Frey (The Frey Saga, #1)(35)
Ruby broke the tense atmosphere with a curtsey. “And Ruby Summit.” I attempted a smile for her.
I noticed a silent exchange between Steed and Chevelle. They were trying to decide what to do with me.
“Since you’re apparently not ready to retire for the evening, I suppose we will resume your training,” Chevelle said. Oh great.
“Ooh, let me!” Ruby was excited. Chevelle gave her a doubtful look and then glanced at me. Yes, he thought I deserved this. He nodded once and walked toward the rocks. Ruby bounced a few times, celebrating her victory.
As Chevelle walked past Anvil and Grey, they turned to follow him. I glanced around but didn’t see the other two or their dogs. I was wondering where they had gone and looked back to Ruby and Steed. Ruby was obviously very excited about the coming torture. Steed was watching me again. I always seemed to forget he was handsome until I was looking at him. He wore a loose shirt, unlaced at the chest, covered with a leather vest. It matched the long leather cuffs on his forearms and I was sure it was the same dark, worn leather of his saddles. He stepped in front of me, took my chin in his hand and twisted my face slightly, examining it. He purred something toward Ruby about her decorations and gave me a wink as he walked off in the direction Chevelle had gone.
We were alone now, Ruby and I, and I was sure this was going to hurt more than my other training. She untied her cloak and tossed it to the rocks where it landed with a muffled sound. She was smiling a touch as she reached her left hand across her waist to a black hoop there. She closed her fist and pulled it out and around as a long black trail curved in its wake and came to rest softly at her side. A whip. Oh yes, this would hurt. I loosed my cloak and tossed it aside, lowering myself in a defensive stance, hands out and ready. Crack! Okay, not ready.
“Ow! Mother Earth!” I cursed. I felt blood trickle at the strike point.
Ruby giggled a little. “Okay, we start slower.” She considered for a moment, “Maybe we work on your attacks instead of defense.”
I relaxed my stance. “Um, I don’t really have any attacks.”
She hadn’t worried when she'd asked me to assail her, but learning I lacked attack skills seemed to trouble her immensely. “Well, then, I suppose we had better focus on getting you some. How to begin?” She was talking to herself now, I was almost sure. My mind started to wander. I listened for the men below. What were they doing there? “I‘m afraid we will have to work with your anger.” She smiled a little. “It seemed to work with your lunch.” I remembered the meat I had burnt when she’d been trying to provoke me with Steed. I flushed with embarrassment. “Yes, this could work,” she hummed with a sly grin.
“Let me see… oh yes, I’ve got it.” She began stepping a slow circle around me, talking as she walked. “The dreams you had… after the fairy dust… do you remember them?” Oh. “I have a few questions, you see. You had plenty to say about someone as you slept. You mentioned how his mouth tasted… muscles under his shirt. And, well, I was curious just who you meant.” No. “It couldn’t have been Chevelle; oh you should have seen his face. He was livid.” No. “Steed was certainly enjoying it, but, my dear, he won’t spill the secret to me. Whose strong back where you wrapped around, whose dark eyes–”
I was mortified and she was using it to taunt me. There was nowhere to go with the humiliation, it was too much, and it turned to fury as she continued. I snapped. The flames that had been coursing through me burst in my hands. She laughed and tossed her head. “Oh you should have heard it. You gave us such interesting details!” The image of Chevelle hearing my dreams, the sound of their laughter when I woke…
I knew what she wanted and I gave it to her. Fire shot from both my hands toward her, hotter than any I’d ever produced. I felt the warmth on my face and heard the slosh of Ruby’s heeled boots as the patches of snow melted beneath her steps. She batted away the flames and smiled. “Come now, you’ll have to do better than that.” She kept circling.
“Let me try harder.” She flicked her wrist and the end of her whip caught my ankle so fast I hadn’t even realized it was in her hand. She jerked and my leg came out from under me, so hard I hit the ground, slamming down flat on my hip. It hurt. The pain stole the heat from my anger, irritation replaced it as I started to stand up. Crack! The whip struck at my head, forcing me back down. She was still circling and every time I attempted to right myself, she cracked it anew, keeping me from getting a foothold.
“Come now, Freya, you must defend yourself. Fight me. Stop me.” Snap! Snap! Snap! She was faster now, cracking the whip above me and at each side, moving again and again, closer and closer. I had to think of something but my mind could only concentrate on the snap of her whip, closing in on me. I heard the splash again, her boots in the melted snow, and I sent the icy water racing up, under the material of her skirt, to her bare legs. Shock crossed her face and I hoped it would buy the time I needed.
What now? The cold water had thrown her for no more than a fraction of a second, but it was enough time to right myself and execute one quick attack. I volleyed a nearby rock, which struck her in the back of the head and threw her balance off for another instant. I knew I was larger than her so I gritted my teeth and lunged, grabbing her as I tried to figure my next attack.
She raised her face and, when her eyes met mine, they narrowed. Part of me was aware I should have been scared, but I was enjoying myself. Whatever pain I might receive didn’t factor; I had wanted to hurt this wicked little redhead since the first time I’d seen her, since her hand reached out seductively toward Chevelle and collected my ruby. My palms lit where they wrapped around her arms, I would finally burn her. She cocked one eyebrow at me. “Half fire fairy, silly.” And my body was flying through the air to land with a heavy thump a few yards away.