Page 3 of Tainted Blood

“No, don’t do that,” I said, horror filling me as his eyebrows lifted slowly. I didn’t want to be the reason for that. “If he ups the security, people will know something is wrong, and that might scare them off from attending.”

“I understand your logic, but if they thought you wouldn’t report the email they sent you, then they believe you are less intelligent than you have shown the vampires of this world. Consider that maybe they believe they are untouchable. If they have no plans other than gathering information as we’re planning to do, there’s no reason for them to think they aren’t safe attending. We have no evidence that anyone going to the gathering is involved, and that is highly unlikely to change in the next week.”

“I get that, but—”

“You don’t want me to have Isaiah increase security only for you,” Alexius said, blinking finally, his eyes turning back to their natural shade, a brown so dark, it felt like I was staring into pools of darkness.

“Pretty much.”

“Then I will speak to Isaiah but only to let him know our enemies have once again reached out. He needs to know that, at the very least. What he decides will be his own choice. I’ll tell him how you feel, but beyond that, there isn’t much I can do. It is his home, and he will do as he must.”

“It’s not like I’m someone important enough to need increased security,” I pointed out.

Alexius frowned, his dark eyes making a clear show of searching my face as I held his gaze.

“You’re my assistant, an employee, and someone who lives in my home. Your protection is of the utmost concern to me. Don’t think otherwise.” He stepped back, pointing at the mat in the center of the room. “And with that, let’s get started. We’ll stretch, spar, work out, then spar again. We’ll wrap up a couple hours before dawn.”

Taking a deep breath, I looked where he had pointed. It was time for four hours of torture.

Physical activity.

I got to my place and followed his lead, as I did every night. I was considered educated enough to no longer need nightly classes about the supernatural world, with a promise from Alexius to teach me as more unusual or obscure topics arose. I was quickly learning vampire etiquette, so Isaiah no longer called three times a week. Now, I spent half my night working on my own activities, whether it was work, watching movies, or reading. It didn’t matter what I did, so long as I did something. The second half of the night was here in the gym with Alexius, pushing myself harder than I ever had as a human.

Physical exercise was never a favorite pastime. I avoided gym classes and people who asked me to go hiking or whatever insane thing people thought was fun. The most positive note I could come up with about the new schedule was it was easier as a vampire than it ever was as a human. I didn’t feel as if I was going to die like I used to. I still got exhausted and sweaty, but I didn’t want to fall down and never get up again.

“Have you noticed increased flexibility while stretching?” he asked while I focused on what I was doing.

“Mhm,” I answered, nodding. I could easily reach my toes and put my forehead on my knee without bending my leg at all. I couldn’t do that in January. I kept my eyes closed as I focused on the stretch until time was up, and we moved into the rest.

“Good.”

During his intense workout, I answered his questions about my progress. Was I lifting more? Could I run farther before needing a break? How far? What was my fastest mile?

Why is he asking these questions? He knows the answers. He’s always paying attention and asking me to push myself a little more every night. One time, he told me I did a mile ten seconds slower than the night before and wondered if something was wrong.

I must have seemed distracted because as we positioned ourselves to spar, he watched me too intently, a serious expression on his face.

“Everly, it’s very important you pay attention to these lessons.”

“I am,” I said, frustration coursing through me at the accusation. “You’re asking me questions I know you already know the answers to. I still answered them. I am paying attention.”

“Good, then defend yourself,” he stated simply before launching into action, rushing for me.

I jumped out of the way, knowing what his play was. All of my training was about trying to do things to keep myself alive. While I had killed a newly Turned vampire back in January, that didn’t mean I needed to kill anyone else. Alexius and I agreed on one thing—running was the better option when I had the chance. That meant making sure I was ready for anyone getting the jump on me.

It was all faster than anyone could reasonably follow with their eyes. I darted out of the way of his hands as he tried to disable me, either with a grapple or knocking me down. I could keep this up.

That was one fun thing I had really started to get the hang of. I was faster than Alexius, which made me feel accomplished in a way I never expected to feel. There was a rush that came from it I’d never felt before.

I messed up when I stumbled over the edge of the mat. Mid-dive, he grabbed my ankle and held my foot in place while I tried to recover, sending me faceplanting into the mat. Groaning in pain, I remembered that getting the air knocked out of me, even when I didn’t have to breathe, was still painful and surprising.

“Good work. You evaded for…” I heard him roll on the mat, his grip on my ankle still firm. “Three minutes.”

“Well, it’s better than the three seconds when we started,” I pointed out.

“It is.” He let me go, and I rolled onto my back. I was rubbing my sternum when he appeared over me, offering me a hand that I graciously accepted.

“Thank you.”

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