Page 111 of Captive Omega

I hadn’t believed he would touch me. The way Vaughn has been holding his breath makes me believe he hadn’t thought Blaine would touch me either. He quietly releases his breath and then the moment passes.

“Continue,” Blaine says as he retreats off the mat and shoves his hand back in his pocket.

I clear my throat, refocusing. “So I bite Vaughn here.” I feign biting him. He gives a realistic yelp and his grip loosens. I grab his wrist and duck in one motion, twist, and then I let go before I break his wrist for real.

Blaine nods approvingly. “Excellent.”

Vaughn is grinning too. “Good job. If you wanted to kick my knee after you break my wrist, there’s no way I wouldn’t go down.”

Never has someone sounded so excited to be kicked in the knee. It is utterly ridiculous and I can’t help but smile.

“Is there anything else I could do?” I bounce on the heels of my feet, exhilarated.

Blaine’s expression is thoughtful. “Headbutt might work. It’s risky. You could knock yourself out.”

“But if you do it right, you could break my nose,” Vaughn says. “Which might give you a chance to run.”

“A foot stamp is always useful.” Blaine nods at me. “Want to try it?”

I’m already getting into position with a grin. “I’m ready.”

And this time, I really am.

Blaine backs up even farther. “Let’s play it out. We won’t stop this time, Resa. Listen to your instincts and see what comes to you.”

“And if I hurt Vaughn for real?”

“I can take it.” Vaughn rolls his neck and shakes out his shoulders.

I eye his unnecessary preparations with an arched brow as I recall his response when he picked glass out of my foot. “But will you take it quietly or should I expect some wail?—”

I scramble away from his half-hearted grab. Vaughn is grinning, I’m laughing… having fun, and when I glance at Blaine, a faint smile curls his lips. I’m not sure why, but seeing it creates this warmth in my belly.

And I realize he hasn’t tried to turn his body to hide the burn on his right cheek since this self-defense lesson started.

Is he forgetting his scars? I hope so. Because they barely even register for me. I notice them the way I notice someone has blue eyes or green, red hair or black, then I move onto noticing the next thing.

His smile falls away, and he nods at Vaughn. “Go on. Let’s see what you can do.”

Vaughn wraps his arm around me. I wriggle, elbowing him in the gut. He huffs but doesn’t let go, proving Blaine’s one hit theory. I struggle, and my feet briefly leave the floor. I stop trying to use my strength against him. Won’t work. He’s stronger than me. Need to get him to let me go.

I slam my head back and it briefly rings. Vaughn grunts, releasing me. And because I know he’s expecting something we’ve done before, I trip him the way I tripped Rupert.

He thumps to the ground.

I grin at Vaughn and turn to Blaine. “How was?—”

Blaine is walking away. Fast. “Excellent. We’ll pick this up another time.”

My smile slides off my face. “Was I not supposed to?—”

“You were supposed to do anything to get me down,” Vaughn interrupts. “No rules, remember?”

I stare after Blaine until the door closes behind him. “Then why do I get the sense I did something wrong?”

“You didn’t. He had another reason he had to leave.”

Is Vaughn’s smile a little secretive or is it just in my head?

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