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I
lay on my back in the sand, unable to breathe
from the vicious kick Kymber had delivered to my chest.

 Had she really said those last few words?

I just fell in love with you all over again.

She was on her way to the stone stairs. I could
tell by her gait, her speed, that she was still furious. Gods, she had the most
beautiful behind.

My chin was bleeding. I wiped it away, grinning
like a damned fool.

Threatening her life had been a low-down dirty
trick, but I had to take that chance. I didn’t know what I would do if it
didn’t work. Cutting her had hurt almost as much as if I’d cut myself, but she sometimes
had to be driven. Forced. The lesson had to be painful. If Kymber possessed a flaw,
that was it.

The only way to know was to try. The situation
had to be as dire as possible. And she’d done it.

She’d pulled her sword.

I rested in the sand, stared at the sky, and
gave silent thanks. We could move forward now.

I
was in one of those moods that drives men
crazy. Snarling, but excited. Ready to pick a fight when what I really wanted
was someone to hold me.

My mood swung back and forth like a pendulum as
I climbed the sandy stairs up to the house. That brainless, muscle-bound peawit
had cut me. He’d
cut
me!

Cut me, threatened me with death, chased me all
over the beach with Bloodreign, and the bastard had coaxed my best from me.

What was wrong with him?

What was wrong with
me
?

I slammed the door to my room and locked it. I
wanted to be alone, without Magnus breathing down my neck about training and
nutrition and the proper way to draw a damned sword.

Alone, I was finally able to let go.

I didn’t belong here. I didn’t know him
anymore, and he certainly didn’t know me. There was no respect for what I’d
been through, even though he knew few of the details.

Was he right? Did I willingly wear the martyr’s
crown? I drew in a shaky breath. How could I not? Those years with Garai had .
. .

Had what? Yes, they’d happened to me, but those
bleak years weren’t the sum total of what I was.

What I could become if I’d get out of my own
damned way and allow it.

No. No! I made a move toward the bureau that
held my clothes, fully intending to pack and leave.

I placed my fingers on the crystal knobs of the
top drawer and sighed. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t let anger prod me into stupidity.
I truly didn’t mind picking up a sword again. The physical activity on the
beach had been good for me. I’d been making some progress.

And then he’d threatened to kill me.
“Miserable, fucking, spineless, lying bastard!” I pressed my forehead to the
top of the bureau and closed my eyes.

I had no way of knowing Magnus was trying to
motivate me. When Garai said he was going to kill me, he meant it, especially
if he was deep in his cups.

Admit it, Kymber. Magnus frightened you.
My reaction to his
threat frightened me more. I hated him for doing it. I understood why it was
necessary.

I gripped my hair in both hands and released an
anguished sob. Gods, I was losing my mind.

I felt the panicked beast again, heard it
crying out from some deep, dark place inside me. The coward. The one that
feared everything. The one that wanted to run and hide.

Kymber the warrior turned my attention by
kicking me in the ribs and baring her teeth.
If you waste this opportunity,
I’ll kill you myself!

I smiled when I heard the knock on my door. I
didn’t think he’d be able to stay away from me.

I
knew I was taking my life in my hands when I
knocked on Kymber’s door, but we’d made a breakthrough on the beach. I thought
we should talk about it.

She flung the door open and stared at me, her
hair a mess, her bare feet covered in sand, knees bleeding from my carefully
controlled assault on her fear. Greta, my housekeeper, was not going to be
happy about the sand on her floors.

“You.” Kymber’s eyes narrowed.

“May I come in?”

She hissed; her nostrils flared. “I’ll let you
in, but let’s get one thing straight. If you ever threaten me like that again,
I’ll cut your damned cock off and feed it to the dogs.”

I raised a hand to calm her. “I understand, but
it worked. The end justifies the–”

“No, it doesn’t. Not with me. Not anymore. It
was a lousy thing to do, Tyrix. You scared the shit out of me.”

“And I’m sorry for that.” I took a tentative
step inside her room. “But you can’t argue with success. You’d still be
struggling to open your hand if I hadn’t put you in fear of your life. It’s a
common training tactic. You know that.”

She searched my face then looked away. “I was
afraid of you and I didn’t like the way it felt. You were the one person I
trusted.”

I took her hand in mine. “It was wrong of me to
frighten you like that, but I knew you could pull that sword with a little
motivation. Forgive me?”

She stared at me for the longest time, chest
heaving. “Forgiven, but I won’t forgive you twice. Understood?”

“I do.”

In a complete reversal of mood, she placed her
hands flat on my chest and grinned. “If I pulled the sword once, I should be
able to do it again, right? If I concentrate before I reach for it. This is all
new and unfamiliar, but it’s just muscle memory and repetition.”

“That’s right. Everything is difficult the
first few times. You’ll get it if you don’t give up.”

Her fierce blue eyes flamed to life. “Not
giving up is the key to everything, I think.”

“Now you understand.” I ran my fingers lightly
over her shoulders. “I’ll be with you every step of the way, love. Count on
it.”

She took my face in her hands and kissed me. So
thoroughly and with so much passion, I swore I’d gotten a glimpse into the
future.

O
nce I memorized the motions, I realized strapping
the sword across my back had helped. I practiced pulling it until I could do it
in my sleep. We took several days off to celebrate then got back to work.

Magnus and I circled each other warily on the
beach one warm, sunny morning, swords at the ready. “I keep thinking about that
kiss,” he said. “All wet lips and open mouth.”

So did I. Why had I even kissed him in the
first place? I wanted to kick myself. “It doesn’t take much to get under your
skin, does it, Tyrix?”

His eyes smiled for him. “Not where you’re
concerned.” He’d dropped his guard a bit. His arms were slack and relaxed.

“Hold tight to those memories,” I told him.
“You’re not likely to get any more. At least not from me.”

“You’ve never been a very good liar, Kymber.
You liked it as much as I did.” He tensed, lifted his blade, and struck at me.

I should have known it was coming, as it was a
common tactic. Talk to your enemy as though they were a friend. Throw them off
by engaging in conversation, then hit them hard.

I stumbled, letting go of my sword with my left
hand, holding on to the grip for dear life with my right. I was able to
maintain a weak defense, but he struck again and again, mercilessly slamming
his blade into mine. The echo of steel on steel bounced off the cliff face and
into my ears. All I could do was stiffen my right arm, defend with Promise, and
try not to fall.

Magnus stopped to give me a look of pure
aggravation. “You must concentrate. If this had been a real fight, you’d be
dead right now.”

“I know.” I lowered my sword. “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t want to hear you say you’re sorry.
Sorry won’t raise you from the dead.”

“I’ll do better next time, you sanctimonious
ass. Is that satisfactory?”

He sheathed his sword and fixed me with a
speculative look. “Perhaps some time at T’hath would help?”

He was doing it again. Talking, trying to get
me to drop my guard. I assumed a defensive stance with my sword. “No. I can’t
go back to the academy. Don’t try to force me either.” I waggled Promise’s
silver tip beneath his nose. “And I’m not falling for this again.”

He lifted his hand in a gesture of
conciliation. “Put it away, Kymber. I think it’s time for a talk. I have a
question for you.”

I sheathed my sword. “What is it?”

“Why didn’t you go straight back to T’hath when
you escaped from Garai? Your mother and father surely would’ve been delighted
to see you. Why did you allow yourself to starve on the outskirts of Jalartha
instead of going home?”

Was it possible he didn’t know things had
changed at the academy? I asked him, “Do you ever hear news from T’hath or see
any of our old friends?”

“No. I stayed away from T’hath after you
disappeared. Then I left Jalartha altogether.”

“Tell me again – when was the last time you
talked to Tariq?” 

“Two, three years ago.” Magnus furrowed his
brow. “Two, I guess.”

That made sense. It was the last time I’d seen
him too. I dropped down into the warm sand and patted the space beside me.
“Have a seat, and I’ll tell you why I hid in the caves.” 

He sat next to me, left leg sprawled outward,
his arm draped across his knee. “I’m listening.”

I stared out at the waves crashing upon the
shore. “It probably seems odd to hear, but freedom was just as frightening to
me as captivity. I was nearly mindless with panic and confusion that first day
outside of Pentorus. My clothes were singed; I smelled of smoke. Hunger gnawed
at me like a dog with a bone. I was sure everyone knew who I was and what I’d
done, so I ducked into the deepest forest I could find, then huddled among some
boulders there. It seemed like a safe place to hide.”

“Good thinking.” Magnus nodded his approval.

“The next day I stole a chicken roasting over an
outside fire and some clothes drying on a washerwoman’s line.” I gave him a
crooked smile. “I took a man’s hooded tunic and breeches, thinking they would
help hide my identity. The chicken was a welcome incidental. I had a vague idea
where I was. I used the sun as a compass and headed south toward Jalartha.” I
laced my fingers together in front of me. “The plan was to go home to T’hath,
but I was suspicious of everyone and everything. My instincts served me well.
I’d have been in trouble if I’d marched through the academy gates and knocked
on the door.”

“How so?”

“I just had a queer feeling about it. A lot can
change in eight years. Our family cemetery lies at the edge of the academy
property, so I went there first, to think. The gravestones were tall and
provided cover. And that’s when I found them.”

“Found what?”

“The gravestones of my mother and father. Donea
died first, four years into my captivity. Tanit died the next year. I wept
until I fell asleep.”

“Daxal. Portis. Juncor. Any one of your
brothers would’ve been glad to see you,” said Magnus. “They would’ve taken you
in and fed you.”

I nodded. “I thought so too. I woke up the next
morning and headed toward the academy gate when I saw him with Portis.”

“Who?”

“Tariq. Don’t you remember? He and Portis were
the best of friends during training. I hid behind a tree outside the cemetery
and watched them both walk out of the house. Tariq turned with a smile and
shook Portis’s hand.” I shrugged. “Looked pretty friendly to me.”

“You think Portis was in on your capture?”
Magnus looked stunned. “He always watched out for you.”

“I don’t know. Maybe not, but who’s to say? I
have no doubt Tariq was there looking for me though. If he told my family the
same story he told you about seeing my body thrown into a mass grave, he
couldn’t have asked Portis if he’d seen me. But if my brother knew what Tariq
had done to me–”

“The handshake might’ve been an agreement to
hold you until Tariq got there.” 

“Exactly. I couldn’t take that chance. I went
to the caves under cover of darkness that very night and stayed there.”

“That explains why Tariq came to Adamar then.”
Magnus tossed a handful of sand toward the ocean. “He wanted to know if you
were at Seacrest. I’ve never seen him so jumpy and nervous. He wouldn’t sit
down for a meal or a glass of wine, wouldn’t agree to spend the night. He was
no doubt under orders to find you.”

A chill settled over me. “I suppose he was.”

“Would you like to go home? Back to T’hath, I
mean?”

I shivered so hard my spine nearly snapped.
“No. No. What if my brothers and Tariq are in league with Garai? They’ll know
you and I have found each other and where we are, and then Garai will know and
. . . I can’t. None of them needs to know where I am. I don’t want them to know.”

“I do,” Magnus said with some belligerence. “I
want them to know. I want them to come after you so I can kill them. And think
of this: what if your brothers
haven’t
thrown their lot in with Tariq
and Garai? What if they were just as torn up about losing you as I was? Don’t
they deserve to know you’re alive?”

Good question. I’d loved my brothers. I didn’t
believe all three of them had allied with Tariq. Just Portis, but I didn’t know
for sure, and I had no way of finding out. That handshake had looked
suspicious.

“Let me take you home, Kymber. Your brothers
don’t frighten me, nor does mine. If our enemies find out we’re together, so be
it. Let them come. We’ll be ready.”

“You sound so sure. I wish I could catch some
of your confidence.”

“You can. I’ll show you how.” Magnus pushed me
back into the sand, pressed his body the length of mine, and covered my face
with kisses.

It turns out kisses are
very
contagious.