The Forgotten Prophecy

Chapter 33

Ines stared at Matthew with wide eyes; he never ceased to surprise her. Somehow, he had managed to tick off the elves in the training grounds, and right then he was facing their wrath. Although he was terribly losing, his expression was one of excitement and joy. For a man who was going to get killed by his own stupidity, he looked ridiculously happy.

He wasn't wearing an armour, which made him look even more foolish, and his clothes had been ripped in many places, revealing his toned body. Ines marveled at his lean and hard torso, his strong back that flexed with every move. What the hell are you thinking?, she scolded herself. She took a deep breath and tried to tame her unruly imagination.

Ines, thinking that he should learn his lesson, stood there watching them with a faint smile on her lips. Besides, she didn't want to break a finger while saving his reckless ass. Matthew was hit with rocks, dirt, whatever the elves had in their disposal who were laughing at his failing attempts to escape, Ines being one of them.

'Peter! Save me from my misery!'

She suddenly heard him calling her. He must have noticed her standing there. The elves slowly stopped attacking him and glanced at her with curiosity. Maybe they were looking forward to becoming spectators of a rare show.

Ines shook her head in disapproval, and slowly approached the training area. The elves stepped back, and made space for her to pass, most of them deciding they had better things to do than watch two humans fight.

'Come on,' Matthew urged. 'Let's see if a wo—' A loud awkward cough prevented him from finishing his sentence, but he quickly composed himself. 'If a skinny lad like you can match my legendary fighting,' he said smirking at her.

Ines lifted an eyebrow. She suspected he wanted to say something else. 'As you wish,' she said nonchalantly, and drew her sword out.

A few minutes later, Ines was already panting, while her body was shaking from exhaustion. Matthew wasn't really pushing her too hard, and she knew it, but she was always too slow or too weak to render a decent strike against him. It seemed that he had regained his strength, and she saw he was enjoying pushing her buttons.

'Come on, Peter. Is that all you've got?' he taunted.

Ines took advantage of his boasting and charged at him. She tried to tackle him to the ground, but he had anticipated that move. He seized her leg, twisting it, and threw her down, putting all his weight on her in the process. Ines squeezed her eyes, groaning from the impact. She shouldn't have exerted herself so much.

'That was easier than I expected,' he whispered to her.

Ines opened her eyes and froze. His face was so close to hers she could see the faintest detail of his handsome face. Their close proximity made her heart race, like it was trying to break free, and her cheeks immediately flared. She saw Matthew's smile vanish from his lips, his forest-like eyes boring into hers, and there it was, the thing that had always been written in their gaze; a chemistry, an invitation to learn about the other.

Matthew's ragged breathing tickled her face, and his hard body that was pressed so close to hers was causing butterflies in her stomach. Ines felt time slowing down, every passing second was a step closer to her accepting the truth she wasn't brave enough to acknowledge. Matthew kept staring at her like she was a mystery he desperately needed to solve, like her eyes hid the answers he was searching for. They were lost in each other's gaze, until someone pulled them out of their daze.

'Yo, people. Quit playing around, it's getting late! I'm closing the building.'

Matthew jumped away from her, as if he had been struck by lightning. He rubbed the back of his neck with a guilty expression on his face and extended his hand to help her up. Ines touched his rough hands, and she was swiftly pulled up by strong pair of arms. She hadn't realised how quickly time had passed. The place was empty, and the night was approaching fast.