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“He’s going to try to kill you.” “What?” I glance up, then follow his line of sight two mats over. Dain’s glaring daggers at Xaden across the mat, a look of sheer boredom on his face as Rhiannon squeezes the neck of the Second Wing first-year tighter. “Your opponent,” Dain says softly. “I overheard him and a few friends. They think you’re a liability to the wing thanks to that Barlowe kid.”
of course he is...
“I’m going to be fine,” I recite, because that’s my fucking mantra.
I thought it was "I will not die today"
“It would be a shame for someone else to kill you before I get the chance. But I wouldn’t be surprised. Violets are such delicate…fragile things, you know.”
what a prick
He’d probably think twice about plotting your murder if you threw a few daggers at his head.
please do it!
I unsheathe both daggers from my ribs and flick them in his direction in one smooth movement. They land right where I intended—one nearly nicking his ear and the other an inch beneath his balls. Fear widens his eyes. I shamelessly grin and wiggle my fingers in a wave.
OMG YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSS!!!!!!!
“I told you to lay low when it comes to him, and you…” He shakes his head at me. “You just piss him off even more?” “Laying low wasn’t getting me anywhere,” I say with a shrug as Rhiannon’s opponent is carried off the mat. “He needs to realize I’m not a liability.” And I’ll be harder to kill than he thinks.
you tell him girl!!!
There’s no ignoring the prickle at my scalp,
secind read: mind reading!!!
I let my gaze shift to meet Xaden’s. My heart does that damn stuttering thing again, as if he’d sent shadows straight through my ribs to squeeze the organ. He lifts his scarred brow, and I swear there’s a hint of a smile on his lips as he leaves, walking over to observe the Fourth Wing cadets at the next mat.
hehehehehe. that smirk is a silent "Good Girl" and I'm here for it!!!
“I thought Jack was going to shit himself.” I smother a smile. “Stop encouraging her,” Dain chastises.
oh lighten up Dainty Dick!🙄
“Don’t take this personally,” he says as we start to circle, both our hands raised. “But you’ll only be a hazard to your wing.”
lol how could one EVER take that personally? 😅
wait for him to charge again, because that’s what he does. I’ve had three sessions to watch him from a few mats over. He’s a bull, all power and no grace.
nice! So not only is she poisoning but she's also studying for her fights!
he retches, bringing up everything he’s eaten since breakfast and splattering it across the mat to the side of us. So fucking gross. “Oh my gods,” Rhiannon calls out, disgust dripping from her tone. “Yield,” I demand again, but he’s heaving in earnest now and I have to pull my knife away so I don’t accidentally slit his throat. “He yields,” Professor Emetterio declares, his face contorted in revulsion. I sheathe my blade and climb off him, dodging the puddles of sick. Then I take the dagger Oren dropped a few feet back as he continues to vomit.
LOL brutal 😂😂😂
I earn my fifth dagger, this one with a pretty ruby in the hilt, the last challenge in August when I take a particularly sweaty guy with a gap between his front teeth to the mat. The bark of the carmine tree that finds its way into his waterskin makes him sluggish and ill. The effects are a little too similar to the fonilee berries, and it’s just a shame that the entire Third Squad, Claw Section of Third Wing is suffering the same stomach upset. Must be something viral, at least that’s what I say when he finally yields to my headlock after dislocating my thumb and nearly breaking my nose.
ahahahahaha brutal!!!! just get EVERYONE sick to cover it up 😂😂😂
Come early September, there’s a spring in my step as I walk onto the mat. I’ve taken down five opponents without killing any of them, something a quarter of our year can’t say after almost twenty more names have been added to the death roll the last month for the first-years alone.
not killing anyone makes what she's doing a bit more respectable, but what's gonna happen when she actually has to kill someone eventually...this is a war college after all....they are training for actual battle. Side note: I love that she doesn't walk away from any of these fights unscathed. Way more believable that an instant badass FMC.
“That’s”—shit—“too bad.” I wince. You served it to her too early.
uh oh! you're gonna be assigned a new opponent wit no prep!
“I’m happy to step in.” That voice. That tone.
ahahahahahahahaha!!!! let's GOOOOOOOOOO!!!
That prickle of ice along my scalp…
second read: lol Xaden's here checking if she intends to do something foolish while really she's just going "fuck. fuck. fuck. fuck. fuck."😂
“You are all in for a treat,” Professor Emetterio says, clapping his hands. “Xaden’s one of the best fighters we have. Watch and learn.” “Of course you are,” I mutter,
of course he is ahahahahaha
“A little out of her league, don’t you think?” Dain argues from the side of the mat, tension radiating from every word.
second read: shut up Dainty Dick. you're making her look weak.
“Relax, Aetos.” Xaden looks over my shoulder, his gaze hardening toward where I know Dain is standing, where he always stands when I’m on the mat. The look Xaden gives him makes me realize he’s been taking it easy on me in the glaring department. “She’ll be in one piece when I’m finished teaching her.”
well at least there's that!
“I hardly think it’s fair—” Dain’s voice rises. “No one asked you to think, squad leader,” Xaden fires back as he moves to the side,
oooooo pulling rank!!!! not gonna like that's hot as fuck Xaddy.
“You don’t think you’ll need those?” I ask, palming my own blades. His chest is massive, with wide shoulders and heavily muscled arms alongside. A target this big should be easy to hit. “Nope. Not when you brought enough for the both of us.”
lol oooo he's gonna steal your own weapons and use em against you?! that's both badass and super insulting 😆
He fucking catches it and clucks his tongue. “Already seen that move.” Holy shit is he fast.
hot.
“Going for blood today, are we, Violence?” he whispers. Metal hits the mat again and he kicks it past my head and out of my reach.
lol ooooh we're doing nice names now Xaddy?
He’s not taking my daggers to use against me; he’s disarming me just to prove he can. My blood boils.
pretty damn cocky....and funny.....and HOT!
“My name is Violet,” I seethe. “I think my version fits you better.” He releases my wrist and stands, offering me a hand. “We’re not done yet.”
please tell me this is where the flirtatious banter really begins!
There’s no use slamming my head back—he’s so tall that I’d only annoy him.
yeah I'd have the same issue 😒
“Don’t trust a single person who faces you on this mat,” he warns in a hiss, his breath warm against the shell of my ear, and even though we’re surrounded by people, I realize he’s quiet for a reason. This lesson is just for me.
Intimate😏
There’s murder in his eyes as he glares at Xaden.
lol you sure that's murder? 😏
“I’m the one who decides when to grant that favor. Not you.” Xaden releases my hand and steps back.
I don't ...think that's how that works....🤔
I begin to circle him, and to my absolute annoyance, he doesn’t even bother facing me. He just stands there in the center of the mat, his boots planted and his arms loose as I move around him. “You going to prance or are you going to strike?”
eeeeehehehehehehe!!!! I love it!!!
“Taking out your enemy before the battle is really smart; I’ll give that to you,” he whispers,
whaaaaaaaat?!!! he knooooooooows!!!!!
“Problem is, if you aren’t testing yourself in here”—he scrapes the dagger down my neck, but there’s no warm trickle of blood, so I know he hasn’t cut me—“then you’re not going to get any better.”
ooooo that's an excellent point...
“You’d rather I die, no doubt,” I fire back, the side of my face pressed into the mat. This isn’t just painful, it’s humiliating. “And be denied the pleasure of your company?” he mocks.
not really something he would point out if he did want you to die...
“I fucking hate you.” The words are past my lips before I can shut my mouth. “That doesn’t make you special.”
🥺"that doesn't make you special" awww🥺 right in the feels
Ignoring Xaden’s outstretched hand, I gain my feet and his lips curve into an approving smile. “She can be taught.” “She’s a quick learner,” I retort. “That remains to be seen.” He backs up two steps, putting a little space between us before crooking his fingers at me again.
ahahahahaha!!!! I love this banter so much!!!!
I don’t think. I just act, going low and kicking out the backs of his knees. He goes down like a tree, the sound more than satisfying, and I pounce, trying for a headlock.
second read: OMG!!!! The only reason she got him was because she didn't THINK about her next move!!! he couldn't read her intentions to see it coming because she didnt even consider them for a moment!!!
He comes out on top. Of course he does.
second read: don't worry, one day you'll get a turn on top 😉
and his hips have mine pinned, my legs useless on either side of his as he lies heavily between my thighs. He’s unmovable. Everything around us fades as my world narrows to the arrogant glint in his gaze. He’s all I can see, all I can feel.
what a position to be in...🥵
Heat rushes up my neck and flames lick my cheeks as he lowers his face so his lips are only inches away from mine.
KISS HIM! THAT'LL KNOCK HIM OFF HIS GUARD!!!
second read through: I stand by the above note. it would have been awesome!
You are not attracted to toxic men,
yeah right.😏
I remind myself, and yet, here I am, getting all attracted. I have been since the first second I saw him, if I feel like being honest.
at least we can acknowledge that. it's the first step...
Toxic. Dangerous. Wants to kill you. Nope, doesn’t matter. My pulse still skitters like a teenager.
listen, I too, am just a girl....😌
“You’re tiny.” He says it like an insult. “Well aware.” My eyes narrow. “So stop going for bigger moves that expose you.” He drags the tip of the dagger down his side. “A rib shot would have worked just fine.” Then he guides our hands around his back, making himself vulnerable. “Kidneys are a good fit from this angle, too.”
good advice! look, he's actually teaching! it's so funny that this is supposed to be a class and this is the only time anyone is actually teaching anything.
I swallow, refusing to think of other things that are a good fit at this angle.
haha yeah girl
“I think she’s been taught enough for the day,” Dain barks, reminding me that we’re far from alone. No, we’re a damned spectacle.
lol the jealousy is dripping off Dain at their closeness no doubt.
“He always that overprotective?” Xaden grumbles, pressing up from the mat a few inches. “He cares about me.” I glare at him. “He’s holding you back. Don’t worry. Your little poisoning secret is safe with me.” Xaden arches a brow as if to remind me that I’m the keeper of one of his secrets, too.
mmmm, I'd like to see how you'd "hold me back" Xaddy!
“You’re not going to disarm me?” I challenge as he releases his grip and pushes up more, removing his weight from my body. My ribs expand as I take my first full breath. “Nope. Defenseless women have never been my type. We’re done for today.”
the flirtation!!!! 🥵 I love it.😆 she want him to keep kicking her ass cause it's hot as fuck. and he hints that he wants her to be "his type" by not being defenseless 🤭
He’s had every chance, and every reason, to kill me, and now he’s let me walk away twice. What kind of game is he playing?
the sexy kind
“Aetos,” Xaden calls out from across the mat. Dain’s head snaps up and his jaw locks. “She could use a little less protection and a little more instruction.” Xaden stares Dain down until he nods.
yeah! you tell him wingleader!!!
