Page 10 of Naga Warlord's Mate

“I’m not hiding anything.” She met his gaze, refusing to back down. “And I’m not one of your warriors.”

Something flickered in his expression—frustration, perhaps, or something deeper she couldn’t name. He opened his mouth to respond, but voices approached from the street. Other warriors were arriving for morning training.

Andear stepped back, his presence suddenly all business. “Twenty laps. Now. Before the others start their drills.”

Priscilla bit back a smile as she started running. She’d caught that look in his eyes before he retreated—concern, poorly masked by authority. Let him pretend he wasn’t watching out for her. She had her own secrets to keep, after all. Like the fact that Mila would probably kill her if she knew about these training sessions.

Andear approached Priscilla during the midday training session. “A word,” he commanded, jerking his head toward the edge of the field.

The other warriors paused their drills, watching as she followed him. Her heart hammered against her ribs, but she kept her chin high.

“Ten laps.” He gestured to a pile of warrior armor. “Wearing that.”

Priscilla’s eyes widened. The armor weighed almost as much as she did. “You’re challenging me with that?”

“Unless you’d prefer to quit now,” Andear replied.

“Never.” She grabbed the first piece of armor, buckling it over her training clothes.

Behind her, warriors gathered, their voices carrying across the field.

“Two laps, tops.”

“One. Look at her size.”

Priscilla gritted her teeth as she secured the last piece. The twin suns beat down as she started her first lap. By the third, her legs burned like fire. Sweat dripped into her eyes, and the armor felt like it was crushing her chest.

Four laps. Her breath came in ragged gasps.

Five laps. Her hands shook as she pushed forward, each step a battle against gravity. The warriors’ taunts had faded to murmurs of disbelief.

She risked a glance at Andear. He stood perfectly still, those fierce eyes following her every move. Was that respect she saw? The thought gave her a surge of energy.

“Keep going,” he called out, his deep voice carrying across the field.

Her legs wobbled dangerously. The world tilted, but she refused to fall. Not here. Not now. Not in front of him.

“Six laps,” someone counted. “By the gods, she’s still going.”

The armor dug into her shoulders, each step sending jolts of pain through her body. Her vision blurred at the edges. Just a little further...

Priscilla’s knees hit the ground as she crossed the finish line, her lungs burning with each desperate breath. The armor felt like it was crushing her, but she managed to lift her head, a triumphant smile spreading across her face as she met Andear’s gaze.

His golden eyes widened for a fraction of a second, something flickering in their depths that made her heart skip. Pride? No, that couldn’t be right. But something was definitely there, something that made her skin tingle despite her exhaustion.

The moment shattered as his expression hardened. “Get up. We’re not done.”

“Wouldn’t dream of stopping now,” she wheezed, struggling to her feet. Her legs trembled, but she refused to show weakness. Not when she’d just proven to him that she could handle the training.

“The weapons rack. Now.” His command brooked no argument as he moved across the training grounds, his powerful frame casting a long shadow in the afternoon sunlight.

Priscilla followed, each step sending shocks of pain through her overworked muscles. The other warriors had gone quiet, their earlier taunts replaced by watchful silence. She could feel their stares boring into her back.

Andear stopped at the rack, his hand wrapping around a wooden staff that looked more like a small tree trunk to her tired eyes. “This will be your weapon.”

The staff was easily twice as thick as her arm, its length intimidating even from where she stood. Her muscles screamed at the mere thought of lifting it, but she squared her shoulders and met his challenging stare.

“Problem?” he growled, his voice dropping lower.

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