Page 145 of Onyx Cage: Volume II
“Perfect. I’ll be back to check on you soon,” I said flatly, leaving them on display in the center of the room while I left to survey the rest of the men.
Much to their credit, the two only shifted awkwardly for a handful of seconds before beginning their warm-up stretches. The rest of the room watched, only falling back into their routines when I passed close enough for them to snap out of their stupor.
I didn’t hold back as I walked among my men, issuing commands or commentary on stance or techniques like it was any other day. Once I made two laps around the room, I grabbed two sparring swords before returning to the center of the room.
“Begin,” I demanded when my cousin hesitated.
They moved into position, my lemmikki wielding her sword with all the confidence of someone who wasn’t going into actual battle, while Yuriy did the same.
I took a breath, ready to issue another command when Rowan launched forward. She let out a small growl as she thrust her sword toward his abdomen.
A muscle feathered in my cousin’s jaw as he blocked her sword and backed away, refusing to attack in return.
After our time in Lochlann, he knew as well as I did how much sparring meant to her, as well as the fact that she could hold her own against him. So his hesitation wasn’t because of sparring with a woman, or my wife, but because of the soldiers watching.
Rowan attempted a cross-strike, and once again, he parried and stepped away.
“Stop holding back, Yuriy,” I said flatly.
He shook his head once before half-heartedly moving into a forward strike, his movements slow enough to be offensive. Rowan easily blocked his sword, taking another step back as my cousin looked at me.
I allowed him to see the order through the full force of my gaze. I would not command him again, and just because he was my family did not mean I would tolerate disobedience. Especially not today. Not here. Not now. Not with this.
He blinked once, giving me a dip of his chin before finally going on the offensive.
I hadn’t realized I’d been holding my breath until the sound of their clashing swords and the small, strained sounds of their fighting eased something in my chest.
The longer they fought, the more the rest of the room grew quiet. My men slowly crept closer, paying rapt attention to the woman who was keeping up with one of their fellow soldiers.
I pretended to ignore them while calling out the same critiques to my wife that I had given them a few minutes before.
When they moved, so did I, calling out each of my thoughts as I talked them through the fight.
“Lemmikki, remember to lift your elbow,” I said, watching as her blows became more impactful with just the one adjustment.
“Yuriy, on your guard. She’s taking advantage of your weakness with your left.”
My cousin quickly modified his movements to gain the upper hand.
“Your footwork is sloppy, Lemmikki,” I said in a voice just loud enough for them to hear.
Her green eyes narrowed in irritation, but she shifted her bearing accordingly.
And finally, when they were both beginning to flag, I goaded my wife into making the finishing blow.
“Are you really going to let a woman beat you, Cousin?”
Rowan growled, her anger and stubbornness giving her the determination to end the fight. In several quick moves, she had my cousin tripping over his own feet before landing flat on his back with her blade to his throat.
Her chest rose and fell, a small grin tugging the corners of her mouth as she looked back at me.
Good girl, Lemmikki.
I didn’t praise her, though, not outwardly. There would be time for that later. Instead, I turned to the rest of the room while she helped Yuriy to his feet.
“Now, who can tell me what they did wrong?”
It took them less than a minute to respond, treating her, for the first time, like she was one of them by offering up the same critiques they would have given each other.