Page 65 of Desire's Ransom
The light in her eyes was answer enough.
Now that she’d mastered thebata, Cambeal didn’t train much with her anymore, which was why he’d made the dummy. Since she didn’t often tangle with victims skilled at arms, she was seldom required to engage in physical confrontations.
Sparring with a real live opponent, as she had when they’d first met across the stream, was a rare pleasure.
With a nod of her head, she swept thebatadiagonally before her in a salute.
He returned the greeting.
Then she began the battle.
Of course, he withheld his strength to make it a fair fight. Likewise, she withheld her speed to keep him engaged. They battled back and forth, scrabbling across the clearing and kicking up dust, whacking the occasional tree, both as gleeful as the hounds chasing after sticks.
Then he began to taunt her. “Is that the best you can do?” He grinned as he blocked her overhand blow. “Shall I tie one hand behind my back to make it a more fair fight?” He dodged a jab aimed at his side. “Or if you’re too worn out,” he said, forcing her back with a few annoying pokes, “I can always wander down to theloughto see what Lady Mor’s up to.”
The mention of Mor pricked Temair’s temper. And the fact that it bothered her made her even more furious. She replied with a ferocious attack that backed him up against the wall of the mountain. “Ha!”
But then he surprised her with a return assault that sent her scrabbling back to the middle of the clearing. “Oho!” he retorted.
It was time to summon up her most devious tricks, the ones she hadn’t shown him.
Taking a deep breath of preparation, she began her onslaught. Twirling herbata, she caught him unawares with a sharp rap on his shoulder. Then she spun halfway around, jabbing unexpectedly backwards to catch him in the belly. While he was recovering, she whipped thebataaround by its end, where it smacked him on the hip, knocking him off-balance. Using the tip of the stick, she tangled his legs and made him stumble back. Before he could regain his balance, she stepped toward him, placed thebataflat against his chest, and shoved him against the trunk of a tree. Finally, she brought thebataup swiftly to press against the vulnerable spot between his legs.
The effect was instantaneous.
With a ragged gasp, Ryland stiffened. Effectively at her mercy, he dropped his weapon.
Temair gave him a smug, smoldering smirk. That move never failed to take all the fight out of a man.
She expected to see a glimmer of amusement in his eyes now.
She expected his lips to stretch in a good-natured grin.
She expected to hear his warm chuckles of surrender any moment.
But he wasn’t smiling.
