Immortals After Dark 06 - Dark Desires After Dusk

right at her ear. “The word sword comes from the Old English sweord, which comes from the root swer, meaning to stab or prick.” His voice was as low and rumbling as ever. “ Gladius, the Latin word for sword, also means penis.”
    “It does not.” She sounded unaccountably breathy.
    “Do you want to bet me?” His chin rubbed over the point of her ear, the stubble tickling the sensitive tip, and she had to stifle a shiver.
    Against her will, she found herself growing aroused by the heat of his massive body along her back. She could feel the rigid muscles of his torso flexing and relaxing as he moved with her.
    “Since the first sword was forged, it’s been a symbol of manliness and virility. You can see why when it’s upright. Tell me, Holly, as you grip the hilt, does it call to mind anything you’ve seen recently?”
    “Cadeon,” she said warningly.
    He continued undaunted, “And if the Latin word sword means penis, then you can imagine that the term for scabbard is its counterpart. That’s right, halfling, a scabbard is called a va —”
    “Stop! You’re making this up.”
    “I’m not. If you read Julius Caesar’s De Bello Gallico in the original Latin, you’re in for a laugh, because soldiers are always dropping their scabbards or even using their scabbards to clod their foes over the head.”
    Another rasp of his chin over her ear. Did he know it was driving her crazy? Oh, of course he did!
    “They say every sword has its perfect scabbard.”
    She refused to allow him to make even sword fighting sexual. “I’m going to double check everything you’re saying.”
    “Be my guest.”
    “So you read Julius Caesar?”
    “In the original Latin, Holls. Do you like me better now that you know I can read ancient languages?”
    “I would have been impressed with proof that you can read at all.”
    “Sharp-tongued Valkyrie. Now here’s your fighting stance. Feet shoulder-width apart.” He tapped her ankle with his own to get her to step her foot out more.
    “Should I stay on my toes?”
    “Good question. Normally, no. To withstand hits, you have to keep your balance—which is more easily done on flat feet. You’d be amazed at how hard another sword can come down—it’ll throw you. And to give hard strikes, again, you need both feet firmly on the ground. That said, the Valkyrie fighting style is different than most.”
    “How?”
    “They rely on speed. They can get behind you before you even have time to turn your head. Their swords are usually smaller, rapier-like, made more for thrusting jabs than for striking. If one were to fight me, she’d try to prevent my sword from hitting hers at all. They most often kill with a blow to the back.”
    “That doesn’t seem very sporting.” It went against everything she’d been taught—or, at least, that she’d learned from westerns and movies with galactic honor systems.
    “Sword fighting in the Lore isn’t sporting . It’s about keeping your head on your shoulders. Okay, now chest up.” He placed his palm on her shoulder and pulled back. “Raise the sword in front of your nose and let the tip drop to about forty-five degrees from your face. This is called the middle position. From here you can block blows from the right or the left. Now let’s modify this a little.” He maneuvered her body so that she was standing with her shoulder in front.
    He kept touching her, but she couldn’t pinpoint an instance where it was unwarranted.
    “If you turn to the side like this, it reduces the visible area of your body, making you a smaller target.”
    “Are you going to use your stolen broom handle, or not?”
    He raised his brows. “You think you’re ready to cross swords? Very well.”
    When he released her to collect the stick, she nearly swayed and was glad he didn’t see.
    Facing her again, he said, “I’m going to strike, and I want you to block.” Raising the stick, he knocked it against the sword, and they began to spar.
    As they circled each other, he continued his instruction. “Never hesitate. Never appear nervous. Elbows at your side. Keep compact.”
    His hits were slow enough that she could block them each time. “Avoid multiple combatants. Like in hand-to-hand, don’t be ashamed to run if you’re outnumbered.”
    As they increased in speed, adrenaline began to pump through her.
    “Throughout history most sword fights have been decided with the first blow. Not like on TV. Every movement counts.”
    He was