Page 143 of The Dark Lord's Guide to Dating

Kazimir wasn’t exactly telling the truth. The intensity in his gaze made it clear why he’d avoided our bed. He didn’t trust himself to lie beside me without doing something that might damage the Heirloom further.

“Ready to begin?” he asked, changing the subject.

I nodded, moving to the center of the room. We’d been working on shadow weapons for days. I could form them well enough, but wielding them against Kazimir was another matter entirely. He moved like water, anticipating my attacks before I even committed to them.

I exhaled, conjuring the swirling ribbons of shadow that condensed around my fist. Slowly, they merged and elongated into a curved blade.

“We’re working on reflexes today,” he said, drawing me into the protective circle. “Your hesitation will kill you in a real fight. So don’t hesitate, Arabella.”

He lunged.

Even half expecting it, I barely managed to parry in time. The clang of ephemeral blades rang out sharper than steel. The next series of blows came fast, the swirl and slash of shadow shaping the air in electric arcs. I blocked him, dancing to the side, aiming quick retaliations. He brushed them off with a smug twist of his wrist.

An exasperated growl slipped from my throat. “Are you toying with me?”

He paused, the tip of his conjured blade quivering an inch from my collarbone. “Try harder,” he said calmly. “I can practically feel you pulling your strikes.”

“I’d prefer not to accidentally kill my husband.”

“Kill me?” A laugh rumbled out of him. “Then do it. If you can.”

He was so damn cocksure it made me want to flatten him right there. I formed another blade, but this time, I also called on my truth-sense. I couldn’t read minds, but I could feel the intent behind actions, the subtle shifts that preceded a person’s next move.

As Kazimir circled me, I felt the slight change in his weight, the fractional narrowing of his eyes that meant he was about to strike from the left. I formed a small ball of light in my palm and flung it at his face, momentarily blinding him while I ducked under his guard and landed a solid punch to his ribs.

He grunted, more in surprise than pain, and caught my wrist before I could pull back.

“Clever.” The corner of his mouth tugged upward. “Keep trying.”

“You’re not angry I tried a cheap trick?”

“In a real fight, all advantages are fair. I’d be more concerned if you didn’t start to cheat.” He lifted his hand, beckoning me forward with a slow, taunting motion. “Is that the best you can do, then?”

I snarled in frustration and rushed him again, aiming low this time. We collided, arms locking. My heart thundered as his body pressed into mine, sweat mixing with the tang of ozone from our magic. The sheer closeness made every nerve hum.

When I twisted away, he automatically caught me around the waist, a reflex to keep me from falling. “Stop that!”

He raised both eyebrows. “You want me to let you smash your face into the floor?”

I wriggled free and reset my stance. “It’s humiliating to be coddled.”

“If this feels like coddling—” His voice dipped. “I’ve been doing it wrong.” He smirked, gaze raking over me. “Your stance is off. Widen your feet—like that, yes. Better.”

I huffed and stepped forward to re-align myself, catching a glimpse of the sweat shining on his chest.

“What?” he demanded.

“Nothing,” I snapped. “Focus on your own stance, oh mighty warlord.”

We launched at each other again, fists and conjured shadows clashing. He easily batted away my illusions, forcing me into a more direct style of grappling. My arms locked around his shoulders, and I tried tripping him. He responded by hooking my leg inside his own, nearly sending me sideways.

“Stop pulling back,” he growled, breath hot against my ear as he tugged us chest-to-chest. “You want to get stronger? Stop fighting like a timid girl. Fight like—like you did when I kidnapped you.”

That caught me off-guard. “I?—”

“Don’t think.” His voice dropped low, almost intimate. “Fight.”

An electric pulse ran through me. With a wild twist, I wrenched free and flung myself sideways. Kazimir came after me, seeing the vulnerability left by my hasty pivot. I pivoted again in a last-second attempt to dodge, but the training room floor had a slick patch of sweat that made me slip.

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