Warrior (Relentless #4)(91)

I knew exactly where Sara was when I entered the building, but I resisted the urge to look at her. If Tristan was right and she was still upset with me for leaving, she wouldn’t have a warm welcome for me. I smiled, looking forward to changing her mind about that.

“You ready to lose?” I asked Tristan.

He saluted me with his sword. “Something tells me you’re going to show off for a certain young lady.”

I grinned as we faced each other. Without warning, his sword came up, and I moved to block his attack. His eyes sparkled with laughter, and my smirk told him it was the last jump he’d get on me.

I struck next. Tristan parried and deftly launched a counter attack. The clang of steel filled the air as we danced around each other.

The best swordsman I’d ever fought was Desmund, a brilliant fighter before the Hale witch had crippled his mind. Tristan was the second best. He might spend his days running a stronghold and handling Council business, but he obviously hadn’t let his fighting skills get rusty.

The only way to defeat an opponent as good as Tristan was to keep him constantly on the defensive. I thrust, he parried, and I struck again before he could recover. I knew if I let up for one second, he would take the advantage, and I had no intention of losing. The determination on his face said he was going to make me work for my win.

I feinted to my left, and he moved swiftly to block me. Our eyes met and realization dawned in his a split second before I brought my sword around and touched the tip to his chest.

Applause rose up around us as he bowed and conceded defeat.

“Lucky shot,” he joked when he slapped my back.

“You wish,” I retorted.

We moved aside to allow the next pair to take over. I glanced at Sara and saw her talking to the blond trainee named Jordan. I couldn’t see her face, so it was hard to know what she was feeling.

“You think it’s safe to go over there?”

Tristan laughed quietly. “Are you feeling brave, my friend?”

“Very.”

I knew Sara. She hated to draw attention to herself, so she’d refrain from yelling at me – for the moment. Actually, now that I thought about it, this was the perfect time and place for our reunion.

“Come on then. I’m looking forward to this.”

I shouldered him as we started toward her. “You know, you’re taking an awful lot of pleasure in this, considering it was your idea for me to go away in the first place.”

“You’re right,” he replied with a barely concealed grin. “But how often does one see Nikolas Danshov get the cold shoulder from a woman?”

I was about to retort when I looked up and my gaze met Sara’s. She appeared to be fully recovered from her illness, and not nearly as impressed by my fighting prowess as her friends. A familiar fire blazed in her green eyes, igniting a matching heat in my gut. Even angry, she managed to steal my breath and make me forget everyone else in the room.

“Showing off as usual I see,” said a laughing male voice.

I stopped walking to turn to a black warrior with short dreadlocks. “I’m surprised you left your computers long enough to watch.”

Dax chuckled and held up a tablet. “I’m never offline.”

It took me several seconds to realize Sara’s presence was moving away from me. I turned to the group of trainees to find she was no longer with them.

Chagrin filled me, but it was replaced by wry humor when I saw the door close behind a girl with long dark hair. I’d counted on her not wanting to cause a scene, but I’d forgotten how good she was at slipping away under our noses. Next time, I’d have to outmaneuver her.

I smiled and saluted the closed door with my sword. Touché.





*


“Good choice,” Chris commented when I reached for a double burger from the buffet. “Avoid the spaghetti. It’ll be less messy when she dumps your dinner on your head.”

I laughed and looked behind me at the girl sitting on the far side of the room. Sara had her back to me, and she was saying something to her friend Jordan, waving her slice of pizza in the air for emphasis. I glanced down at my gray sweater and wondered if pizza sauce came out of wool.

I grabbed a soda and picked up my tray. “You coming?”

“No thanks. I prefer to watch the show from a safe distance. Scared?”

I scoffed and turned toward the two girls who seemed too caught up in their conversation to notice my approach.

I was a dozen feet from the table when Jordan saw me and broke off mid-sentence. She looked down at her plate as I pulled out the chair beside Sara.

“You don’t mind if I join you, do you?” I asked then sat before Sara could say no. I deliberately moved my chair close to hers, and I was rewarded for my efforts when she turned her head to scowl at me. Her face was so close I felt her warm breath on my cheek.

“You…” She pulled back. “Let me guess, no one else will eat with you.”

I smiled in satisfaction. She might be angry with me, but she felt something else too. I remembered Vivian’s words about sweeping my girl off her feet. I might have to move slowly with Sara, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy myself.

“I seem to remember you being a lot nicer the last time we had dinner together.”

She huffed. “Like I had a choice. You guys wouldn’t let me out of your sight that night.”