“What do you think?”
“I don’t know.” He dragged his fangs over his lower lip. “But I have a feeling you’d do terrible things with a knitting needle.”
“Give me a pair and you’ll find out.” I swung on him.
Nyktos shot forward, blocking my blow as he caught my sword arm with his other hand. He hauled me toward him. My breath snagged at the feel of his chest against mine. “As much as I enjoy your threats of violence, you should spend less time making them and more time getting to the point behind why you interrupted me.”
“But I so enjoy threatening you,” I said, driving my knee up. Several curses exploded from the onlookers.
Nyktos dropped my wrist, using his thigh to avoid a direct hit to a very sensitive place. “The gown you were in yesterday was a distraction,” he whispered, his gaze dropping to where theswells of my breasts strained against the black lace of the bodice. “But this one is rather indecent.”
“As I said before, your failings to keep your gaze from straying is no reflection upon me.”
“I would have to be made of stone for my gaze not to stray.” A strand of reddish-brown hair fell against his cheek as his chin tipped down. “But I’m only flesh and blood, and you are…”
“What am I?”
“You are flesh and fire.”
“Then you should be careful,” I taunted, “lest you become nothing more than ember and ash.” Twisting sharply, I broke his grip and backed off, winking at him. “I need something to do.”
“Other than being a distraction?”
“In addition to that.”
Nyktos laughed, making his move then. He swung hard—hard enough that if he’d connected with my sword, he surely would’ve disarmed me. I darted to the left and spun, swinging my blade down. The impact echoed through the courtyard.
“Nice,” someone shouted—possibly this Kars or Ector. I wasn’t sure.
There was no fighting my smile as it spread across my face. “I need to be training.”
Nyktos brushed the now-shorter strand of hair back from his face as he straightened. “You do realize that if you wanted to train, all you had to do was ask.”
My eyes narrowed. “Really?”
“Really.” He swung again.
I dipped under his arm and spun, kicking out. My slippered foot connected with his midsection as I arced the sword up and around. The guards shouted as Nyktos leaned back. My sword cut through the air where his chest had been. He backed off, his eyes glimmering in a way Holland’s did whenever I surprised him in training, and he approved of whatever I’d done.
I was practically floating as I circled him. “I’m asking now.”
“I’m sure there is more.” His sword was at the ready. “Unless you plan to spend all day training. If not, tell me what you want.”
“I want to attend Court,” I said after a moment. “Now. I don’t want to wait.”
“Should I be taking notes?” Rhain asked from where he leaned against the boulder Saion sat on.
“No need.” Those silver eyes were locked onto mine. “I won’t forget a thing.” He wiggled his sword at me. “What else,Sera?”
He spoke my name like a kiss. I barely suppressed a shiver. “I want to be involved in any plans regarding Kolis instead of being told about them after the fact,” I said. “Or not told at all. I want the truth when it comes to your plans regarding him.”
“Is there more?”
There was, and it came to me just then—something that should’ve been apparent the moment Attes left after delivering his message. I lowered my voice so only Saion and those by the boulder could hear. “I don’t want to wait to go to the Vale. We need to act on that, sooner rather than later, no matter the risks involved.”
A muscle flexed in Nyktos’s jaw. “Anything else?”
“I want to see my stepsister.”