Iron clashed against Iron as Brielle flung herself into the art of training, the blades cracking like thunder in the dry hot training room. Pushing her body into the twin set of swords she wielded, each well balanced to fit her hands and hers alone, planting a back foot to the floor Brielle propelled herself at the tall warrior in front of her.
Lorcan shifted to avoid her attack leaning onto his back foot, Brielle giving a roar of frustration, threw her blade upwards, it caught the underside of Lorcan's arm as he lifted it out the way, a hissed of pain let loose through tightly clamped teeth was the only indication that the wound cause him any sort of pain.
In response Lorcan swung his hatchet down at her body, the Fae female darted out of his sight before he could blink. Leaving Lorcan only seconds before she would be upon him once more.
Brielle lurked behind the wall of muscle, ducking as the tall demi-Fae blindly swung an arm out behind him when he spun to meet her, the hatchet he held promising pain as it sailed downward through the air. Criss crossing her blades, each braced along the edges of her forearm, the hatchet vibrated her bones as the weapons met head on, sparks flying in response to the collision.
The male pushed harder into where their weapons had locked together. Throwing his weight and a little stream of his magic into trying to outweigh her into submitting. This was a usual for their training sessions, fight until they yielded or their bodies failed them, often it would be the latter reason. Never submission.
Brielle could feel the tang of Lorcan's magic as it emanated from his skin, the darkness packing strength behind the hatchet. She felt the eyes of the others on them as they stopped to watch, no doubt feeling the thrum of the males magic as well.
She tutted through her teeth, smiling at Lorcan, the male glowered at her in return. If he wanted to weigh this fight in his favour she was simply going to level the playing field. So Brielle did the one thing she knew how to do best.
Lorcan dropped his end of the locked in pressure between their blades, his dark eyes widened, trying to take in everything. He chuckled, a sound which Brielle often did not hear from the large male. The noise almost sounded forced coming from him, it was deep and came from within his chest.
"I thought we all agreed not to use magic" Brielle smiled as she dropped into a crouch, watching his knuckles grow white with pressure as he gripped the leather bound handle of his hatchet.
"Oh but Lorcan..." she dragged, a pause for a second, staying low she crawled so she was off to his left, his head slightly inclined in her direction "I wasn't the one who broke that rule first now was I?" he chuckled again, this time the noise sounded hollow, with none of the usually associated joy within it.
"Taking away my sight will not hinder my ability to beat you in a fight" he circled, nose twitching as he tried to trace where she was, unbeknownst to him she had already moved.
Fenrys, Gavriel and Connall all watched from the side, smirking as Brielle began to rise from where she was crouched into her haunches.
"Oh we shall see about that" she whispered, Lorcan spun to face her directly, a quick step towards her and he was swinging out an arm, hatchet flying. Brielle looped under his limb, behind him now she drove an elbow back into the softer tissue between his shoulder blades.
Lorcan lurched forwards a heart beat before he was upon her once more, Brielle dodged each of his assaults as if she were merely dancing at a grand party. But at last all dances must come to an end.
Pivoting around on her left shoulder Brielle had no time to even blink as Lorcan's free hand grabbed the back of her training shirt, sacrificing a blade to the floor, Brielle reached over her right shoulder with her now free hand, grabbing his she swung in one fluid movement under the grip so she was facing him. He couldn't see her but Lorcan's expression was a fierce set in its resting position, as though his vison still remined with him.
Shoving her magic forwards in a warm wave, Lorcan's gripped stiffened as he tried to hold onto her, but to no result he eventually let go. From the corner of her sight Brielle watched the other males in the training room seemed to shiver in response to the wave of magic she sent thrumming through the air.
She was the lioness of Doranelle and she would be allowed freedom, even if it was just from Lorcan's grip. His body went rigid as she pushed her magic into his muscles, and tissue. His knees when out next. Brielle ignored the looks of the others in the training room as she sauntered up to the Demi-Fae now kneeled at her feet. With a flick of her hand, Lorcan looked back up blinking a few times as he did. She assessed his rigid stance as he looked up at her, with his overall height, his head was about her breast level, it was clear he had no trouble averting his gaze.
Brielle brushed a thin finger along her chin, thinking before she spoke,
"I think I like it when men kneel." she smiled when Lorcan's eyes flicked inside their sockets across to another figure in the room, She followed his gaze to Fenrys, who now shifted on his feet before smirking and meeting her gaze. The promise she met there made her grip on her magic shiver and the skin covered her bones rippled in reciprocation to his heated gaze.
Brielle could still feel the comforting warmth of her mate's stare when she turned back to the demi-Fae warrior still knelt at her front. Lorcan was watching her with his narrowed dark eyes, a vein looked about near to popping on the skin across his forehead. He shifted slightly, trying to break the invisible grip of her magic caging him inside his own body.
A movement from the archway entrance of the training room drew Brielle's gaze across. A female and Male, both Fae stalked in side by side, dressed in their usual black suits, the female of the two had her hood pulled up over her raven hair, the shadow covering most of her face. The male walked without balking at the old powerful Fae which all watched them walk in. Brielle didn't need them to introduce themselves to know who they were. Teyra and Isaiah, two of the Fae from her section of Maeve vast army.
The pair didn't so much as look at the other three Fae males as they passed heads still held high, Brielle smiled at their postures— prideful forever, just as she had taught them. They stopped a few paces across from where she and Lorcan were, the male still kneeling. Isaiah look confused for a fraction of a heart beat before he began to grin.
"Well isn't this just a wonderous sight to witness"
Lorcan's responding growl filled the air, he shifted on his knees a bead of sweat began to trill down the expanse of his jaw.
Isaiah glanced to the higher ranking male at his commander feet a brow arched in amusement, the muscle reaching into his lightly tousled sandy hair.
"Commander"
The female Fae was now looking back to her superior, Brielle met her gaze. A warm smile etched onto her lips, a hand extended, Teyra reached to clasp it.
"We had not expected you back so soon" she continued. Brielle gave Teyra's hand a light squeeze,
"Believe me, neither had I"
Brielle noticed Teyra's eyes flick to look over her shoulder a second before Brielle felt a hand rested onto the smalls of her back.
Fenrys' earthy scent soothed ever roaring memory inside her that she was trying to banish with a mask of training. His hand was warm and she felt the shivers its heat caused when it clashed with her cooling skin.
"What of our recent reports?"
Teyra and Isaiah shared a look. They expressions growing darker then the oncoming night. Isaiah was hesitant with a glance before he spoke up, his voice low
"That matter must be spoken in less..." his stare skittered across the space to the other soldiers now wandering into the room for their personal sparring sessions "crowded quarters"
Brielle turned to meet the expression of her mate who was already giving her a knowing look. His face had changed remarkably since the day they had first met, his skin now bore a few extra scars here and there. All of which she had embrace when they appeared, just as he had done for her own scars. His skin was paler when they met and his expression had still been young, inexperienced and his eyes had yet to see hardship. Brielle couldn't help but wonder how much she had changed, and which of those changes were visible now and which not.
His fingers curled at the base of her spin, bringing her back, The corner of his eyes twitched, not by much, but enough that she would notice— a silent question.
Are you okay?
That was something she would have to answer later when they were alone, so for now Brielle swallowed hard and turned to give a nod towards her two warriors. Teyra and Isaiah were sharing a smile with each other, they were the only ones outside of Maeve's elite warriors who knew of her secret with Fenrys.
The day they had asked, Brielle had given them the answers they sought, it would have been useless to lie to them, Teyra had known her as long as Fenrys, and he could read her as clearly as the day. Isaiah had known her for longer than she truly knew herself. Lying would have been a waste of everyone's time.
Teyra turned, Isaiah with her, the male didn't leave before chuckling lightly at Lorcan who still looked tense kneeling on the floor, except now when Brielle looked he had a defeated look marring his expression.
Gavriel and Connell had now come across the short journey to join them. Brielle tilted a head while watching Lorcan, his lower lip twitched and she tried to hide her smirk at the words she could envision him repeating to her inside his head.
"Well I have business to attend to"
She turned to look down at her brother and Connell, Fenrys's warmth was still behind her, a wall of comfort. A finger curling into the bone above her elbow.
"and you look like your about ready to rip my head off" she had turned back to Lorcan, his face near to a tint of red. Brielle smiled a hand coming up to hide it as best she could. She had things she needed to get done and she couldn't have Lorcan trying to rip her head off while she dealt with them.
His lip twitched again.
"What do you say boys, safest option is to leave him here until he calms down?" there was an answering laugh to her question. Lorcan's eyes opened a fraction. In anger or panic she didn't know.
She found humour in it either way.