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Daphne stretched her neck but kept her eyes closed, so I stared at her ponytail and imagined it wrapped around my hand.

When she was ready to go again, I struck with my non-dominant hand before switching at the last minute to my other. She missed the correction, putting too much of her weight toward the first hit.

At the last second, I slowed my arm so that the wood tapped her lightly on the side.

Even then, I stepped up and ran my hand over her ribs, soothing the ache. Her skin was warm, her breaths heavy with concentration.

Daphne placed her hand over mine, lingering for a second, before pulling it off. “Again.”

She reset her stance, flipping one of her sticks around her hand.

“Show off.”

Daphne did it again. “Learned from the best.”

“You’re really good at that,” Daphne said, sitting in the corner of the training room and curled up with a book while I practiced with Zale.

“You can learn if you want.”

Daphne’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Sure,” I said, shrugging. She wasn’t around much since leaving for university, but I’d make the time. “I taught you how to communicate with animals. This is easier.”

Before I could blink, Daphne was up and hugging me.

I smiled, not dropping it as I repeated the misdirect move. This time, Daphne’s block was perfectly timed.

We jumped right into the next maneuver, doing the same for the next four. Daphne was a little shaky on one of them, but blocked each before they touched her.

On the sixth one, she blocked too high, and my practice stick tapped her on the shoulder. I smoothed the skin again, almost cheering for fucking joy when Daphne reached for my hand.

There was an ache in my chest, but I wasn’t fucking this up. I’d take these pockets of time where I could pretend like she hadn’t shredded me to pieces.

“Again?” I asked. Daphne nodded.

I pulled on her ponytail and Daphne laughed, smiling. Her smiles were always brightest in her eyes, but even with them closed, that smile could bring me to my knees.

We went through seven perfect blocks this time, even as I started doing more and more complicated maneuvers to confuse her. Daphne matched each move in stride, adapting perfectly.

At eight, I stepped around her. I could see her balance waver, her awareness of me dropping for a second. Enough for me to pat her on the ass with the practice stick.

I stepped toward her, my hand outstretched.

Daphne’s hand clamped over my wrist. “Don’t you dare.”

She couldn’t see it, but I pouted. “That sting?”

“Yes,” Daphne said, not loosening her grip on me. “But keep your hands to yourself.”

I moved my arm down, using her hold on me to pull her closer. Then I placed my lips right next to her ear. “Whatever you say, baby.”

Daphne’s eyes snapped open, gifting me with the wildfire of focus blazing there. “I do say.”

I just looked down at her and smiled. “Again.”

Daphne’s eyes closed and I gave her a second to re-center. It was time to try a few where I wasn’t in front of her the entire time.

She somehow knew that was my intention because she was ready for me. She followed my movements easily, keeping me at bay.