Fondness for an Ancient Warrior

Fondness for an Ancient Warrior Part 13

Chapter Thirteen

While at the castle, Caius was showing Illyana his weapons room again. She was looking over some of Caius' swords and saw a pair of rapiers set on the wall in display form. She removed both weapons from their place on the wall, and called to Caius. "Here, catch!" She tossed one rapier to her mate.

"Illyana, don't be stupid. You could get very hurt." Caius regretted calling her stupid the second the word left his mouth.

She acted as if she hadn't heard it, when actually she had, but knew it was only because of Caius' concern for her that made him use the word. "I'm not that bad, love, and you have the reflexes that will keep me safe. I trust you."

He came to her and slipped his free arm around her body, pulling her close. He gazed into her brown eyes, knowing what he had to do. Later, once she was a vampire, precautions would no longer be necessary, in anything they did together.

"Are you ready then?" Caius smirked at Illyana. He assumed the appropriate position, his eyes focused on her. She faced him in the same position, then thrust her blade forward, her weight on the advancing leg. Caius easily parried the blow and twisted his blade around hers to push her backwards. Still, he admired her stance and skill with the weapon.

The contest continued, blade hitting against blade, metal hitting against metal. Parry and blow, thrust and parry. Sometimes Caius' sword would hit Illyana but with the flat of the blade, and his restraint allowed the blow with no damage to his mate. If Illyana hit Caius, to her it felt like her sword was hitting a stone wall.

The two fought in what appeared to be an equal contest, had Caius not been holding back. He was making sure he didn't harm Illyana, primarily fending off her attacks rather than attacking her. But at one point, Illyana missed her cue, and Caius' weapon slipped past hers. His blade was at her throat, the edge cutting into her skin just enough to cause it to slowly ooze blood from the cut. Caius stared at the small slice in her skin, wanting to taste her again. It had been awhile since she had offered her blood to him.

Illyana noted the darkening of his eyes, and let her sword fall to the ground. She stepped up to her mate, and placed her arms at his waist. Her eyes never left his when she said, "Taste it, my love. It's all right. Just be sure not to let any venom stay within me."

Caius held her upper arms, then one hand reached up to pull her ponytail aside. He placed his lips over the small wound, the tip of his tongue laving her skin. He couldn't hold back the low growl in his throat as her blood washed over his tongue. He sucked gently, not only to draw her essence into his mouth, but to remove what small amount of his venom had entered the cut. When he no longer tasted blood or his venom, Caius stepped back. His fingertips glided over her cheek. "Hai un sapore così buono, amore mio." Her scent and the flavour of her blood were intoxicating to him.

Illyana was in the midst of some sort of hypnotic effect from his drinking from her. Was this how they would seduce women to allow themselves to become prey without a fight? It was only because Caius was her mate that she survived each time she shared her blood with him. His love for her kept his self-control in line.

She bent to pick up the sword and handed it to Caius, whose eyes were now their normal red again. "You won, my warrior."

He smiled at her, taking the two swords and putting them back on the wall. "How did I win when you gained control over me just by letting me drink from you?"

"I gained control over you? Whose sword was at whose throat, Caius?" She gave him a smirk. Why was the attraction of human blood so powerful? Illyana wouldn't know the answer to that question until she had experienced the transformation herself. Until then, she would have to compare it to the thirst she felt after eating a Chinese dinner. Always, after eating salty food, she would experience such a thirst, that ice water alone could quench it. Was the blood thirst going to feel like that, a desire so strong, only human blood would satisfy her? It intrigued and terrified her.