Tiva Boon: Heir of Abennelp (Tiva Boon Series Book 2) (7 page)

The others were watching already. It would be no different from spars on Abennelp. She often drew a crowd when fighting others. Adam removed Cala from his side. She immediately sensed the sword’s excitement. Taken aback, she glanced at her opponent and lowered the katana to her side.

“Something wrong?”

“I can feel her…”

“Of course you can, she’s letting you know she’s happy.” Adam grinned, and swung his blade above his head and struck down forcefully. “She hasn’t had anyone challenging to play with recently, but I told her all about you, so she’s a bit giddy.”

“You talk to her?”

“Well, mostly we just, you know, think to each other. But yes, we talk often.”

“Intriguing.” Tiva glanced over at Aliri as she removed her tunic.
Have you ever heard anything so strange before? A talking sword…

I’ve heard stranger things in my day, Tiva. Good luck…kick his ass!

A small smirk crossed her features, and she clutched the handle firm in her hand. She knew she would not need to hold back with Adam. His expertise with the sword, matched his strength. “Before we begin may I request two small things?”

“What’s that?”

“No wings, and do not restrain yourself. Aside from not flying, I require no special treatment.”

“All right…you sure now?”
“Yes.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I’m not out to kill you.”
“You would have to try very hard to do so…Cooper.” She narrowed her gaze, leering at him.

“Ha, this is gonna be fun. You ready, Cala?” The sharp edge seemed to shimmer in response. Adam’s eyes flashed from blue to green and back again then he ran toward her full speed raising the spirit-sword above his head.

Tiva gripped the hilt with both hands, and prepared for the attack. When the swords collided, she felt the tremor course through her entire body to her toes. A quick blink and hop to the right later, her lips curled up and she knew this was going to be exactly what she needed.

She struck at him, forcefully pushing against the blade with her upper body. He moved back slightly, and the dance began.

The weapons sang beautifully in rhythmic concert as Tiva and Adam wielded them expertly against one another. Soft gasps and incomprehensible comments from their friends did little to sway their attention. They were engrossed in the heat of the spar. They parried around each other, circling, twisting, and turning. Each assault that followed a block was increasingly brutal and focused.

He was quick, perhaps quicker than she was. Adam sliced at every part of her body within the first few sets of blows. She kept her concentration on his shoulder, forcing him to favor one side. She nipped the fabric near his elbow, but he jerked to the side at the very last moment avoiding harm. With nothing in the room to gain height from, she ducked more often than she liked, and shifted her position constantly trying to throw him off balance.

Her winged opponent spun around after his last attempt, and grinned. She stepped back at the pause. He glanced down at his protector. “Cala’s having fun.”

“Then I am glad,” Tiva answered. She was not about to let him distract her, so she moved in for another strike. This time, she brought the blade aloft from her side. He saw it coming easily enough, but she knew it was one of her most powerful attacks. Adam lowered Cala to the front of his body when she neared, just as she hoped. Tiva was but a few feet from him when she leaped into the air moving the blade upward with all her strength. Unprepared for the change, Adam adapted well, considering, and elevated his weapon as the katana clipped his left shoulder. Tiva didn’t have the chance for a follow up maneuver. Adam pushed down on her sword using her own momentum against her. She twisted her body mid air as he hindered the attack, and when they separated, he spun around. Just as she landed, he swept his blade across her stomach with a smooth fluid flip of his wrist. The fabric of her shirt fluttered to the ground, exposing her navel and scar. She heard Aliri gasp and Raife chuckle. Adam paused and stared for a moment, then smiled.

“Uh…oops,” he said.

Tiva ignored him and the slight trickle of blood. She grunted and flipped the sword over in her hand. He was a challenge, and she was enjoying herself far more than she should. Adam’s fingers curled around the hilt tighter, he was preparing for another strike, and Tiva was more than ready.

An hour passed, they continued to battle with as much force and speed as if it were the first move for each of them. He had been in many wars, she took part in a fair share of fights, neither was the type to give up. Tiva checked for her friends, but they were gone. She did not blame them, watching a spar never held her own attention for long.

“You know, you’re a damn good fighter, Tiva.” He raised Cala in his hand and struck down at her right side. She dodged to the left, spun around and slashed at his midsection.

“As are you, Adam.” She moved the katana above her head, as his sword came up at her. This would be her strongest attempt. Tiva clenched the hilt tight, the weapon almost touching her back as she prepared. She sensed Cala stronger now, she tried to ignore the feelings and then gasped as the sword neared. Each knew they were too close, Adam maneuvered to her right, she twisted to his left, but the blades connected with flesh, and they both cringed in pain.

Adam lacerated her upper right thigh. Blood dripped down her leg creating a puddle at her feet. He was not without injury. Tiva ripped into his right arm, the dark stain saturating the fabric of his uniform top.

“You okay?” he asked calmly.

Tiva nodded and lowered her blade.

“That was close.”

“Indeed.” She smirked slightly.

“It seems we’ve lost our audience too,” he said, shaking his arm slightly.

She limped backward and cleaned the blade with her tattered shirt. “It appears so. Thank you for allowing me to use your weapon.” She offered it back to him.

“My pleasure,” he answered taking the blade and returning it to its sheath. “So, on a totally unrelated note, what’s your favorite color?”

“Black, mostly…”

“Not surprising. It’s the favorite color of many. But I’m sorry; I can’t easily pull that one off with my eyes.”

“It is slimming...” She paused and met his gaze. “Oh, I enjoy it when they match my markings.” They blushed before an attempt to control them.

“Sorry, but I have a hard time with pink too... It just doesn’t come naturally. Though I did get treated for it once.”

She turned toward the door, trying to remain nonchalant, but more to calm herself. She was suddenly very aware of him, her body responded to him despite the fact that she did not sense him. The feelings he stirred in her were apparent, but she tried not to listen to them.

“Hey, don’t look over there. The view’s not as nice.”

“Pardon?” she asked, turning back.

“I said don’t look over there, because the view isn’t as nice.” He moved closer.

“Where should I look then?” She turned and tilted her head up slightly.

“Right there’s fine.” He smiled once more, his purple eyes locking onto hers.

Tiva felt her heart stop the instant his eyes changed. He beamed with delight, her markings weren’t responding to her pleas to return to normal, and they grew lighter.

“White markings...What do those mean?”

“No, that is impossible. It happens only with a potential or when the courting ritual begins, or if…” she said more for herself than to answer his question. Her fingers trailed over her moons.
That was not meant to happen.

“So in other words... It’s your telepathic powers stating the blatantly obvious fact that I’ve been trying to make you fall madly in love with me for quite a while now?”

“My markings are responsive to my emotions not telepathic…Wait, you are attempting to court me?”

“There’s an old Earth saying…duh.” Adam pulled out a small piece of cloth from his belt and knelt down. Before she protested, he tied it tight around her thigh. He glanced up, smiled, and when he rose, he was inches from her. He spoke softly and calmly, and despite being alone he whispered insuring only she could hear, “All I want right now...is you.”

His words shocked her. Here stood a man not afraid to speak his intentions. He knew she could not sense him and could have kept them from her, instead, he confessed without hesitation. Tiva’s eyes widened. Adam’s stare was intense, his eyes shifting to a much deeper shade of purple than before. Again, she felt her markings go white and she turned away. Only the soft hum of the holo-images lingered in the room. She stopped breathing. What could she say to him? Her lack of connection to him mattered little; she knew he spoke the truth.

“Adam...I do not know if or how I can do this.”

“Does it really seem such a bad idea?”

“No, but, you will outlive me and move on.”

“I know...”

“The potential is supposed to be the one that you will meet in the Eternal Lands and be with until eternity ends.”
“Is that the rule, or is that the story?”

“It is what I have always believed...It is where my parents are now.” A painful sigh escaped her lips and a single tear fell down her cheek.

Adam touched her cheek gently catching the tear on his finger.“Just because something usually happens...doesn’t mean it must always.”

Tiva shut her eyes forcing the tears to stop. She was feeling too much around him. He was drawing emotions out of her she did not want to deal with. “It is all I have ever known, do you not understand?”

Adam stretched out a wing wrapping it around her shoulder. “I understand and I know what you say. I have heard the same song in different keys. You’re in a place foreign to you, new customs, new types of people…it’s a lot to take in, but you’ve adapted well. I’d like to help you become more familiar with it all.”

Without thinking, she leaned into him. It was the first time in ages she remembered feeling at ease. The arrogant winged warrior calmed her in ways she didn’t comprehend.“Adam…I need time.”

“Not a problem,” he said facing her. He rubbed his thumb over her cheek and smiled down at her. His wings folded back and he gently took her hand. “I think we should head to the infirmary before we bleed all over the room.”

“That may be wise, though I warn you, Doctor Hino will not be pleased to see us.”

“Damn doctors, they just don’t get people like us, Tiva.”

“I agree…”

All the questioning started with Doctor Hino when they entered the infirmary. He
was
not pleased. But their wounds were mere scratches and the session was by far the best workout she had in a long time. The nurses tended to the wounds then released them, but not before informing the captain.

Aliri cornered Tiva in the lift on her way back. When Tiva asked why she and the others left without saying anything, Aliri confessed their spar seemed more like foreplay than actual fighting.

“Pardon?” she had said.

“Foreplay, you know, getting in the mood for a romantic interlude…”

“We were fighting!” Tiva choked.

“Yeah, but the way you two were looking at each other…You need to pay more attention to body language with him, Tiva. You can’t read his emotions or thoughts, but the way he moves speaks volumes.”

“If you are referring to the cut shirt, it was unintentional.”

“Right…that’s what he
said
.”

The repercussion s didn’t stop with Aliri. Raife, Emerala, and even Hemko confronted her. The former were concerned seeing the wounds he inflicted on her, but when she explained his injuries, they backed off. Hemko on the other hand felt shunned. As part of her security team, he wanted the best training she had to offer. Not wanting to hurt his feelings or make him feel inferior, she promised him a one on one training session.

When the captain called her into his office before departing for Kitias she prepared for a reprimand. Instead, he asked for the details of the match and seemed amused.

She didn’t mind explaining her actions to her friends. Tiva knew the majority of the people could never understand what her life was like before the Union. They didn’t realize how she thrived on fighting. Everything she knew revolved around her combat skills. She was a soldier, nothing more.