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Holding the hilt of a saber, she walked back to him, stopping five feet before him. Vladimir stood like a hard statue, his jaw set like cold stone, stubbornly holding onto his anger—his righteous weapon against her.

Lucienne flashed her saber in his face. The best way to get his fury out was to provoke him. “Do your worst, you arrogant buffalo!” She had called him names when they first met at Desert Cymbidium. Of course, he had taunted her first.

A spark flashed in Vladimir’s dark golden eyes, quelling the fire of anger in them. “Only your best, delicate pumpkin butt, and see how long you last!”

“How dare you call me that again!” Lucienne suddenly lunged. A sharp thrust went directly toward Vladimir’s throat. Vladimir stumbled back as he parried.

“You insult me, and then you attack me by surprise?” he said.

“I warned you. I said, ‘Do your worst, you arrogant buffalo.’ Didn’t I?”

“You offended me twice now!” Vladimir struck back, his saber rising and falling with remarkable speed. And then it went for Lucienne’s heart.

Lucienne parried, and then counterattacked, the pair matched in every way. They lunged and withdrew. Both executed moves with grace, control, and precision. The two sabers crashed again and again in perfect arcs.

“We know each other’s weaknesses and strengths too well,” Vladimir sighed. “We can go on like this forever until one lies down.”

“Then you’ll be the one who lies down, pretty boy,” Lucienne purred with a husky voice, gazing at Vladimir through her thick lashes. Her rich, brown eyes became expressive, turning all honey and wine, and only for him.

Vladimir opened his mouth, his eyes melting into a soft fire of gold. Lucienne could feel his heartbeat picking up as his breath hitched. The heat was in the air. She felt it. Seizing the advantage, she struck mercilessly. The tip of her saber found an opening in Vladimir’s heart and went for it.

Before Lucienne could claim victory, Vladimir moved with incredible speed. The opening was a feint. In the next heartbeat, he disarmed her, holding her saber in his hand. “The Lam lioness always knows how to take advantage of her opponent’s weakness,” he said. “I fell once, but never twice.”

But Lucienne recovered faster than Vladimir expected. They were inches apart, so she punched him, turning their match into a street fight. Vladimir threw up his hand to cover his eye, stunned. Lucienne kicked the saber out of his hand. She caught it, tossed it to the ground along with her gloves, and swung her long leg toward him. “But I hoped you’d always fall,” she said. “Maybe it’s just a silly girl’s fantasy.”

Vladimir turned his palm vertically and blocked Lucienne’s vicious kick. “You’re not playing by the rules, Lucienne Lam!”

“What do you mean?” Batting her eyelids, Lucienne didn’t hesitate to throw another punch.

“I disarmed you, so you should admit defeat and lie down!”

“I’m not that easy.” With an amused smile, Lucienne ducked a savage kick from Vladimir. “And when did you ever play by the rules, Blazek?”

“When it comes to you!” he said, grabbing her hand with iron strength. His gaze was so intense that Lucienne felt her knees going weak. “What did you say? That you hoped I fell for you twice or something?”

“You heard me, and denied my wish, obviously,” Lucienne said. Crystal liquid flowed in her eyes. It could have been tears, but in an instant, it was gone.

“I’ll fall for you a thousand times, if that’s what you want,” he said. “And I’m still falling for you, but does it matter to you? You’re not here anymore.”

“I’m here now.”

“Your body is here.”

“And what isn’t?”

“Your heart.”

“How can you assume where my heart stays, or where it belongs?” Suddenly furious, she tried to slap him.

Vladimir caught her wrist, and she tripped him. He let her, but dragged her down with him. She fell on top of him, as he moved his hips to pin her under him. She maneuvered her hips and legs, countering his moves and fighting to stay on top. At last, she straddled him.

“Now you lie still,” she ordered.

“I saw how you looked at Ashburn Fury,” he said, his eyes spitting sparks of dark fire. “And all I wanted was to strangle the life out of him with my bare hands!”

Okay, now the cat is out of the bag. He fears that I’ve given up on him, on us. She couldn’t blame him for his suspicions. She had tried to pull away from him, even after the Eye of Time was secured. She had left for Nirvana without him; and in Nirvana, she sought out Ashburn as often as she could, bordering the point of obsession. It was only business. Or was it?

“Ashburn’s my asset, just like the Eye of Time. That’s all,” she said.