The Assassin Queen

Chapter 21

"Damn it!" I shouted in exasperation as I landed on my butt for the third time in today's training and Odessa cackled "What's got you so distracted?" she asked through laughs and my eyes flicked towards where Felix trained a couple hundred feet away from me, muscles rippling as he swung his blade expertly against Brayden, his overgrown blonde hair sticking to his skin and I found it hard to look away.

Yes, he was indeed the cause of my distraction but I didn't tell Odessa that,     
          "Well, I don't know, Maybe the upcoming war" I replied nonchalantly and she smirked.
         "You'll be fine, thanks to you we stand a chance now".
"Yes I know," I said smugly before resuming my fighting stance   "Now let's fight shall we?" but Odessa sheathed her sword and my own raised sword lowered
       "I don't think we should, it doesn't seem fair when you're so distracted " Odessa said with a lazy smirk. And my brows immediately furrowed
       " is that the reason or are you simply tired, you can tell me you know" I said with a sly smile as I sheathed my sword as well " But I suppose we could call it day" in truth we'd gotten a goods days training, I was covered in dirt, sweat and near every limb ached. I was surprised Odessa kept up like she had.

But if I was being honest, Odessa was right, I couldn't seem to concentrate anymore, not with what had happened between Felix and I. Not when I had nearly kissed him, I had asked him without words and Felix had a way of knowing what I wanted without me uttering a single word...and I had seen his answer, he would have given me that kiss. Figuerin out where I stood with Felix was becoming harder and harder with each day, since he'd awakened he seemed to be searching for something, almost desperately which only resulted in a rather restless assassin now turned prince.

Even now, watching Felix swing his blades at alarming speeds, putting so much power behind each blow Brayden grunted with each blow he blocked,Felix still looked restless. And stars! His eyes, they held such power... like he could take on an entire army on his own, like he was riding some sort of high.

I wanted what he had...

But in that second Felix snapped his gaze onto, pinning me to the spot. I should've moved, I should've ran but I didn't. Instead I curled my fingers around the pomel on my sword; a clear invitation.

Felix looked at me with a lazy look, a playful, teasing smirk now curling his lips. Beyond him Brayden watched us both stare each other down, a near unreadable expression on his face and I could feel Odessa pinning me with a glare.

" Are you ready to play now Dasha?" Felix drawled as he tossed his blades effortlessly in his hands, swinging them in lazy figure eights as he strode towards me with swaggering steps.

" I do believe I'm ready to handle a prince now, " I responded as I drew my sword and blew a stray strand of hair from my face. " Are you done with Assassins then? You think royals are more your taste? " Felix retorted accusingly as he lunged towards me with a snarl, he left me but mere seconds to react almost as if he didn't want me dwelling on his double edged words.

But react I did...

I charged towards him with all the confusion and frustration I felt towards him, ramming my sword into his with pure brute force. Felix's eyes widened for a split second before he seemed to see me for he first time; I had changed my fighting style just for him. But then Felix laughed, a loud boisterous laugh before taking each of my blows with his sword, meeting me in the middle blow for blow.

" No!" I snarled as I struck his blade " I'm done with killers!" I said as I continued my nonstop attack, I was gaining ground on him for Felix was only blocking " I'm done with liars, I'm done with rogues !" I lashed out with one last skillfully precise blow but this time Felix not only blocked it but drove his blade towards me.

I met his burning gaze as I dug my feet into the ground, refusing to back down " Then choose neither" Felix ground out through clenched teeth as he pushed harder, till my sword was mere inches from my face.

" I'll choose who I please" I spat back and with a grunt, I pushed forward till he was within arms distance and he seemed to see red " We're all killers and much worse, again, I say choose neither!" but just as I drew breath to snap back suddenly Felix moved so fast I was reminded of why he was destined to be Arcus protegee and not I. For the next thing I knew I had Felix's blade at my throat and his firm body behind me with one arm firmly keeping me in place by my waist and I couldn't help my sharp inhale as I felt the cool blade press firmly against the skin at my neck.

"Take your hands off her..." I heard Odessa growl followed by the familiar sound of a sword being drawn from it's sheath, before me I could see General Brayden carefully eye Felix, ever since that fight with Thane I think they saw Felix for what he was; a well honed weapon and not the fragile little prince they once knew.

" Again Dasha, " Felix whispered closely by my ear, close enough for his lips to brush against my ear "Don't choose anyone...you deserve so much more" and with those words my eyes widened ever so slightly, was he talking about Thane? Was this his way of asking I not choose Thane? If only he knew I never chose him in the first place nor did I have any intention. But then Felix seemed to close himself off " unless that's exactly what you want, maybe you've developed a taste for lying, deceiving Princes?"

He was not about to get away with that...

I angled my body right and in one swift motion grabbed Felix by his arm and heaved him over my shoulder, Arcus had always thought me that if a weapon knew how to fight, size would be no issue.

No, I used Felix's weight against him, I used his own momentum. I would be lying if I said I wasn't vastly satisfied when Felix landed hard on his back, I felt like a queen in that moment. My steps where lazy and drawn out as I stood before Felix and looked over him " My choices are mine to make, my failures and my mistakes are mine to make, don't try to tell me what to do" I said with an icy steel behind my voice but Felix did not respond the way I thought he would...no instead he grinned at me from ear to ear from where he layed on the ground, like he'd won.

It exasperated me to no end, so with an annoyed sigh I stormed off but not before felix called out to me
      " That's the warrior I know...stop acting like anything else "

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y'all Its been about like two years I think since ive worked on this I am gonna try to continue this but it might take a while since i'm still trying to figure out all the details of this book but here is an old draft I never posted