Page 71 of Two Chambered Heart

“Okay, now jab, cross, hook, repeat.”

Like an automatic rifle, Corey took off, working through the sequence in sharp, snappy movements, the impact echoing through the gym.

“Keep going,” Kayden commanded, “but throw in an uppercut for a bit of unpredictability. It can catch someone right under the chin when they least expect it.”

Corey moved fast and viciously, clearly unconcerned with holding back. Kayden volleyed her punches quickly, moving the hand pads up for protection against her uppercuts. If he wasn’t so excellently trained himself, she would have landed some serious hits to his face.

When she was done, she stood panting before him, hands on her knees.

“Get some water, and we’ll work on defensive moves.” Kayden moved the hand pads to the side of his forearms and tossed Corey the second set when she was done drinking. “Secure the straps to your palms, and the pads move to the side to protect your forearms. When I strike, you want to deflect the punch using your forearms. We’ll start with the high block first.” Kayden lifted his own arms to demonstrate shielding his head.

“Got it,” Corey said, mimicking his movements.

Kayden threw a slow jab toward Corey’s head. Instinctively, she raised her arms to block, pushing back against his punch. He’d significantly held back on his power, so the impact was firm but controlled.

“You redirected the force away from you, rather than just absorbing it. That was good. Try it again. I’m going to punch from both sides.” Kayden threw more punches, slowing himself down so she could match him with the pads, and then he stepped back.

“Stop going easy on me,” she said seriously.

Kayden laughed at her. “I’m not trying to break you, Little Fox, I’m trying to teach you.”

“Yeah, well, usually when people are punching me, theyaretrying to break me. So can you step it up? I already know how to block a punch. I need to learn how to do it better.”

Kayden’s stomach roiled at her implication, but he let the comment go for now.

“Fine. Then let’s work on your footwork. It will make your defence more dynamic. When you block, you want to move laterally.” Kayden threw his fists out, and Corey concentrated on incorporating the footwork with each block. For fun, Kayden threw a low kick toward Corey’s midsection. She reacted quickly, bringing the pad down to block the kick successfully.

“Nice! Now let’s work on evasion,” Kayden guided. “Instead of blocking, sometimes it’s better to slip or duck out of the way of an attack.” He showed a slip, moving his head to the side as if avoiding a punch. “If I throw a jab, you want to shift your body away while staying ready to counter. Don’t counter yet. Just work on the slip.”

With a nod, she prepared as Kayden threw a few quick jabs. Corey slipped to the side each time, successfully avoiding the strikes.

“Good. You’re a natural. Let’s put it all together. I’ll throw a series of strikes, and you’ll either block or evade.”

They began, Kayden throwing a mix of jabs, crosses, and low kicks. Corey stayed calm and focused, anticipating his movements, blocking some punches while slipping away from others.

“You’re really flowing!” Kayden praised, stepping back.

Corey beamed at him with a red face. “You’re a good teacher.”

Kayden grinned. “Now let’s work on countering right after a block. If someone throws a punch at you, you evade and strike back. When they jab, slip to the side and throw your own jab back. It’s all about timing.” Corey listened intently as Kayden explained the technique. “Try it after you block.”

She practiced the sequence, blocking and then delivering a counter. It took a few rounds, but she attuned to the switch from defence to offense, her movements becoming instinctive. She had even translated the footwork, moving in and out as she attacked and evaded. It said something about her past that she was so eager to learn this and that she could pick it up so quickly, already able to anticipate a large man’s offensive movements. He was going to speak to her about it later, at some point. Now that he’d opened up to her, he was hoping for some reciprocity.

They kept sparring, and Kayden started releasing the control he’d had on his output, letting some adrenaline fuel him. Corey kept up, panting heavily, but her movements didn’t slow. Her punches remained fueled and steady, determination in her expression. He was waiting for her to ask for a break, but she didn’t, and that didn’t surprise him.

Finally, Kayden tackled her to the ground. She went down shrieking, uselessly punching him in the sides. He pinned her to the floor, laughing as he used his mass as leverage. “We’ll work on floor maneuvers next time.”

She huffed out a breath, and Kayden kissed her quickly before jumping up and pulling her off the ground.

He turned around to find Jason looking at them. He’d been so focused on their session that he hadn’t noticed Jason was justsitting on the plyo-box, watching. How long he’d been watching, and whether Corey had known, he wasn’t sure.

Jason cocked an eyebrow at him. “Teaching our prisoner how to fight, Kay? That eager to assist her in an escape attempt?”

“Oh, go shove it,” Corey said to him, rolling her eyes. But her words lacked any venom.

“May as well just teach her to use the knives while you’re at it,” Jason scoffed.

“I just might.” Kayden grinned at him.

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