The Whispers of Shadows - A&A One Shots

training and shower

The sounds of blades coming together, heavy breaths and the skids of boots across dirt. Aurora winced, vision blurred by the closeness of the steel in front of her face. She bared her teeth, shoving back with the strength left in her arms. Her back ached, her arms ached, everything ached. It had been hours of this 'to the death' duel, but Aurora refused to back down.

She spun, aiming the blunt end of the sword at her opponent's throat. She had been too focused on her aim, because a boot hit the back of her knees. Aurora grunted in pain as her back came in contact with the ground. Adrenaline forced her back to her feet immediately, stabbing forward. The tip of the blade carved fabric but no skin, he was too fast.

Steel pressed to her throat as an arm wrapped around her waist. A chest came in contact with her back, Truth-Teller pinning her head to his shoulder.

"You're getting better," Azriel panted. He pressed the blade harder, nicking her skin. Aurora growled in protest. "But, not good enough," he whispered. He pressed a kiss to her temple, and that set Aurora off. She wanted to win. She threw her elbow back against his hard stomach, the blade slicing across her skin as he fell back. Blood dripped from the wound onto her torn clothes.

Aurora twisted, the hilt of the sword slamming into the center of his chest. Azriel wheezed, his own blade clattering to the ground. She took the chance to slip behind him, slamming the sole of her boot behind his knees. Once his knees hit the ground, Aurora grabbed a fistful of his hair, standing between his wings. She reached around and held the blade to his throat.

"Do you forfeit?" She snarled, tugging his head back until he met her eyes. Azriel grinned, teeth stained with blood from the punches they had thrown before. In a twisted way, heat gathered in her lower stomach at the sight.

"You've become such a violent little thing," he murmured, tongue running over his teeth. Aurora pressed the blade harder, noting the twitch in his eye marking the slice in his skin.

"Do you forfeit?" She repeated through gritted teeth. She was not a 'little thing' but she was violent. Gladly violent. Azriel's eyes twinkled as he stared up at her, her glare hardened.

"I forfeit," he murmured. A grin of victory spread across her face as she pulled the sword away and let go of his hair.

"I win! Pay up!" She shouted, pointing at Cassian. He was standing at the edge of the training ring, lip pouted and arms crossed. He had bet Aurora that she'd never win a duel against her mate, and she did.

"He probably forfeited because he was about to fuck you in the middle of the ring," Cassian mumbled, digging into his pocket for the money he owed. Aurora grinned at him, feeling her split lip beginning to fill with blood again.

"Still a win," she pointed out. Cass rolled his eyes, dropping the coins into her hand. She blew him a kiss, shoving the money into her pocket and skipping back to Azriel, who was still kneeling. "Are you alright?" She asked, crouching in front of him. Azriel met her eyes, and she knew that look far too well.

"My pants are tight and I'm not trying to give Cass a show. Get away from me so I can focus," he snapped. Aurora laughed as she stood and sheathed her sword. The adrenaline began to fall away and the throbbing in her face, arms, legs, and stomach slowly came back. Blood dribbled down her chin and she wiped it with the sleeve of her shirt.

"Az, I'm going to go shower!" She called over her shoulder, yelping in surprise when a hand came in contact with her rear.

"I am too," he murmured, leaning down and kissing her cheek. The thought made her skin warm. She had begun showering after training months ago, now that she ended up far more bloody and covered in dirt than ever before. Baths became a necessity for relaxing at the end of the day.