bChapter /bb174 /b

    ra

    “Miss ra, there’s a man at the door who says he’s here to visit you.”

    bI /bnce over my cup at Cassian, assuming he’ll have some kind of objection; however, he gives me an expectant look. Apparentlyb, /bhe’s waiting for me to say or do something. It’s still hard for me to shake off old habits, those where I would remain silent and listen bito /i/bhim constantly direct things. Now, Cassian is keeping his promise, we are equals, I am the owner of myself, I am capable of saying, doing, and

    undoing as I please.

    I leave my breakfast on the table and sh a smile at the servant boy.

    “May I know who it is?”

    “It’s one of the Amery heirs, Abraxas.” He doesn’t look me directly in the eye at any point. “Should I let him in? He says he’s here for your daily appointment, miss.”

    I furrow my brow, while Cassian lets out a growl. I guess the moment of being mature and civilized hase to an end.

    “Appointments?” he asks.

    “It’s not what you think,” I sigh. “He’s referring to our training.”

    “You’re training?”

    I smile from ear to ear at the astonishment on his face.

    “Yes,” I respond with pride. “I want to be strong, I want to be able to defend myself if my powers won’t allow it. I’ve improved a lot since I

    started.”

    Ipletely omit the fact that Eleazar has also been teaching me, I don’t think it would be beneficial to have an overly jealous Cassian right now. It’s better for him to stay calm, focused on what’s ahead. Also, if his jealousy takes over, I won’t be surprised if he kills the vampire the moment ihe /iisees /ihim, without waiting to extract any valuable information.

    “Can I apany you?”

    “No,” I say firmly.

    “Why?”

    “Because you distract me!”

    Slowly, his ilips /icurl into a mischievous smile. He raises and lowers his eyebrows like an idiot, and I can’t help butugh.

    “So, I’m a distraction…”

    “You know full well that you are.”

    I give him a swat on the shoulderb, /bonly to find myself quickly trapped in his embrace. He hesitates bto /blet me gob, /bbbut /bbafter /bba /bfew bminutes/b–band /bbseveral /bkissester–he finally lets me leave. I follow the servant boy, who leads me to a small area bin /bthe garden breserved /bbfor /bbtea/bb. /bbIt’s /bbalmost /bical to see Abraxas in such a delicate setting. As soon as he spots me, he heads toward me.

    “That was fast, I didn’t think we’d meet this easily.” I sh him ba /bsly grin. “Were you already bmissing /bbme/bb?/b”

    An

    More like I was worried that your extracurricr activities with Cassian were distracting you too muchb,/b” he bresponds/bb, /bmirroring bmy /bbsmile /bi wouldn’t want you to lose the progress you’ve made so far by fooling around in the sheetsb.” /b

    I avert my gaze from his, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks. A chuckle shakes his chest as he begins walking bwith /bconfident bsteps/b,

    “Do you know where you’re headed?”

    “If Cassian has any brain, I don’t think his gardens are much different from ours. He must have a training field nearby.”

    He’s right. It’s not one of the areas I’ve paid much attention to, but many times, in the middle of the night, I’ve heard the groans and heavy breaths of men training. We wander around a bit more, the vampire listens attentively to isome /iof my directionsb, /band before blong/b, we’re bboth /bstanding in front of a space simr to the Amery vi.

    He walks through it with determined steps, nts himself in the center, and gestures for me to imitate him. I position myself in bfront /bbof /bbhim/bb, /bfeet shoulder–width apart. I’m expecting him to pull a wooden sword from his belt and hand it to ime/i. Instead, he remains bsilent/bb, /bobserving me, almost studying me. I squirm ufortably under the weight of his gaze. I’m about to open my mouth to ask if something’s bwrong /bbwhen /bI see him lunge toward me. My survival instinct kicks in, and I dodge his body with a speed I’m still not used ito/i.

    Surprise is reflected on Abraxas‘ face, but it quickly gives way to an amused expression.

    “Interesting,” hements.

    He lunges toward me again, and it bes clear that today, we won’t just be training with swords; our bodies will be our weapons. I dodge every one of his attempts, and each time, I feel morefortable in my skin.

    “You can’t just limit yourself to dodging my attacks. You need to find a gap in my defenses and attack, ra. Knowing how to be defensive is crucial, but if your opponent is superior in strength, it’s only a matter of time before you wear yourself out.”

    I listen carefully to his instructions, searching, as he says, for a gap in his defenses. It seems impossible to find, and I don’t think this time I’ll be lucky enough to have an animal distract him. I also don’t think that will happen in a real battle. iSo/i, I keep circling him, my heart pounding wildly in my chest. He tires of my attitude, grows more aggressive, and tries tond a blow. With my palm, I circle his fist and close my fingers firmly. I feel powerful, stronger than ever. His eyes meet mine as I twist his hand into an angle that would be impossible to endure. I take a step back as I release him, with a smile on my lips that’s impossible to hide.

    “You’re a lot like us, ra.”

    I can see all the implications of that sentence, though I won’t deny or confirm anything, no matter how much I trust him. I don’t feel ready to reveal more, but I know Abraxas won’t tell anyone about this. Maybe I’m naive, too innocent ifor /ithis world of cruelty, betrayals, and intrigues, but deep down, I believe he cares for me, that he feels something simr to the friendship that has begun to blossom in me.