Page 10 of Tamed

“Zevon is just trying to cover all the bases. Once you leave the Citadel, you’re no longer under his control.”

Oh, how Kendra wanted to be under his control. It was another useless fantasy. Maybe leaving the Citadel would be good for her. She would stop pining away for males she couldn’t have. “Where is the self-defense class?”

“Training Room D.”

An hour later, Kendra stood in Training Room D along with the other seven volunteers listening to Arcon’s explanations and watching as he demonstrated the techniques with another warrior.

“What’s the first thing you should do if you’re faced with a potential attacker?” he asked at the end of the first hour.

“Run away,” the women chorused. They stood in a straight line facing Arcon.

“And if running away isn’t an option?”

“Make as much noise as possible,” the women repeated.

He paced in front of them as he quizzed, “What are your first four targets if you have no choice but to fight?”

“Eyes, throat, gut, and groin,” the women obediently provided, motioning toward each area as they named it.

“And if those four don’t do the trick?”

“Elbow them in the ribs,” Lynn suggested.

“Stomp on their instep,” Kendra said.

“Very good.” Arcon smiled at her then quickly added, “You guys are quick learners.”

They broke up into teams of two and practiced breaking out of various holds. Arcon and the other warrior strolled around the room offering pointers and making corrections on form and leverage. Kendra was paired with Heather, a founding member of the mean girl clique. Unable to resist the temptation, Kendra used the practice session to release some of her frustration.

Working with the sparbots and the video instruction she’d accessed in her free time helped her develop skills the other conduits didn’t possess. She was looking forward to testing her skills with actual enemies and progressing the cause of freedom. Kendra had always longed for a purpose, something around which to arrange her life. The war with Torret seemed the most obvious choice.

Kendra easily deflected Heather’s first lunge. Heather came at Kendra more forcefully the second time, so Kendra matched her aggression. They kicked and hit, locking each other into holds then violently twisting away. Kendra tested Heather’s skill level, determining how far she could push her without causing harm. Frustrated and starting to tire, Heather tried to grab Kendra. Sweeping her arm upward as Heather tried to grab her, Kendra avoided the frantic grasp. Heather snarled and charged with artless determination. Kendra grabbed Heather’s arm, shoved her shoulder into the other woman’s middle and flipped her. Heather flew up and over Kendra’s body then landed hard on her back. Despite the padded floor, the breath whooshed from Heather’s lungs.

“That was an attack move,” one of the onlookers objected. “This is supposed to be self-defense.”

“She came at me. I defended myself,” Kendra argued, hands on her hips. “Isn’t that the point of all this?”

“If your fellow conduits aren’t enough of a challenge, Kendra, you can take out your aggression on me,” Arcon said from somewhere behind her.

Awareness unfurled, speeding her pulse and making her core ache as Kendra turned to face him. “I didn’t mean to hurt her. I just?—”

“Come at me,” he urged, a cocky smile lifting one corner of his mouth.

“Good idea.” Heather groaned as a couple of the others helped her to her feet. “Show us how tough you are. Take on Arcon.”

Kendra’s gaze locked with his and the rest of the room blurred. Despite the injection the doctor had given Kendra, she’d thought about Arcon constantly. She’d imagined touching him and being touched by him. But they weren’t fighting in her fantasies and a room full of hostile females wasn’t watching every move they made.

She inched toward him. He held his ground, so she circled to the right. He matched her position until they completed half a turn. Then he sprang forward. She ducked to the side, but he easily caught her wrist. Whipping her around, he pulled her back against his chest. His strong arms surrounded her, his scent filling her nose. Desire cascaded through her body and the last thing Kendra wanted to do was escape. Tingling energy pulsed within her, testing the strength of its containment.

Stubbornness, and the laughter of the surrounding females, snapped Kendra out of the sensual haze. She shook away her stupor and slammed her head back into his chest. The top of her head caught his chin and his arms momentarily loosened. She twisted sharply and brought her elbow back into his ribs. His shocked grunt rewarded her as she eluded his grasp.

Shouts and cheering erupted all around her, but Kendra couldn’t tell if the encouragement was meant for her or Arcon. She’d only taken one determined step away when his foot caught her ankle and sent her pitching forward. His arm wrapped around her waist and slowed her descent, but they both tumbled to the floor.

She landed on her belly, but immediately rolled over as Arcon settled astride her hips. He wrapped his calves around her legs, preventing her from kicking as he drew her arms over her head. She tugged against his hold and arched her back, but that only drew his attention to her straining breasts. Her core throbbed needfully and her nipples gathered into greedy peaks. God above, how she wished she were naked and they were alone.

He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “This would be a lot more fun without the audience.”

His words so closely mirrored her thoughts that she fought back a moan.

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