My mind raced through options. I couldn’t reach my knife. The door was too far. No one would hear me scream over the sounds of combat practice outside. His hand left my hair as he forced it between my legs, and instantly I slammed my forehead into hisnose. The crunch was satisfying, the spray of blood even more so. He howled, hands flying to his face, and I twisted my hips, trying to throw him off balance.
He recovered faster than I expected, grabbing my wrists and slamming them above my head.
“You’ll pay for that,” he snarled, blood streaming down his face, dripping onto my skin. I bucked beneath him, trying to throw him off balance, but he laughed and slammed my wrists against the stone floor. Pain shot through my arms.
“No one’s coming to help you,” he whispered against my ear, his breath hot and foul. “They never do.”
His knee forced my legs apart, his hand pulling his own clothing out of the way. I felt him press against me, and time slowed.
“They might not come,” I growled, “but that doesn’t mean I need them.”
I went limp beneath him, as though I’d given up, and he laughed. He pressed forward, hand guiding his cock, and as he looked down, his grip on my wrists loosened. I dragged them down sharply, but instead of trying to shove him away, I flattened my hand, pressing my fingers together and drove them into the soft tissue of his throat. His eyes widened as both hands flew to his throat and he gurgled in his rage.
“Looks like you’re the one who needed the education, Varin. First lesson,” I said softly. “Never underestimate an opponent.”
Rage contorted his features, but I twisted sharply as I reached up and grabbed his hair in both hands and dragged him sideways. Hitting the ground hard, I rolled so I went with him, and sat astride his chest. I reached quickly for my belongings, dragging them onto the floor. my fingers grazed the handle of the knife Marcus had given me and I grabbed it. A blow landed across my head and I fell sideways, gripping onto it so it didn’t fall from my hand.
“You fucking bitch,” he wheezed, trying to push himself up on one elbow. “I’ll destroy you for this.”
I got to my knees and before he could move again, I drew the knife from its scabbard and pressed the sharp bronze blade across his throat that already bore the marks of my assault from before. He froze.
“You wouldn’t dare use that. Not here. Not against me.”
“Why not? Because you’re noble born? I’ve killed better men than you for lesser offenses.”
For the first time, genuine uncertainty crossed his face. “You’re bluffing.”
“Am I?” I smiled then, the cold, predatory smile I’d worn in the arena when facing an opponent who’d underestimated me. “Care to wager your life on that assessment?”
He hesitated, reassessing me with new wariness. Then his expression hardened with determination. “Even if you could, you wouldn’t survive the aftermath. My family would destroy you.”
“Perhaps. But you’d still be dead.” I kept my voice perfectly calm, the knife steady in my hand. “Is possessing me worth that risk, Lord Varin?”
Something shifted in his eyes — calculation replacing lust. He was beginning to understand that he’d miscalculated badly, that I was not the easy prey he’d anticipated. For a moment, I thought he might withdraw, might choose the better part of valour.
Beyond the changing room door, I heard voices — female, whispering urgently. With sudden clarity, I understood. Valeria and her followers hadn’t left at all. They were standing guard, ensuring no one interrupted Varin’s “lesson.”
The knowledge should have filled me with dread. Instead, cold fury settled in my chest. They had underestimated me. All of them. Just as so many had before.
“You fight well for a woman,” Varin said, breathing heavily. “Another of your mysterious skills, I presume?”
“I learned to fight long before I came to the academy,” I replied, keeping my voice steady despite my racing pulse. “Against men who would make you seem little more than a spoiled child.”
His face darkened with fresh anger. “You forget yourself, Cantius.”
“No, Varin. For the first time since arriving at this academy, I remember exactly who I am.”
Outside, the voices grew louder. I caught fragments of conversation — Valeria’s insistent “keep them out” and another voice, deeper, demanding entry. Jalend.
Varin must have heard it too, for a flicker of relief crossed his face. “They’ll be here any moment,” he said, a hint of smugness returning. “How will you explain this, I wonder? A common-born student attacking a nobleman? With a weapon no cadet should possess?”
I laughed softly. “Is that what happened? Strange, I recall defending myself against a nobleman who entered the women’s changing area uninvited and drew a blade on me when I refused his advances.”
His eyes narrowed. “My word against yours.”
“Perhaps.”
The voices outside grew louder, more insistent. I heard Jalend’s voice clearly now: “Step aside, Valeria. Now.”
