Soraya landed on the gym mat with an oomph.

Lena raced over, heart in mouth. "Jesus Christ, Soraya! Are you okay?"

The Princess sat up with a groan and shook her head, her messy curls tumbling around her face. She gave a delicate laugh. "I'm fine, Lena, honestly."

Lena's heartbeat evened out a little, though anxiety still clawed at her as she helped her sister-in-law up. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all."

Soraya popped back up to her feet. "I'm just not used to it, that's all. This was an excellent idea."

Lena scooped up Soraya's training blade. "I'm sure this must count as treason or something. There must be some kind of law against fighting the Princess."

Soraya took the sword and smiled. "Technically, you outrank me now, Lena, so it can't be treason. Assault and battery, perhaps, but not treason."

Lena's jaw dropped as she looked aghast.

The Princess giggled. "I'm joking!"

"Oh. Right."

"Let's go again. I'm determined to get this."

Lena shifted her position so she stood side on to the Princess. The decision to teach Soraya to fight had come out of nowhere really. When Soraya said she didn't know one end of the sword from another, Lena decided right there and then that that needed rectifying. No woman should be left defenceless and there was no reason why Soraya shouldn't learn. All that said, she hadn't told Thorn and Kaden of her plans. Soraya hadn't either and Lena wanted to keep it that way. Something told her that neither of them would be too pleased with Soraya fighting.

"You need to think about your footwork," she said as she turned her attention back to Soraya. "Balance is everything."

Soraya nodded.

"You need to be a little less ladylike. Widen your stance, have your feet shoulder width apart and when you move, move so your legs spread apart. If your feet are close together, you'll lose your balance more easily."

The other woman adjusted her stance. "Like this?"

"Exactly. Now, you want to keep your opponent away from you, but there's no use doing that by holding the blade too far away from your body. If your arm is already stretched out, it'll hurt your ability to thrust and parry quickly. Keep your elbows bent and close to your body. Extend your blade towards your opponent, not your arms."

"Alright," Soraya replied as she tucked her arm closer to her body.

Lena nodded. "Good. Now as you move, keep your feet flat. The more of your foot on the floor, the better your balance."

"Got it."

Keeping Soraya side on, Lena advanced on her. The Princess did much better this time, moving with more purpose, keeping her stance wide and balanced. Lena thrust her sword, and instead of parrying and wasting energy, Soraya side-stepped. Lena attacked again, aiming for the Princess's head. The other woman ducked and raised her sword at the same time, blocking Lena's shot.

"Excellent. Again."

The dance continued, Soraya's confidence with the blade growing. Her movements were quick and well-executed, avoiding or blocking Lena's attack at every turn.

"Good. Now let's look at your attack. Your reach will be shorter than most of your opponents’ and you don't have the strength for a sustained fight with a long sword. That means you'll have a lighter sword and will have to be closer to attack."

Soraya's golden eyes widened. "I'm not sure I like the sound of that."

Lena smirked. "Being closer has its advantages." Like watching the light die in their eyes as you kill the bastards.

"I don't think you and I will ever agree on that," Soraya replied as she watched her closely.

Lena plastered her best, winning smile across her face. "What I meant was that a bigger, slower opponent has weaknesses you can exploit." She snapped her sword toward a training dummy and moved in close. "You can swing faster than someone with a longer reach, but you can also get in close and stay within their guard." Lena demonstrated by slicing the dummy across the stomach. "Being in close means they'll have difficulty getting a good swing in. Remember to always aim for their body, preferably their throat, not their sword."

Soraya gulped but nodded.

"You might not ever need this, Soraya, but I'd rather you be prepared."

She took a deep breath. "You're right, of course. And it is somewhat liberating to know I can take care of myself."

"Of course you can."

A broad smile broke on Soraya's face. "And of course, I intend to hold up my end of the bargain."

Oh bugger. She'd forgotten about that.

* * *

Thorn plonked down in his chair and did his best to ignore the mounting piles of paperwork on his desk. Kaden's plan of putting out the call would only add to the burden, but the Keeper of the Watch did have a point. Their resources were stretched on the best of days. Guaranteeing the safety of their House and the rest of the dwindling race at the same time would be virtually impossible as things were.

"The letters have gone then?"

Kaden nodded. "I expect prompt replies," he said eyeing the paperwork.

Thorn sighed. "Yeah, I know. Maybe one of the respondents will do as a secretary. I fucking hate paperwork."

"Only if said secretary is a bloke."

Ha. Kaden had a point. There was no going back on his mating bond with Lena, but he didn't want to throw a spanner in the works before they'd even been handfasted by hiring some young slip of a girl.

"Where is everyone tonight? It's suspiciously quiet around here."

"Mercury's taken Ryver out for a drink. He's not going to have much fun with these interviews, so I think Mercury's plan involves plenty of booze and plenty of women. In no particular order."

Thorn couldn't help but grimace at the thought of what Ryver would go through during those interviews. Mercury was right; the kid deserved a break. "Good choice. Skylar and Phoenix are on duty then?"

"Yup. They're clearing a nest in Lambeth."

"Backup?"

"Me, Lena, you if needed. I doubt we'll be needed though. It's not one of Asher's cells, just some scum squatting together."

As much as they were all itching for it, they couldn't cope with a full-scale assault at the moment. Lena had always been up for a fight. Now she was gunning for revenge too. The Fallen had taken a lot from all of them, but they'd stolen Lena's childhood, her family, the life she should have had.

"I need you to keep Lena out of the field as much as possible," he told Kaden.

The Keeper of the Watch raised a white-blond eyebrow.

"I know—easier said than done."

"You got that right. You know I can't order her to stay in. She won't do it."

"An order is an order, Kaden."

"Would you obey an order I gave you if you didn't want to?"

Thorn didn't even take a second to consider his answer. "No."

"I rest my case."

"What's that supposed to mean."

"You can choose whether to obey my orders because you are my King, my superior."

"Yes. And?"

Kaden rolled his eyes. "Jesus, Thorn. Get with the program."

"Huh?"

"It's the same reason your orders don't resonate with her like they used to. She's your equal. She's my superior. She's our Queen."

Thorn, you're an idiot. Since they'd sealed their mating bond, it hadn't occurred to him to give Lena a direct order. He had given edicts to the Order as a whole though. He hadn’t realised they had little effect on his mate.

"Shit."

Kaden pushed his hair out of his eyes. "Tell me you didn't really think an order was the best way of keeping her safe?"

"No," Thorn replied, avoiding Kaden's gaze.

The guy just crossed his arms.

"Okay. Fine. It had occurred to me. I just want her safe, Kaden. An order couldn't have hurt."

"Yeah. You're right. We don't need our balls anyway."

Thorn saw the smirk creeping across his friend's face. "Okay. Okay. You got any bright ideas?"

Kaden cocked his head to one side, a look flashing through his eyes that Thorn didn't understand. He took in a deep breath. "I do as it happens, but I'm not sure you're going to like it. To be honest, I don't think I like it."

"Go on."

"Lena's teaching Soraya to fight."

"What?" The timbre of Thorn's voice rose. It was the last thing he’d expected Kaden to say.

"You heard."

The image of his sister in a sword fight with one of the best swordsmen he'd ever known made him feel ill. His skill at tracking wasn't as powerful as Kaden's. He had to concentrate to follow his brethren, and even then, he could only tell where they were, like a pin in a map. He couldn't see them the way Kaden could. He got more of a sense of those closest to him, like his sister and his beloved Lena, but he still couldn't track them both at the same time. For instance, he knew without having to think about it that Lena was in the gym. He could feel her determination and sense of purpose, sense the physical exertion, but he couldn't see her. His mind switched courses and went after Soraya. Like Kaden said, she was in the gym too. He could feel her sense of accomplishment, but it was a mere whisper of emotion.

"Why the fuck is Lena anywhere near my sister with a sword?" It came out in a growl. He couldn't help it. Soraya was not a fighter, nor was she ever meant to be. "This isn't right."

* * *

Kaden's brow furrowed as he watched Thorn reeling at the thought of Soraya fighting. His own stomach was in knots at the thought, so he wasn't really one to talk. Soraya was too delicate and, well, ladylike, to be anywhere near a fight. If Soraya needed protecting, Kaden would walk through fire to be there for her. He couldn't imagine a situation where the Princess would ever be left defenceless. He wouldn't allow it.

In his mind's eye, he watched as Soraya danced across the gym, her beautiful dark hair tumbling around her face as she moved, her golden eyes sparkling with determination as she parried Lena's attack. He gulped as he saw her flash Lena a smile before returning the favour. She moved quickly, gracefully. Full of a power he didn't know she possessed, she attacked Lena with purpose. She learnt quickly. And she learnt very well.

Kaden couldn't stop the smile spreading across his face.

"What the fuck are you smiling at?"

Kaden felt the smile fall from his lips as he tried to figure out what to say. They could use this to their advantage. "I take it Lena didn't tell you about this cunning plan of hers?"

A raised eyebrow over glowering golden eyes was his answer.

Kaden nodded. "Then she obviously thought you wouldn't like it."

"And she'd be right. Why would she do this without talking to me?"

Because you can be a chauvinist pig? "You mean how like you invited the whole race to her wedding?"

Thorn's mouth flapped around. "This is different and you fucking know it. Soraya could get hurt."

"And Lena?"

Thorn just stared at him.

Kaden held his hands up in surrender. "Fair enough. But I think you underestimate your sister. Soraya is much stronger than you give her credit for."

The King slammed his fist onto his desk. "Soraya isn't a fighter, Kaden. I don't ever want her to have to fight. This House will protect her. The Order will protect her. I will protect her."

"And Lena?"

The anger fizzled out. "Jesus, Kaden, I'd protect her with my life if she'd let me."

"But she doesn't want you to. She doesn't need protecting, at least not the way you want to."

Thorn closed his eyes as he took in a shaky breath. "Because no one should determine our own fate."

Kaden nodded.

"I can't make her stop, so how is this supposed to help?"

"I tell her it's a good idea."

"Huh?"

"If I put Soraya on the training roster, Lena will make sure she's the one training her. If she's spending time training Soraya, she'll be less inclined to do something stupid."

Thorn smirked as he looked back at him. "You're a devious fucker sometimes."

"Better me than you. If you told her to stay home for her own safety, you can bet your bottom dollar she'll be marching out of here and straight over to Asher's front door just to spite you."

"You were right, you know."

"Eh?"

Thorn shook his head. "Goddess help me, but that woman is nothing but trouble."

Kaden wasn't the type to say, "I told you so," but damn he really wanted to.