Page 139 of Treasured

This was going to be a very long night.

* * *

That was the understatement of the century.

Did I ever think Sebastian was a hard teacher? It turned out he was taking it easy on me.

Phyrra wielded her daggers as though they were extensions of her arms. She was a warrior through and through, and defending myself against her was far more difficult than I had ever imagined or anticipated.

Even with the Tether open and with power flowing freely between Sebastian and me, it took everything I had to fend off Phyrra’s advances.

There were so many of them.

The spymaster either did not care that I was newly Made, or she forgot because she was relentless in her attacks. Minute after minute, hour after hour, she came at me with the silver blades.

I couldn’t have tried to attack her, even if I wanted to. From the moment she started fighting, I was forced to be defensive. My lungs squeezed, and I was certain I would die in this room. I couldn’t even complain to Sebastian. This was his idea, after all.

Phyrra attacked, and I ducked. She lunged; I fell to the ground to avoid her knives.

Torture, all of it.

Several hours later, I was exhausted. Phyrra was tireless in her attacks, relentless in her speed, and frustratingly good at keeping me on my toes.

She pulled back an arm and launched a dagger at me. I darted out of the way, but I was too slow. The silver blade sheared a lock of my hair. My heart raced as though I had just run a marathon. I watched in horrified fascination as a long piece of hair fluttered to the ground.

One millisecond later, and that would have been my cheek, carved with silver. I shuddered, wrapping my arms around myself. I knew I needed to move, but I couldn’t stop staring at the hair.

Sebastian held up a hand. “Give us a minute, Phyrra?”

The spy glanced at me, then at him, before nodding and slipping out the door. It shut quietly behind her, leaving us alone.

Banishing his shadows, Sebastian turned to me. His concerned gaze swept over me as he closed the distance between us. The moment he was close enough, he ran his hands over me, checking for injuries.

“Are you okay, Luna?” he asked.

My brows knit together, and I stared at him. What kind of question was that? A rather obtuse one, I thought. It seemed like he was waiting for an answer, though.

“No, I’m not.” I shook my head. “Phyrra is trying to kill me.”

Even though I had been there when Sebastian invited the spy to join his torture session, it still felt like she was trying to end my life and not simply “train.”

Sebastian did not try to refute my statement. He didn’t defend her or give me some platitudes. Instead, he nodded. “She is.”

I inhaled sharply, but before I could speak, Sebastian continued, “Queen Marguerite won’t pull any punches.” He gently cupped my cheek, as if he knew I was moments away from breaking. “Whatever she has, she will throw it all at us… at you.”

Because I was the weaker member of our pair. Even the Sunwalking, though impressive and interesting, did not make up for my lack of life experience or my less-than-stellar warrior abilities. Why wasn’t I born able to wield a sword or dagger? If I’d known this was my life’s route, I would have dedicated some time to learning how to use weapons.

Two weeks did not a warrior make.

If I didn’t learn fast enough… if I was too slow… then Sebastian… then I … we would…

I couldn’t even finish the thought.

A tear ran down my cheek. Then another. Before I knew it, I was crying. Damn the flood of tears that had been my curse since my Making. I sniffled, wiping at them with the back of my sleeve before I made a huge mess.

I needed to get it together.

“Look at me, Princess,” Sebastian said, brushing his thumb over my bottom lip.