The sound of man and wife colliding with passion resonated through the training hall, sharper than any blade. Sparks spat against the padded mats as Nikolai forced Leona back, only for her to twist like a whirlwind, her daggers flashing in overlapping arcs.
Leona...
She was fast, much faster than Anya, faster than Ryan's desperate lunges. Each motion flowed into the next like a beautiful waterfall. Controlled and lethal, nothing wasted. Her eyes shone as her ponytail whipped like a banner of fire.
...You're so beautiful right now.
"Darling," she said through a smile that was half-snarl, half-bliss, "you're too slow."
Nikolai's grin spread across his face, forcing his aura around him, boiling the air until the walls trembled. "Too slow? Then catch me!"
He stomped, then vanished in a blur.
