Serpent in Shackles

Chapter Fourteen

The backyard was even more beautiful than the front. A short, white picket fence closed off the area of grass where I stood, forming a massive square ring.

An overhang at the back of the house led to an outdoor sitting area filled with couches and a table. A portion of the backyard was covered with properly laid stones, surrounding a pool at the center. Reclining wooden chairs lined the side of the pool. Behind those chairs, another sitting area was covered by a stone gazebo with a small fireplace built into the wall of it.

Despite the extravagant backyard, my attention was solely focused on the two shirtless monsters tossing a ball back and forth over the rope strung across the patch of grass alongside the edge of the stone patio. Their sweat, or pool water, covered bodies glistened in the sun as they sprinted back and forth.

"Are you intrigued by the game or the half-naked bodies?" Naia muttered, entering the training ring. She strode toward me carrying two very sharp, very shiny swords.

Unlike the training clothes I wore, hers had no sleeves, which gave me a better view of the tattoos covering her shoulders. A couple of them even seemed to match the ones I saw on Danver.

"Oh um- no," I muttered, unconvincingly. "I was just waiting for you."

"Do you want to join them?"

"Aren't you supposed to be teaching me how to sword fight?

She wrapped her fingers around mine and pulled me behind her, toward the rest of the team. "We can take a break."

Vincent and Mia rested nearby. Even though he purposefully laid in the grass soaking in the warmth of the sun, Vincent was not nearly as tanned as the Shadow Knight. A mound of pillows stacked behind them kept them upright enough to watch the game happening before them.

"D," Naia shouted, causing them to stop their game. "Toss me the ball. I'm going to teach Emrys how to play."

The Shadow Knight moved to join Danver on the opposing side.

Naia explained all the proper positions and rules of the game to me, and I found myself dragged into a not so friendly game.

"You're pretty good at this," Naia muttered, hand slapping against the ball before it flew straight for Danver's head.

"Is it supposed to hurt?" I asked, holding my arms out in front of me. The back of my left hand rested on top of the palm of my right hand and my thumbs pressed together as I waited for the ball to find its way to me.

The second the ball hit my forearms, I winced from the burning sensation that scattered across my skin.

"You get used to it."

The ball spun up in the air before the slap of his hand sent the ball soaring toward me. I lifted my hands, waiting as the ball descended down and bounced off my finger tips, spinning back to the Shadow Knight.

After a few more painful hits, Naia and I decided to cut our losses and leave since we were clearly not going to win.

Naia linked her arm with mine, dragging me back to the training ring where Elianna had left a small wooden board holding a pot of coffee and two mugs for us. The remaining redness on my forearms made it look as though I had dumped the scolding teapot on myself.

"So," Naia mused, pouring an equal amount of coffee into both of our cups. "You're engaged to Prince Roan. Why are you not married yet?"

"Two years of engagement prior to marriage is the deal the King made with my Dad," I answered. Despite the hot liquid sluicing around inside, the mug was only moderately warm to the touch. The steam hit my face as I closed my eyes, taking in the fresh, caramel scent.