Page 66 of Us Dark Few

Rain has never graced my skin, nor has lightning raised my hairs. In you, menacing storms extend their rapture.

“Okay.” Takeshi squared himself to face her. “Let’s slowly mo—”

“Ahhh!” She charged forward, launching a flurry of punches aimed at his chest and head, attacking wherever she could reach.

Takeshi’s eyes widened at her sudden onslaught, but he effortlessly blocked each hit.

She threw one final punch, and he grabbed her wrist, chopping the side of her neck with his other hand. Her neck muscles spasmed, and she staggered back, a tingling pain running down her shoulder and arm.

She rubbed her neck and grumbled, “What did you do?”

“I hit a pressure point.” He turned toward her. “Now, are you done charging me like a psycho?”

“Depends,” she clipped. “Have I done any damage?”

“You’re not going to do any damage to me, Kanes.”

“Then I’m not done.” She kicked out her leg and actually made contact with his shin. Khalani didn’t waste another second, kicking her other leg at his stomach.

Takeshi caught her heel, and she started to do an awkward bounce to keep her balance. An evil look overcame his eyes and in the next moment, he swiped her other leg, and she fell on her back.

Hard.

He stood over her with an unreadable expression in his eyes. “Have you always been this stubborn?”

She breathed heavily on the ground. “Maybe. Have you always been this much of an asshole?”

The corner of his mouth lifted, and Takeshi crouched on the balls of his feet. “When I want to be. Do you have a problem with that?”

“What if I did?”

“You grow when you’re uncomfortable. The fact that you don’t enjoy it means I’m training you well.”

She lifted up on her elbows and gritted her teeth. “Just admit that you get personal satisfaction from hammering me to the ground.”

His eyes glimmered, and he leaned forward in challenge. “I’d like it more if you didn’t make it so easy.”

She scoffed and stood up, not liking how close he was. Takeshi wasn’t going to fluster her anymore. Khalani rolled her neck and held up her fists.

“Let’s go again.”

Takeshi abruptly moved forward. “The way you hold your fist, you’ll end up hurting yourself more than me. Never tuck your thumb inside your fist; you’ll break it. Instead, keep it on the outside…yeah, like that. Now fold it across your middle and index fingers.” He adjusted her hand, guiding her thumb into the proper position.

Khalani tried not to focus on the rough texture of his fingers as he held hers. She didn’t realize she was holding her breath until he let go, apparently satisfied.

Her pulse quickened with a mix of indignation and wild stimulation, but despite the turmoil inside her, she listened intently and followed his instructions closely.

Takeshi challenged Khalani in ways that made her ache in agony and breathe in exhilaration.Every task he undertook, even something as simple as teaching her how to make a fist, Takeshi did with complete focus, intensity, and concentration.

Each training session reinforced why he was the Captain of Braderhelm.

For him, no task was too small to give maximum effort.

“The most important thing for you to remember are the vulnerable places of the body. That’s going to be the eyes, nose, throat, knees, and groin.” Takeshi’s deep voice resonated through the room. “For today, we will focus on the easier parts.”

He gestured for her to hold out her hand, and what he told her next made her face blanch. “You want me to stick my fingers in someone’s eyes? No. I think I would puke first.”

“If it’s a life-or-death situation, Kanes, you will do what you need to survive,” he stated without remorse.

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