Page 57 of Court of Lies and Deceit

“I’m not a new recruit,” I huff as I try to parry his thrust.

But because of how massive his sword is, I only manage to redirect it a little and then I’m forced to duck instead. Behind Draven’s back, Lyra and Galen form up and begin sparring with each other instead.

“Aren’t you?” Draven replies, his eyes gleaming with challenge and his lips curved in a sly smile. “I seem to remember you addressing me assir.”

My cheeks flush. “That was when I was handcuffed to your bed.”

His smile turns positively villainous. “I’m sure I can locate another pair of handcuffs.”

“I’ve been using a knife every day for the past one hundred and forty-nine years to gut fish.” A grin full of challenge spreads across my mouth. “I could demonstrate on you, if you want?”

“Come try it, little rebel. I bet I can put you on your back and make you submit in the next two minutes.”

“You want to have me on my back, huh?”

“I want to have you in all positions.”

My heart flips and heat rushes through my veins.

And of course the bastard chooses that exact moment to launch an attack at lightning speed. I throw myself sideways, barely managing to escape before he can trap me. While he was teasing me, he was slowly but surely backing me into the corner of the room. And I was so focused on him in front of me that I didn’t even notice.

Rolling across the warm sand, I jump back up to my feet and raise my knife to defend myself again. But I don’t find Dravenswinging a sword at me. I blink in surprise as I watch him sheath his massive sword instead.

“You’re forfeiting?” I ask, arching a smug eyebrow at him.

A dark chuckle rolls from his muscular chest. “You wish.” His eyes glitter as he rakes his gaze up and down my body. “I don’t even need the sword to win.”

I let out a stunned laugh. “You are one cocky bastard, aren’t you?”

“As if you didn’t already know that.”

“You—”

He lunges for me again.

I leap backwards.

Shock pulses through me as my back hits a wall. I cast a panicked look over my shoulder. How the hell did he manage to steer me back here without me even noticing? I will die before I ever admit it to that smug bastard, but damn, he’s insanely good at this.

The wall cuts my escape short, and I’m forced to try to dive sideways instead. I land on the soft sand and try to roll away. But I barely make it more than two strides away from the wall before it’s too late.

Draven’s knees hit the ground on either side of me, stopping my movements and trapping me underneath him. I yank my arms up and try to get my knife in a better position. But of course, Draven had already anticipated that.

His strong hands wrap around my wrists at the same time as he settles his weight on my hips. My muscles shake as I try to force my knife towards his throat. But no matter how badass I think I am with my knife and my fish cutting skills, it unfortunately doesn’t change the simple biological fact that Draven is much, much stronger than me.

He just sits there on my hips, smirking down at me, as he holds my wrists trapped in his hands. The bastard doesn’t evenlook at all winded, as if he barely needs to exert any effort at all to hold me down, while I’m using every smidgen of my strength trying to break free.

“I think there’s about thirty seconds left of those two minutes I gave you,” he says, his tone light and his eyes sparkling.

“Oh you smug little—” I growl, but it’s interrupted by a noise of frustration from my throat as Draven starts to effortlessly push my arms down.

I squirm desperately underneath him as he moves my hands up over my head and then shifts his grip so that he is holding both of my wrists with one hand.

“Now you’re just showing off,” I huff, shooting a half-hearted glare at him.

He smirks and pins both of my hands to the ground above my head. Leaning down over me, he wraps his free hand around my throat. He isn’t cutting off my air in any way, but his hand is firm. A clear reminder of who holds the power here now.

Wiggling, I once more try to yank my hands free or get his weight off my hips or… something. Anything. But with his muscular body straddling my hips, his hand pinning both of mine to the ground above my head, and his other hand locked around my throat, I am so thoroughly trapped that all I can do is to kick my heels uselessly at the ground.

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