius’s brown eyes. “Oh, yes. I’m greatly intrigued now.”

“He is a hard ass, Scarlett. Training will not be pleasant,” he warned.

“It’ll be just like old times then.”

“You’re really going to do this? You’re really going to take this assignment and work with the Assassin Lord again? You know this won’t be all he will require of you.It’s too easy. It’s too simple.”

She knew all too well the games the Assassin Lord liked to play.