The Vampire's Fake Fiancée (Nocturne Falls Book 5) (23 page)

“I don’t know about this.” Sebastian had not expected Tessa to agree to Evangeline’s provocative request, and while he was flattered that she had, he couldn’t help but sense some tension in her. He didn’t want her doing something with which she was uncomfortable.

“Afraid I’m going to hurt your fiancée?” Evangeline cooed.

“Frankly, yes. I don’t trust you.”

She put a hand to her throat. “I’m wounded.”

Tessa snorted. “Not yet you’re not. Let’s do this.”

Sebastian shot Tessa a look. “You’re sure?”

She nodded but with her mask on, it was impossible to read her eyes.

If she was afraid of Evangeline, she wasn’t showing it. He doubted Evangeline would do anything to Tessa in his presence, but that didn’t mean she was harmless. If Tessa was worried, it would be understandable. Evangeline had a rather intimidating personality.

But considering how he’d had to prod Tessa to get her to attack him, he wondered if there was something more that made her hesitant to be the provocateur. Based on their conversation in his office, he’d say it was something from her past.

Something to do with that scar she was always running her fingers across.

He’d never been well acquainted with a valkyrie before but she was nothing like what he’d expected. Certainly nothing like what he knew of her sister, the deputy. Tessa wasn’t eager to fight, not quick to anger, and certainly not a fan of confrontation.

Suddenly, Tessa seemed very much like a woman who chose control as a method of self-preservation rather than because she was just naturally a pacifist. What had happened to her that she deemed it necessary to rein in her life this way?

Greaves finished helping Evangeline into a jacket and gloves and was handing her a mask.

Sebastian got his attention with a nod. “Greaves, we’ll both referee this one.”

Greaves nodded back, clearly understanding this wasn’t just an ordinary bout. There was no chance he wasn’t keenly aware this was another of Evangeline’s games, but Sebastian wasn’t about to tell Tessa what to do and he certainly wasn’t about to forbid her to do anything.

She was a grown woman. If she wanted to do this, that was her decision. And one he would unquestionably respect.

He would, however, do whatever he could to make sure she wasn’t hurt in any way. He mapped out the rules as Greaves equipped Evangeline with a foil, speaking very distinctly in her direction. “The torso is the only viable target. Any other touches or hits will not result in points. Blatant hits to other parts of the body will result in disqualification. First to three legal touches wins. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” Evangeline rolled her eyes, then pulled her mask on and faced Tessa. “This will be over quickly if we’re only going to three.”

Sebastian wasn’t aware of Evangeline ever having any training in this particular discipline, but she seemed awfully confident. Of course, that was her standard approach to life. He’d never known her to assume she was going to lose at anything.

But this sort of assumption when she had a weapon in her hand? He didn’t like that at all. “This is a game of skill and turns, Evangeline. Not brute force and damage.”

She looked over at him as she stepped onto the piste, the strip that defined the boundaries of the action. She splayed a hand over her heart. “Brute force? Damage? What on earth do you think I’m about?”

He knew exactly what Evangeline was about. That was the problem. “Tessa, a moment please.”

She walked to him and lifted her mask. “Yes?”

“You don’t have to do this.”

“I know. I want to.”

“She can’t be trusted.”

The right corner of Tessa’s mouth lifted. “I know that too. Don’t worry. I can handle anything she dishes out.
Anything
.” There was a dark fire in her eyes that made him suddenly wonder if Evangeline was the one he should be worried about.

Desire coiled through him at the thought of Tessa as the dangerous one. He smiled and shook his head. “All right.”

He backed away as Tessa returned to the mat to face Evangeline. The woman he’d spent his life taking care of and the woman who could take care of herself. The contrast wasn’t lost on him.

Evangeline waved her foil at Tessa. “How nice that Sebby’s worried about you, but we’re just going to have a fun little match, aren’t we, Theresa?”

“Tessa,” the valkyrie corrected brusquely.

Greaves snuck a look at Sebastian. He shook his head in response. It wasn’t a tone either of them had heard her use before, but Sebastian couldn’t blame her. Evangeline knew very well what Tessa’s rightful name was. The game play had begun.

“How silly of me to forget. Sorry, Tess.” Evangeline tested the tip of her foil against her glove, bending the whip-thin metal into a curve.

Tessa took her position perfectly, proof that she was not only an able student but a fast learner with a slant toward perfection. “Tess-AH.”

“Tess-ah,” Evangeline mimicked. “My apologies. Small details like that don’t always stick in my head.”

She was attempting to rile Tessa, but Sebastian couldn’t tell if it was working, because the masks hid the women’s eyes, making it impossible to read either of them. But Evangeline was certainly riling
him
with her little jabs.

Perhaps Evangeline had some natural proclivity toward fencing. She certainly knew how to cut a person with words. He’d been on the receiving end of her verbal sparring for years.

Evangeline took her spot, approximating an opening stance with as much precision as a chain saw being used to trim topiary. Tessa, on the other hand, looked like she’d been fencing all her life.

Pride spiked in Sebastian. The valkyrie had style and grace. Two of the many things Evangeline lacked.

Greaves stood at the center of the piste. He glanced at both of the women. “Since you are already en-garde, we will proceed. Are you ready?”

Both of them nodded.

He nodded back and stepped off the strip. “Fence!”

Tessa inched forward, cautious and definitely anticipating whatever Evangeline might do. It was a good call, since Evangeline came out with a thrust.

Tessa defended with the circular parry Sebastian had last demonstrated. He smiled and nodded, his pride in her growing.

Evangeline retreated, swatting wildly with her sword.

Tessa feinted left, then quickly jabbed Evangeline in the ribs on the right side.

“Halt,” Greaves called. “Point to Tessa. Back to your starting positions.”

“Point? What? How?” Evangeline pulled off her mask. “I can’t see in this thing.” She tossed it away. “I’m not wearing that. It’s messing up my hair anyway.”

Sebastian narrowed his eyes. “You must wear it. It’s for your own protection.”

She fluttered her lids as she rolled her eyes. “We’re playing a game. Neither one of us needs protection. Especially when the only spot we’re trying to hit is below the neck and above the belly button. Right, Tessa?”

Tessa eased her mask off. “I suppose.”

“See?” Evangeline said. “Tessa doesn’t want to wear a mask either.”

“She didn’t say that.” Sebastian looked at his lovely pretender. Her face was aglow with exertion and perhaps a little frustration. “Do you want to wear the mask?”

She shrugged half-heartedly. “I’m okay either way.”

“Good,” Evangeline interjected. “No masks.”

“Then this bout is over.” Sebastian put his hands on his hips. “This is my gym. My house. What I say goes.”

Tessa lifted her eyes to him. “I’m fine with it and I’d like to continue.”

He shook his head. “It’s not your call to make. Either one of you could accidentally injure the other. I won’t be responsible for that.”

Evangeline heaved out a sigh. “You’re such a spoil sport, Sebby.”

“Really,” Tessa said. “It’s okay. We’ll be careful, won’t we, Evangeline?”

Evangeline nodded. “Oh, yes, absolutely.”

Sebastian pinched the bridge of his nose. “I don’t like this.”

Greaves raised his brows. “Should we continue? This is highly irregular.”

“In many ways,” Sebastian growled. “Yes, continue.”

At least this way he could watch Evangeline’s eyes and expression.

Greaves got them into place again, and a second later, proclaimed, “Fence.”

Evangeline advanced slowly this time, her tongue protruding slightly from between her lips. It was a look he knew, one she adopted when she was concentrating. He’d found it adorable at one time. Now it just reminded him of days gone by, wasted at the altar of duty.

Tessa’s face, however, was pure warrior. Her thousand-yard stare and the steely set of her jaw surprised him for a moment, but then he realized he was seeing her in her truest form. She was a valkyrie, trained for battle. Even if her weapon was a foil and the battle was merely defeating an overconfident vampiress with a penchant for manipulation.

It was a rather stirring sight.

Evangeline poked at Tessa, who easily side-stepped and took the opening to plant the point of her foil in the center of Evangeline’s chest.

“Halt,” Greaves called. “Second point to Tessa.”

Evangeline let out a loud, exasperated sigh. “That’s not fair. I didn’t have a chance to defend myself.”

Sebastian crossed his arms. “That’s fencing, Evangeline. You must be diligent about every move.”

She made a face, but got back into position.

Tessa did the same and Greaves called “Fence” once again.

This time, Tessa attacked first with a tentative lunge. Not much of an effort. Maybe testing Evangeline or trying to prod her to strike back and leave herself open. Evangeline swatted the foil away with an easy parry.

Then she snapped the foil through the air and caught Tessa squarely on the side of the head.

Tessa grabbed her ear and went down on her knees, cringing in pain. She hissed out a breath as she dropped her foil.

“Halt,” Greaves cried. “Halt!”

“Bloody hell, Evangeline. You did that on purpose.” Sebastian charged forward, his hands on Tessa the instant he was beside her. “Are you all right? Let me see.” He looked over his shoulder at Evangeline, anger boiling in his gut. This was exactly what he’d been afraid Evangeline would do. “No apology? Nothing to say for yourself? You’ll never change, will you? Get out. I’m done with you.”

She dropped her foil to the piste and yanked her gloves off. “You throw me out and I’ll never sign those dissolution papers.”

“Out of my sight now. I’ll deal with you and your foolish demands later. Greaves, remove her if she doesn’t start toward the door immediately.”

Greaves headed for Evangeline without waiting, and took her by the arm.

Sebastian turned back to Tessa as Evangeline’s protests faded with Greaves efforts. “I’m so sorry. Let me see your ear.”

The door closed behind them and the gym grew quiet.

She moved her hand. A welt marred her fair cheek and her ear was red, but there was no blood that he could see or smell. For that much he was grateful. He had no doubt the scent and sight of Tessa’s blood would enflame desires that had no place here.

He sat on the piste beside her and moved a strand of her hair out of the way, her cheek like satin beneath his fingers. “How badly does it hurt?”

She shrugged one shoulder, her breathing as steady as her pulse. Both of which surprised him. “I’ll live.”

He leaned in and feathered a gentle kiss over the mark, then tipped his head against hers trying to quell the anger still roiling in his gut. “I’ll throw her out. She hit you on purpose. I don’t care what she says about signing the papers.”

“Yes, you do.” She leaned away from him. “And you should.” She smiled, a small, understanding expression that made him feel undeserving. “But I’m glad you stood up to her. You need to do that more often, I think. Show her you mean business. And what you’re capable of.”

He studied her, amazed that the bright red mark cutting her cheek did nothing to diminish her beauty. “You could have taken her, couldn’t you?”

Tessa glanced away and shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. I’m out of practice.”

He picked up the foil she’d dropped. “And this isn’t your kind of weapon, I know.” He pushed the blade away, the desire to see her valkyrie sword strong in him, but now wasn’t the time to ask her about that.

“No, it’s not. I’m not much on any kind of weapon, really.”

He pulled her gloves off and then held her hands in his, rubbing his thumb over the scar. “How did you get this? Please tell me.”

She swallowed and a deep shuddering sigh passed through her. A few long moments later, she spoke. “I was sixteen. My third year at battle camp. All valkyrie and berserkers spend their summers there as soon as they turn fourteen.”

She shook her head. “I was…full of myself. And I guess with reason. I’d won every tourney in my age group the last two years and that summer seemed to be shaping up to be more of the same. I lived to spar. I took on every comer. I even bested one of the visiting instructors. Fighting was my life.”

That was the last thing he’d expected to hear. “Really?”