Calina
༛༛ ༛ ༛༺♔༻༛ ༛ ༛༛

My day had been thrown off balance from the moment I woke up this afternoon.
Sleeping in after pulling an all-night movie marathon with Alice and Emilio probably wasn't the best idea.

Not when my days comprised of mind numbing lessons in etiquette, languages, law, et cetera. The list seemed endless and I was behind on everything. Theoretically, being a princess sounded awesome. In reality, it was not, and the Princess part was still my biggest struggle. I was expected to do what I was told without asking questions. I could not fit in that little box anymore. Not asking questions, not demanding answers, was what uprooted my entire life.

I believe I deserved to have my own voice when it involved my life. Even if that labeled me as difficult.

Having brunch with the Queen, which she insisted on since she would be out of town for a few days doing charity events, left me bristling. Mostly because she wouldn't drop the subject of how I must behave like a proper princess while she was away. And now I was late for the only thing that made sense in my topsy-turvy life.

My speed walk turned into a flat-out run down to the dojo. The staff members walking in the halls of the castle gave me serious side-eye as I raced past them. I didn't care. My only concern was that the Grandmaster hadn't left for the day. Ira said he would notify Sebastian. Not sure exactly what that entailed, but hopefully, it meant the grandmaster would spare me some of his time.

The Dojo was almost empty when I walked in, except for Knox; he was in the far corner working a punching bag. I looked away quickly. I couldn't get distracted. And the way the sweat glistened off his defined biceps was definitely distracting. What was Knox even still doing here?

Grandmaster Sebastian stepped out of the supply closet, hidden behind a wall mirror. I smiled and waved. "Thank you for waiting, grandmaster. Would you be able to fit me in for a quick session? I really need to release some pent-up energy."

"Anything for you, Princess Calina. Stretch and warm up with the ropes for ten minutes while I finish wiping down the equipment."

"Yes, grandmaster." I bowed then did as instructed, popping my earbuds in to help me center my mind. Exactly four songs later, Sebastian and Knox stepped into my view.

Sebastian held out his hand. I dropped the rope, removing the pods from my ears and placed them in his waiting palm while simultaneously taking the fingerless gloves from his other hand.

"How would you fight a man the size of King Knox?" Sebastian inquired .

I frown over at Knox. He was at least ten inches taller than my 5'5 not to mention the breadth of his shoulders. The man was all solid muscle. His size alone was on the extreme end of intimidating. I couldn't help but notice the power in his strikes when he hit the punching bag.

Nope. He was not a man you fight.

"A man his size? I wouldn't, I'd run."

"Why? You are an exceptionally skilled fighter. His height or build shouldn't scare you. I want the two of you to square off."

My mouth popped open, and I stared at Sebastian in stony silence, wishing he'd take back his words. "I... I'm not scared. I..." My stammering excuses trailed off when I glanced at Knox. There was a perceptive edge to his eyes, maybe even a fleeting look of pity. His head inclined to the side, analyzing me. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to, Princess," he said softly, his voice contemplative and gentle.

I was positive he was only being virtuous, but for whatever reason, it still offended me. A scoff flew from my lips. I pushed aside the urge to fidget under his gaze and squared my shoulders.

"Okay, fine. Let's do this."

Knox arched a brow at my sarcastic tone, then smiled.

I was up for the challenge. I hoped.

Nervous energy hummed through me while we walked to the center of the room. There was a sweeping chill across my damp skin. If only I had a weapon of some sort to give me a slight advantage.

We faced each other. Bowed. Then I charged at him. It was important that I was on the offense. If he got the upper hand, there'd been no way I would win.

I feint like I was going for a right high kick, instead spinning and kicking his knee. It buckled, making Knox drop on all fours. He bounced up off the floor like it was on fire. As he stood, I front kicked his sternum. The painful blow made his chest seize. When he folded at the waist to ease the pain, I dropped to the ground, hooking my leg around his ankles, dropping him flat on his back.

Knox tried to roll to the side to get up, I moved even quicker, driving a knee between his shoulder blades while wrapping the other leg around his neck in a headlock. One foot behind my knee, the calf of my other leg crushed his trachea.
My legs were more powerful than my arms. Which was why for a man Knox's size, I used them for a headlock instead of my arms.

"You know, I didn't think I'd have you between my thighs so soon, King Knox," I whispered in an overly suggestive tone.

I couldn't see his face, but his chest bounced like he was laughing. Which meant my hold wasn't tight enough. I wrapped my hand around my ankle and knee to secure the headlock so he couldn't break it with his hands. Then locked my leg tighter against his throat until I heard the air hiss out of him.

"Tap out."

Nothing.

"Yield," I growled louder at Knox. He was going to pass out if he didn't.

"Fucking tap, you stubborn ass!" I yelled in warning.

Why the hell wasn't he listening? Sebastian hadn't stopped the fight, which meant Knox wasn't unconscious yet. It was possible my hold wasn't tight as I thought.

I loosened my grip, only for a brief second to readjust the hold. Knox did not miss a beat to make his move. He broke the choke hold with his hands. I kicked away to disentangle myself from him and pounced to my feet.

Shit, what had I done?

The ringing in my ears was so incredibly loud I couldn't hear myself think.
Knox was on me before I had a chance to even assess what the hell was going on. How could I screw up that badly?
I made such an amateur move.

My brain had no time to catch up to his movements. He was quick and precise. When he was hitting me, and I swear he landed every swing, it was nothing more than gentle taps.

That just pissed me off more. Knox was so fast I could only block most of his moves with no opportunity to make an attack of my own.

My heart was pounding in my throat. Before I could even comprehend what was going on, he had me flat on my back. Knox straddled me, his powerful thighs squeezing mine while he trapped my wrist in his vice-like grip above my head. His entire being overshadowed mine with dominance.

"What the hell just happened?" I blinked up at him, wanting an actual answer to my question.

A smile tugged on his soft, full lips. The air in my lungs faltered. In that moment, I forgot how to breathe. He was even more gorgeous up close.

Desire sparked to life, flickering in his hooded gaze.

Knox leaned in closer, compressing the space between us as he skimmed his thumb along my jawline in a tender touch. A ribbon of heat spiraled down my spine. I felt as if I were on fire. It was such a sensual caress. It was like I was drifting on a hazy cloud of lust.

"Stubborn ass, huh?" His breath swept across my lips, igniting my nerve endings like fireworks and desire interwove through every cell. I closed my eyes wishing I didn't want to yank him in closer for a deep possessive kiss.

I pulled against his hold on my wrist, testing the restraints.

"Do you tap out?"

The awareness bouncing and buzzing between us was intense. I could feel it unfurling around us like it had its own pulse. I couldn't seem to find my voice, nodding once in answer to his question.

"Why did you release your hold? You would have won," Knox inquired. His grip loosened on my wrist, but he didn't let go or make a move to get off me.

"You were going to pass out."
I was proud of myself for finding my voice, and it was only a little breathy.

"That doesn't sound like your problem, Calina." Smirking, Knox stood, pulling me with him.

Hearing my name come from his lips caused little stirrings of drunken butterflies to flutter in my belly.
I had never had a crush before. Was that what this feeling was?

"Princess Calina, that was absolutely incredible. King Knox has never been that close to losing a fight. He underestimated you and that was your advantage." Sebastian pulled me into a hug.

The sexual tension in the air broke with a damn near audible snap.

I cleared my throat nervously.
"Wait, you've never lost a fight?" Now I was mentally kicking myself. I could have won, but I let doubt creep in.

"Not since I was 13. I definitely underestimated your speed. It won't happen again, Princess."

"Don't be so sure. The princess is the most talented warrior I've ever worked with. She could rival your Ghosts." Sebastian beamed down at me with a fatherly pride that made my chest ache. I painted on a smile at his compliment, though.
In my recent studies, I had to learn more about my allies.
The Elysanos Ghost's were the most elite warriors in history. Some say even more skilled than the warrior Queen Ariadne.

"The King has agreed to train you for today. This is the highest honor, Princess. Focus on your lesson and I will see you tomorrow." Sebastian bowed before us and left the dojo.

"Is it an honor because you are a king or because you know what the hell you're doing?"

Knox squinted his eyes like he was about to smile. "You know... you have a very foul mouth for a Princess."

"Thank you!" I smirked. "Want me to show you all the other foul things my mouth can do, King Knox?" I arched my eyebrow in query.

He choked on a laugh, clearing his throat. "Alright, Trouble, let's focus on training."

♔

Collapsing beside Knox, I rolled over to my back. We lay side by side while I pulled my sweaty gloves off.
Knox trained me for forty five minutes before I called it quits. He pushed me to my limits, and it was the first good work out I'd gotten in a while. I turned my head, cataloguing his profile. He looked over at me just as my eyes landed on his lips.

"I've never met a woman like you. Training you was... well, the honor was mine," Knox said, leaping to his feet and walking towards the door.

"Wait," I called out, a bit frantically, shocking myself. I swallowed hard to clear my throat and scrambled to my feet. "You're just leaving? Why are you in such a hurry?"

I went over to him, a disappointed frown wrinkling my eyebrows. Frustration gnawed at me, tangled with my uncontrollable desire for him. He was supposed to have left days ago. I couldn't help but think that maybe I was the reason he still hadn't gone home.

Life was fickle. And I was in no mood for games where Knox was involved. So, I decided to jump with both feet off the edge of a very dangerous cliff.

"What's your story? Are you dating someone or is this attraction one sided?" The words rushed out of me all at once as my faux confidence deflated like a sad party balloon under his heated gaze.

"Definitely not one sided. You are bold. Candid. I adore that fiery spirit and foul mouth. The list goes on making it that much harder to resist you." He stepped in front of me, pulling at the hem of my shirt until there was hardly any space between us. I hummed my approval, licking my lips in anticipation as I breathed him in. Even though his skin was damp with sweat, he smelled incredible. His scent was spicy, possibly from his body wash and something else that was just him. I wanted to bury my face in his neck and breathe him in.

"Maybe you should stop resisting. No labels, just detached fun." I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him even closer.

"You're engaged, Princess."

My fingers trailed up the back of his neck, tugging on the hairs at the nape. His hands tightened around my waist, a groan of male hunger resonated through his chest.

"Everyone keeps telling me that but it simply isn't true. I just wanted you to know that I'm interested. I guess." Pulling away, I lightly rested my hands on his shoulders.

He turned his head, brushing his lips against the inside of my forearm. "I'm interested in you too."

My heart felt like it was going to soar out of my chest at his revelation. I trailed my nails along the scruff on his jawline. Knox angled his head down as I lifted onto my toes. I paused to savor the moment, our breaths mingling. "You can kiss me now," I whispered against his lips.

"Princess Calina?"

We both groaned in unison.
I stepped back out of Knox's hold, turning around to frown at the culprit that interrupted us.

"Henry." I glared at him.

"What are you doing?" Henry asked.

I rolled my eyes. It was fairly obvious what was about to happen between Knox and me.
"Pretty much whatever I want, Henry. Why?" I inquired with my hands on my hips.

"But I... but you... can't," Henry sputtered. His face was turning more red by the second.
My hand twitched at my side with the urge to smack Henry upside the head.

"King Knox, the princess is engaged to me. I am respectfully asking you to back off."

"Don't be a hopeless lovesick fool, Henry. You have no right to speak on my behalf. So why don't you back the hell off!"
I pushed past Henry, grabbing my shoes on the way out the door.

"I'll see you around, Trouble."

Looking over my shoulder, I flashed Knox a mischievous grin, closing the door behind me.

Only an inkling of guilt weighed on my shoulders for leaving Knox to clean up my mess. He was a king after all, I was sure he could handle it.