Page 73 of Their Chosen

We both turned to glare at him, but he simply held his hands up to ward off our responses. “I'm just saying that watching you train, you're trying too hard to do it his way. You need to take what he's teaching you and apply it to what you already know. Surely there's some overlap that you can use to get you an advantage.”

I considered what he was saying, realizing he was right. I was treating this training as if it was something completely different. There were overlapping techniques in many of the physical arts. Like the footwork and movement of fighters could appear to have a dance-like quality if one paid enough attention. Or the flexibility of yoga being applied to Jiu Jitsu. The body movements shouldn't be isolated. I just needed to learn how to apply them in the right way.

Both Callum and Baer watched me now as the truth sank in. My brow furrowed as my mind started to race with the connections and possibilities. Then, a smile began to slowly unfurl on my face, mirrored by Baer.

“Now kick his ass, Killer,” Baer murmured, winking before he turned to go back to his own training. Callum huffed in response, his disbelief that I could do that evident.

Having Baer's belief in me bolstered my own confidence, and I felt ready to train again. I shook out my muscles that had started to stiffen while we’d been standing around and turned to face Callum. I held my hand out for the knife he’d taken from me earlier, ready to apply some of my ideas.

He placed the blade in my hand, and I closed it around the grip the way he had shown me, already the feeling becoming second nature to me. I found my stance, and he followed suit, waiting for me to strike.

Once I knew he was ready, I started moving as if I were boxing, testing his responses and waiting for the opportunity to close the distance between us. After a few minutes, I found the one I had been waiting for, and I took it, slipping inside his reach and swiping the blade across his arm. My blade split the sleeve of his shirt and caused red to rise to the surface of his skin.

I halted in shock, concerned for him, but he simply came back at me again, catching me off guard. I tried to step out of the way of his charge, but his long arms caught me too easily. His arm wrapped around my waist and spun me so that my back met his chest hard, his other hand having already found the one I held the knife in. He didn't disarm me this time, just forced my arm up to hold the knife against my throat, my hand still on the grip.

“Why did you stop?” he growled in my ear, his chest rumbling against my back, and I felt desire spike inside me. Holy shit! I shouldn't find this so hot, but I totally did. I desperately wanted him to nibble on my neck while he held me like this, but I knew this wasn't the time or place.

Forcing myself not to grind against him, I struggled to reply. “I've never cut someone I like before,” I admitted, swallowing hard.

“Do you think that anyone else would hesitate to kill you, especially after you cut them? Because they won't. They'd simply cut your throat right here. Do you get it? Do you finally understand that this isn't some kind of game? There are no rules here. Simply life or death, and hesitation ensures that you lose every single time.” His grip tightened around my waist with his words, his anger evident, even though he didn't raise his voice from the gravelly growl.

My own temper flared in response. “You think I don't realize the seriousness of this? That I think this is some kind of game?” I snapped back, trying to push out of his grip, hating the vulnerable position I was in now, and sick and tired of him always accusing me of playing games. “Trust me when I say I know exactly how cruel the world can be. It's why I refuse to be the same. That's why I stopped. You're on my side, and I don't like hurting others unless I absolutely have to.”

“How can you be so sure I'm on your side?” he asked, his strength not wavering as I slouched in his arms.

“You're here helping me, aren't you? You're training me. Why else would you be here if not to help me?” I replied.

“Am I? Am I helping you? I could be a spy, reporting everything I hear and see to someone else. So how can you be so sure?”

Starting to get a little concerned now, I pushed on his arm again, but he continued to hold me tight, the blade still against my neck. “My room is spelled isn't it. No one who means me harm can enter.”

“The sooner you realize that there's many ways to harm someone other than physically, the better off you'll be. And my harm may not be intentional, so therefore the spell on the room wouldn't work,” he replied calmly.

“What are you trying to prove? That you're some badass and I'm just some stupid little girl who can't handle my own? Don't you need me here as the Chosen? Because it's not like I have any choice in the matter,” I growled back.

“I just want you to fully understand the risk we are all in with you here. This may seem like some fairy tale, but this world can be so much crueler than anything else you've ever known.”

“Why don't you like me? Why can't you stand me?” I asked, fed up with his bullshit and needing to know what he thought I had done so wrong.

He didn't reply, simply released me from his hold, stepping back as Arryn came back with Lennox. No Master Jude with them. Both looked angry and frustrated.

“What?” I asked them, pushing the confrontation with Callum out of my mind, deciding to approach that conversation again later.

Baer walked back over as the guys met us on the mats. Arryn was the first to speak. “The Queen has requested our presence tonight. Which means we only have a short amount of time to make ourselves presentable. We need to go get ready. Everything else will have to wait.”

“Okay. That doesn't explain why you both look like someone kicked your puppy,” I muttered as we all made our way back to our room.

They exchanged glances with each other, no one answering me. Baer finally moved to link hands with me as we traveled the halls. He leaned into me, his breath caressing the shell of my ear, causing me to inhale and my insides to clench in anticipation, recalling our kiss from the other day and desperately wanting a repeat.

Instead of tugging on my ear with his teeth or kissing along my neck, he whispered, “We'll explain in the room, Killer. It's not safe to discuss here.”

My eyes cut to him, narrowing as he pulled back from me. I had way too many questions and not enough answers. He squeezed my hand in response to my obvious frustration. I smiled softly and squeezed back.

It wasn't his fault all this bullshit was happening. He was just as trapped as I was in all of this. Letting them off the hook, I asked, “So Master Jude won't be able to complete the bonding ceremony today?”

“Unfortunately, the Queen's summons’ takes precedence, and everything else must wait,” Arryn answered.

I huffed in frustration. At this rate, I'd never gain access to my powers or remove my glamor. I just had to hope that the trials didn't start until after. Otherwise, we were all doomed. As if sensing the train of my thoughts, Baer squeezed my hand reassuringly, his thumb rubbing the back of my hand in a soothing pattern. I held tighter to him, thankful for his positive demeanor during all of this uncertainty.

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