Condemned to Love by Celeste King

Author:Celeste King [King, Celeste]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Protheka Publishing
Published: 2024-09-19T00:00:00+00:00

18

ELOWEN

Iwake before dawn, my muscles aching from yesterday's training. Aldric's warmth is missing beside me - he must have slipped out during the night.

It's become a routine of ours. He'll meet me in bed, sometimes leaving while I sleep and sometimes waking me the next morning. My days are filled with him, and while we haven't discussed that — haven't discussed anything about us or beyond the training — I'm happy with it.

Pushing through the soreness, I drag myself out of bed and start my morning routine.

At the training grounds, Aldric is already waiting, his silver eyes gleaming as I approach.

"You're late," he growls, but I catch the hint of a smirk.

"The sun's barely up," I retort, rolling my shoulders. "Some of us need sleep."

He scoffs. "Sleep is for the weak. Now, show me what you've got."

We spar intensely, Aldric pushing me harder than ever. His fist connects with my ribs and I stumble back, gasping.

"Focus," he barks. "The dark elves won't go easy on you."

Gritting my teeth, I dodge his next strike and sweep his legs. He goes down hard but pulls me with him. We grapple on the ground until I manage to pin him.

"Not bad," he admits grudgingly.

Later, I limp to the dining hall where Selene fusses over my new bruises.

"You're working her too hard," she scolds Aldric as he joins us.

He shrugs. "She can handle it. Isn't that right, Red?"

"I'm fine," I insist, though my body screams otherwise.

Jessa plops down beside me with a grin. "Looking rough there, El. Need me to kick Aldric's ass for you?"

I laugh, wincing as it jars my ribs. "I can handle him."

"Oh, I bet you can," she says with a wink.

As I eat, my gaze drifts to the other warriors limping into the room. A knot forms in my stomach. We're training hard, but will it be enough? What if we lose Selene or Jessa... or Aldric? The thought makes my chest tight.

Aldric catches my worried look and his expression softens slightly. Under the table, his hand finds mine, squeezing gently. For now, we're safe. But war is coming, and I can only hope we'll be ready when it does.

After lunch, Jessa and Selene pull me aside to help patch me up. We settle into one of the empty libraries, and Jessa starts applying a soothing salve to my bruises.

"Damn, El. Aldric really did a number on you today," Jessa says, her fingers gentle on my ribs.

I wince. "Yeah, well, you should see the other guy."

Selene snorts. "I did. He looked annoyingly unscathed."

"Hey now," I tease, "aren't you supposed to be on my side?"

"Always," Selene says, her amber eyes warm. "But facts are facts."

Jessa finishes with the salve and hands me a cup of herbal tea. "Drink this. It'll help with the soreness."

I take a sip, grimacing at the bitter taste. "Ugh. Are you sure this isn't poison?"

"Don't be dramatic," Selene chides. "It's good for you."

"Speaking of good for you," Jessa says with a sly grin, "how are things with Aldric?"

I feel my cheeks heat up.

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