Queen of the Underworld | Book 3

• twenty-nine •

//Song: Tongues - Joywave ft KOPPS (something a little fun for once)

My head collided with the soft ground again. I groaned against the sudden pain that burst from the back of my head. The ground was soft due to early morning rain which cushioned the fall A bit—but it still hurt.

"Have you forgotten my lessons already, Emylin?"

I groaned as I pulled myself up into a sitting position. "No. You're just fast." I stretched my back, pushing my chest out as I rubbed the back of my head.

"Maybe it's time for a break," Damien suggested.

I shook my head, standing. I grasped the trunk of a tree as I did, careful to keep my balance. "No. I can do this."

"I also don't want to kill you," Julian teased. "It's all right to sit down for a moment."

Damien chuckled. "You can watch me beat your tormentor for a while."

I spectered next to Damien a few feet away, settling into a chair we set up in the backyard next to Leah's. Leah barely glanced up from her book in her hands in her own seat.

"Fine, I won't argue with that," I sighed. Suddenly, I remembered a game Damien and I would play as children in the woods. He was a soldier and I was a Lady. He had to fight for my favor as he had seen other men do in yearly tournaments in the Underworld.

I cleared my throat. "Please, Damien," I announced loudly with laughter in my voice. "Defend my bruised ego."

Damien laughed and I knew he recognized the game. He pushed himself against the trunk he leaned against and straightened his frame. "It will be my honor, my queen." He stood in front of me, bowing gracefully just as he had done when we were kids.

As Damien turned towards him, Julian laughed. "Am I going to regret training you?"

Damien stood almost ten paces in front of him, his hands clasped behind his back. "Perhaps Em should be the one to count us down, as per sparring rules."

Julian shrugged. "Sure. Just don't hold back. I want to know what I'm working with." He looked at me, his eyes glittering with excitement. "I've never fought anyone this powerful on my own before. It'll be fun."

Immediately I knew what he meant. He's fought Damien when he was possessed once before. The difference that time had been he fought with Asmo, Oren, Azazeal...they hadn't fought one on one on their own before.

Damien immediately recognized it as well. "Are you sure?"

I bit my lip. "Julian, are you sure?"

Julian spectered in front of me suddenly, placing his hands on either side of me on the armrests. He propelled himself forward, pressing his lips against mine.

It was so sudden, I lost my breath.

He pulled away, whispering tenderly in my ear. "Don't worry, I'll let you massage my sore body later tonight."

I pushed him away as I laughed, my cheeks burning.

He appeared in front of Damien again, his hands clasped behind him as well. "It will be the only way I can properly assess him." He looked right at Damien. "No holding back?"

Damien nodded. "I give you my word."

I bit my lip.

"Don't worry," Leah said quietly in her chair next to me. "We're on our own out here. There isn't another house for miles and we're up in the mountains. No one will notice any disturbance in the woods."

I swallowed, looking at the men. I hadn't even been worried about it until she mentioned it. I sighed. "I don't know..." My heart beat fast. I didn't want anything to happen to either of them but I also knew we couldn't waste any more time.