Ileus: The Dark Prince

The blade of the sword rested on Anastasia's shoulder. She slid it from there, the fabric of the tunic rustling. "You won't be able to learn from Ileus, but I can give you a lesson or two," she said to Maude and winked, with a smirk.

"But Ana, I don't want you to get hurt!" Ileus protested.

Anastasia looked at him with a sweet smile. "Rest assured, I won't be the one who would be hurt."

Now Ileus didn't know how to take that sentence. Was it a threat or was it an assurance? Knowing his wife's stubbornness, he took a deep breath and stepped aside.

Maude was flustered. She licked her lips as she stared from Ileus to Anastasia and then back to him. She bowed to the princess. "I— I—" she stuttered to find the right words.

Anastasia swirled her sword deftly in the air. "Are you afraid, Maude?" she asked, her lips curling up in a vicious smile. But in reality, she had thrown the gauntlet on the floor.

And like the true soldier she was, Maude picked up the gauntlet. "I am ready, Your Highness," she replied.

Anastasia circled her as Maude stood with her sword in her front. "Do you know how to fight with Faes?" she asked Maude in a low voice that made the girl shiver.

"We have been trained with the wizards and witches, so I do have an idea," she replied.

"Good," Anastasia replied as she came to stand in front of her. "Then let's start!"

Before Maude could even look back, Anastasia was behind her back and thrust a jab at her back. Maude stumbled in the front. "Faes rely on their speed and magic," Anastasia said, as she struck her again without giving Maude a chance to get up.

Maude used that opportunity to scramble away from her. She rolled on the floor and got up. She spun to her right, lifted herself off the floor and leapt at Anastasia in the air with her sword facing her. Her idea was to strike the sword in her hand. Everything went in slow motion after that. 𝘧reewℯ𝚋noѵ𝒆l.cｏ𝙢

Anastasia had spread her wings and shot in the air much above her. Maude leapt in the air, but when Anastasia flew higher, she missed her and fell on the ground. Anastasia laughed. The next moment, she was back on the ground with her sword right on Maude's neck. "Is that all you have?" she said, rolling her free shoulder. "What did you think that sword fighting is all about in the Lore?" she sneered. "Were you sporting with me or was this real? I can take your head in a moment right now!"

Maude's face flushed with visible anger. "Using your wings is unfair," Maude replied with a hiss in her voice. "I don't have the same trait as you have! How is this fair?" she accused, looking at Ileus for help. But she found the prince rolling his eyes as he stood on the side with his arms crossed across his chest.

Anastasia chuckled. "I was expecting that complaint from you. But when you were out in the battlefield at Vilinski, which you so proudly mentioned last night, were you expecting the Faes and demons and others in the battle to fight on level grounds?"

Maude was dumbfounded.

"When you are out there, all you want is to keep that head of yours on your shoulders!" She removed her sword from her neck and moved her chin. "Get out!" She looked at the remaining four girls. "Anyone want to fight with me?"

While Maude rose up to her feet, feeling a thousand shades of embarrassment, she also hoped that one of her friends would challenge the princess, but none even spoke a word. She rubbed the back of her neck and went to stand with them sheepishly.

"Would you like to fight with me, Anastasia?" Ileus said.

Anastasia poked her tongue in her cheek. She raised her eyebrow. "Are you going to use your broom?"

"You think you will slice my broom into half? Very well then. I won't be using it if you agree not to use your wings. It's a fair deal."

She shrugged. "I am anyway pretty efficient with or without them."

When he came to stand near her with his golden eyes blazing, she swayed a little and her lips parted. "I will strike you and all you have to do is block me. And you only have fifteen minutes."

They started circling each other. "I will attack you, Aly, instead of blocking you!" she said with confidence.

"Uhn-huh? Game on, baby!" He wanted to play this game in the bedroom. She was terrifyingly sexy. Blood rushed between his thighs.

He made the first strike which was slow so that she could block him. His strikes increased and she could feel adrenalin gushing in her system. As he struck her faster, she faced him deftly, evading him, striking him back. Suddenly, something appeared in his hand that Anastasia noticed from the corner of her eye. He threw a pillow at her and she cleaved it into half. Tufts of feathers floated in the air. She was so mesmerized by all the feathers that he used the chance to hit her butt cheek hard with his hand. Infuriated as hell, she gave him a deadly look. He winked. "I know you love getting spanked."

Her fury gave way to a yell and she leapt at him. He evaded her and she ended up cleaving two spears and a table. She turned back to look at him.

"I wish you were wearing a short skirt," he said when she came back at him and he blocked her sword midair. "Or maybe a corset of a milk-maiden."

"Ileus!" she said in a guttural voice. She launched her attack, but the dark prince was too quick. He deflected her. However, the Fae princess had judged his action. She struck him faster this time and he barely managed to get out of her way, letting another table splinter instead of him.

"Is that all you have, sweetheart?"

Anastasia snarled. With alarming agility, she struck his sword at forty-five-degree angle and sliced the tip of it. "Oh dear, did I cut your sword?"

Ileus stared at her as surprise flickered through him. He realized that she was pretty fast, especially now because there was an audience. The wolf had to play dirty. He pushed her away and charged him again, but this time he spun in a way that he got behind her. And soon his blade was on her throat. Immediately, he dropped the sword to the ground and now only his muscular arm was pinning her against his chest. "My darling," he said and once again spanked her. "I love when you get jealous."

"I am not jealous!" she replied through her clenched teeth. If he had dropped his word, she dropped it too. His other hand snaked around her waist and pulled her closer. She felt his rock-hard erection on her back.

"Now look what have you done to this sword," he hissed in a low voice. "How will you fight this? Would you like to get impaled on it?"