2020, July 26th
(Location Undisclosed)
KEIRA
"I don't think I've ever seen you so calm before. Not even with a gun in your hand," said Aiden.
We were standing in our spot in the woods, in the middle of a sword fight. While Aiden's shooting skills were up there with the best assassins she'd ever encountered, his swordsmanship was pretty basic. I wanted him to be a little better acquainted with the sword now that taking him to Imperium was on the table.
"The sword was the first weapon I was handed. Everything else came after the sword. Even the gun. House of Dormer tradition."
"Everything? Dare I ask, how many weapons are you—"
"Anything you can think of, I've been trained to use. Stop talking and pay attention!" I reprimanded him, the blade of my sword coming up against Aiden's neck as his sword hit the ground.
I had disarmed him for the umpteenth time.
"I am, believe me, I am," he said, grinning as he slipped his arms around my waist.
I gave him a stern look. He was flirting with the death in my eyes. A tiny little slip and I could end his life and yet his hands continued to progress up my body. The man was incorrigible. I backed him up against a tree, leaning the weight of my body into his.
"What are you going to do in a real sword fight? Charm the pants off your opponent?" I challenged him.
"I don't know what to tell you. I was paying attention to how hot you look swinging a sword. Was that not what I was supposed to do?" he smugly retorted.
I withdrew the sword from his neck, tossed it onto the ground and went to sit down on the edge of a large tree stump. He crept up behind me, slid up against my back and put his arms around me.
"Maybe I need a sensei or something. Preferably an old guy who's slower than you," he continued to jest.
AIDEN
Keira wasn't saying anything back. I'd upset her by not taking this seriously. She was overreacting though. I had my gun and my mad shooting skills with me at all times. The only one getting hurt when I held a sword was probably me. Still, the big decision before us left her restless. I should probably suck it up and let her kick my ass some more.
"Okay, fine," I said with a sigh. "Let's—"
She turned around and threw me down onto the tree stump.
"Do it in the middle of the woods," I flirted as she got on top of me and pinned me down.
"Shut up and stay still," she whispered into my ear.
She looked out into the woods, like she was searching for something.
"Come out, come out wherever you are Katie," she said, pulling a gun off her ankle and cocking it.
"She's here? What are you doing? Move so I can get my gun too," I said, teasing demeanor all but gone.
"Protecting your ass. Now be still," Keira insisted, slamming me back down on my back when I tried to get up.
"I'm not interrupting, am I? I mean if it's a bad time and he hasn't gotten you off yet, I can come back in five," said Kate's voice, sending a chill down my spine.
Keira rose slowly, straddling me to grip her gun with both hands.
"We should be moving," I whispered, as Keira's fear was realized.
In all honesty, I wasn't one hundred percent convinced Kate was following us. What a day to be wrong.
"You're safest beneath me," Keira said, her voice razor sharp. "Let me handle it."
Blood rushed through my ears. A stray lock of hair fell into her eye line. Fuck, she was beautiful. Killer focus. Flexed muscles rippled beneath her skin from the weight of her gun. I knew now wasn't the time. Should be thinking of the woman hunting us. Instead I was fixating on her twin. Was it bad that Keira's words turned me on?
A blade flew past the trees and at us, snapping me out of my thoughts. A gun shot rang out into the air. Keira's body lowered down onto me again. She was shielding my body with her own.
"Are you insane?" I hissed, grabbing her waist, pulling her close and rolling us over.
What was she thinking? She was going to get us killed.
I pulled my gun out from behind my back and sent a warning shot out into the air. Keira wrapped her legs around me and rolled us back over.
"Who's the assassin here?" Keira snapped back.
Frustrated, I put my arms around her again, gun still in hand. Then I rolled us both off the tree stump so we could take cover behind it.
This was a high stakes, dangerous, charged situation. The scent of soot and gun power clung to the air. Yet there we were, bickering like we were fighting over dinner options for tonight. We got into awkward half lying half sitting positions, backs pressed up against the tree stump.
"Does it look like I care? Hi Katie. May I call you Katie? I don't suppose we can talk about this? As the guy seeing your sister, I would really appreciate it if you stopped, you know, trying to kill me. I'll even let the whole kidnapping thing slide," I said, foolishly hoping to charm the assassin with an axe to grind.
"How gracious of you, Your Highness. Katherine's fine," Kate said, sending another knife through the air.
I barely had time to see it coming. It was headed straight for my face. It came from the opposite direction that the gun shot and first blade had. When did Kate make it to the other side of the tree stump?
As I struggled to process this information, Keira shoved me out of the way. Both of our heads whipped in the direction of the knife. The blade of the knife landed in the trunk of a tree behind us.
"It's nothing personal, Denny. Just a little eye for an eye," Kate mused as Keira and I parted ways to crawl to the other side of the tree stump.
When we met on the other side, she yelled, "Just stay down. No more bloody talking." Then she hopped onto her feet and put herself in plain sight.
My blood ran cold. Adrenaline flooded my veins. She was bloody reckless. I wanted to wring her neck.
"Your precious Dean killed Neil. We avenge our own. House rules, Katie," Keira said calmly, meaningfully.