Page 31 of Inked in Emeralds (Inkbound #3)

T he sun beat down on me as I snapped my whip through the air, getting more frustrated with every crack. Hook stood nearby, watching intently.

“Loosen your wrist,” he advised, stepping closer. “You’re fighting it.”

“I’m trying,” I said, gritting my teeth. “I know what I’m supposed to do, but without my magic it’s like?—”

“Forget that! And forget everything else, too. You didn’t need magic to figure out how to defeat the bookworm, and you don’t need magic now. It’s just you and that whip.”

I sucked in a breath, pushing away all thoughts of the trials, the witch, and my lost magic.

Just me and the whip.

Slowly, my muscles began to relax. Then, I snapped my arm forward, using more elbow than wrist as I yanked it back. The force rattled through the whip, and a thunderous crack split the air a heartbeat later, cleaner and sharper than I’d managed in days.

Hook flashed a rare smile. “Better,” he said. “Now let's take five then try it again.”

I swiped the sweat off my brow and took a deep breath. It was slow going, but it was going.

Across the courtyard, Duncan had drawn a crowd.

Billy, who had drifted away a short while earlier to watch, had apparently decided that the time to spectate had ended, and they’d clearly been at it for a while.

Admiring guards gathered all around them, hooting and hollering as the two of them squared up.

Duncan looked like he was enjoying every second of it.

He’d stripped down to a loose tunic, his practice sword in constant motion as Billy circled him like a gladiator who’d found herself tossed into the ring with a lion.

Duncan lunged first, his blade arcing toward her, but Billy didn’t break stride.

The blade passed inches over her head as she ducked, lashing out with an attack of her own in the same, fluid motion.

Duncan made a slick move of his own, though, and my breath caught as he dropped his sword mid-swing and feinted to one side, neatly avoiding her blade, and tackling her at the waist. The crowd erupted into a mix of cheers and grumbles as Duncan pinned her to the ground.

Duncan grinned and pushed himself onto his forearms to gaze down at her. “Almost had me.”

Just as coins were about to exchange hands, though, Billy grinned back. “ Almost ? You’re far too cavalier with your soft bits, Ox.”

Duncan’s brows flew up, and Hook and I stepped closer, craning our necks to see how his fortune had changed.

“Perfect.” Hook barked out a laugh.

Billy had Duncan’s bait and tackle in a firm hold, a maniacal grin on her face as the men around them let out a collective, “Ooohhhh…”

His lean throat worked as he swallowed hard. “Draw?”

“Sure.” Billy’s eyes twinkled and she shrugged. “Draw it is.” She released him and he leapt off her like she’d been dipped in acid.

He shook his head and blew out a breath. “Gods, you’re fast. You’re terrifying.” He reached down to offer her a hand.

Billy let him help her and patted his shoulder before releasing his hand. “Next time I’m gonna get you to use that weird, meathead magic of yours to see if I still have a chance.”

“I’ll look forward to it…and make sure I wear a codpiece.”

The old guard stepped forward again with two fresh victims. The first round of them had gotten a sound whooping last time, and I couldn’t help but respect the guy for coming back for another helping.

Duncan grinned and picked up his sword. “Do your worst.”

The small crowd roared, but Hook couldn’t have looked less impressed. “He seems to be enjoying himself.”

“You should try it sometime.” If I could’ve kicked myself, I would’ve. Why did I keep beating my head against the same stone wall?

His inky eyes stopped looking through me for a second and locked in. “You of all people should know I’m capable of enjoying myself.”

Oh, fuck youuu…

I could feel my cheeks flushing, and I glared at him.

“Look, I get it. You’re jealous.” I should’ve left it there, because it was true, but I was having regrets about bringing it up before I even finished the sentence, so I kept going.

“Duncan is a great fighter and deserves some admiration. Deal with it.”

There. Let him think I didn’t mean something else entirely when I called out the jealousy.

Hook snorted. “Admiration, maybe. Hero worship? Not so much. And the fact that he seems to crave it is pathetic. Now let’s go again.”

I wavered, still inclined to argue, because he was wrong.

Duncan was just blowing off steam…making the best of a terrible situation.

We could all be a little more like him. But arguing when Hook wasn’t going to change his mind was a waste of very precious time, so I nodded, getting back into position.

We did a few dozen more reps, and each one felt smoother than the last. The movements were finally beginning to flow as I fell into a rhythm.

“Good,” Hook said, breaking my focus. I glanced at him, surprised by the sincerity in his voice. “Your reflexes are getting sharper. It’s rather uncanny.”

As I was about to go back for another try, I noticed movement in the previously empty stands that overlooked the courtyard. Fenwick sat in one of the carved seats, watching. He caught my gaze and raised his hand in a quick wave.

I nodded in acknowledgement before turning away. Nearby, Billy had stepped away from the sparring circle, coming to lean against the stone wall next to Hook. She folded her arms, watching Duncan as he continued cutting through the competition like a hot knife through fresh churned butter.

“Your prince is winning both fights and hearts. That’s hard to do.”

“He’s not my prince,” I mumbled, feeling Hook’s eyes on my face.

I turned away just in time to see Duncan reaching out a hand, pulling yet another beaten man to his feet. “You had me scared for a second,” he said, patting his opponent on the back with an encouraging smile.

The young soldier beamed, obviously thrilled at the praise.

Hook let out a low growl and stepped away from the wall. “Tell me something, Westerly. Do you ever get tired of swinging your dick around?”

Silence fell over the soldiers in a flash as Duncan turned to face Hook, the smile slipping from his face. My fingers dug into my palm as I realized his eyes were already showing a hint of preternatural silver.

“What did you say?” His voice was calm, but cold as ice.

Hook’s posture remained relaxed as he held the other man’s gaze. “I asked if you ever tire of all this—” he waved dismissively toward the circle of guards, “self-congratulatory circle-jerking.”

Gods, was he really going to do this?

Yeah, yeah he was. I groaned inwardly. It had been inevitable, so maybe it was better to deal with it now, before we went into battle?

Duncan took a slow step toward us, every muscle standing in sharp relief against his shirt that was looking smaller by the second.

“I’m training. Isn’t that what we came here to do?”

“You’re showing off,” Hook corrected. “I’ve known enough men like you to recognize dick-swinging when I see it.”

Duncan spat on the ground, and when he smiled this time, there was no dimple in sight. It was all challenge.

“If you’ve got it, why not swing it, pirate?” He flicked a glance to the spot just below Hook’s belt. “But I guess if you don’t…”

This had gone too far. My eyes darted between them as blood rushed to my head.

“Guys, we don’t have to do this.”

But Hook didn’t seem to hear me. His expression darkened, and he rolled his shoulders. “It’s been brewing from the start anyway. You want to fight, come and get it. But leave the toy behind.”

Duncan let his training sword clatter to the ground, his hand straying toward the handle of his massive broadsword as Hook drew his saber. The boisterous crowd went dead silent as they faced off across the yard, the afternoon sunlight glinting off their deadly blades.

And then it began.

Duncan pumped his powerful thighs, sprinting at Hook in a blur of speed and power, his sword smashing into Hook’s with a spray of sparks.

I flinched, expecting Hook to go flying backward, but he didn’t.

Instead, he batted Duncan’s sword with a swirl of his hand, letting out a low growl as they leapt apart.

“You’ll need to do a whole lot better than that, Pretty Boy.”

Hook pivoted around Duncan’s next attack and unleashed a flurry of his own. His saber snaked in and out of view, striking faster than I could keep up with. But Duncan?

That was another question entirely.

He roared, not only keeping up with the pirate, but matching him blow for blow.

Where Hook relied on speed and technique, Duncan got by on brute force, his sword cleaving through the air with enough force that one clean shot would mean certain death.

His muscles rippled with every movement, and the sound of the metal clashing put my whip cracks to shame.

The fight was brutal, but Hook matched Duncan’s ferocity with precise movements, never moving further than he had to. The message was clear; no ranged magic was needed.

“Unreal,” Billy murmured, shaking her head in awe.

They were getting more serious with each passing moment, their feet sending up puffs of dirt each time they clashed. Hook stepped around a particularly nasty looking overhand from Duncan, and the former prince’s eyes narrowed, the silver sheen growing deeper.

My stomach dropped and I stepped forward to intervene, but Billy’s firm grip landed on my shoulder.

"Not yet.”

"What do you mean? When, then?” I demanded, my voice shrill. “They’re going to kill each other!"

She never took her eyes off the fight. "I have…had four brothers. If you really want them to get past their problems, let them work the testosterone and stupid out of their systems. This would be way scarier if they weren’t both masters of their craft, because accidents happen.

But right now, as good as they are, they're still toeing the line between fighting and an all-out deathmatch.

Let it play out a little longer to see if they can come to an understanding. "

I turned back toward them, unable to find the words to respond. If this was toeing the line, then I’d hate to see if they were going all out. Would we even be able to stop them if it got to that point?

But, deep down, I knew she was right. The tension between them had been brewing for way too long for them to just end this here and move on like nothing happened. Watching it was agony, though. Fear for them both had my throat in a vise.

Bonnie chose that moment to swoop down and land on my shoulder, and I couldn’t help but hope that maybe I’d called her to me somehow. But as I reached for her mind, the connection was still nowhere to be found.

Across the yard, Duncan swung low, and Hook leapt smoothly over his blade, already thrusting out with a counter as he landed. Duncan’s torn tunic bloomed with red from a nasty slice to his shoulder and he let out a growl.

"Is that all you’ve got?"

"You wish.” Hook flashed a lethal grin as he lifted his arm.

His black coattails waved like twin black flags, as if he stood in the eye of a storm.

The next flurry of attacks seemed twice as fast as he harnessed the wind and used it to add speed behind every strike.

Duncan’s berserker power kicked into high gear as he took a dozen tiny cuts from Hook’s whirlwind blade.

Nearby guards whispered nervously, backing away even further as he charged like a raging bull. Hook sidestepped the full swing of his broadsword that cleaved straight through a nearby training dummy, sending splinters spraying across the yard.

While Duncan tried to stop his momentum, Hook took full advantage of the opening, lunging forward as he recovered from his overzealous swing.

Hook reared back, blade on a direct path to Duncan’s unprotected torso, only to flick his wrist at the last second, slamming the hilt of his saber directly into Duncan’s ribs with a resounding crunch.

The larger man flew backward, sending up a cloud of dust and debris as he crashed into the stone wall behind him.

Silence fell over the yard once again, only broken by both men’s ragged breathing.

Blood dripped from Duncan’s forehead as he snarled, his eyes flashing brighter than I’d ever seen.

His berserker magic had consumed him entirely, and he looked more beast than man as he leapt to his feet and let out a feral roar.

I charged forward as he and Hook faced off again, my pulse hammering in my ears. And this time, Billy didn’t even try to stop me.

“James! Duncan! Stop this, now!”

Thunder seemed to crack overhead as swords clashed, the deafening crack ringing through the air loud.

The two men stood frozen mid-strike, their blades still locked together as they trembled with exertion.

For a long, agonizing second, nobody moved.

Then, with a metallic snap, Duncan’s broadsword snapped in half, the pointed end dropping to pierce the ground between them.

Duncan let out a groan and sank to his knees, pressing a hand to his surely shattered ribs. I’d been there myself, after falling off the crow’s nest of The Jolly Roger running the Devil’s Gauntlet. It was excruciating, each breath feeling as though a hot blade jabbed through the bones.

Bonnie let out a low, mournful squawk as I shot Hook a pleading look. He grunted as he stepped forward, thrusting his saber back into its sheath. Duncan didn’t—or couldn’t—muster the will to lift his head as Hook hovered his hand over Duncan’s.

I held my breath, only letting it go when the agony on Duncan’s face faded and Hook pulled away. He spared a final glance toward me, then turned away without a word, striding across the courtyard.

As much as part of me wanted to go after him, now wasn’t the time. I shifted my attention back to Duncan and began to head his way, but Billy got there first, strolling up like it was another random day.

She snatched a cloth from her quiver and pressed it against his still bleeding shoulder, unbothered by the lingering glow in his eyes or the rumbling breaths of his fading fury.

“Looks like you’re gonna need a new sword there, handsome.”