Page 25 of Brutal Fae King (Dark Faevea King #1)

I hold my sword for a moment. There’s a bead of sweat rolling down my face, and I wipe it with my sleeve. I’m glad to be in something less overbearing than those large queenly dresses—this thinner leather armor I’m wearing is so much more comfortable to move in. I’ve never worn trousers before, but I can see why warriors do so.

I suck in a deep breath through my nose, and then I practice the drill again—a thrust, then a pretend parry, moving into a slice. The tip of my blade clips the dummy, leaving a long streak in the burlap.

“Good,” Vicmar purrs approvingly. “Remember: it’s all in the wrist, not the arms. But you’re getting smoother. You’re making incredible progress.”

I smirk. I pull the rapier back and hold it at the ready. This time, when I perform the drill again, I try to put a little more into the wrists.

“No, no, don’t force it,” Vicmar says. “Relax. Let it come naturally.”

I laugh exhaustedly.

“ Nothing about this is natural, Vicmar!” I protest.

“No, I think you took to the rapier quite well,” he says. “I’m growing more confident by the second that if you were caught alone, you could defend yourself.”

I smile.

“Thank you,” I reply. “I don’t know, though… I worry I might drop the sword or make some other stupid mistake if I had to fight with a sword.”

“Don’t worry,” Vicmar says, coming closer. “This is just in case you are caught alone again. If Dralis tries to sneak in and take you back again, you will be able to hold your own. But—” He puts a hand on the backs of my shoulders. “—I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. Anyone who threatens you will face my blade.”

My chest has a warm glow in it. My cheeks were burning with exertion, but now they’re on fire.

I don’t think even my parents have ever shown such protectiveness over me. Even before they died, I’ve been out in the world, working on farms, mostly. That meant that usually, my parents were on one task and I was on another. No one ever stood by my side protectively…

I lower my face with a smile.

“Thank you,” I murmur.

Vicmar nods at me.

“I’ve also been studying the teleportation spell,” he says. “So we can teleport our own army in like Dralis did with his.”

“How’s that going?”

He pauses. “Uh… steady.”

“Steady?” I ask slowly. “What does that mean? My barrier’s expected to crumble in a few days—are you going to be ready before then?”

Vicmar looks away.

“I’m not sure, to tell the truth.”

“Well, I can replenish the barrier,” I say confidently. “You don’t need to worry if you can’t.”

He smiles and nods softly.

“Yes…” He says slowly, then sighs.

“What is it?”

“I wish I didn’t have to send you back out into battle,” he mutters. “If your powers weren’t essential to our battle strategy, then I’d have been so much more comfortable with you being kept somewhere safe.”

“Well, we found out the hard way that there isn’t anywhere safe in the castle,” I answer. “Not until we discover how he got inside its defenses in the first place.”

“That is true,” Vicmar grunts.

“I’m glad I am going to be out there,” I say. “I want to help. I want to protect you as much as you want to protect me, Vicmar.”

He gives me a crooked half-smile.

“Is that so?” he purrs.

With that, he turns and strides off. He goes over and picks up two practice swords from the rack—both rapiers this time. He easily tosses the blade from one hand to the other before holding the handle toward me.

“En garde, then!” he says, smirking. “Show me what you’ve learned!”

I sigh. I put down my sharp sword, and take the practice one from him.

“Fine…”

I hold my own sword out. The first thing he does is thrust forward, but I block the blade and roll it off, swinging my sword up toward his chin. Vicmar leans his head back, taking a step back—but then he pushes off his back leg, pivoting in a circle, bringing his own blade toward me. I dart backward, giving myself a little distance to think. He doesn’t let up—he steps forward and slashes toward me again. I parry this one, moving his blade aside with my own before launching a front kick. It hits him right in the stomach, and he wheezes, stumbling back.

He grimaces in pain for a second, then looks up at me with a dark grin.

“Are we doing that, then?” he wheezes.

“You wanted to know what I’d learned,” I answer back. “I’ve learned that sometimes, you need to do what you have to in order to win a sword duel.”

Vicmar grins wider.

“But I didn’t know we were doing these things in this spar!” he laughs. “If that is how you want to spar, then let us spar like that!”

Uh-oh.

He comes toward me again.

I hold my rapier at the ready, and Vicmar surges toward me. I keep my gaze actively on his face, but in the periphery, I watch his hands. They move in from my left, and I hold my own sword down to block it. I tip my blade up and roll his sword away. I pivot on the balls of my feet and then slide away. He turns without a moment’s hesitation, and the sword hurtles toward my head. My knees buckle, and I feel it swish over my head. It tousles my hair.

But I’m stuck in a squat—when Vicmar pulls his sword back and thrusts toward me, I can’t get out of ducking soon enough to escape, so I just let myself fall backward. I hit my back on the floor, and my head smacks into the ground.

But I don’t stop moving. As I hit the courtyard, I force myself to roll back until I can scramble onto my feet again.

“Sloppy!” Vicmar barks at me. “Keep your balance!”

Easier said than done—before I can even bark back at him, he comes forward again, and I swing my sword at him. His sword catches mine and forces my sword away. His other hand grabs my wrist and yanks it down. His chest touches on mine.

“Sloppy…” He whispers, his hot breath hitting my closed mouth. “That was a clumsy swing. Keep your balance. If you lose it, then put some distance between yourself and the enemy and think. Don’t just swing.”

I start laughing quietly and looking up at him.

“Are you that petty that you need to dominate a spar because I got one clean hit on you!”

“Well…” Vicmar purrs. “If you’re going to go hard on the spar, you’ll have to hold your own better than that!”

“Fine, then!”

I spin—ripping both my wrists out of his hands, and then bring my sword around in a large swing. It doesn’t hit, but it puts a lot of distance between us. Vicmar grins widely and whips his sword back and forth before readying it again. I mirror him, and we both slowly circle around each other. Then, he pulls the sword back and surges toward me again. I brace myself and then block it. After I block it, I draw my sword back and thrust it forward. He slips it, but I keep stepping forward, and as I get close to him, I stick my leg out behind one of his. He stumbles over it but manages to keep his balance. But I keep my assault going, trying to draw my sword back for another swing. As I sweep it across, toward his face, it clangs against Vicmar’s sword.

Damn! I thought I’d taken him off guard enough for that to get through!

His sword pushes mine down. I try to move it away so I can wield it again, but he’s keeping my blade away. I thrust my knee up, but Vicmar is quick enough to loop his arm under my leg and move it aside. Now, he’s standing so close to me, his hips nestled between my standing leg and the one he’s holding under the thigh, his other hand still knocking my sword away.

“Well,” he purrs. “Definitely do not do that to Dralis!”

I give him a sneering smile and try to pull my leg back, but his smile widens and he keeps his grip on me.

“Vicmar!” I insist playfully. “Let me go!”

He just chuckles. He strides forward, and my single foot can’t keep me standing—as my foot scrapes over the ground, Vicmar lifts me up until my back softly hits something, and I’m rested against a wall, him pinned against me. My stomach gives a little flicker as he presses himself into me. I just grin and open my hand, letting my sword fall to the ground with a clatter. I hear his sword hit the floor soon after, and I link both of my hands around the back of his neck and hang from there. His lips touch mine, and I sigh against his lovely mouth. I open my mouth a little, and his lip dips into my mouth. I can hear the sounds our lips make as they lock, and every time it hits my ears, a shudder of pleasure tingles through me. I fold into him, and he kisses me again. He deepens the kiss, his wet tongue hugging around mine for a long moment. A sharp shudder of delight crackles through me like a bolt of lightning—I have to break the kiss for a breathless moan. Vicmar purrs a laugh at the back of his throat, and his nose trails lightly over my face, taking in a deep breath in my hair.

I laugh lightly.

“Now, you don’t do that to Dralis!” I murmur.

Vicmar gives a chuckle.

“Oh, no!” he replies. “Don’t even talk about him right now!”

I cackle, and that turns into a sigh of pleasure as his lips glide over my neck. But before he does anything else, he pauses and then moves his sweet mouth to my ear.

“You’re so much better than you were before,” he says. “But I will protect you. No one will touch you, Ebelor. I promise you that.”

I just hum contentedly, enjoying the feeling of his warm arms around me. He kisses my neck.

“I don’t remember the last time I was this happy,” Vicmar murmurs to me. “I may have never been this happy in my entire life. It was always just responsibility and duty. But I finally have tasted happiness—solely because of you.” He kisses my neck again. “Thank you.”

I smile wider and run my hands through his hair.

“Me too,” I reply softly.