With his massive frame, he preferred the use of his legs. Taekwondo training was evident. I took some knees. Okay, I'm not going to lie, I took a few punches too. But I gave as good as I got.

I saw someone else coming to the door. Fuck. I was losing steam, and I needed to end things quickly.

"What's the matter? Is the little prince tired? We're just going to help you rest. Come with us, and you can rest as long as you like."

Were these my cousin's men? My second cousin was the current king of Nomea. His family had ousted mine from the throne a couple of generations ago.

Why would he be coming after us now? Xander and I hadn't done anything. Just the thought of my brother had me wincing. Shit. Xander.

I had to stay alert. What if Xander needed me?

My opening came when the guy delivered a kick to my midsection. I took the brunt of the force, but I also grabbed his leg.

His cocky smirk disappeared quickly as I pulled him off his feet and then launched myself at him. Good old-fashioned ground and pound. Elbows. Punches. I grabbed him by the shirt, and I laid into him. I let the rage take over, the anger; all of it poured out.

Behind me, someone tried to pull me off. And then I could see it, the black bag sliding into my field of vision. I released the guy in front of me, and as he sagged down, I twisted around, determined to avoid the fucking black-bagging.

What the hell was wrong with these people? From my position on the ground, I had nowhere else to go. I didn't really want to punch the guy in the nuts, but it was my best line of defense. Elbow backward first, and then I twisted and punched. It didn't take much, and he went down.

Then I was on my feet. The kick I landed sent him several feet back. "Tell my cousin if he wants to come for me, he's going to need more men."

Then I heard a voice from behind me. "Well done. But you really shouldn't play with your food, Alexi."

I released the one on the floor and turned slowly. "Jean Claude?"

My mother’s long-time advisor stepped out from the shadows. "You were slow. Lethargic. In the field, that could be dangerous. But you ah…" he glanced around, "recovered quickly. What was this? I taught you a million times, when your cousin comes for you, or anyone looking for ransom for that matter, be efficient, unemotional. This… this was nothing but emotion."

I glowered at my childhood mentor. "This was another test?"