Page 294 of The Devil's Fire

It didn’t take her long before she instinctively turned her head to the side, safeguarding her airway from being cut off. Mentally, I applauded her quick thinking.

Her grip on my arm tightened, fingers finding their place on the inside. She tucked her chin and threw her shoulders into a forceful shrug, creating space between us.

Althaia was doing exceptionally well, especially considering her lack of training.

With one arm still secured behind her back, my curiosity piqued about how she planned to free herself. Then she did something I didn’t see coming.

She bit me.

So. Fucking. Hard.

“Shit, Althaia!” I hissed as she continued to bite down hard on my arm.

I tightened my hold around her, testing to see if it would affect her. Instead, it only made her shake her head like a damn dog while still clamped onto my arm.

Althaia took that small window of opportunity when my hold loosened and jabbed her elbow right into my ribs. A grunt escaped me, and she swiftly pulled herself out of my grasp.

“Good job.” I praised her with a smile. “I haven’t seen anyone get out of a headlock like that.”

“Well, I’ve been choked a few times now. I have a hunch of what to do.” She chuckled at her own joke.

I cracked a smile. For some reason, she used humor as a coping mechanism, but if that was what it took for her to deal with it, I was on board.

“Is your arm okay? I didn’t mean to bite that hard.” Althaia asked with concern, and quickly grabbed my arm to look at it.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” I reassured her, but a gasp escaped her lips when she looked at the bite mark.

“It’s bruising and swelling! We need to get it checked!”

“It’s fine, piccola.” I repeated, but she remained unsure, taking another look at it. “It’s all part of the training. I’ll get it cleaned, and it will be fine. Next time, bite harder, and you’ll get out faster.” I kissed the top of her head, knowing she was feeling guilty.

“Lorenzo has slashed me many times. This is nothing.” I added.

“Does it hurt?” Althaia asked, still reluctant to let it go.

“No, it tickles, actually.”

She let out a small scoff.

“Wow, Don Damiano is so hardcore.” She playfully rolled her eyes. “All right, what’s next?”

“I’ll teach you a few more moves. First, never keep your body completely upright. Have your legs spread and bend your knees slightly. This way, you won’t get thrown to the ground easily…”

I explained everything that would benefit a newbie, and I observed her attentively absorbing the information I was giving.

“…You’ve got some good strength in you, so remember when you throw a punch, put your weight behind your shoulder for a more impactful strike. And I want you to always keep your jaw clenched. If not, it will easily get broken if you get hit.” I finished.

“Okay… That was a lot, but I think I got it.” Althaia seemed determined to learn, which was promising. In case something were to happen, she would have a chance of defending herself and reaching safety.

“Good. For this round, you’ll spar against Luca and Giovanni.” I turned around to look at them and called them over.

“Both of them?!” She exclaimed, almost in horror.

“Yes. I’ll be observing to figure out your strengths and weaknesses. Before you start, you need to take off your necklace.”

“Good idea. I forgot I was wearing it.”

She moved her hair to the side for me to unclasp her necklace. I took hold of the chain, pretending to unclasp it. Instead, I made one quick, sharp pull and broke the chain.

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