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The game , as Rook privately called it, started harmlessly enough. Simple banter over the dinner table as they polished off a lemon cheesecake that Lucanis had baked, and chatted about the Venatori they had defeated in the Crossroads earlier in the day. She certainly hadn't intended to ruffle the Crow's metaphorical feathers, though in retrospect she suspected he had known exactly what he was getting into by taking her bait.
But she couldn't help it.
Lucanis had a talent for getting under her skin. Not in a bad way. More in a - I'm-so-distracted-I-lose-my-train-of-thought-watching-you’ kind of way. He was fully responsible for the many, many , sleepless nights she had spent thinking about his warm brown eyes and trying to imagine how his fingers might feel against her skin.
Which was proof of just how far under her skin he had managed to delve. Worse still, he didn't even seem to be aware of the devastating effect he had on her. Though Rook lived in hope that he might wake up one day and realise his dream woman was right in front of him in the guise of a slightly cocky ex-Shadow Dragon mage.
“We got lucky today,” Davrin reflected, his tone sombre as he interrupted her thoughts. “If Assan hadn't distracted those mages, you might have been seriously hurt, Rook.”
She grinned and shook her head. “No way! They didn't know what hit them. I almost felt sorry for the poor Venatori!”
Lucanis snorted at her flippancy as he poured himself another cup of coffee and sat down opposite with the last slice of cake. “Davrin and I rarely see eye to eye, but he's right. You were reckless.”
Her eyebrows shot up and she waved her fork in his direction as she rocked her chair back on two legs. “I was not reckless ! I was committed and I hit them hard, just like you're always telling me to do.”
“You did,” he agreed easily enough as he took an appreciative sip of his coffee, “but you could have taken them out far sooner if you hadn't been showing off.”
Showing off! He thought she had been showing off!?
There was silence for a moment, and only the crackle and pop of the fire could be heard, then Emmrich sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Spite, no . Don't encourage Lucanis-”
“What!?” Rook's chair came back to the floor with a soft thud and she set her fork down as Davrin laughed at the expression on her face. “I'm sorry, did you say I was showing off ?!”
Harding chuckled and her chair scraped as she dramatically moved away from Lucanis. “Oooh, I'm getting out of the line of fire!”
Lucanis grinned, his eyes twinkling as he shrugged. “You were being far too flashy with your magic. It left you open to attacks.”
Rook tried and failed to speak, and she distracted herself by reclaiming her fork and spearing the final piece of her cheesecake with more force than was necessary. She ate it while Lucanis watched her patiently, his damnable puppy dog eyes gleaming wickedly while he waited for her to speak. She just glared at him as she chewed and swallowed.
Finally she set her fork down and tried to give him a dignified look. “I fought the same way I always do. I did not show off. Anyway, you're a fine one to talk with your wings and blinding bursts of violet light!” She waved her hands dramatically. “I mean, for an assassin you certainly like to announce yourself!”
Lucanis inclined his head in agreement and his lips twitched as though he found her funny. “I have no need to hide when you're throwing your magic around and distracting the enemies, Rook. But I assure you, I can be very sneaky when I need to be.”
The way he emphasised her name, almost purred it, was distracting, but she refused to be derailed.
“Pfft!” Rook rolled her eyes. “You? Sneaky? With Spite ? I doubt that. You probably couldn't even sneak up on me!”
His eyes gleamed and he smirked. “Oh, I think I could. Would you like to bet on it?”
“Sure!” Rook returned his smirk. “I'll give you a whole week to catch me unawares-”
Davrin half-choked on his drink and he looked from one to the other. “Wait, wait, wait! Rook, you're not seriously asking the mage-killing cold-blooded assassin to sneak up on you with a knife, are you?!”
She laughed, snagged her fork again, and reached across to steal a forkful of Lucanis’ untouched cheesecake, her expression cocky. “Sure I am. Come on, Davrin! It's me ! Do you really think he's going to succeed?”
Davrin didn't say anything, but Rook saw him exchange a worried look with Harding and Emmrich. Lucanis just grinned and took another sip of coffee, his dark eyes watching her over the rim of his mug. He looked incredibly smug, and Rook held his gaze as she ate the stolen cake.
“Don't worry, Davrin,” Lucanis murmured softly. “I would never hurt Rook.”
And so the game began.
The first time Lucanis got her was later that night when she stumbled blearily into the kitchen for a drink of water. One moment she had been alone, and the next Lucanis had wrapped an arm around her upper body, pinning her arms to her sides as he swept her back against him. He moved so quickly that she didn't have time to make a sound as he pressed the flat off his blade to her neck and moved his mouth to her ear.
“The Crows send their regards."
His voice was soft, almost musical, and Rook froze as her brain malfunctioned trying to process the blade at her neck, his lips at her ear, and the hard column of his muscled chest at her back. The shiver that passed through her was only partly in fear, and she desperately tried to swallow down a swell of desire.
She felt him smile as his lips lingered near her ear. Lucanis hesitated for only a moment, his arm tightening around her in a slight sexual pressure, and then he was gone. Standing a few feet away in the kitchen and twirling his knife as he grinned at her.
Rook stared at him stupidly as she tried to gather her thoughts. Had she imagined that slight sexual pressure? Was it wishful thinking? Her imagination run wild?
She didn't think so, but he was acting as though this were all some kind of a game.
“You're dead, Rook.” Lucanis slid the blade back into its sheath and one side of his lips twitched into a crooked smile. “I told you I could be sneaky-”
“It doesn't count!” Rook snapped, her face flushing as she gulped down the water she had poured for herself. “I didn't know we were starting tonight. We start tomorrow .”
He opened his mouth as though to argue but seemed to think better of it and instead inclined his head and leaned nonchalantly against the counter to watch her. “Fine.”
She eyed him suspiciously as she poured another glass and gulped it down, trying to ignore the memory of the warmth of his body against hers. Hell, she had even been able to smell him - a pleasant mix of cologne, leather and his weapon oil. The thought made her shiver again, and her cheeks flushed a second time.
Lucanis watched her curiously for a moment, his eyes moving over her red cheeks before he abruptly pushed away from the counter and he strode back to his room. “Until tomorrow, Rook.”
The next morning, Rook vowed privately to be on her guard. For all her teasing, Lucanis had been unbelievably stealthy the night before, and she hadn't heard him until he had his blade to her neck and his arm around her. He wouldn't find her to be such an easy target now that she knew he was coming for her.
Lucanis seemed perfectly normal over breakfast as he chatted with Bellara about his meal plans for the next week. He didn't seem to be paying her much attention at all, and Rook slowly relaxed and enjoyed her coffee and muffin. It was after breakfast as she was leaving the dining hall and making her way back to the library that Lucanis struck again.
How he got in front of her, Rook didn't know, but one moment she was cheerfully walking past the Caretaker's usual haunt at the base of the stairs, and the next Lucanis stepped out from what felt like thin air. He smoothly pulled her against a nearby wall, his hands catching both of hers and pinning them above her head as he tapped his blade gently against her ribs.
“You're dead again , Rook.” He teased softly, his wicked brown eyes dancing with amusement as she wriggled free.
Rook glowered at Lucanis - her heart thumping hard in her chest and her pulse racing madly as she fought to keep her breathing steady and even. A delicious and totally inappropriate tingle worked its way down her spine that had nothing to do with the feel of his blade pressed against her ribs, and everything to do with the incredible strength in his grasp as he pinned her to the wall.
“Am not!” she countered breathlessly. “I knew you were there.”
Lucanis chuckled and stepped back with a mocking bow. “I see,” he murmured and glanced sideways, nodding. “Yes, I quite agree, Spite.”
Rook crossed her arms over her chest defensively. “Agree with what?”
He flashed a grin at her. “That the third time's a charm.”
“Not if there's no third time,” she countered petulantly, and walked away pretending she couldn't hear his amused chuckle behind her.
Rook made sure to be doubly on her guard after that, but other than grinning every time he met her eyes, Lucanis didn't show the slightest bit of interest in continuing the game. She was almost disappointed, but not quite. Mostly because she didn't trust him at all - every now and again Lucanis would appear behind her silently, always with that same mocking grin as he went about his business as though it was pure coincidence that they kept finding themselves alone together in the library or the dining hall or the courtyard.
She knew better: he was hunting her, and he was enjoying himself.
Rook was almost relieved when Lucanis tagged her for a third time just as she was leaving Emmrich's room. Like the previous two encounters, Lucanis materialised from seemingly nowhere, his movements controlled and graceful as he slid an arm around her waist, pulling her to him as though they were lovers.
For a moment she was too surprised to do anything as she gazed up into his handsome face, then he grinned wickedly and tapped the flat of his knife against her ribs. Rook sucked in a breath. She had a brief glimpse of his eyes, dark with something she couldn't identify, then he released her and turned away, walking down the stairs he called over his shoulder:
“Dead again. Third time's a charm, Rook.”
Rook let out a shaky breath as her skin hummed from his brief proximity. Without thinking about it, she took a step after him, her hand closing on the marble banister as she watched him move lithely down the stairs. He moved like a dancer, every step graceful and full of controlled energy.
“You know,” she called after Lucanis’ retreating form, “it's one thing to sneak up on someone and another to take them in a fair fight, Mage Killer !”
Lucanis slowed and stopped, his expression unreadable as he swivelled to face her. He considered her for a moment and then raised an eyebrow. “Careful what you wish for, Lynn .”
The sound of her name in his lips sent a roll of warmth through her. His voice was soft. Tempting. Seductive… ?
Rook swallowed down the rising desire he had summoned and managed a cheeky smile, trying to bait him. “Why? Magic beats brawn. In a stand up fight I could easily beat you.”
He cocked his head and that little crooked half-smile crept across his lips. “Actually,” he murmured thoughtfully, “I don't think you could.”
Her mouth fell open and she followed him down the stairs as he started moving again.
“What do you mean?” Rook demanded as she caught up with him at the foot of the steps. “You think you can take me in a fair fight?”
Lucanis’ lips twitched as though he were trying not to smile. “I know I could.”
She planted her hands on her hips and jerked her head towards the door outside. “Fine. Let's do it. You and me.”
“You and me?” He repeated and didn't try to hide his growing amusement as he cast his gaze over her. “This isn't a good idea.”
“Sometimes a bad idea is better !” Rook quipped with a wry smile. “Anyway, what's your problem? Afraid I'll beat you? Afraid of getting hurt?”
“No,” Lucanis said simply, and the amusement left his eyes. He looked suddenly serious. “I know I'll win, and I trust you not to hurt me, Rook. I trust you more than I've ever trusted anyone.”
The softness of his voice and the look in his eyes momentarily stole her breath, and the fire in her belly settled into a simmer.
Rook held his gaze and nodded towards the door again. “Then let's do it. No knives. No blood. First one to pin the other wins.”
For a moment there was silence and then Lucanis drew in a deep breath and nodded.
“Fine.” He gestured for her to lead the way. His voice once again held a thread of amusement as he continued speaking. “So long as you don't demand we start over when I pin you.”
It was a struggle not to childishly turn around and poke her tongue out, but somehow she kept herself in check. Lucanis followed her out into the perpetual twilight of the Lighthouse to the spot where a few of them often sparred.
I can do this , Rook told herself fiercely. I can beat him!
No matter how good Lucanis was, her magic gave her an edge over him which he would be unable to match. He was limited by his melee range, while she had the freedom to cast spells from a distance.
Spite would make things tricky. She wasn't used to facing an opponent who could fly. But still, she was a talented and powerful mage - Lucanis had no idea just how powerful she was once she got going. Rook turned to face him, eager to start and show him how good she was, but he held up a hand to forestall her.
"A minute, please," he requested politely as he began to remove his ornate collar chain. "I would like to stretch a little first."
Rook nodded and watched as he unfastened the buttons of his vest, shrugged it off, and carefully sat it to the side, then he unbuttoned and rolled up his shirt sleeves. It felt impossible to look away from the firm muscles of his forearms, but she somehow managed it once she realised that Lucanis was watching her watch him. Her cheeks flamed, and she covered her embarrassment by doing some light stretches to warm up her muscles.
Lucanis soon reclaimed her attention as he completed a series of stretches and exercises which left her in no doubt about just how flexible and strong he was. She felt clumsy beside him, and the first twinge of anxiety bubbled up in her chest. He had trained specifically to take mages down and had years of close combat fighting experience, while she had been kicked out of the Shadow Dragons before she could complete her training. She was good, there was no doubt about that, but Lucanis was the best.
He finished his stretches and moved to stand opposite her, his hands empty as he rolled his shoulders and waited for her to begin.
"You sure you don't need your knife?" Rook teased to cover her nerves as she summoned her magic and felt the familiar power weave its way through her fingers. "It hardly seems fair when I have my orb."
Lucanis just grinned and shook his head as he dropped into a fighting stance. "I don't need a knife to pin you. Besides, I don't want to risk accidentally cutting you."
"What if I hurt you?" she asked.
He grinned a little wider. "I trust you, Rook. Besides, your magic might be a weapon but it's also your weakness."
Rook shrugged and moved to take a fighting stance opposite him. She took a deep breath, met his eyes, and charged forward, her crackling orb of energy pulsing in her palm. Lucanis was gone in an instant, sidestepping her with a flare of Spite's wings and moving through the air gracefully to land behind her without a sound. He didn't give her any time to regroup as he moved forward with blinding speed, each of his strikes so fast that she barely had time to evade before he was coming at her again.
She held her own though, and managed to get a good jab into his ribs - hard enough that he grunted in pain. The moment she tried to use her magic on him, to hit him with the pulsing electric orb of light, he moved, as though he could sense what she had planned before she did it. Too late she remembered his magic sensitivity - his secret weapon - and that he could feel her energy and would know when she was preparing to hit him.
She tried to put some space between them, using magical attacks to keep him at bay, but Lucanis didn't let her move too far away. He seemed to know that without her spellblade her strength would lie in distance attacks, and he kept close, following her movements across the sparring ground, deflecting her blows and managing to land more of his own. It was frustrating how fast he was, and Rook poured her energy into trying to be faster and hit harder than he did.
She managed to land a ferocious kick to his midsection which sent him reeling back. Rather than looking upset though, he flashed her a wicked smile and his eyes danced with violet light. That was all the warning she got before his wings burst from his back and he crouched as though preparing to take to the air.
Rook tried to move back, anticipating his next move, but too late she realised it was a ruse, as Lucanis shot forward and grabbed her hand, pulling her off balance as he swept her feet out from beneath her with one foot. She went down hard, and Lucanis was on her in an instant, straddling her waist as he grabbed both of her hands in his and pinned her to the ground. His eyes were dark with excitement, and Rook could only look up at him helplessly as she tried in vain to get free.
It was no good.
Lucanis had her pinned and short of hurting them both with some kind of magical burst of energy there would be no getting out of this.
And he knew it.
She could see in his expression that he knew he had won. Their eyes locked, and Rook became aware of just how close they were as the heat from his body radiated against her. He smirked ever so slightly and his eyes dropped to her lips as he leaned closer. So close that she could almost feet the ghost of his lips against hers.
Rook held her breath, lost in the moment as Lucanis cupped her cheek with his free hand, his weapon roughed fingers trailing lightly over her skin as he looked into her eyes. She shifted against him, unconsciously arching into his touch as her eyes fluttered closed and she waited for him to kiss her. Instead there was a rush of violet light so bright that she saw the flash behind her closed eyelids, and Lucanis was gone. She opened her eyes to find him standing over her, one hand stretched down to help her up, and his eyes distant and polite once more.
Disappointment surged through her.
"Lucanis...?" she asked hesitantly and reached for him, certain she hadn't been mistaken, that he had been about to kiss her.
But his expression was shuttered and Rook knew he was retreating again, pulling back behind the walls he had built up during his time in the Ossuary. He needed time. That was fine. She could wait. He took her hand, his strong fingers curling about hers as he pulled her to her feet.
"What do I win?" Lucanis asked in the awkward silence.
She blinked, trying to clear her head. "What?"
"I pinned you," he explained and his eyes danced mischievously as his other hand moved to her waist as she wobbled, steadying her. "What do I win?"
Rook flushed, the feel of his hand on her waist electric. "I, uh..." she floundered and finally rallied herself with a small shake. "What would you like?"
He cocked his head, studying her for a moment as his brown eyes moved over her pink cheeks. His mouth curled into a lazy smile and he stepped away, putting distance between them again. She missed the touch of his hands on her almost instantly, and it was a struggle not to follow him and close the gap between them.
"I'll think about it," Lucanis promised, and he slid his vest back on, fingers nimbly moving over buttons as his eyes flicked back to hers. "I'm sure I can think of something I'd like from you, Rook. Just…give me time."
Her heart thumped wildly at his words, and she nodded.
“Take all the time you want. I'll be here when you decide what you need,” she promised, only too aware that neither of them were talking about his prize anymore.
His eyes softened and he inclined his head. “Thank you. This was…fun.” He grinned suddenly. “Let me know when you want a rematch. Maybe next time I can show you a trick or two that you can use in close quarter fighting?”
A mental image of Lucanis training her popped into her head - his body pressed against hers, his hands moving over her body as he demonstrated moves - and she nodded quickly.
“I'd like that,” Rook agreed and she couldn't stifle her enthusiasm as Lucanis finished dressing and turned to head back to his room. “I'd like that a lot, actually.”
He glanced at her over his shoulder and flashed a cocky grin. “So would I, Rook.”
Next time, Rook promised herself, she was going to pin Lucanis, and maybe then she would finally get her kiss.