Page 133 of A Vow of Shadow and Blood

“What the fuck?” I groan.

“Always be alert and always expect the unexpected.”

She throws another punch in my direction just as I stand up straight, and it lands hard against my cheek.

“Ouch,” Piper says from the side as she watches.

“Stop letting me hit you,” she hisses.

“I’m not.”

Actually, you are.

Unless you’re offering up your help, stay silent.

The only help you need is to get that dark-eyed prince out of your mind.

Not helping, Athriel.

He laughs.

Kaia throws another punch, but this time I lean quickly to the side, avoiding the blow.

“Better, but your moves are still too sloppy, too human. You’re siphoning the most powerful vampire in the kingdom, act like it.”

I grit my teeth and pull my fist back, aiming it straight at her face. She dodges it with minimal effort.

“You’re trying too hard and using way too much effort. Learn to calm down and focus.”

I blow out my breath. Annoying as she is, she’s right, and her frustrating advice is distracting my mind.

“Your senses are heightened, yet you rarely use them when fighting. Everything matters. The sound the wind makes when a fist curves through it can tell you the direction it is coming from. Spotting a single drop of sweat can reveal a person’s state. We all have tells, so start finding them because I’m not going to hold back.”

Her leg swings around, knocking me off my feet and sending me crashing back-first onto the ground.Fuck, that hurt. She liftsher foot over me, ready to slam it into my stomach, but I roll to the side, quickly jumping to my feet.

“Good, but you’re still overthinking. You let me get that kick in.”

“You have been alive for centuries; it’d be kind of weird if you didn’t.”

“Time means nothing in war; knowing your enemy does.”

Her words carry a weight that I know only comes from a place of pain. It’s the first drop of emotion I’ve picked up from her. This is the first time she has mentioned the war.

“What was it like? Fighting in the war?” I dare to ask.

“We’re not here to talk about me.” She jabs a fist toward my face, but I step out of the way, twisting my body to the left and swinging out my own. She dodges with ease, of course. “Nice.”

I stretch my neck from side to side, warming the muscles.

“Humor me.”

“There’s nothing humorous about war.”

She sweeps her foot again, but this time I jump.

“Good,” she says, and I can’t hide the small drop of pride I feel at her words.

I can feel the weight of Ivana, Ajax, and Piper’s eyes on us. The room is so silent that I don’t even need to focus much to hear at all. I hear the steady rhythm of Kaia’s heart. Too steady. She’s perfected the art of staying calm even in situations like these. She moves like a feline, quick and deadly, never allowing her opponent to focus on her for too long.