Chapter Thirty-Four

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The clash of metal against metal filled the courtyard. Sofia's ponytail sunk lower and lower down her head as she sparred with her brother, sweating beneath an early morning sun, holding her sword high up the length of her body.

When Emilio's sword hit hers and sent her body lazily to the side, Emilio scoffed and rapped his sword with hers.

"You're not paying attention."

"I am paying attention. But I'm bored of this."

They'd been practicing since dawn because, apparently, Emilio had nothing better to do. It was the same routine day in day out. Emilio showed her how to do something and they did it over and over again until the point of exhaustion.

She'd gotten the hang of sword fighting months back but Emilio still wouldn't let up.

"Try getting bored in a real fight and see where that lands you," Emilio snapped.

"Hopefully not with a stitch and a headache."

"Again."

"We've been doing this all morning. Surely you've got something better to do."

Sofia had a million better things to do. Her bed was calling for her to go back to it, tuck herself under the covers and ball herself up with her misery. Because every day was depressing. Her days were stale—void of excitement and anything specific to set it apart from another.

"Do you want to be able to fight or not?" Emilio demanded.

"Course I want to. But I've got a better hand of things than you seem to think."

Emilio had been babying her for three years now ever since she left home, treating her like some fragile little creature that couldn't cope by itself.

"Excuse me, I'm just remembering what happened the last time you said you could take care of yourself."

She turned away from him, bitter.

They'd been going back to this same old story all year. Sofia would say she could take care of herself, Emilio would call her stupid, she'd tell him he didn't know a thing and he'd remind her that she'd landed herself in their enemy's bed. Honestly, it was getting old.

"Need I remind you I never ended up hurt," She scoffed back.

"You'd still be a demon's sex toy if I hadn't come and fixed it for you."

"I was never his sex toy."

"Then what were you?"

Emilio didn't understand. She hadn't pushed telling him much for the simple reason that he wasn't going to listen. But he'd come to his own conclusions about what happened between her and Caspian and there was no pulling him out of them. Her brother was too set in his ways.

"His mate."

"You know just as well as I that all of that mate palaver was a lie."

You don't know the first thing.

"He confessed before he knew I was of any relation to you," She insisted.

"He's friends with psychics. He knew what he was doing."

She knew that wasn't true. Caspian had told her to leave him countless times and she'd never listened. But the look on his face the last time she saw him was a warning for her to never come back. It wasn't like the other faces. This one kept her up at night.

Emilio lifted his sword once more. "Now again. Pick up your sword and take your stance."

She kicked said sword away from her with finality. "I'm having a water break."

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