First Kiss in a Relationship
Kallista winced at another sharp gust of wind. She may have been covered head to toe in thick winter gear, but the tiny ice crystals in the air were brutal. It didn’t matter though, she had a job to do. A branch cracked above her. She didn’t move. One second, two seconds. Then she threw herself to the side right before a shape crashed into the snowbank where she had been hiding.
Kallista drew her blade, grinning. The time for waiting was done, and her body was high on adrenaline. Her opponent smiled back, freckles covering her cheeks. She was also in winter whites, easy to see any marks. Her dagger dripped green, while Kallista’s was still coated in red.
The other assassin moved first, slashing out. Kallista dove at the ground, using the snow to cushion her fall and push up onto the other side. She swung her arm out, but it was blocked. Kallista backed up another step.
“You afraid, Kalli-girl?”
“Come on, Miskaria. See if you can hit me.” Kallista raised her eyebrows in challenge.
Miskaria was good, brilliant, and more trained than Kallista. But Kallista had spent the last ten minutes arranging her site by expecting her opponent to find her first. Dodge, parry, duck. Jump, spin, roll. One last swipe and then–
Miskaria tumbled into a hidden snowpit. Before she could move, Kallista ran her blade over her neck, leaving red behind.
“Seriously, Kalli?” the other woman complained, leaning back in the pit. “Paint-blade used to be fun before you joined up.”
“I think you mean that you used to win easier,” Kallista said, a small smile tugging at her lips. She jumped into the pit to join her team leader. “Red team’s gonna win now that you’re out.”
“I don’t see you making any moves to help them,” Miskaria pointed out.
“I’ve been told I’m not supposed to leave any team members behind,” Kallista said dryly. “If I leave you here, we might not be able to find you again.”
Miskaria shook her head, a soft smile on her face. “You’re just a big softie underneath all those edges.”
Kallista glared at her, but it didn’t last long. Miskaria understood her in a way no one had in years. She taught her all her best tricks, gave her advice, helped her through the Blood Rose training so far. She was one of the only people Kallista still smiled around. She didn’t leave when Kallista yelled, not even the anniversary of her killing of the elder VanGaunts, when Kallista refused to tell her why she was so upset. Miskaria just laid there next to her until she calmed down. Maybe that’s why Kallista accepted her offer of a drink, even though she didn’t know any of the phrases up north that would signify what kind of interest Miskaria had. Over a month later and they were still going on dates.
“Kalli-girl, you’re thinking too much.”
“Sorry, Kari.”
“What were you thinking about?” Miskaria asked, gaze unreadable. Kallista knew better than to lie.
“You. Us. Whatever.”
Miskaria smiled. “Us?”
“I said, whatever,” Kallista deflected. Miskaria reached out and dragged Kallista closer to her, blocking her instinctive grab for her knives.
“I like the sound of us,” Miskaria told her seriously. She tapped Kallista on the nose. While Kallista was still surprised, Miskaria leaned down and kissed her softly, giving her plenty of time to move away. When that didn’t happen, Miskaria’s kisses grew hungrier and more forceful. Kallista wouldn’t back down from any challenge, especially not from her girlfriend.
The pair returned to camp over an hour later, clothes disheveled and bruises near each other’s necks to the sound of plenty of laughter and the jingle of coins exchanging hands.