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.”