“Sounds like a challenge, doesn’t it, Anya?” Helgi said.
“It sure does.” I scanned the training grounds, watching the Dreki fight with fast, efficient movements that went for the killing blows every time, but it only took me a couple of seconds to figure out the moves each Dreki would make.
The moves were all the same.
They all fought the same.
I tutted. “Well I can tell you why Draco ground forces are better than yours.”
Vesper’s eyes narrowed. “Really?”
“Your army has the same repertoire of moves. The Draco probably have it memorized, which makes counteracting in melee attacks easier for them. That, coupled with their tanks and bullets, gives them a vast advantage on the ground. How have you kept your stalemate?”
He sighed. “Why don’t you tell me, Anya?”
“Numbers and the fact you’re harder to kill. You heal fast, but if the Draco succeed in altering humans, then… But they won’t. Dante will make the deal with Oberon and we’ll get the humans out. In the meantime…” I pulled Jezebel from her holster. “How about Helgi and I teach your men some new moves.”
Vesper pressed his lips together. “Be my guest. Wex, Yasra, partner up, you have opponents.” He crossed his arms and stepped back, and was that a slight smile of amusement on his face? “These Skins believe they have something to teach us.”
Helgi drew her blades and rolled her shoulders. “I do love getting up close and personal.” She bared her teeth in a feral grin. I could feel it too—the bloodlust, the skin we slipped into when we fought, the haze of knowing just where to step, just where to slash and stab. I could feel the connection between us, the bond that came from fighting alongside each other for years. We were a well-oiled unit, and these Dreki guards, no matter how seasoned, had no chance against us.
The two guards Vesper had chosen were big and powerful. One had a long, dark braid while the other sported a brutal buzz cut that made his head look like it was made of stone. Both had cheekbones that could cut glass, and slightly slanted eyes that gave them a ruthless expression. They looked related; brothers, maybe? But it was the one with the braid who drew my attention. There was a charisma about him, an aura of danger that my inner monster was attracted to.
“Your Grace, you wish us to fight the females?” the braided one asked.
Vesper shrugged. “Wex, these females believe our moves are dated.”
Wex gave me a closed-lipped smile, his assessing gaze raking over me, as if visually marking the places he would stab me to make me bleed.
A zing of excitement shot through me.
“Are you certain you wish to do this?” he asked.
“For fucksake,” Helgi snapped. “Let’s dance.”
My sentiments precisely.
The rest of the guards stepped back, making a circle around us four, and then the Dreki pair attacked.
Helgi and I countered, defended, spinning and ducking, slashing and stabbing. We worked together like two bodies and one mind, but the Dreki pair fought back, blocking our moves quickly, countering our attacks efficiently, and then, bam, there was a knee in the back of my leg. I buckled and Helgi bellowed in alarm. I jerked back in time to avoid the swipe of a blade. A sting sliced across my cheek. Okay, maybe not fast enough to avoid the blade completely. I dropped, rolled, and came up to find Yasra ready for me. His blade slashed my shoulder. A slash when it could have been a stab. They were holding back, pulling their swings and punches. Not to mention, these weren’t the moves I’d just observed. These two fought like a machine, like Helgi and me. They fought as one.
And then I was flat on my back with a sword pointed at my neck and Wex looking down at me with a wild grin. “You lasted longer than I expected.”
I stared up at him, momentarily stunned as I ran the last few moves through my head.
“Anya,” Helgi said from her spot beside me. “I think we just got played.”
Wex held out a hand to me. I grasped it and allowed him to haul me up. My blood was singing, head suddenly clear as a bell, every breath sweeter. I couldn’t keep the grin off my face.
Wex’s gaze dropped to my mouth and then he smiled. “You feel it too. The surge?”
“I have no idea what that is.”
“The euphoria after a fight.”
“If that’s what you call it, then yes.”
“Wex, you can release our guest now,” Vesper drawled. “Unless she’d rather you didn’t…”
Wex arched a brow at me. An invitation. The kind that perfectly rounded up a good rumble, but I wasn’t here for recreation. I slipped my hand from his grasp and took a step back.
“What just happened?” Helgi asked.
“Standard training sequence,” Vesper said. “The moves you saw before hone the basic muscle groups required for stamina and power on the battlefield.”
I guess I had a lot to learn about Dreki fighting skills.
“That move you did,” Wex said to me. “The sweep, spin, and jab. I like it.” He gave me a good-natured smile. “You’ve got skill; your friend too.”
“Gee, thanks,” Helgi said, hand on the back of her neck as she massaged the muscles.
We’d lost, but there was no denying the exercise had been fun and a perfect vent for the aggression that always simmered beneath the surface of my skin.
“I’m here for another two weeks,” Wex said. “Find me an hour before sunset and I’ll work you out.”
Yep, there was no mistaking the suggestion in his tone, and my body reacted wantonly.
“Wex, if I need you to train our guests, I’ll ask,” Vesper said curtly.
My attention flew to him, noting the hard line of his mouth and the flash of displeasure in his eyes. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was jealous.
He raked me over with a curl of his lip. “Now, if you’re done trying to
