Page 40 of Stolen Thorn Bride

Whenever those thoughts of home grew too bleak, she reminded herself sternly that Rordyn was older than she had been when that life had been dumped on her. He would manage. Especially if he'd swallowed his pride and done as she told him—gone to Gianessa and asked for help.

After a day or two on his own with Liam and Ellery, she would bet on his being willing to ask for help from pretty much anyone.

Sometimes these thoughts helped, but when none of her rationalizations could stop her from feeling afraid, Kasia pushed them from her mind and simply practiced harder.

On the seventh day of her training, she and Tiernan arrived at the practice yard to discover that Dechlan was there before them.

He was already locked in a training bout against three of his warriors, and Kasia drew back into the shadows to watch as they tangled with an increasing degree of barely leashed ferocity.

She knew all three of his opponents, Kasia realized. They were her three captors, and Dechlan was more than holding his own against them. He was destroying them, and from the glow in his eyes and the slight curl to his lip, he was doing it on purpose.

There was no sign of the weakness that made him stagger when he dismounted after his battle with the wraith. No sign of hesitation. Her bondmate was stripped to the waist, but no sweat was visible on the finely honed muscles of his torso. With a practice blade in each hand, he mowed down his opponents, sliding away from their attacks with a dancer's grace before hammering through their defenses with devastating power.

Kasia knew her mouth was hanging open, but couldn't muster the presence of mind to remember how to close it.

How could she be married to… tothat?

He was both beautiful and deadly, like the wolf that carried him into battle. His paired blades seemed to weigh nothing as they whirled through the air to clash against his opponents' guards or smack with bruising force against unprotected flesh.

Fionn—she knew all their names by now—had a bleeding cut on his cheek, a nasty lump on his forearm, and a raw-looking burn across his ribs. Nuala was limping and favoring her sword arm, while Callum staggered slightly as though dizzy from a blow to the head.

And Dechlan? There was not a mark on him, and Kasia would have sworn it was not for lack of trying on his opponents' parts. They looked as frustrated as he—perhaps more so—and she could not doubt their commitment to the fight.

She began to suspect this was not simply a training bout. Perhaps this was how elves settled disagreements, or even meted out punishment. But whatever the case, she suddenly felt odd for watching and tried to slink away through the shadows of the walkway.

Almost as if he sensed her presence, Dechlan's head suddenly snapped around, and he barked out a sharp, "Enough!"

Fionn threw his practice blade to the ground, while Nuala's left leg simply folded under her. Callum bent his head and stood facing his liege, a supplicant awaiting justice.

"You're dismissed," Dechlan said briefly. "If you suffer any further doubts or objections, I'll be happy to discuss them in the same manner. But in public, I expect you to respect my decisions and my judgment. Count yourselves fortunate that I am willing to forgive even this far."

Without another backward glance, he strode out of the ring towards Kasia.

Suddenly her mouth felt dry as a desert, and her hands crept behind her back to clasp together in a knot that felt a lot like embarrassment.

"Are you ready for your training?" he asked as if she had not just watched him single-handedly destroy three trained fighters at once.

"I…"

"We are," Tiernan said from beside her, sounding slightly amused. "Would you care to see our progress?"

"I would." Dechlan held out one of his practice blades in Kasia's direction, as if he were just expecting her to take it. So casual. So… shirtless.

Kasia felt the blush spreading across her cheeks but could do nothing to stop it.

And Dechlan, drat him, had begun to look amused. "Would you mind if I sparred with you today?"

She jumped as if stung. If hewhat? Oh yes, she minded. How could she focus on her rudimentary skills when faced with all of… of…

But he looked so hopeful.

"Okay," she squeaked, and hesmiled.

Her heart stuttered, and her mind sort of wandered off while her feet made their way to an empty practice ring of their own accord. How in blazes was she supposed to not embarrass herself?

But then she was facing Dechlan across the ring, and it was too late to question her judgment.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out. "I'm terrible. Truly terrible. And it's not Tiernan's fault, I just…"