ZADE.
âSurvival training.â
âSurvival?â Valerie asks me as she rubs her arms, glancing at the dark looming forest behind 1. me.
âYeah, this will last three or four hours. The first thing I want to work on with stamina, resistance, vigilance, and observance.â
you is your She nods, although Iâm sure this wonât be as easy as she thinks it might be. âYou can choose three things from this sack to help you. Aside from that, you will have to find things in the forest too. Choose wisely.â
We had woken up early to get started on our training session, and I now watch as she kneels down and quickly begins rummaging through the bag, picking out a small thin weapon, smart since itâll be easier to carry whereas the gun could run out of bullets⦠poison, and antidote.
Sheâs smart, but she missed out on one very vital item⦠scent disguiserâ¦
Sheâll be easier to find without masking her scentâ¦
âAlright⦠Iâll start off easy,â I say, looking down at Valerie. She is wearing black yoga pants with a black zippedâup hoodie. The sun isnât out, itâs still dark and thereâs a very light shower of rain. But Iâm not going to let the opportunity of using these incredible terrains for training slip by.
Iâll go easy on her since itâs her first day and if she is pregnant⦠then I donât want to end up doing anything extreme.
âOk, Iâm ready.â
âNo, youâre not. You havenât done your stretches. Weâll start with a simple game of chase. I want you to run, as fast as you can as if itâs for your survival: Run until-â
âUntil I can no longer run?â she asks me, cocking a brow.
I tilt my head, looking at her emotionlessly as I walk up to her. âThen youâre dead. I was going to say run until your feet bleed, run and keep running even if it feels like you canât, keep going.
If you canât run, then crawl. If you can crawl, roll. No matter what, you donât stop until youâre. dead.â I circle her slowly, knowing she wonât be able to keep up with this training, but I want to push past her barriers.
âThatâs disturbing,â she laughs nervously as she looks me over. Iâm wearing black sweatpants and a hoodie and I cock a brow when she gulps.
âYou havenât seen disturbing. But I assure you, baby girl when I am done with you, you wonât be afraid to walk alone. Anywhere.â
â CL âThat sounds promising.â She smiles.
âFrom here on out, your aim is to make sure I donât catch you. Iâm not your Zade during training. Iâm someone who wants your blood.â My voice becomes low, my aura flaring, making her eyes widen at my words, but I want her to feel fear, want her to use her adrenaline and her instincts to the max. âRun.â
âWhat?â she asks âI havenât warmed-â
I spin the dagger in my hand, my eye flashing, and she gulps, âShit I lost my chance, ok Iâm going!â she backs away before she turns and begins running.
âTen⦠nineâ¦â I begin counting down as she disappears into the trees. The moment I say âone â, I give chase, pocketing my knife and taking out my gun instead.
Following her scent isnât hard, and sheâs done nothing to confuse and hide her tracks. Itâs not long before I can hear her heart beating loudly once again. She doesnât even know Iâm close.
âI can smell you, Little Mateâ¦â I whisper into the trees, inhaling deeply, knowing sheâs close. Her shaky muffled breaths, her little gasps and the sound of her heart are like music as I hunt her.
Suddenly, I glance to the right. âRemember, you do not want me to find you⦠because every time I do, it will mean thatâs how many times I could have killed you.
Sheâs backing away and I let out a low growl, making her gasp, and I hear her fall. Thatâs when I decide to end it. Iâve given her plenty of time. I follow the sound and see her try to edge away. Silently, I slip around the tree, sneaking up behind her and wrap my hand around her neck.
She screams, trying to push me away, and I press the barrel of my gun against the side of her forehead, making her freeze.
âAnd this is the part you would drop dead,â I whisper, making her shiver. Thereâs something about her heart pounding with fear that amuses me a little. I kiss her cheek slowly, making her tense. Whatâs wrong? Are you scared?â