Page 7 of The Lies of Lena (The Otacian Chronicles #1)

Chapter Six

“ S o, what do you know about combat?” Quill inquired.

He showed up at our cottage precisely one week after we met, on market day once again. We heard a knock on the door just past six in the morning, and Mother answered it, saying Quill looked happy as can be. I groggily rolled out of bed, then once what she said registered, my eyes flung open, and I rushed to put myself together. Quill just waited at the dining table, smirking as he watched me run back and forth from the bathroom to my bedroom.

Mother wanted me to run the stand today but instead happily allowed me to do the deliveries so I could spend time with Quill, thinking it was a date and entirely unaware of the deal we had made. After we delivered the orders together, we headed to the Western Forest to train .

I picked at a speck on my shirt, feeling a little awkward. I opted for a grey tank top paired with black leather pants and boots, the closest thing to the training attire I owned. I threw my hair into a messy bun; loose copper waves had already fallen and framed my face. “Nothing, truthfully. I probably couldn’t hold my own if it came down to it,” I answered honestly.

He tensed. “Then why did you pull your dagger on that girl?”

I crossed my arms. “At the moment, I didn’t care. I just wanted to hurt her,” I stated bluntly. He clenched his jaw in response, and I put my hands on my hips at his reaction. “Do you think I’m bad for that?”

Quill had chosen to wear an emerald-green tunic. It was embroidered with silver decals that swirled along the neckline and the cuffs of his sleeves that he had rolled up to his elbows, exposing a matching silver watch. On the bottom, he wore sand-colored pants that hugged his legs beautifully and the same black boots as before. His sword was wrapped around him like last time.

He looked me up and down. “No,” he answered softly. “But you can’t let your emotions cause you to make poor decisions. It is not wise to go into a battle you are not positive you will win, or at least are not sure you’ll have a fighting chance in.” He bit back a grin. “I did enjoy seeing you making that girl shudder, though. I bet she’s never felt terror like that before. I hope she never forgets it.”

I blinked. Perhaps this middle-class lad wasn’t as uptight as I thought.

“Well, since you know nothing about fighting,” he continued, “and your body…isn’t exactly toned, we will need to work on your strength before we learn how to use different weapons. ”

I flushed. “Wow—‘isn’t exactly toned’. How kind of you.” I looked away, dusting my shoulder.

He smirked. “It’s not a problem in the looks department, Flower.” His smile faltered. “But it can be detrimental when it comes to fighting.”

I rolled my eyes, ignoring my silly nickname. “Well, let’s get on with it then.”

“Alright. How is your stamina?” he asked.

I thought about the different ways I exert my energy. Until four years ago, my stamina was great since we traveled on foot the whole time. Now? I hardly went anywhere, save for the times we scavenged the forest.

“Probably not the best,” I muttered.

He then instructed me to attempt four laps around the grove of trees near us, the circumference having to be close to a quarter mile.

By lap two, I was completely winded. I stopped and put my hands on my knees, gasping for air when I couldn’t go any longer.

“Yikes,” he laughed, running up to me. “This may take longer than I thought.”

I shot him an evil glare, and he just chuckled in response.

“You think this is funny, don’t you? Watching me suffer,” I staggered out.

He grinned. “I can’t deny that watching you all hot and sweaty is rather enjoyable.”

I curled my lip, and without a second thought, I punched him in the arm.

He looked at his arm, then back at me, wicked amusement in his eyes .

“Yeah, we definitely need to build your strength. That was pitiful.”

I huffed, then continued my run, having to constantly stop to catch my breath until the fourth lap was complete.

After completing my run, he led me through various core exercises, all of which I failed miserably. After a beat, he ceased his mocking after most likely noticing my evident frustration with myself. Instead, he was direct and short, as if he knew that coddling would have bothered me even more than mocking.

“So…” I huffed while doing sit-ups, Quill kneeling in front of me and holding my feet to the ground. “Did you see the Queen a few days ago?”

“Hm?”

“When she came to the Outer Ring,” I breathed, attempting to ignore the curling of my toes at his pine and citrus scent. Was it a fragrance, or did he naturally smell that fucking good? “Did you happen to get a glance?”

“Oh. No. My home isn’t close to the stairs. But I did hear about it,” he said plainly. I groaned as I continued the sit-ups. “Did you?” he asked.

I paused at the top. “Yes. She bought out our entire stock. She’s very generous,” I said after a moment of contemplating. “I think the kingdom would be better if she had the final say on things, not Ulric. I don’t care much for him. ”

“Don’t stop,” Quill snapped.

I quickly resumed. “Yes, sir,” I muttered while rolling my eyes. That made his lip curve upward. “So…what’s your story? You’ve been to my home, know where we work, and have seen me in a ridiculous bun.” I jokingly gestured at my horrendous hairdo, struggling with my breathing as I hurled my body up and back down. “I don’t know anything about you.”

“I like to be a mystery,” he purred.

I let out a breathy laugh. “Of course you do.” I wanted to keep talking, but my workout demanded I stop.

By the end, sweat dripped down my body, and the curled baby hairs surrounding my hairline were stuck to my face. I pressed my fingertips to my cheek, and my skin felt hot to the touch.

I probably look like a mess.

I struggled to raise my body for the final time after completing a hundred sit-ups.

“Excellent, Lena,” he praised.

“Don’t lie,” I panted, my forearms now resting on my knees. “This was all pathetic.”

“No, all this showed me was how determined you are.” He held out a hand and lifted me to my feet, then checked his watch. “Time’s up. I’ll walk you home.”

I was regaining my breath when he smirked at me again. “You know, if your mother doesn’t know we’re training together, she’s going to think other activities took place when she sees you like this.”

I could feel my face heating further.

“You’re insufferable. You know that?” I said in defeat.

He laughed, then started walking towards the kingdom .

Cocky bastard.

We made it back to my home, and I hoped my deep breathing, along with the cool breeze during the walk, corrected my flushed face.

When I reached the doorway, I turned to Quill.

“Thank you for today, even though you’re a bit of an ass,” I simpered.

He put his hands in his pockets and gave me a cocky smile. “When I see you next, I expect to see some improvement.” Quill had given me a list of daily exercises to do after he mentioned he could commit to training me every Thursday morning. “If you struggle to complete four laps by next week, I will punish you with an extra one.”

I crossed my arms. “If I keel over from over-exertion, you’ll be the one who gets punished.”

He replied with a dazzling smile that revealed his bright, white teeth. If someone from the Inner Ring could be this beautiful, I can only imagine how a member of the Center looked.

He stepped forward, and I stiffened as he leaned in, his lips mere inches from my ear. “I think I would enjoy you punishing me,” he whispered.

My eyes fluttered at the meaning behind his words, or rather, where my thoughts went. My mind was a flutter as he pulled away, and I thought I might hit him when he gave me a wink.

“See you soon, Flower,” he said smoothly, then strolled away.

I exhaled, not realizing I had been holding my breath .

Why do I let him affect me this way? It’s exactly what he wants.

I released my hair from the bun and strolled inside, the silence letting me know Mother was still at the market. I quickly scarfed down a bowl of yogurt and one of the muffins she baked yesterday. Who knew exercise could make one so hungry?

Quill was on my mind the entire time. When I was done eating, I rested my head against the back of my chair.

He's such a damn tease.

I couldn’t get him out of my head. I couldn’t stop thinking about his remark. About how I might look had we engaged in the “activity” he had inferred—how he might look.

I shook my head and grasped my neck, not wanting to acknowledge the obvious. But I couldn’t help it. I kept thinking of his body and the green tunic he wore. The sleeves rolled up to expose his beautiful, golden forearms. Thinking about the muscles that were visible through his light-colored pants. Thinking about his eyes that were always looking at me like I was, just as he said, the most fascinating person he’d met. Thinking about his scent.

I bit my lip, and then I thought of that lazy smile of his, and it was all I needed to head to my bedroom and pleasure myself.

I could only think of the shit he would give me if he knew what I was about to do. The dark amusement that would fill his eyes. And that only aroused me further.

And I wondered if he’d do the same, thinking of me.