CHAPTER 278: WAITING UNTIL TOMORROW

Meredith.

My palm brushed against his ribcage before he spun and caught my wrist again.

A deep, almost proud sound left his throat. "Better."

I was breathless now, but I still managed a small proud smile. "I’m... learning."

"No, you are fighting," he corrected, holding my gaze as the corner of his lip lifted in a proud smile. "And you’re not losing."

His words filled me with a strange steady warmth, and I nodded firmly. "Again."

He smirked faintly at my determination, then lunged—this time with enough force to make me stumble back two steps.

My heel dug into the dirt, but I refused to fall. I squared my shoulders and met him again, blocking one strike and deflecting another.

We circled like that for a while, the sound of our movements echoing softly across the training grounds.

I was still far from perfect, but I could already feel the difference in myself even though Valmora might think otherwise.

It wasn’t until I caught the faintest chuckle that I realized that Draven and I weren’t alone anymore.

I glanced toward the edge of the training grounds and spotted Dennis leaning against a post with folded arms and a wild grin on his face.

"Well, well," he drawled loudly, "look at you almost making it hard for him."

My cheeks flushed, both from exertion and embarrassment.

Draven didn’t even glance his way. "Stop distracting my wife," he said flatly. "Or find your way back through the path you came from."

Dennis lifted his hands in mock surrender with his never faltering grin. "Alright, alright. I will keep my mouth shut."

Still, he stayed, eyes glinting with amusement as he watched us.

I couldn’t help a breathless laugh. "You don’t have to just stand there grinning like that, Dennis," I called. "Are you here to watch or to learn something yourself?"

That made him laugh outright, shaking his head. "Careful, Meredith. You keep talking like that, you might start sounding overly prideful."

Just then, Draven tightened his grip around my wrist just slightly, drawing my attention back to him.

"Focus," he murmured, though there was a faint twitch at the corner of his lips as if he was trying very hard not to smirk.

And just when I steadied my breath, Dennis’s grin widened as he leaned forward a little.

"Brother, you better be careful otherwise, Meredith might land a punch on you the way she did to me."

I allowed my lashes to flutter. I wasn’t expecting for Dennis to make that revelation as I had never intended to drag his pride through the mud, but here he was, talking about it.

Draven’s head turned sharply, his expression registering surprise. "What?"

Dennis stopped chuckling, his grin faltering as he looked between the two of us. "Wait a minute... didn’t she tell you?"

Draven’s gaze slid back to me, his dark brows lifting in curiosity. "No. I’m hearing this for the first time. From your lips."

My lips curved into a victorious smile, and I couldn’t help the little laugh that slipped free. "Thank you, Dennis, for speaking too soon."

Dennis groaned and rubbed the back of his neck. "Great. I thought you already told him about our last training session. If I had known you hadn’t bragged about your little victory, I wouldn’t have exposed it for you."

Draven’s expression shifted, amusement breaking across his face as he shook his head.

"Serves you right for having a big mouth. And I’m quite sure that was exactly what made you lose focus and let her land that punch in the first place."

Dennis winced, dramatically pressing a hand to his jaw where I had struck him days ago. "Still sore, actually. You both should show some sympathy."

I laughed outright at that. My chest swelling with pride and relief, completely flushed with Draven’s approval in his eyes and Dennis’s grumbling in my ears.

A few moments later, Draven drew my attention back to training. He tested me a bit more until he was more than satisfied with my improvements.

Fortunately, Dennis knew better than to try and distract me this time around.

---

The three of us left the training grounds together, Dennis trailing behind with his hands shoved into his pockets.

He hummed a mocking tune under his breath until Draven shot him a look sharp enough to silence him.

By the time we were approaching the entrance of the house, Dennis muttered something about needing a taste of a sizzling drink and waved lazily before disappearing inside in quick steps.

That left me and Draven walking side by side, the late evening air still cool on my skin. My body ached pleasantly from the training, but more than that, I felt content and stronger.

Draven’s voice broke the quiet. "Our next training session will be tomorrow evening," he said, glancing down at me.

I nodded quickly, not needing an explanation. "Alright." It would actually be a favour if I won’t need to train in the mornings any longer.

Draven and I walked a few more steps in silence, until he asked, casually, "Will you come to my bedroom tonight? To sleep?"

Instantly, heat flooded my cheeks. The way he asked that question, and the look in his eyes, it wasn’t just about sleep, and we both knew it.

My pulse stumbled, traitorous in its eagerness as it stole words from my lips.

Right then, Valmora’s reminder to make Draven mark me, pressed at the edges of my mind.

I drew in a steadying breath and shifted the subject. "There’s something important we need to talk about. But it will have to wait until tomorrow night."

Draven’s brow furrowed slightly. "Can’t you tell me about it now?"

I smiled and shook my head, forcing a bit of playfulness into my tone. "No. You will just have to be a little more patient."

He groaned like Dennis would, and dragged a hand through his hair in mock frustration. "Fine. You are the one who taught me patience. So what’s twenty-eight more hours, hmm?"

That made me laugh, soft and genuine. The sound carried lightly between us as we walked inside the house.