TRADING MY CHEATING HUSBAND FOR THE LYCAN KING novel Chapter 417

CHAPTER 342: SPAR WITH ME

EMBER’S POV

“-all I’m saying,” Hale is murmuring, in that soft syrupy voice that crawls up the back of my neck,” the poor thing’s been thrown headfirst into a world she wasn’t raised for, with no preparation at all. be easy. A little help never hurt anyone.” She turns as I come up, and her face blooms with that brig birdlike warmth that dies somewhere south of her eyes. “Ember! Speak of the darling. We were just

about you.”

“Were you,” I say, stopping a careful arm’s length back. “That’s never good.”

“Don’t be like that.” She presses a hand to her chest, wounded. “I was singing your praises. Wasn’t I

her praises, Knox?”

“She was,” Knox says, dryly.

“I was watching your lesson this morning,” Hale goes on, undeterred, warm as fresh bread. “From the gallery. It was wonderful. He’s a marvellous teacher, our Knox, all that lovely brute discipline. But.” Sh her head, birdlike. “There’s only so much a girl learns fighting the man who’s madly in love with her. H pulls his punches, you know. He can’t help it. He’d sooner cut off his own arm than leave a bruise on y

Her smile widens a fraction. “And that’s very sweet, and it will get you killed. A real enemy won’t pull

anything. I thought – well. I thought I might spar with you. Just us. Show you what it’s like when the pe across from you actually wants to put you down.”

And every instinct I own stands up at once and screams no.

Every single one. The instincts that kept me breathing, through eight years of a smiling liar.

The ones that shrieked at me in Celeste’s sealed room, in the wind that shouldn’t have been there, wher

she leaned in and tasted my blood off her own fingers and asked me what I was.

The ones that dragged me out of the rotten dark she guided me into. All of them, at once, not her Never her. Do not let this woman put her hands on you.

“No,” I say. “Thank you. But no.”

Hale’s face falls into something soft and hurt, and it’s a good performance, it really is

“Oh. Of course. I didn’t mean to¬”

“Ember.” Knox’s voice is quiet.

I brace myself, expecting him to take her side But when I look up, he isn’t. He’s just watching me Careful He knows exactly how I’m feeling

“You don’t have to,” he says He’s speaking only to me, completely ignoring Hale “You know you don’t You say the word, and that’s the end of it. She leaves” A beat passes, his eyes holding mine, and there is something steady and true in his expression that I can’t dismiss “But she isn’t wrong about the fighting.

ANTH ME

Xesterday, you learned how to read exactly one opponent: me. I’m massive, I’m straightforward, a you fair. The people who come for you won’t be any of those things. They’ll be fast, they’ll be dirty, they’ll use every trick you aren’t braced for. If the only person you’ve ever sparred against is a man refuses to actually hurt you, you’ll die the second someone smaller and meaner decides to end yc

He still doesn’t look at Hale. “It’s a blind spot. I can’t close it for you, because you already know ho

move. So. It doesn’t have to be her. I’ll find someone else. Any trainer you want. It’s your call, all of

And there it is.

He gave me the out. He gave me the whole out, wrapped it and handed it to me, you don’t have to leaves you alone – and he’s right about the gap, which is the maddening thing, he’s right that I can’t

learn to fight him.

But it’s my choice now. He handed me the door and told me I could shut it.

Which is exactly why I don’t.

Because I look at Hale’s soft, hurt face and her bright, empty eyes, and my fingers actually twitch wit overwhelming, ungodly urge to smack that expression right off her.

Knox has spent hours driving combat drills into my brain. I know how to throw a punch now. I know h

plant my feet.

And as something hot and stubborn and furious rises up in me, I realise I am incredibly curious to see

my new knuckles can dent her perfect posture.

I decide I would rather look this woman dead in the eye across a mat and finally hit her than keep flinc

from her in the hallways.

If she’s dangerous, I want to know how. If she’s a draft, I want to feel the shape of the wind.

“One round,” I say.

Knox’s brow flickers. “Ember-”

“My choice.” I hold his eyes. “You said it’s my call. This is me calling it.” I turn to Hale, I let her see the I’m not doing this because she talked me into it: I’m doing it because I badly want to smack her right in th face. “One round. No pulled punches, since that’s the whole pitch. Let’s see what you’ve got, Hale”

Something flickers behind Hale’s warmth. Just for a heartbeat Something pleased

“Wonderful,” she breathes

Comments

LUCK DRAW

Vote

A

Xesterday, you learned how to read exactly one opponent. me. I’m massive, I’m straightforward, you fair The people who come for you won’t be any of those things. They’ll be fast, they’ll be dirt they’ll use every trick you aren’t braced for. If the only person you’ve ever sparred against is a ma refuses to actually to you, you’ll die the second someorie smaller and meaner decides to end y

He still doesn’t look at Hale. “It’s a blind spot. I can’t close it for you, because you already know h move, So. It doesn’t have to be her. I’ll find someone else. Any trainer you want. It’s your call, all o

And there it is.

He gave me the out. He gave me the whole out, wrapped it and handed it to me, you don’t have to leaves you alone – and he’s right about the gap, which is the maddening thing, he’s right that I can

learn to fight him.

But it’s my choice now. He handed me the door and told me I could shut it.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify