Page 164 of Onyx Cage: Volume II

I settled my hand on her lower back as we made our way up the stairs, satisfaction coursing through me when she shivered at the contact.

Not for the first time, I realized I had done nothing in my life to deserve her, and that nothing I could ever do would change that fact.

And I didn’t care.

Because every part of her belonged to me.

Just as I belonged to her.

CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT

Though my father had supposedly sanctioned Rowan’s training alongside the men, I took advantage of the empty sparring ring to do some weapons training with her myself.

She was rather adept with a variety of swords—at least, ones that were appropriately sized for her—but fighting with two at once was proving to be a challenge.

We spent a good portion of the morning running through a series of drills, alternating left- and right-handed techniques. She was a good fighter with her right hand, moderate with her left, but dual-wielding is where it all went to hell.

With a blade in each hand, she almost seemed to forget what the other was doing. Once again, I easily knocked the sword from her left hand before tapping her waist with the flat edge of mine to point out the opening.

“It takes time, Lemmikki,” I tried to assure her. It was an effort not to laugh as she spat out several unorthodox curses. “With one blade, you can rival at least half of my men. This will only enhance that.”

Her eyes widened, meeting mine as she adjusted her stance.

“Do you mean that?” she asked hopefully.

I nodded, because it was true. It was a large part of why I had allowed her to spar in front of them the other day. Had she been a weak fighter, I wouldn’t have put her, or even myself, through the shame of letting them witness that firsthand.

“Remember that the Unclanned were all soldiers at one point, and you’ve taken down your share of them,” I added. “Why did you think I gave you a sword at all after we sparred the first time?”

I stared down at her, watching her expression morph from one of confusion to wry irritation.

“Well, in fairness, all you said back then was,watch your footworkandyou’re dropping your elbow,” she said in her best impression of my voice.

“Both of which were true. I wanted you to be as prepared as you could be,” I said flatly, before an impish grin tugged at my lips. “And that delightful blush you get when you’re angry might have been a welcome bonus.”

Stretching out a finger, I traced a line on her glistening skin—from the swell of her bosom all the way up her neck to her cheekbone—to demonstrate exactly what I meant.

Red bloomed along that same path, heat flashing in her eyes as both her irritation and desire grew.

“That’s the one,” I said, forcing myself to take a step back before I made her sweat from an entirely different form of exertion. “You have definitely honed your skill since your time in Lochlann, though.”

“Well, I had a lot of anger to work out,” she muttered.

I went still, studying her features. She might have spoken in the past tense, but the edge to her tone belied the implication that she was past that anger.

We never talked about anything that happened in Lochlann. Most of our time was spent…well, not talking, but even when wedid have conversation, it was generally around the tense politics here.

It hadn’t occurred to me to wonder how much of our complicated past was truly resolved and how much of it still festered behind a locked door, poison prepared to eke through the cracks at the first wayward draft.

“And now?” I asked carefully.

She met my eyes for long enough that I saw the comprehension in hers. She knew I was asking if she still resented me for all the choices I had made to keep her safe, giving her the chance to air out the poison while we were both armed to combat it.

For a fraction of a second, I thought she would take the opportunity. I held my breath, not sure I was prepared for her to unleash those demons and also not sure I wanted to see what effect it had on my own.

She wasn’t the only one with cause to be angry.

I wasn’t sure whether it was a relief or a disappointment when her expression shuttered. I watched her decide to sidestep the question as easily as I read her moves in the sparring ring.

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