The Elvren Assassin, page 11
“You idiot. You ripped open your wounds.”
I couldn’t argue with her. Hell, I couldn’t fucking breathe.
Coolness spread over my back, and I forced air into my lungs at the relief.
“That’s it. Breathe.”
I took at least a dozen long breaths before I finally looked up at her. “Disappointed that you won’t be able to kick my ass?”
Her lips twitched. “All I need to do is knock you on your back, and you’re out for the count. That’s not a worthy sparring partner.”
“Fuck you, Avery.” I put my head back on the mat.
She was right. This injury made me weak and easily beatable.
“You need to figure out your balance, too.”
I turned my head and glared at her. “No fucking shit.”
“No need to get snippy.” She screwed the cap onto the salve and handed me the jar. “I’m just telling you what I’m seeing.”
I narrowed my eyes into slits. As much as I wanted to be pissed at her, she was right. And she enjoyed being the one giving out pointers while I nearly writhed on the mat.
I took a breath. “How would you suggest I figure out my balance?”
Her smugness faded, and she tilted her head in confusion. I had never once been open to advice on fighting form. Whenever she had tried to offer it to me on Icarus, I beat her because questioning your handler was not done. Not without consequences, even when your ward was right. It always burned me that they made us such uncompromising hard-asses.
“I have never fought without wings. How do you suggest I compensate?” I pushed back onto my knees, blinking away the spin in the room.
Galen paced near the door with a noticeable limp. His hands rested on his hips, and irritation flowed from him in waves.
I wanted to be with Avery as long as possible. If I was an asshole about all this, I’d get tossed back into my room, and who knows how long I’d be locked up this time?
“You seriously want my advice?”
I gave her a tired sigh. “Yes. We aren’t on Icarus anymore. I can hear you out without retribution. You have the right to correct me here.”
“Oh.” She looked at her hands. “I don’t know.”
“So, you were just being a wiseass?” I cracked a grin.
Her cheeks burst with color. “Yeah.”
“It is something I have to figure out because I am off balance.” I wiped my face. “He got a hit in.” I rubbed the front of my shoulder where Galen’s fist had connected.
“That surprised me. I’ve never seen you taken down before.”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been taken down in a fair fight.” I shut my eyes briefly and laughed. “I think Mya was the last one to take me down.” I glanced at Avery’s wide eyes. “That was before I became your handler.”
“Well, you still knocked Galen down first. I haven’t been able to do that yet, and he’s even pulling his punches on me.”
My building good mood crashed.
“Hey,” I called out.
Galen turned toward us with a scathing glare.
“Why are you pulling punches on Avery? She’ll never learn to be a better fighter that way.”
His lips pressed together. “I’m not an asshole like you are.”
I climbed to my feet, ignoring the flare of a burn in my back. Avery stood next to me, and I swept her feet out from under her and dropped next to her, clamping my hand around her throat.
“Get out of this,” I ordered.
She clawed at my hand, and I eased up enough for her to get air and not pass out. But I knew my grip still hurt and would leave a bruise. She knew the moves, but I saw hesitation in her gaze.
“You cannot worry about doing harm to your attacker.” I clamped harder and glared at her. “Get out of this.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Galen charging towards us. She must have also witnessed it because that determined resolve emerged. She performed the move I’d instructed, breaking my grip and subsequently flipping me onto my back beside her. She stood and backed away as Galen skidded to a halt next to her.
“Are you okay?” he asked her.
“I’m fine,” she snapped while keeping eye contact with me.
I remained on my back, forcing myself to breathe through the stun of renewed pain.
“You did good,” I said and then hardened my gaze at Galen. “If you want to teach her to defend herself in all situations, do not pull your punches. If you can’t find it in yourself to hit her, allow me to train her the right way.”
“She could get hurt.”
“She will get hurt. So will you.” I slowly pushed into a sitting position. “But wouldn’t you rather her get hurt here than out there where there is no mercy?”
“This is Eleka. There is no danger out there except you crazy assassins who broke into our world.”
“There’s always danger.” I climbed to my feet. “There’s always someone who wants what you have.”
That dig was intentional, and Galen glared at me.
“Teach her properly,” I said. “Or let someone else do it.”
“He’s right.” Mya’s voice rang out from the gym’s doorway. “When have you ever seen Tavin go easy on me?”
“Yeah, but...” Galen waved at me.
Avery shifted her weight. “Protecting me doesn’t help anyone. I am the fighter I am today because Ren worked with me and challenged me. He never pulled a punch. Would I have preferred him not to land any of his brutal hits? Of course, just like I bet he would prefer I hadn’t slammed him on his back.”
“I could have done without that,” I admitted.
“Turn around,” Mya barked.
I showed her my back.
“You let him spar before he was totally healed?” Mya pinned her gaze on Galen.
“He kept throwing himself against the barrier in his room.”
“No sparring for you for a few more days, and I need to give the go-ahead. Understand?”
Mya’s bark of authority surprised me, but it still didn’t stop me from challenging her.
“Am I a prisoner in your castle?” If I had to deal with another couple of days cooped up in my room, I’d go bonkers.
“No. But you also do not have free rein to wander around either. With an escort, you are welcome to explore the castle.” She looked at Galen. “See that a guard is available in the event Ren wants to see more than the four walls of his room.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Galen muttered.
“Now go. Tavin and I are due for our weekly sparring session.” She waved us out the door.
Galen grabbed my arm and threaded his free hand through Avery’s.
The simple action turned my blood to lava. All I wanted to do was punch him again.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
AVERY
REN’S AGGRAVATION AT SEEING Galen hold my hand as we walked back toward our rooms raked across my skin like a handful of blades.
He said nothing, and Galen basically shoved him through the barrier before bringing me to my door.
“The king said you didn’t need this anymore.” He waved his hand over my door as he whispered my name. The magic sparkled before it faded. He let go of my hand. “Go ahead.”
I glanced at my doorway and then over my shoulder at Ren’s room. Ren stood inside with his arms crossed and a glare aimed at us.
I slipped inside and then jumped back outside without issue. I grinned at Galen and went back into my room. When I turned to close the door, I was surprised to find him standing inside.
“I wanted to apologize.” He shifted his weight and glanced out the door before looking at me. “I didn’t, um, mean to upset you.”
“I’m not upset, Galen. I’m frustrated that you don’t think I can take you giving your all in the sparring ring. Especially with how you found me.” I took a seat on the couch and waved to the chair next to me, inviting him to stay and talk for a while.
He took a seat and leaned his elbows on his knees. “I don’t know that I can, Avery. I keep seeing you beat to shit from those men who were still standing as opposed to the ones you knocked out.” His sincere green eyes locked on mine. “Maybe I should let Ren continue to train you instead.”
I stared at him and then nodded. “But not until his back heals.”
Galen inhaled and leaned back before he exhaled. “Okay. But I’ll be there because there’s no way I’m leaving you alone with him.”
His possessive protectiveness made me smile. “Okay. As long as you do not interrupt the sparring, even if you think he’s hurting me.”
He grumbled, but he eventually nodded. “Did you want to go to the market today? I need to get a few things and thought you might like to accompany me.”
I had not been off the castle grounds since they’d brought me in, and the idea of going to the market and actually being able to enjoy it appealed to me. “I don’t have any money.”
“If you see anything that you fancy, I can lend you the money until you have established yourself here.”
“Established myself?”
“Figured out what you want to do to earn money.”
I blinked at him. “Like what?”
I was trained to kill. That skill didn’t seem to be of any use here on Eleka.
“You are pretty good at triage. Have you thought about being a medic?”
I scoffed. “How often does anyone here find themselves brutally cut or beaten?”
Galen laughed. “More than you can imagine. Most of the cuts are kitchen accidents, but we have some industrial accidents, too. Now and then there are fights that break out where one or more participants find themselves in need of medical attention.”
It was something to think about. But for the moment, I was still fixated on the market.
“When are you going to the market?” I asked.
“After I clean up.” He stood and headed to the door. “I’ll be back in a little while, and we can go.”
Galen left, and I cleaned up, changing into one of the flowy dresses in my closet that reminded me of the women I had seen at the market when Em and I had first walked through.
Instead of waiting inside my quarters, I stepped out into the hall, and the thrill of freedom tingled down my spine. I glanced toward Ren’s room and startled at him staring at me. He leaned against the doorjamb, inches from the barrier. The hard look in his gaze was enough to make me want to cover up.
“Where are you going?” he asked in that accusatory tone I was starting to hate.
“The market. Can I get you anything while I’m there?”
“A knife so I can bury it in his chest.” He nodded to a point beyond me, and I turned to see Galen approaching.
I rolled my eyes at him and headed toward Galen without responding. Ren’s jealousy was off the charts.
Someday, he’d snap.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
REN
AVERY STEPPED OUT OF her room, looking like a damn goddess.
The fact that she was free to come and go irked me because I wouldn’t know where she was now. Before, I had the comfort of knowing she was either in her room or with Galen. As much as Galen irritated me, I knew she would not be harmed in his presence.
But right now, with how she looked, I wanted to kill that bastard, especially when he offered her his elbow, and she so easily slipped her hand through his arm.
She had to know he wanted her. She had to feel his attraction. I could feel it even from this distance, and it burned as much as my healing back.
“Hey, what about me?” I yelled after them.
“I’ll send a guard.” Galen’s reply echoed in the hall.
“Yeah, right,” I muttered and flexed my back against the near constant itch of healing.
I wanted to scratch it before I lost my mind, but that would make the healing process rather difficult, especially if I ripped the scabs.
I turned away and paused at the sound of footsteps. A moment later, a guard stepped into the room. His face was pinched, as if he were trying his best not to sneer at me. This guard was shorter than I was and lean enough to be considered skinny. I could probably snap his neck once outside this room if I wanted, but he hadn’t done anything to me that warranted an attack.
“You wish to see the castle?”
I could have been difficult and said something sarcastic, but I didn’t think that would breed trust. I needed to be trusted because I needed my freedom, even if it was limited to the castle.
“Yes.”
“What would you like to see?”
I blinked. “All of it. And if you know this realm’s history, I’d love to hear it.”
I excelled in history and civilizations while training on Icarus.
“We have a library that has many books on our history.”
I lit up at the idea of a library, but I wanted time to study the architecture and the tapestries. Galen had dragged me by too quickly to get a solid impression.
“That’s good to know. But today, I’d like a tour if you wouldn’t mind.”
He grabbed my arm and led me into the hallway, turning in the direction that Galen and Avery had headed before he dropped his hold.
“What’s back there?” I pointed behind me.
“The rest of the servants’ quarters and the kitchen.” The guard glanced at me. “I can show you on the way back.”
“What’s your name?”
“Zaos.”
“Thank you, Zaos.” As we approached the ornate tapestries, I slowed, taking the time to study the mural. “This is quite beautiful.”
Zaos smiled and looked up at the pictures in the weaved yarn. “The queen made that.”
“Really?”
Zaos nodded. “All the tapestries in the castle were the queen’s creation. She was a talented weaver. She said it calmed her from the chaos of ruling.”
It sounded like someone I would have liked to meet. Anyone who created such beauty had to have a good soul.
“You like my wife’s work?”
I glanced over my shoulder at the king.
Zaos bowed so deep I thought he was inspecting a spot on the floor. The king waved him off.
I returned my gaze to the tapestry. “She was very talented, Your Highness.”
The king stepped next to me and studied the work as if he had never seen it before. “She was.”
His sadness draped over my shoulders. I did not acknowledge it. I was too lost in the intricate designs before me.
“Did she paint, too?” I asked.
“Yes. I have hung some of her paintings in the library. But these were so stunning that I lined the main hallway with them. I wanted the world to see her art.”
I smiled, warmed by the love he projected for his wife. That was a rarity according to the textbooks we had access to on Icarus.
“It might take me years to study all her work.” I stared at the exquisite craftmanship. “Each piece requires full attention to see all the nuances she weaved in. Like the child in the hay pile.” I pointed at the haystack in the tapestry. “Or the puppy hiding behind the wheel.”
I wanted to run my hand over the fabric to see if I could actually feel the queen’s love for creating such things, but I refrained.
The king sighed. “She always has a hidden gem in the tapestry. Enjoy your tour.”
He walked away leaving me with a frazzled Zaos.
I stared at the fabric as if I could get the queen’s story right from the stitches themselves. I guess I stood there for quite a while because footsteps approached and then stopped.
I turned, thinking that maybe the king had come back to say something else, but Galen and Avery stood a few feet away, staring at me.
I ignored Galen and waved at the tapestry. “Have you studied these yet?”
Avery stared at me, blinking like she didn’t know what to make of me studying the tapestries. “No.”
“It’s an incredible piece of art. The queen made it.”
Galen’s eyebrows rose, and he looked at Zaos for an explanation.
“He was interested in the history of our realm and wanted to stop and study these.” He pointed at the wall hangings.
“Art has always spoken to me,” I said, returning my gaze to the hanging yarn spun with care and craft that stole my breath, like Avery always did.
“When you’re all healed, you’ll be training me,” Avery said, capturing my full attention.
The thought of hitting her always made me feel physically ill. But I’ve ignored that for so long that it was no longer a problem.
The idea of rolling around on a mat with her sweaty body against mine pulled a grin to the surface. “I look forward to it.”
IT TOOK THREE DAYS to tour the entire castle and absorb all the tapestries and various pieces of art. By that time, my back had healed so well that the scars had faded so they weren’t noticeable in the bathroom mirror.
Mya gave me permission to resume training.
Zaos appeared like clockwork and escorted me to the gym. The door was cracked open, and Zaos nodded toward it, taking his station next to the opening like a programed sentry.
I went to step in and froze. Galen’s mouth was on Avery’s. He was kissing her, and she was actually returning the kiss. I stepped back, blinking as fury raked across my entire body, clenching my muscles.
That asshole touched my girl.
Galen pulled away from the kiss. “Ren should be here any minute, but I have to check in with Tavin. I’ll be back before you two can get into it, okay?”
She nodded, and her smile beamed.
I closed the door and took a breath before opening it as if I had just arrived. I attempted to school my features into something neutral, but I wasn’t sure I achieved it until Galen pushed past me with a nod.
I gave him a tight smile belying the hellish storm brewing beneath the surface.
The minute the door shut behind me, I caught Avery in my sharp gaze and walked straight to her, stripping my shirt and discarding it on the floor. I didn’t wait for her to get centered. I grabbed her throat and walked her backwards until she hit the wall.
