A Kingdom of Blood and Betrayal (Stars and Shadows #2)(24)

I had practiced with the blade day and night when I was old enough to learn what they had done to my father, when I learned of my fate. Nightmares plagued me, memories of him I wasn’t certain were real, and his dagger in my hand was the only thing that kept them at bay.

She nodded as if she understood, and I wondered what horrors this girl had been through. Had she lost family too?

“So, no official training?”

“No.” I shook my head. “What I know is through my own practice and sneaking to watch some of the men in my village.”

Thalia nodded before waving me forward. I met her and bent at the knees as I watched her assessing me, calculating. “The first thing you need to learn is hand-to-hand combat. Most of the men we encounter think we’re nothing more than useless women. Prove them wrong.”

“Okay.” I nodded and missed the way her leg swung out and hit the back of my calves. It caught me completely off guard, and I fell to my ass with a loud huff.

My power grumbled in my veins, begging to be released, as my hip ached from my fall.

“Get up.” Thalia motioned for me to stand. Ordered me to do so.

I wanted to refuse, to fight against her, but I knew that would do me no good. So, I shoved it down. I tried to drown my power in my anger as I stood and dusted off my trousers.

“I wasn’t ready,” I gritted the words through my teeth.

“Be ready for anything, Adara. These people aren’t going to wait until you’re in position to attack you.” She rubbed her hand down the back of her neck. “We should start with the basics.”

“I think I know the basics.”

“I think your stance is weak.” Thalia’s gaze ran down my torso, and I tensed under her assessment. “We need to work on that and build strength before we do anything else.”

“I thought we were going to fight.” I pressed my hands to my hips and looked around us. “Evren told me you were going to train me to use my power.”

Thalia bounced on the balls of her feet as she assessed my own. “If we fight right now with our powers or without, I’d end up hurting you, and I really don’t want to have to explain that to my prince.”

Her prince. Jealousy reared its ugly head even though I didn’t want it to. “I don’t have to explain anything to him.”

Thalia laughed then swatted at my thighs gently. “Widen your stance a little. Find your balance.”

I did as she said, and she grinned victoriously.

“So, what’s the deal with you and Evren?” She moved around me and pressed her hand against my spine. She used it as a board as she wrapped her other hand around my shoulder and forced it back until I stood straight. “Are you just trying to fuck with him by denying the fact that you two are mates? No judgment.” She laughed and held up her hands as she moved back in front of me.

“No.” I shook my head. “I’m not fucking with him. I don’t want to be his mate.”

She looked up at me and the light dimmed in her eyes. “You do realize that it’s not a choice, right? It’s not a choice for either of you.”

“I know.” I quickly looked away from her. “But that doesn’t mean I have to act on it. That I have to allow it.”

“From what I hear, you certainly aren’t not acting on it.”

I stiffened and my gaze slammed back into hers. “And where did you hear that?”

She reached forward and her fingers tapped against my neck. “That little mark right there didn’t happen by itself, unless you’ve found someone else in the castle.”

I could feel my blush creeping up my chest and into my face as I clamped my hand down over my neck. “That was a mistake.”

“No.” She shook her head. “He is your mate. Do you know why everyone seems to already know that fact before you ever open your mouth to tell them?”

I opened my mouth to argue, but she was right. So many had known we were mates before either of us had ever uttered a word.

“Mates are rare these days.” She gripped my hand in hers and balled it into a fist. She fixed each finger until they were perfect as she spoke. “Mating between a vampyre and a Starblessed is even rarer. I’ve never heard of such a pairing.”

“You think we shouldn’t be together?”

“What?” She pressed her hand against my elbow and lifted my arm until it was exactly where she wanted it. “That’s not what I’m saying at all. The two of you have every reason not to be together, every possible force trying to tear you apart, but still, he is your mate.”

“He lied to me about who he was.” My hand trembled.

“And he saved you.” She looked up at me and there was so much pain staring back at me. “He told me that Gavril took from you before you left.”

I winced, but she still held my hand firmly in her own.

“So, I don’t have to tell you how horrible it is, how horrible he is, but he is capable of so much worse.” Her gaze ran over my face, and I could see her memories raging inside her. “He would have been so much worse, Adara.”

“He’s the one…” I looked down at her scarred arms and swallowed harshly as I thought about the sheer amount of times he had to take from her.

“Yes.” She nodded and stood straighter. “Every scar that lines my body is from the crowned fae prince, and I will never allow him to take from me again. Evren helped me ensure that his brother would never be able to do so again.”