Frost Bite.

Chapter Twelve.

Blythe.

We stood across from each other in the center of the Courtyard, flecks of snow falling around us, our feet crunching into the fresh layer of white as we moved, slowly circling each other. Zane had his sword in hand, moving in the opposite direction as me, watching me carefully as the rest of the world around us looked on in both excitement and fear. I knew that from his formal training he would never strike first since it more often than not would put you at a disadvantage. This meant that if anything was going to happen, I had to make the first move, but that could mean him gaining the upper hand. My steps were slow, calculated, one foot in front of the other, eyes locked onto him, flickering from blue to black every few steps. My wolf was there, she was ready and she wanted to play, not really viewing Zane as a threat but as a playmate, a companion. I stopped abruptly, my eyes locked onto him, already knowing what path of action to take. I wanted to get his sword out of the way, to disarm him but that meant that I needed to get in close. I lunged and he swung his blade for me but I managed to grab hold on his hand that was placed on the hilt and stopped the weapon from grazing my skin. I raised my leg, placed my foot flat against his chest and kicked hard, sending him staggering back a few steps. My initial thought was that he would let go of the hilt but instead he held on and I lost my grip. The sword slipped from my hand, the blade slicing into the palm of my hand until it was completely out of my reach. I gritted my teeth, blood dripping down onto the snow as Zane regained his footing, weapon once again aimed for me with its steel covered in a coat of my blood. I swung my hand at my side, the blood splattering around me as the wounds started healing back up. His blade wasn't made of silver. My mind raced with thoughts, until it came to me. I reached back and tore the cape from my armor, tossing the black material into the air between us. He reacted just as I was expecting him too, slicing through it and giving me enough time to move forward, my hands grabbing the wrist of his that was holding onto his sword. We locked eyes as I began to twist his wrist, causing him extreme pain from where the bone was starting to come apart, starting to break. He cried out, a strangled, deep sound that was followed by my claws cluttering against the hilt of the sword when it fell from his hand. I moved back, tossing the blade into the air where it spun a few times then caught it, twirling it as if it was nothing more than a stick, trying to show off. Zane clutched his wrist, a grin spreading over his lips as he watched me, amusement layered in the depths of his eyes that seemed like ice in that moment. I tossed the sword aside, well out of his reach and moved my legs apart so that I took on a fighting stands, my body turned slightly sideways. He lashed at me when my eyes caught sight of movement to one side. Aron had stepped into the doorway of the armory to see what all the commotion was about, his torso bare as he leaned against the doorway, his hair a mess and his eyes lazy. In the split second of me looking at him, Zane managed to get the upper hand, sending blow after blow in my direction. I managed to dodge most of them but couldn't see what he was really after until his hand had my wrist and I was being turned so that my arm was pinned against my back, his front pressing up against my spine. He chuckled, his breath tickling my ear when his legs moved to push my legs apart, setting my feet wide spread as his free hand gripped my neck, pushing down hard and forcing me to bend over. My ass was pressed firmly up against his groin as my head hung almost upside down, eyes locked onto our tangled legs and the snow. I gritted my teeth. How was I going to get out of that bind? It was then that my eyes found my feet and I could finally breathe, my muscles starting to relax enough for me to fall into a split. My feet slid in the snow until I was sat in it. The sudden movement caught Zane off guard and he let go of my arm. I brought my legs together in front of me and rolled onto my back, in between his legs so that I was staring up at him from below. He looked back at me from over my shoulder to catch a glimpse of the sinister glint in my eyes before I raised my lower half and managed to hit him square in the jaw with my foot. My other leg came up when he moved to grip his nose and sent a blow to his stomach. He stumbled back until he was completely away from me and I used my shoulders to throw my body into the air, landing in a crouched position among the blanket of ivory. Zane let go of his face, blood dripping down from his nose as I looked at him. He was enjoying it, not in a way similar to how Aron would. Aron was a man who enjoyed the pain but Zane simply was having fun. My eyes began to glow a bright blue, one flickering to black when my wolf grew impatient, wanting to set free, to play and run around. He charged and I leaped onto my feet, dancing away from him, blocking his arms when he would try to attack and dodging his blows until we were moving around the Courtyard, together in what seemed like a never ending waltz. I pushed back, digging my right hand into the material of his coat then turned, twirling around him until our backs met then continued until I was once again stood in front of him, tugging his coat onto my arms and shoulders. I flipped the collar up and shot him a brilliant, daring smile as he stood stunned from what had just happened. The look on his face was enough to draw a laugh from my lips. I threw my head back, fangs protruding as I laughed, a sound that echoed throughout the world around us. Zane smiled and was on top of me in an instant, his arm hooking underneath my one knee to send me tumbling back into the snow. We were no longer fighting but fooling around since he set me down gently then got on top of me as I struggled, pinning my hands down on either side of my head. I fought against him, but couldn't think straight as I grinned up at him. My leg moved to hook around his waist and in one strong movement I was the one on top. He had let go of one of my wrists in the process and I could reach for his sword that was covered in snow nearby, aiming it at his throat "I win" I said, my breath coming out as white air as I slowly began to sit back on his lap, breathing hard with my hair coming undone from its braid and my chest heaving. His coat was too big for my frame and hung down one of my shoulders as I looked up at the sky and smiled, my canines exposed for all to see. I let the sword drop from my hand, the metal silently falling into the snow beside us as a breath of laughter escaped me. My arms hung limply at my sides, the heat from our joined bodies rising up from my core as he propped himself up onto his elbows to more clearly look at me. Our eyes met and it was as if the world around us stopped existing, there was only us. My eyes changed to back and my wolf took over, leaning down with our hands gripping the front of his shirt. She moved closer, lips parted with our breath fanning his face. I pulled back, forcing her down into the depths of my mind, eyes returning to blue as I stood, my hand held out to help him up from the ground. I refused to look at him as he gazed up at me with furrowed brows. My wolf was attracted to him, she wanted him because his blood was so similar to Nixon's but also because he knew exactly what to say and when to say it. Zane took hold of my hand and I helped him up, letting go of his hand the moment he was on his own two feet. It would be a lie to say that he wasn't someone I valued as well which only made things worse. My gaze locked onto that of Aron, still leaning against the door frame but he immediately averted his eyes. My heart squeezed when the memory of his rejection surfaced in the back of my mind "You are wounded, Huntsman?" I turned to look at Zane when he spoke, following his eyes to the stitched wound on Aron's chest from where I had managed to strike him with his own arrow. Aron glanced down at his chest, arms crossed and rolled his shoulders as if the wound was nothing "Courtesy of the wolf" Aron replied, his eyes flickering over to me but as soon as they took me in they were once again focused somewhere else, this time staring emotionless at his Prince. Zane moved to stand at my side, a knowing smile lighting up his lips "She's a feisty one alright" my eyes turned to the world around me, to the two men who had been conversing before, now standing speechless to the others, all staring at me like I was some type of monster. A few of them dared to whisper that I was a wolf, motioning to my extended claws and canines. I needed to get away from all of the attention, I needed to escape. My gaze fell onto a small form moving through the still crowd, one that I instantly recognized "Mila-!" I called out to her, my voice piercing in the silence of the Courtyard. She stopped and turned to address me, her arms filled with dirty sheets and curtains. She lowered her head to show her respect and asked in a cautious tone "My lady?" I shifted in my stands, my hands balling at my sides as I fought the urge not to stop my next words from coming out. My eyes flickered to Aron, meeting his eyes for a split second before I spoke "Please tend to the Hunter's wound for me" her brown doe eyes moved from me to Aron, a pink tint covering her cheeks as she tightened her hold on the sheets in her arms. I could feel Zane watching me, carefully studying me while Mila nodded "Yes, lady Redwood" she hurried across the Courtyard and into the armory, her small frame pushing past Aron to set the sheets down inside. Aron looked at me as he slowly pushed off the door frame and disappeared into the heat of the wooden building. Zane leaned closer to me so that his lips were brushing against the shell of my ear when he whispered "What are you up to?" the Knight from before had moved to scoop the abandoned sword up from the ground as I shot Zane a look then entered the armory to have my armor looked at like I had originally intended. The Prince was right there beside me when the old man noticed me and stepped away from his son who was seated in front of the hearth with Mila looming overhead, her small hands dressing his wound "Commander, my Prince" he greeted us, his head bobbing once as he wiped his hands clean on an old rag. I shrugged Zane's jacket off and held it out for him to take. He took it but refrained from tugging it onto his shoulders, instead tossing it over the back of a nearby chair "It's too restricting" got straight to the point, motioning to the layers of metal and chain mail that was wrapped around my chest, hips, arms and feet. He glanced over my armor and shook his head from side to side, slowly "With all due respect Commander, any less and you'd be better off fighting in the nude" I would've preferred fighting naked but I couldn't possibly roam the castle halls and attend meeting without being dressed. I turned my back to him and motioned to the ties and buckles that held the armor in place "Do you mind?" he looked me over, swallowing hard but eventually reached out to undo them, taking a step back once they were undone. I looked up, meeting Zaniel's eyes as I removed the chest plate, exposing me to his eyes. He tried his best to avert his eyes but when I handed him the chest plate and reached for his coat, he no longer could control himself. I tugged the coat onto my body and began tying the buttons until my chest was completely covered from the neck down to above my crotch. I bent down, stepping out of the armored skirt, letting it fall to the hay and dirt as I tied the rest of the buttons to just above mid-thigh. I turned, stepping out of the boots and stood naked apart from Zane's coat and Nixon's necklace "I prefer fabrics to metals" I said, turning to glance up at Zane. He could tell what I was silently asking him from just looking at me. The tail of his coat was split down the middle and the black fabric had gold detailing that stood out against the dark background "It suits you" he replied, his head nodding once in response. A silent yes that filled the room as I gripped the sleeves in my hands. It was a piece of expensive clothing that had Mila looking on with wide eyes, her mouth hung slightly open "Keep it" reaching out a hand, Zaniel ran the backs of his fingers along my cheekbone to tuck a stray strand of silvery hair back, behind my ear. I quickly turned, my skin tingling from his touch and looked to the old man with an apologetic gleam in my hard eyes "My apologies" my gaze went from him to Mila then to Aron, my head bowing slightly as I began to retreat, spinning on my heels to strike from the armory, heading for the castle with Zane deciding to stay behind. I rounded the corner of one of the halls and leaned against the wall, my breathing hard, my head spinning with anger and frustration as Aron's behavior reflected in the depths of my mind. Mila's hand gripping his shoulder, her body so close to his that his face could almost touch her small breasts. I gritted my teeth and on impulse, I began moving, my feet carrying me in a singular direction until I was running down the corridors, my hair and the material of the coat flaring out behind me as I hurried to the East wing of the castle.