Storm Front: NA Fantasy/Time Travel (Tesla Time Travelers Book 3) (17 page)

“If not, then how will you train me?”

“It won’t be a problem.” I know from experience. “Come with me.” I walk to the middle of the field and turn to face him, arms at my sides, palms open.

He stops the same distance away again and settles into his stance, sword tip low, anticipating. 

I unfurl one bolt and it extends to the ground, popping and spitting.

His eyes widen and he rises a few inches, but doesn’t step back. He studies it, the way it curls to the left at the ground, noting the wide fork halfway down. The man misses nothing and I wasn’t sure how he’d handle it this time, before Penya’s come to him, before he knew anything about me, but he sees only a weapon. His jaw is set when he looks at me, then he grins. “Only Marcus would send me something like you.”

I let the other rope of lightning loose and smile wickedly, pleased at his unique ability to adapt, to take me at my word and not cower in the face of things would send lesser men running. If nothing else, he is my warrior other half and suits me fine. “Then, he thinks highly of you. No other man can handle me.” It’s truth wrapped in a layer of truth and I’m emboldened by our connection. He lifts the tip of his sword a few inches and flexes the thick muscles of his arms, ready. 

I attack, relishing the opportunity. He parries—no hesitation or surprise—and drives his blade against my bolt. Sparks fly into the night and his sword jerks in his hands. I pull back and whip my other bolt toward his feet, but he dodges the attempt and surges forward, no longer seeing me as a woman, but as a challenger. Pride surges in my chest and I use it to supercharge my bolts. They flare bright and I push him back several steps before he shifts and comes at me from the side.

I block his attack, having the luxury of knowing my opponent so very well. It makes me laugh this has become the way we train, no matter who gets to go first.

I challenge him, anticipating the moves he’s used against me before—his favorites and fallbacks. I fight him like he’s the man I left, the one with skills can’t possibly get any better, the one who pushes me to be my very best. I maintain the upper hand for the first few minutes, then he drops to his knees, ducking beneath a wide arc of my lightning. Without his parry to counter-balance me, I tip forward and he uses my momentum against me, leg-sweeping me and charging upward, tossing me onto my back. Before I can recover and spin away, he's on top of me, his sword at my throat, the blade grazing my skin. 

His breath comes in heaving pants, stuttering across my face. He smells of stale beer and jerked meat but I don’t dare tip my face away, wary at the blade poised above my jugular. I stare at him, trusting, confident he can rein himself in.

He jerks as if realizing he’s bested me. Then he lifts the sword and rocks back on his heels. He runs his fingers through his damp hair but doesn’t get off, his thighs pressed into my ribcage, knees pinning my arms to the ground. I could easily wrap bands of lightning around his waist and get free, but there’s no need. 

He’s accepted me as a worthy opponent and I know all too well allows me unfettered access to not only him as a warrior, but as a man.

“What do you require of me?” he asks after letting me up and helping me to my feet.

“A place to sleep and time to train with you.” I hold off bringing up Penya’s pending arrival until I figure out if he knows she’s coming. We’ve never talked about this part of Penya though I was curious about how they came to be partners and if he gave her as much grief as he’s given me before this trip. That would have been a good thing to ask before I left him.

He rests the tip of his sword in the grass and sets his hands on the hilt, one on top of the other. “I do have a secure location where you can be housed. How long will you stay?”

“Not long. You’re a fast learner.” We will have the exact right amount of time I need before Penya arrives. Ilif is right though this isn’t an alteration, I’ve come to Constantine exactly when I’ve needed him, and this time will prove no different. 

“Are you satisfied with this evening’s results?” he asks.

I step closer. “Are you?”

He shakes his head, tossing his sweaty curls in the cooling air. “No. I fought well, but you exposed many of my weaknesses—ones I was unaware of, to be truthful.”

I feel almost guilty about my insider knowledge of his strategy. “Do you want to train more tonight?”

He shakes his head. “No. I would prefer to think on my reactions to you first.” He sheaths his sword angrily like he’s frustrated with himself. I almost feel bad, but damn it was nice to have the upper hand for most of the fight.

Finished for the evening, he leads me toward the main building and I’m surprised when we walk down the hallway and straight to Anna’s room. He pushes through the door without knocking and I pull up short in middle of the plain room, missing his sister’s decorative touches and bins of fabric and color. I’m glad I didn’t ask about her and I wonder when Anna comes… or if she won’t now I’ve warned her of the sickness struck down their entire family. I look at Constantine, overcome with the emotion of what was like for him, losing everyone but Anna. He’s so untouched by tragedy right now, soon to be wed, his entire life ahead of him. This is an agonizing peek at his life before I came to know and love him. Thinking about his engagement makes me sad and I have trouble checking it before the emotion curdles in my stomach.

“Is this not suitable?” he asks, concerned about my frown.

I brighten and force a smile. “No. It’s great. It’s fine…” I fidget and pull my braid over my shoulder, poking my fingers through the plait to occupy my hands. “I was thinking about someone else.”

“Oh?” His brow creases and he runs a hand across the simple table held piles of leather and fabric when I was here last. Finally, he lifts his eyes. “A lover?”

I smile coyly. I’m always thinking of him, whether by association of his sister, or because he’s standing less than four feet away. “Yes.” My voice is breathless.

He steps closer, filling the space between us with his size and power. His fingers lift and he twines a loose lock of my hair around his fingers. “You are exceptional during training, I wonder what you’re like in bed.” His voice is low and thick, curling around me like velvet.

My heartbeat speeds up and my tongue touches the corner of my lips; my fingers twitch, wanting to caress his skin. “Too bad you’re engaged.”

He steps closer. Our bodies nearly touch. I’m at war with who he is to me, and yet, not this version, not this man before me and within reach. “But not yet wed.”

I can’t help the way my body bows forward, drawn to him like he’s lashed a rope around my waist and pulled me closer, inch by inch. It doesn’t help we were naked together… or I’m wondering what this version would be like. Would he be more aggressive, harder, faster? My breath quickens.

I force my hands behind my back and take a step away, fighting to control my need. “Where I come from, engaged is the same as married. You’re pledged to someone else, committed to spending the rest of your life with them.” My lust quickly abates, extinguished with the thorough dousing of icy water. I can barely get the words out as my throat tightens. I can’t believe I blurted all out and he probably thinks I’m nuts. 

Knowing his marriage doesn’t last… he wasn’t happy during any of it… None of erases the pain of his proposal to someone who isn’t me. I can’t stop the rush of images. Did he get down on one knee, pledge his love to her, or was he his sensible self, matter-of-fact about the joining of two powerful families? I want it to have been for power, not love. I don’t know if his was powerful, only his house where I found Aurelia was posh—far more than what I’d expected of a military commander. 

Aurelia… Thoughts of his daughter bring a sharp sting—the marriage wasn’t awful if they had enough sex for his
wife
to get pregnant. It’s too much and too painful. I have to resolve it for now. My time with him is coming and has to be enough. Pain sears my heart and I bite my lip, turning to stand before the big window as the tears burn my eyes.

He pursues me across the room. “Why does this upset you?” His warm fingers curl around my elbow.

I won’t turn around. Not until I get myself under control. I didn’t have this reaction when he told me he’d been married… so it’s not like this is a surprise. I can’t tell him why I’m bothered by the news without giving myself away. Without a response from me, he retreats. “If you need nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”

I nod and cross my arms tightly over my chest.

Being here while he’s unavailable is torture and so hard to reconcile. If there’s a sliver of positive, maybe his engagement will help me to focus on the mission at hand, but I doubt it.

After I toss and turn all night, a deep pounding on the door wakes me. I rub my eyes as the remnants of dreams tangled in Constantine evaporate with the morning sunlight. I sigh and stuff my desires for him and turning everything outward. This trip is about Penya and Tiana—not him, not his fiancée, not us.

Being in Anna’s room makes me think of my own sister and I’m bombarded by memories of her at Papi’s boxing matches, at silly games of hide-and-seek in the back yard, of her requests for pony rides and endless questions. From the day Mami brought her home, I swore to protect her, and she passed on to our other sisters. We’re in this together and she’s my responsibility. Yes, Constantine is a man I love with a deepness cannot be reached, but I have to trust it will still be there when I see him in a couple decades. Tiana needs me to be my best here, unencumbered by a man I cannot have.

The knocking comes again, probably Constantine and I doubt he’ll be patient much longer. Rolling out of bed, the cold floor sends a jolt of chill up my legs and I dance around, hopping from foot to foot as I hurry to the door. I rub my arms briskly and pull it open.

Constantine stands on the other side and it’s not until his gaze drops to my bare thighs I remember I slept in nothing but my T-shirt. “Um, hi,” I say and can’t help smiling at his surprise. Good thing I’m not into him. I take a breath and release the last of my sleepy desires.

“Did you,” he clears his throat. “Did you sleep well?”

I yawn and scratch the side of my head. My braid’s come loose during the night and I’m sure I have a wicked awesome case of bed-head based on the way he keeps averting his attention. “Yeah, thanks.”

His tongue touches the center of his lips, then retreats and his hungry gaze dips down to my toes, then he draws it leisurely up my body. “I didn’t mean to wake you.” His voice is thick and strained—the way it always sounds when I’ve been teasing him to the point of breaking. I’d do something about it if I could, but… well, he’s made decisions we can’t unmake.

I stretch, spreading my arms wide, fists balled, then flared wide, extending the rush of blood to my fingertips. Mine or no, I’m comfortable and unselfconscious around him. “So, what’s up? Just come to see how I slept?”

He fidgets, then straightens sharply, his back stiff. “No. When I fought with you, my thoughts were distracted. Marcus spoke often of the gods’ ability to strip their minds of worries, fears, confusion. Teach me so I may become a better swordsman.”

Always looking for the edge, this one… I admire his relentless pursuit to be better. “There is one method.” I lean my shoulder against the door and don’t bother to pull the hem of my shirt back down as it rides up over my hip. “But you’re not going to like it.”

He waits outside my door while I dress and I catch him glancing into the depths of my room more than once. I hurry, unwilling to tempt my willpower where he’s concerned.

Time travel is so confusing and perplexing, and yet so simple once the mysteries have been revealed— like a magic trick after the master has shown his secrets. In this instance, it was never Constantine who new all these Tai Chi moves and taught them to me, it was me who taught him. And yet, I wouldn’t know the techniques if it wasn’t for our time together. We’ve managed to create an endless time travel loop. I have a feeling there will be a lot of those when it comes to Constantine.

The cool morning air swirls around us in misty tendrils as I lead him to the training ground, past the archers and the sword-play. “You’re sure you want to learn this? It might make you look silly.”

“Better silly before battle than dead after.”

I chuckle and settle into the first motion. “We’ll see about that.” I coach him through the first complete movement but his big, bulky body impedes his ability to be graceful. He’s going to need a lot of practice to become the sleek warrior I know. He’s lost halfway through and has to start again. “Slower,” I say. “Focus on your breath.” I straighten and place the tips of three fingers against his breastbone. “Breath does not come from here.” I slide my hand down, over the ridges of his abs and press in above his bellybutton. “Breathe from here.”

His intense gaze warms my face and I yank my fingers away. It’s so easy to touch him and easier to forget I have no right to. I show him the dozen movements he’s taught me and the process is the same—he gets frustrated and stomps off, crosses his arms, and watches me while I continue, then comes back and tries again. I’m ready to quit after an hour, but he won’t let me until he can do half of them right.

Finally, he straightens. “These are more difficult than they appear.”

I finish my sequence. “Mm hmm.” Eyes closed, I sweep my hands through the air, stretch my arms over my head, and inhale. It’s been too long since I’ve done these and I find it funny it’s during the most stressful point of my life I’m finding the space. I stand. “Let’s take a break.”

“I need to make my rounds and meet with my soldiers. Will you join me?”

I agree and he leads me across the compound, past an open-sided pavilion housing tables and a cook area to a part where I haven’t been before, beyond the construction of the barracks for his men. There’s a constant flux in the amount of soldiers he keeps here. I’ve seen it at capacity as well as with hardly anyone other than Constantine. This time, there are fewer than a dozen under his command. Half of them are still on the training ground and the rest are bringing the complex to life, setting up buildings and areas for this training ground.