Page 125 of Lady Knight and the Thief

“And they will all be gone soon, so it does not matter.”

“No.”

Cade stopped mid-stride and cocked his head to look at Cypress once more. “What did you just say to me?”

“I said no. It stops now.”

Cade laughed, a cruel, full laugh that came from his gut, and forced him to bend at the waist.

“What's a dead girl going to do about it, Cypress?” he said. “You were born in the gutters of this castle, and you’ll die here too.”

Then, he grabbed one of the other swords from the display.

“You have to stop this,” Cypress tried once more, with a silent urge for Torren tohurry the fuck up.

Cade didn’t hesitate and swung his sword in a great arc. Cypress parried the blow, then slashed at his feet to make him jump backward.

“You’ll never win,” Cypress reminded Cade while they traded blows.

Before she left Grethnah, Cade had never beaten her in any of their spars. Not once had Cade claimed victory over Cypress.

That would not change today.

“We should have sent Oswald after you sooner,” Cade said through clenched teeth. “Maybe then he would have managed to kill you, and Torren too.”

“We? Daddy dearest let you in on the plans?” Cypress asked and ducked under the edge of his sword as he swung it around.

He’d used this same combo on her countless times, and because of it, she knew exactly what his next move would be– a second slice, albeit lower than the first. Cypress danced out of the way once more and parried the strike with a sweeping arc.

With a growl, Cade said, “I know all of my father’s plans, Cypress. I told him when to get you, and I told him your weaknesses. I told him that I feared your loyalty had switched. Me.Itold him.”

“Yeah, then I suppose you should have sent Oswald sooner. Guess that means it'syourfault that we escaped,” Cypress goaded. Her smile was borne from a lifetime of doing this.

Sparring with Cade was second nature as Cypress whirled around and attacked.

“You know, had you just killed Oswald, we would have never suspected you would show up tonight,” Cade said, and slashed his sword at her face.

His knuckles already had a few cuts dripping blood, which would only make his grip that much worse.

Sloppy. He always fought so sloppily.

“Yeah, I guess. The message was clear, though, wasn’t it?” Cypress grinned and easily pushed his sword away with her own.

“Yeah, you’re a Faerie bitch now. So now, I’ll have to kill you.”

“Good luck,” Cypress grit, then went on the offense. She backed him into the corner with every step, with every twitch of her blade against his.

“Fucking-bitch-” Cade grunted as he kept giving up more and more ground to her advances.

“You could always yield to me,” Cypress grinned, the familiar joy of beating his ass sang in her blood.

“Not this time,” Cade said, his teeth gnashing together. “You tookhisside over mine, you betrayed me!”

Again, Cypress swung her sword and inched him backward as their blades kissed. Each time, sparks fly between them.

“You call seeing villages burned and razed and then deciding to do something about it betrayal?” Cypress asked incredulously.

“YES! Where’s the fucking loyalty, Cypress? I raised you out of that hole we found you in. Howdareyou choose him over me?” Cade huffed, his face now as red as fresh blood.