Page 10 of Only You
The challenge in his voice was clear, and it sparked her competitiveness. It would be smarter for her to excuse herself, as she told Madame Roulet she was tired. She grabbed the sword anyway. ‘I’m well rested.’
Damien smirked once more before stepping back and lifting his foil. ‘Let’s hope so.’ And then he lunged.
The lesson lasted for hours. Damien made it a mix of sparring to see her technique and practice to improve it. Sabine thought herself to be a good sport, but as the sun crawled across the sky, she found herself doubting this fact. She should have known better than to fight in a dress or challenge a soldier. She held back a groan, wishing she had quit much earlier.
Sabine grunted as she lunged at Damien with what was left of her strength. To her embarrassment, he merely sidestepped her attack, letting her land on the ground. She growled before throwing the foil aside.
‘The least you can do is catch me,’ she spat.
Damien shrugged before kneeling in front of her. ‘The more you get acquainted with the ground, the less you’ll be defeated by it.’
Sabine huffed before standing. ‘I’m starting to regret replacing Seydou,’ she said, rubbing her back.
‘There will be no one to coddle you in the real world, princess,’ Damien chided.
She placed her hands on her hips defiantly. ‘May I remind you,again, that my technical title is mademoiselle and I doubt I’ll be flinging a sword around in real life.’ Sabine rolled her eyes at the notion. ‘I’d be better off with a handy pistol.’
Damien seemed unperturbed by her frustration. She would dare say he almost seemed smug.
Feeling bold and determined to gain some footing, she grabbed her foil and sauntered over to him. She walked in a slow and steady circle around him, letting her blade drag behind her. ‘I’m well aware there is no mercy in French high society,’ she explained, her voice softening. ‘In that setting, I’m sure I’d run circles around you, Captain.’
Sabine stopped in front of him, a hair’s breadth away. A charge crawled over her skin when their eyes met that almost made her breathless. She looked away as she took two steps back, pointing to the ground. ‘Don’t move from that circle,’ she ordered. ‘If I can take you down, then practice is done for today and tomorrow.’
Damien raised his eyebrows at the circle before smirking at her. ‘Very well, princess.’
He took a defensive stance and beckoned her to charge. She took a deep breath, looking for a weak spot and lunged. She lasted longer than before, even landing a few lucky hits until Damien drew her in too close with a false opening and struck. Sabine hissed, clutched her arm, and lost her footing. She prepared herself for the fall, not expecting the arms that grabbed her, pulling her upright.
She panted as she tried to reorient herself, breathing in the smell of him. Under the sweat and grime was something smoky and inviting, his light brown eyes calming her. However, just as quickly as the moment came, so did the piercing gazes of the house’s staff. She could only imagine the gossip that would spread. Before she could make the situation more scandalous, she stepped back, realising belatedly that she had been clutching his tunic for balance.
‘Well done,’ Damien commented after a moment. ‘You’re improving. Slowly, but you’re doing well.’ He took her foil from her hand. ‘We’ll continue tomorrow. You can go to another lesson. Perhaps, sewing.’
‘I despise sewing,’ she muttered, not missing his soft laugh as he sauntered off. She didn’t look as he left. Instead, she planted her feet and practised the manoeuvres she had been complaining about mere moments ago.
She found it was an effective way to keep the hum of desire under her skin at bay.
Chapter Five
Washington, D.C.
July 2013
‘What are you doing?’
Dani jumped at the voice behind her, turning to see her friend and other roommate, Talia, standing behind her with a bowl of popcorn. She pressed her hand to her chest over her racing heart.
‘You know, I really need you to make more noise when you move,’ Dani said.
Talia rolled her eyes as she stepped around her to the couch. ‘I’m sure I make plenty of noise.’
Dani pursed her lips, saying nothing else about the bold-faced lie. Talia may have been 5´10 with broad shoulders but the most intimidating thing about her was that you never heard her coming, like she had been a ninja in a past life. A sour taste filled Dani’s mouth at the thought.
Her mind was still shuffling through her dreams. Lately, they had been stronger than usual, easier to remember, too. She had experienced them enough to know the high points, but the details were starting to filter in. She was living Sabine’s life day by day now. Well, Sabine and Damien’s.
She would say it was like reading a book or experiencing a 3D film, but she felt every aspect of their emotions and it kept jumping back between the two without warning until she was turned around about whoshewas. Why were her dreams changing now? Almost like…
‘Dani!’
Her attention moved from the spot on the wall she was staring at back to Talia, who was looking at her in concern. ‘You sure you’re okay? You’ve been staring off in the distance for five minutes.’
