Dez groaned as he rolled onto his side. “That didn’t hurt at all.”
Zayne chuckled as he turned back to Dez, extending a hand. “We have company.”
“I see.” He took Zayne’s hand and was hauled to his feet. He gave us a wave, which we returned. “Good to see I have an audience while I get my ass handed to me.” He placed a hand on his lower back. “You guys should’ve showed up fifteen minutes ago when I had Zayne on the mats.”
Zayne smirked. “That only happened in his imagination.”
“Not true.” Dez cracked his back like a skilled chiropractor. “Do you all need anything?”
“Nope,” I answered, still seeing Zayne lifting Dez clear in the air like the Warden weighed nothing more than a sack of grain.
Zayne cocked his head.
“Well, we were looking for an available room,” I corrected.
“We didn’t know you guys were in here,” Jada added.
“We’re done,” Dez said. “Well, I’m done.” He shot Zayne a look before he focused on Jada and me. “Are you here to practice with the blades?”
Surprise caused me to tighten my grip on my leather satchel.
“Zayne told me you were really good with them,” Dez added as Zayne moved off to a corner of the room, arms folded over his chest.
“I’m okay with them.”
“Okay?” Jada laughed, shoving me forward. “She’s better than most Wardens.”
Not given a choice, I went forward, sneaking glances at Zayne as I stopped beside him. We hadn’t exactly parted ways all warm and fuzzy the last time we’d spoken, and he was being abnormally quiet.
“Would you give me a little demonstration?” Dez requested.
“Of course,” Jada answered for me, and I turned to glare at her. She snatched the satchel from my hands and strode across the room to the table. “She loves showing off.”
That was...true.
Normally.
Right now, I sort of wanted to just go back to my room, because when I looked at Zayne, I was no longer seeing him slam Dez into the mat.
I was seeing him as clear as day in nothing more than a towel, chest damp and—
“You’re staring at me again.” Zayne leaned in, whispering in my ear. “Just thought you should know.”
“Am not,” I snapped back, cheeks flushing as I turned away from him. Dez was watching us curiously. So was Jada, who was doing a really poor job of not smiling as she handed my blades to me.
“How’s your arm?” Zayne asked as I stepped to the side, lining up with the blob of human-looking flesh at the other end of the room.
“Fine.” I curled my fingers around the familiar weight of the handle. “How’s your mood?”
“What?”
“Is it better than the last time I saw you?” I queried, fighting a grin when I saw him frown.
“It was better,” he said after a moment.
I smirked at that as I lifted the blade. “Tell me where to hit.”
“Anywhere?” Dez turned to the dummy. “How about the...chest?”
“That’s too easy,” Jada said. “Pick another area.”
“Okay.” Dez chuckled. “The head?”
The head was a smaller blur of beige, but muscle memory took over, and I let the blade fly. It struck true, hitting the center of the dummy’s face.
“Damn,” Dez said.
“Get the neck,” Jada ordered.
Smiling, I switched the blade to my throwing hand. The blade also struck where I aimed, right in the middle of the throat.
Dez turned to me. “I think we could use you to teach our warriors.”
My smile spread as Jada hurried over to the dummy, retrieving the blades.
“You’re good, real good.” A half grin appeared on Zayne’s striking face when I looked at him. “But it’s a bit harder when the target isn’t standing still.”
“I know,” I snapped. “You want to give it a try?”
“Nah.” He unfolded his arms. “I’m more skilled at the hand-to-hand stuff.”
I told myself to shut up, but my mouth started moving before I could stop myself. “I bet I’m better at that, too.”
Zayne snorted. “Trinity, you know better than that.”
“Oh, I do know better.” I squared off with him. “Do you think you’re better just because you’re a Warden?”
“I know I’m better, because I’ve had years of training and you’ve had the basics,” he said, an assumption that was not remotely correct. “Not to mention, I’m bigger and stronger than you.”
I gave him the kind of smile that irritated the Hell out of Misha. “Speed and intelligence will always prevail over strength and weight.” I paused. “Shouldn’t you know that?”
His jaw hardened as he glared down at me. “I have a feeling you just insulted my intelligence.”
“Never,” I demurred.
Zayne’s brows lifted. “You really think you can take me?”
“I don’t think anything. I know.”
His eyes narrowed.
“You know, I’m suddenly very hungry,” Jada announced, placing my blades on the satchel.
“What?” I turned to her, hands on my hips. “We just ate.”
“Yeah, but I’m in the mood for dessert.” Eyes twinkling with mischief, she grinned at Dez. “Have you had a chance to try the red velvet cupcakes that the café has?”
“No, I haven’t.” Dez smiled so widely it was a wonder it didn’t crack his face. “I’d love to try one.”
“Perfect.” Jada sent a passing glance to Zayne. “Can you make sure she gets back to the house in one piece, Zayne?”
I opened my mouth but Zayne answered, derision dripping from his tone. “It would be my pleasure.”
Forgetting Jada and Dez, I whipped back toward Zayne. “Oh, wow. You could at least sound like you want to.”
“I said it would be my pleasure.” Those pale eyes fixed on mine.
“Then your idea of pleasure must really differ from mine.”
“You know...” He rolled his lower lip between his teeth. “I’m going to have to agree with that. Come on, get your blades and I’ll walk you back.”
I had a feeling what he said was a dig, and asking if hanging out with demons was something he found pleasurable rose to the tip of my tongue, but I managed to not give it voice. I was a brat, but not that much of one.
But I wasn’t ready to go back to the house.
I was antsy and energized and feeling the need to prove myself. “So, you’re admitting that I can take you. You know that, right?”
Zayne stared at me like I spoke an ancient, unknown language. “I’ve admitted no such thing.”
“Then come on.” I stepped back, motioning at him with my hand. “Bring it.”
He laughed—straight up laughed a deep, belly laugh that flipped my bitch switch into power on like a mofo mode. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am perfectly serious.”
“Look, I’m not into overpowering girls to prove my technique or skill, especially girls who were just injured,” he said, turning way. “I’ll grab your blades—”
I waited until he was only a foot away before I sprang forward, fast and light on my feet. I jumped, grasping his shoulders as I brought a knee into his back, digging it deep. Zayne went down, mostly out of surprise, but I was anticipating that. Using his shoulders, I launched myself over him, landing in a roll that caused my injured arm to ache as I popped up on my feet and spun to face him.
Zayne was already back on his feet, gaping at me. “What the Hell?”
“What was that again about overpowering girls?”
A slow, smoky smile pulled at his mouth. “You’re out of your mind.”
“Just don’t think you need to go easy on me,” I said, and then I charged him.
Zayne feinted in one direction to avoid a sharp thrust, but I expected that. Spinning, I caught him in the midsection with a sideways kick that caused him to grunt. He spun, catching my uninjured arm as I gripped his. Using him for balance, I leaped and turned, delivering a fierce spin kick that knocked him back several feet.
“Are you sure you’ve had years of training?” I taunted, steadily approaching him.
Several strands of hair had fallen free, brushing his cheeks as he faced me. “Are you sure you’ve just had a few training sessions?”
“Guess what?” I darted under his swing and hit the floor, planting my palms on the mat as I kicked out, taking his legs out from underneath him. “I lied.”
“I can see that,” he grunted.
“Admit it. I’m better than you.”
Expelling harshly, he jumped onto the balls of his feet. “I’m not admitting that yet, princess.”
“Princess?” I repeated, blinking. “I’m not a princess.”
“You’re something.” He smirked, and then flew into a butterfly kick I almost didn’t see in time.
I met him with a wild laugh. Blow after blow, we went after each other. In the beginning, when I first went at him, he was holding back, but with each punch and kick I got through his defenses, he stopped messing around.
Zayne blocked a series of kicks and jabs that would have knocked a human on their ass. He kept up with the moves easily. “Come on, Trinity, can you do better than this? I’m getting bored.”
The way his mouth curled my name sent a shiver down my spine and a flush to my skin. I hated it.
Sneering, I spun on my heel and turned into a roundhouse kick that knocked both of his stupid legs out from underneath him. He went down hard onto his back, grunting. Panting, I stalked over to where he lay prone. “You bored now, douche nozzle?”
Zayne coughed as he rolled onto his side and looked up at me. “Douche nozzle? What generation do you live in?” Moving lightning fast, he had my legs before I could see him move. He snagged the edge of my foot and yanked.