Training

DELLA

I see Sorin and Oz and another guy sitting at a table in the cafeteria. Oz is waving like a maniac, making me laugh. I turn to see if Kade wants to join us for lunch, but he’s already gone. I guess not.

I grab a dish of French fries and an iced tea and head to Oz and Sorin. I notice Sorin is wearing a deep red button-down instead of black like mine and Oz’s, or white like Kade’s. Did the school color-code us?

“Hey, Della. This is Micha,” Oz says, gesturing to the guy beside Sorin.

He’s tall and lean with copper eyes and a messy black tuft of hair in an unspiked mohawk. He’s gorgeous. His aura is mainly shades of reds and blues with a bit of pink mixed in. He’s also wearing a black button-down, so he’s probably a demon too.

“Hi, nice to meet you,” I say, smiling. His smile fades at my words. What did I do?

“Are you sure this is her? She’s what, sixteen? She’s tiny and bubbly,” he says, grimacing. Jerk. He loses some attractiveness points.

“I’m twenty-one, but thanks,” I retort, turning away from him as Sorin smacks him upside the head.

“So, how was angel class?” Oz asks.

“Informative, but not in the way I wanted,” I admit.

“I heard you met Caleb.” Sorin smirks.

I roll my eyes. “What did you hear?” I ask.

“That he tried to feel you up in the middle of class and you threatened to tear his arms off.” Oz’s grin widens.

It’s not wrong, so I just shrug, causing him and Sorin to laugh and Micha to look confused.

“What’s your next class?” he asks.

“Gym. I was assured it was combat training,” I say, double-checking.

“It is,” Sorin confirms. Oh, thank God!

“Good. I was afraid there was going to be sports,” I say, shuddering as I take a bite of a French fry.

“So, no news on what your classification is?” Oz asks.

I shake my head.

“You don’t know?” Sorin asks.

“Nope, I’m too weird. But Doc and Professor Raziel are both looking into it,” I say with a shrug. “I’m going to head to the library after power training today. See what I can find.”

“Want some help?” Micha asks suddenly.

I raise an eyebrow at him. “Are you going to be an asshole?” I ask, making him smirk.

“Probably, but I’ll try to rein it in.”

I narrow my eyes and purse my lips in thought. “Fine. I could use some help. I know next to nothing,” I relent.

Micha’s smirk grows into a grin but falters as a large shadow falls over me.

I look up and see Kade standing behind me. “Back for more, huh?” I tease.

He smirks down at me.

“All right. See you guys later.” I grab my tray and take it to the garbage.

I see Caleb watching me from a nearby table, and his gaze feels oily on my skin. I really don’t like that guy. His aura is a mix of lustful pink and angry red that just doesn’t bode well.

Kade and I walk to the gym in silence. He points to the ladies’ changing room, and I give him a sassy salute, making him smirk again. He’s fun to tease. I head in and get changed, ignoring the whispers about the scars on my stomach and back. I just get into my gear, put my hair up into a bun, and leave.

As I step into the gym, my eyes land on a guy who looks like he just stepped off a surfboard, whistle in hand, barking orders at a group of runners. He catches my eye and signals for me to wait.

I hang back, taking in the gym’s layout. There’s an obstacle course, sparring mats, and a wide array of exercise equipment. My old gym would be green with envy.

After the incident that led to my parents kicking me out at fourteen, I decided to learn self-defense. I worked as a cleaner at a gym in exchange for lessons. I studied aikido because of my petite size, and krav maga because, well, better you than me. I also picked up some weapons training, mostly knives.

Kade sidles up next to me, wearing a shirt that clings to his muscles and basketball shorts. Damn, this man is built.

“Do you have to be in all my classes?” I ask.

“Just today and tomorrow,” he replies, looking pleased.

Just then, the gym instructor—do they even call them that?—approaches me. “Delaney?”

“Della, but yes.”

“We’re doing testing today for you. Run until you can’t. Go!” he orders. I obey, starting with a jog and gradually picking up speed until I’m sprinting. I manage twenty-three laps around the gym before the instructor stops me, grinning.

“Do you fight?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Get on the mats. I’ll send over a few sparring partners.” I nod and head over to the mats, removing my sneakers.

A tall girl, who looks like she could be an Amazonian warrior, steps up first. We bump fists, and her expression shifts from blank to eager. We circle each other, and she charges. I grab her arm, flipping her onto her back. She wheezes and stays down. I extend my hand, helping her up. She’s winded, so I guide her to a bench.

“You okay?” I ask.

“Yeah. Honestly, I didn’t see that coming. I didn’t even see you move!” She grins.

I awkwardly return her smile.

“Hearst! Back to the mat!” I hear someone call.

I return to the mat, where a lean man, slightly taller than me, awaits. He carries himself well, his aura a calming light blue. We bump fists and circle each other. He charges, and I swipe his legs out from under him, trying to pin him. He throws me off and is on top of me in seconds. I hit pressure points to immobilize him, and he’s down and out in no time. I pin him for the count since he can’t tap out.

A small crowd has gathered to watch, but I pay them no mind.

“You okay?” I ask.

“Yep, just hurt my pride,” he says with a laugh. “Nice job.”

“Thanks.” I glance over at the instructor, waiting for my next instruction.

“Go to another mat. Let Daniels recover.” Professor Coach smirks.

I move to a different mat, where Sorin is waiting, looking a bit nervous.

I flash him a wide grin. “Hey!” I greet him.

“Oh, dear God,” he mutters, but he looks excited now. His aura even has a hint of pink. What a weirdo. I notice Micha out of the corner of my eye, looking worried, but I ignore him.

Sorin and I bump fists and circle each other. He charges, and I grab his arm, swinging around to his back. He’s so tall that I can’t reach the ground, so I kick out his knees and follow him down. He kicks my feet out from under me, and I land with a thud. But I’m up before he can pin me. Still on his knees, I grab his arm, wrap my legs around it, and force his head down to the mat. We stay like this until he taps out with a growl.

I release him, and he stands up, grinning. His aura is all pink now, and so are his cheeks. Interesting.

“Good job,” he says, looking at the ground.

“You too,” I reply, smiling.

My eyes widen and my smile falls when a shirtless Kade steps onto the mat, grinning with obvious excitement. Oh, shit. I take a deep breath and get into my stance. This is going to hurt.

We circle each other a few times, and I realize he’s not going to make the first move. I charge, as if I stand a chance against this mountain of a man. At the last moment, I drop and slide between his legs. He’s a big guy, so his flexibility is limited. I hit the backs of his knees and watch them buckle. As he falls, his foot hits my chest. I catch my breath, run, and climb onto his shoulders.

Suddenly, I feel a massive hand hit the side of my face, and I’m not in the gym anymore. I’m back at the homeless shelter, pinned against a bathroom wall by a man three times my size. I shake off the memory. Now is not the time!

That hit fucking hurt, but it wasn’t enough to knock me off Kade’s shoulders. I need to bring him down ~now~!

I wrap my legs around his neck, hammering my knuckles into pressure points and squeezing my thighs. I feel him start to sway, but he hasn’t tapped out or yelled, so I keep up the pressure. I ride him down to the mat and roll off him, panting, hand on my chest.

“Holy shit,” someone whispers.

I need to calm down. This is not the place for a panic attack. I’ll have one later. I push down the rising panic by sheer force of will and check on Kade. He’s fine, just knocked out. I breathe a sigh of relief.

“I’m done fighting today,” I tell the instructor.

He nods and directs me to the exercise equipment. I take a deep breath to recenter myself and let it out slowly, focusing on being here and now. Then I start my usual circuit, losing myself in the rhythm.

Halfway through my first circuit, the instructor comes to check on me. “You good?” he asks.

I nod.

“Okay. Kade’s up. He wants to talk to you. Use my office.”

I nod again and stand up. I see Kade leaning against a wall next to a door. I walk over, and he gestures for me to go inside. I enter, and the door closes. Suddenly, I’m pressed against the wall, my face cradled in his large hands.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

“I’ll be fine. Are you okay?” I reply, smiling.

“I can’t believe I hit you. I could have killed you,” he whispers, planting a light kiss on my forehead.

I look up at him with wide eyes but recover quickly. “It’s okay. I’ve taken harder hits.” I shrug.

His face morphs from concern to rage. Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. Abort mission!

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’ve fought before,” I whisper, smirking.

He visibly relaxes and rests his forehead against mine, letting out a quiet chuckle.

“Now, ~are~ you okay? I got a bit out of hand.”

“Yes. I’m okay,” he replies, smiling.

“Good,” I say, getting lost in his eyes. I reach up and run my hand along the side of his face. “We should get back,” I whisper. I really don’t want to. I want to pin him to the wall and ride him down in a very different way.

“Yeah. We should,” he agrees, but then he brushes his lips against mine so softly that I let out a whimper. “We should do other things too,” he murmurs with a sly smile.

“When and where, big man?” I wink at him, then place a hand on his chest and gently push him back as I head out into the gym.