Fencer Read Online Free PDF Page B

imagined. It practically begged her to stay in bed and cuddle with Kebril.
    She found it important to always obey inanimate objects when they were offering her rest and comfort.
    He cuddled her against him as they tilted at a right angle and settled them onto the bed. Kebril let out a sigh and caressed her hair. “Stay with me.”
    Meena pushed away enough to see his face. “I can’t, not yet.”
    He exhaled sharply. “Why not?”
    “I don’t know you. I don’t know your people or your world. Yes, I am accepting that we will end up together, but that moment isn’t now.” It took all of her concentration to clarify that thought.
    He scowled. “What do you need to make up your mind?”
    She stroked his cheek. “Time.”
    He tucked her head against his shoulder and kept her firmly in his arms. “Then, I will take this moment and hope for more, but in the meantime, you need more training, and I think it should begin tomorrow.”
    Meena rubbed her cheek against his skin. “That sounds good. Same time?”
    He stroked her back with a long caress. “The transport will be waiting.”
    She nestled against him and watched the bots bring their clothing in, fold it and set it at the foot of the bed. “Then, I will see you tomorrow morning.”
    He sighed and squeezed her again. “If you don’t show, I will come looking for you.”
    “Deal.”
     
    Sex with Kebril was great, but the promise of fighting with him was what got Meena out of bed at dawn the next day. Hawk and Under had the other wing of Drehl’s home, so the room next to the frisky couple was all that Meena had to choose from. It made for the earliest start she could manage, and the uncharitable part of her hoped for a natural disaster to get the Guardians out of their ersatz base, so she could have a full night’s sleep.
    Yawning, she sat in her fight gear in the pod and let it whisk her back to the crystal palace. She had opted for a bodysuit covered by an ankle-length vest that was slit to the hip on either side.
    She didn’t know if Kebril had chosen her clothing based on the paintings, but she had recognized the outfit the moment the bot presented it to her.
    He was waiting for her in the courtyard with a different container today. “Good morning, Meena. Today, we are going back to basics. Have you ever worked with a Saluth blade?”
    She shook her head, and he handed her two swords that had a peculiar sheen. “No. I have heard that they are very expensive training tools but have never seen one.”
    “Well, now you have two. The blades will pass through living tissue and numb the area, but otherwise work like a regular metal blade. They are perfect for training, because you can feel the hits but not the death.” He removed two blades for himself and rolled his shoulders.
    She blinked and raised her blades in first position. He grinned, matched her and, with a quick nod, they engaged.
    The blades reacted like standard metal, just as he said, but when he passed his blade through her right shoulder, her hand went numb and her blade fell to the ground. She switched her stance, so her left arm was taking the brunt of his attack, and in under a minute, her other blade was on the ground.
    “Dammit.” She flexed her hands, and they slowly responded. She picked up her blades and made a suicide lunge at Kebril.
    He grabbed her and turned her quickly.
    His arm wrapped across her chest and held her back against him. “That could have cost you your life.”
    Meena shrugged. “It was worth a try. You could have been freaked out by my fury.” He whispered in her ear. “I might have been if these were live blades. The most you can do is short me out for a few seconds.” She stomped on his instep, but all that happened was his grip tightened.
    “Surrender and I will show you how to get out of this situation and avoid those strikes.” He pressed slow kisses to the side of her neck.
    She could feel the pressure of his erection against her butt, but he wasn’t