Akoren by R. Lennard

Author:R. Lennard [R. Lennard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: R. Lennard
Published: 2024-06-02T00:00:00+00:00

Anika brushed her skirt, removing the wrinkles. She looked around the open space of the lounge room of her house. Seventeen and living alone. With a boy about to come over.

Despite the number of boyfriends she’d had, her parents had never left her alone with any of them.

Raven had made it clear that nothing inappropriate would be happening—they were going to practise attacks and defence—but Anika was trying not to worry about what it might mean.

A knock on the door made her jump. After swiping sweat-damp hands over her skirt again, Anika opened the door. “Well met, Raven.”

“Well met.” He tousled his hair, unable to meet her eyes. “I, uh, thought we could train outside today?”

“Afraid I’ll corrupt you?” she asked, fluttering her eyelashes.

He gave her an easy grin. “Something like that.”

“The backyard will be big enough, provided we’re working with daggers and not swords.”

“Daggers are why we’re here,” he said, gesturing for her to lead the way.

Slipping past him, Anika took the path down the side of the house and through to the back garden. She’d started a tiny patch for vegetables, leaving tools stacked to the side. Gardening had never been something Anika had enjoyed, but she’d have to get used to it if she wanted to eat.

Raven gave her that easy grin again. “All right, the first thing that we need to talk about is your posture. Those heels throw off your centre of gravity, and they might look good, but it means you need to learn to compensate.”

Anika licked her lower lip. “I can do that. Show me how?”

Stepping up to her, Raven helped adjust her stance, and Anika had to admit that she felt more secure.

“Now, how about you try and stab me?” he said.

Although she’d known it was coming, Anika couldn’t contain the shiver that ran through her.

“You don’t want to?” he asked.

“It’s just, after that assassin, I’m worried that if someone sneaks up on me, I’ll hurt them.” Anika blinked as her eyes welled up, but it failed to stop the tears from falling.

“I promise I’ll never sneak up on you,” Raven said. “And I promise I’ll teach you how to go for less fatal measures for the first blow.”

“Thank you,” Anika whispered. On an island were beings trained to lead with fatality first, she had been worried he’d think her weak. Instead, Raven took the rest of the afternoon to show her less deadly measures for incapacitating her opponent.

And if it led to them laying in the leaf litter, limbs entwined more than once, well, Anika wasn’t going to complain about that at all.

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