Werewolves Be Damned

Chapter Six


In the Guardians’ Hall— a downsized version of the Council’s Hall cathedral located in the Guardians’ House—Nexi questioned her sanity. She scanned the training room used to educate the up and coming guardians, admiring the curved archways, large stained glass windows, and huge flamboyant pillars supporting a lierne vault.

Even if the view impressed her, she decided maybe Drake was onto something. Perhaps the werewolf attack against her had left lingering trauma. Because only an insane person would agree to fistfight a guardian who was capable of pulverizing her.

A guardian who presently approached her in lengthy strides through the small gothic cathedral. Her heart stuttered. Dressed in his typical guardian gear with sword strapped to his bare chest, Kyden somehow made her black capris and T-shirt look ridiculous.

However, a bigger problem presented itself.

Last night at her willow, he’d gone and made himself likeable. Maybe even made himself appear more real, and not just an overbearing, incredibly sexy supernatural. A very dangerous situation, indeed, considering she needed to keep focused on her training.

Once he settled in front of her, he pressed one hand against her lower back and the other onto her shoulder. “Keep your back straight and your shoulders square over your hips. Being centered is the key to holding strong against your opponent.” He stepped back and gave her a once-over. “Widen your legs a bit more—shoulder-width apart.”

She wiggled them out. “Like this?”

He shook his head, squatted in front of her, nudging at her calf. “Wider.” Once she complied, he glanced up at her with eyes so hot they could melt ice. “That’s it, nice and wide.”

Trying to maintain her appropriate thoughts, she cleared her throat. “What next?”

He straightened, placed his hands on her shoulders, and pushed them back. “Your shoulders need to always be square over your hips, and your back straight.”

Sliding his hands down her arms, he tickled her in places that shouldn’t be tickling. “Bring your left arm up close to your body.” Once she followed his instruction, he squeezed her bicep. “This arm will block any body hits. Use your right arm to block any hits to your face.”

He dropped his hands. She exhaled the breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. If he touched her again like that, she might shudder in front of him.

A leisurely smile spread across his face, as if he knew her thoughts, played on her struggle to keep cool, and enjoyed seeing her squirm. “The main points to remember are: Never take your eyes off the enemy. Never let your guard down. Keep your arms and elbows close to your body. And always react first.” He waved her forward. “All right. Let’s have a hit.”

Shedding the sensation of his hands on her skin that seemed imprinted on her body, she refocused her thoughts. “You do realize this is ridiculous? I’ve never hit anything in my life.”

“Well, there’s always a first for everything.” He waved her forward again. “Come on. Hit me.”

Begrudgingly, she raised her arm, swung it back, and hit his shoulder. The impact didn’t even make him flinch. “See, told you.”

He chuckled. “You have to learn proper position first, and then you’ll see the power behind it.”

Taking her hand in his strong, calloused grip, he curled her fingers in her palm. “Keep your fingers tight within your hand. If they’re loose, you’ll likely break them and the pain will distract you from the fight.”

He kneeled in front of her and ran his fingers along her calf in an undeniably sexy whisper of a touch. “Transfer your weight onto this side.” Once she did as he asked, he grinned. “There you go.”

She shivered at the flare of heat in his eyes, and damn him, his smile widened. What happened to the jerk that he used to be, the one who seemed equally as irritated with her as she was him, the one that seemed to vanish after the night at Briggs’s cabin?

Although, she kinda liked this Kyden.

He stood and circled around her, making her breath hitch. She swallowed when he ran his hand up her shoulder with a gentle touch. “This arm needs to be level with the floor and keep your palm facing down. In a fluid motion, rotate your body and use it to follow through with the hit.” Returning in front of her, his eyebrow lifted. “Understand?”

She inhaled sharply, overwhelmed by his piquant scent. He stirred something in her that had nothing to do with the burn to fight him. Warmth slid all the way from where he touched her arm right down to…

Focus.

Amusement glittered across his features. “Do you understand the position?”

“I think so,” she muttered.

“Good. Try again.” He nodded approval. “This time use the strength behind your body. It’s your best weapon.”

Having little confidence she could succeed, she stepped back, concentrating on his advice. Fingers tight, arm up, pivot back and hit. With a grunt and firm push from within, she thrust her fist toward him. Her hand connected with his shoulder with such force, it sent him tumbling backward.

Even her eyes didn’t believe it.

She looked in awe at her fist, expecting to see sparks of power shooting out of it. Much to her disappointment, it appeared as it always did, tiny. Lifting her head to Kyden, she gasped, “How did I do that?”

“That’d be the guardian power.” He pushed off the floor and circled her slowly, as if on a hunt. “Once you know how to use the power, and center it, your strength is unparalleled.”

Whoop-de-mother-effin’-doo.

What she did care about was him looking like a lion getting ready to pounce on a big juicy steak. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Preparing to fight.” He closed in on her and her blood ran ice-cold, then he stopped mid-step, laughing. “You look absolutely terrified.”

“News flash. I am terrified.” She stepped back, having a sudden bout of a reality check. What in the hell was she thinking? “I’m half your size, for cripe’s sake, and you’re pure muscle. I can’t do this. Drake’s right—I am insane.” Her heart hammered, palms grew sweaty. “I’ve changed my mind—”

He raised his hand. “I won’t hit, only push.”

“No way,” she bit off.

He took a slow step toward her, matching her retreat. “Might I remind you that you were the one who asked for this? Your fear is what’s stopping you here, nothing else.”

She reciprocated by taking two giant steps back. “No shit. Of course, it’s my fear stopping me. You’re going to kick my ass.”

His stare held firm, and he no longer approached her. “If I thought you truly needed more time to deal with this, I wouldn’t push you. But you went to Briggs’s, which showed bravery, and you handled the assignment last night. You have more guts than you think you do.”

She glanced around the empty cathedral. If she booked it, no one would see, and she wouldn’t die from embarrassment. “Clearly I wasn’t thinking straight when I agreed to this. Isn’t there a female guardian who can train me?”

As if she had said nothing at all, he continued, “The sooner you discover your abilities, the sooner you’ll realize you have no reason to be afraid. Then you can have that revenge that’s eating at you.” He took one step forward. “I know you believe my size matters here, but it doesn’t—”

“Liar,” she snapped.

Again, he took another step forward, closing in on her. “There are many female guardians, and they can hold their own against me. I’m being nice by only pushing you.” He stared down into her face with a firm look. “Now hit me.”

As if that would warrant her agreement, the big brute. “Might I remind you that I lived a simple life in Carson City with no idea about the Otherworld only a month ago?” She backed away from him, not caring if her fear showed.

He matched her steps. “This fear is part of the human that lives in you. It’s not a natural feeling for a guardian to be afraid. You simply have to see past it. The time to discover this is now. You want to find the wolf that killed your family. This is how you gain that freedom to hunt him.”

His words struck her in the heart and she stopped in her tracks. Kyden was right—she owed this to her family. Closing her eyes, she inhaled a deep breath, then she forced herself to put on a brave face. She opened her eyes to a dead-serious Kyden. “You won’t punch me back, right?”

He nodded. “Promise.”

Exhaling to shed the lingering fear, she approached him, drawing on the rage that she wanted to unleash on that werewolf. Not giving herself the chance to back out, and with a deep hatred fueling her strength, she cocked her arm back and landed a hard blow to his jaw.

Shocked, stunned, astonished, amazed—she experienced it all as she watched Kyden soar through the air.

I’m friggin’ Wonder Woman.

The moment he hit the floor, toppling ass over teakettle, that revelation vanished. He jumped to his feet and ran straight for her. Panic made her dizzy, and instinct told her to flee, but she doubted she’d escape him. She decided to take the chicken’s way out, she closed her eyes, waiting for the hit.

Waited…waited…waited.

Cracking open an eye, she noticed Kyden was an inch from her face. He gave her a shit-eating grin. “Plan to fight with your eyes closed, do you?”

She nodded with total certainty. “I ain’t fighting. I’m surviving.”

He chuckled. “Again.” He winked. “Level me.”

Not at all happy about it, she swung her arm back, then flung her fist straight into his stomach. He grunted, bending slightly from the hit, and she smiled. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all. Bringing her arm down low, she swung it up, hitting him square in the jaw.

Watching him soaring backward, Nexi didn’t waste her advantage. She lunged, plowed into him and they both slid across the floor, a tangle of limbs. As Kyden hit the wall, she bounced off his chest and laughed, shocked by her strength. They weren’t kidding about the guardian power; she’d knocked him around like a rag doll.

Him—Mr. Muscles.

“Hells-yeah, that’s awesome.” Jumping to her feet, she headed toward the center of the room when a scuffling sound came behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to discover that Kyden had risen, and not only that, but he was also charging straight for her.

Her sense of superiority vanished.

He connected with her before she even had a chance to move. Somehow he stepped in behind her, latched onto her arm, and gave her back a steady push. She flew across the room with his hard body braced against her back.

Before she could even get up, he leapt off, then hurled himself at her again. She rolled away, only to have him grab her arm. He tossed her across the room and she landed against the wall with a loud thud.

Guardians clearly were more resilient. The pushing and shoving wasn’t comfortable, but it wasn’t painful and it definitely didn’t hurt as much as she imagined it should have. One thing, though, became increasingly obvious—her fear had taken a back seat. Apparently, she liked fighting.

Lurching to her feet, she twirled away just as he lunged forward. Not like she made it far. He grabbed her arm, stopping her spin, and pulled her tight against his hard, thick chest. She narrowed her eyes, trying to think up her next move, but the moment she caught sight of the heat in his features, her reprimand faded.

There, in his eyes, his desire was laid bare, for her to touch if she wanted, and for her to claim. Trapped in his smoldering stare, her breath hitched, and his expression became determined. But just as he leaned down to her, her damn pride held more strength than the heat flaring between them, seeing that she never did like to lose.

Using his hesitation to her benefit, she kicked out and nailed his shin, hard.

He stumbled back, then a slow grin filled his face. “There you go, Álainn. That’s exactly right. Always use any advantage you can to disable your opponent.”

Her win over Mr. Muscles might have pleased her, but this new smile from him took precedence. His grin bordered on devilish, and it warmed and liquefied her insides. Now she regretted that her pride made her kick him away instead of staying there in his arms and giving him that second to act.

With her victory, the lust had faded from his eyes, replaced by pride. He took a step toward her, not looking like he planned to toss her to the ground to do naughty things with her, and not even like he hunted her for more training, when suddenly, Haven called, “Oh, good. You’re done. We’ve got somewhere to be.”

Jerking her head toward the doorway, she found Haven leaning against the wall, smiling at her. “Somewhere to be?”

Haven skipped through the cathedral and winked at Kyden. “The guardians can’t have all of you—you’re part witch, too.” She looked to Nexi, clearly aware of the heated exchange she and Kyden had shared moments ago. “I wanted you to come see what witches do, who we are, just more about that side of you.”

At the thought of more training, Nexi groaned. This was enough. “Which would be?”

Haven smiled. “Magic, of course.”