Page 17 of Coerced

I stopped rambling to frown for a second.

“My conscience is bothering me about hiding this from the boys, but youknowwhat they’d be like, Kerry especially.”

It wasn’t so much that we were worried they’d prevent us from going. We had our own minds and could make our own decisions about what we did and where we went. It would have made them unhappy, though, and they’d have whined until we gave up the idea - Jax - or come along - Kerry and John - which would have made everything that much more tense. Kerry alone would ramp up the drama with his mere presence, and he wasn’t the type to stay calm or silent.

Travis is probably the only boy I know who could protest with us in the civilized way we’re hoping for.

“You know, I’m concerned about Maddy and Travis. They don’t seem to be getting along lately. Have you noticed?”

“Yes.” Gigi started to relax. “I’m not close enough to either to ask, though. I’m sure Tara’s noticed.”

“Hmm. I don’t want to poke my nose in, but it makes me sad to see them fighting. Maddy’s a very young sixteen, if you know what I mean. Maybe she doesn’t realize how much Travis is dealing with. His enthrallment taint hasn’t even finished fading yet.”

“I know.” She gave me a small smile. “Sorry I freaked out. I don’t handle aggressive guys well. Most back off, either flustered or disappointed, when I say I have a boyfriend. Only a handful keep pushing. At least he didn’t get angry.”

A shiver shook her whole body. No longer caring if Shayla and Queen were watching, I reached over and hugged her.

“I went to an all-girls school starting in sixth grade, and I commuted from home,” I told her, “so I’m really lacking in experience with co-ed campus life. I worked with human boys at my uncle’s dojo, and some of them were lippy or arrogant, but I don’t remember being harassed by them. It seems to happen a lot in this world, though. Is it a nephilim-only thing, do you think?”

“Your uncle’s name and presence protected you in your old world, like Kerry does here.” She let out a deep breath. “Did you know U.S. statistics show that one in five women has been assaulted in her lifetime? One-fifth of the population. Considering there’s more than 160 million women in the US, you’re talking 32 million women in a developed, civilized country.”

“You’ve done some research on this.”

“Yes.” A shiver shook her again. “But, to answer your question, it’s a bigger problem among the nephilim because our males are more susceptible to the Fallen part of our lineage.”

“Hold up. What?”

“It’s not like something we can’t hear is whispering in their ear all the time, but male nephs are three times more likely to follow an evil path. Hundreds and hundreds of years’ worth of records prove it.”

I blinked as the information filtered through my brain.

“Huh. I’ve never even considered that we were susceptible to the Fallen influence at all. Well, anyway, thank goodness you can teleport out of a situation if a guy, human or neph, gets too dangerous.”

“And you can kick his balls into his chest cavity.”

“Now this sounds like an interesting conversation.” Tara plopped down in the empty chair across from me. “Who needs his balls kicked? Oh, please tell me it’s a First Firster.”

“Or F-Fer, as Kerry calls them,” said Chessie as she took the chair across from Gigi. “It’s just an abbreviation, but it’s thewayhe says. Makes it sound like the worst kind of swear word.”

“Those F-Fers again!” Tara tried to imitate Kerry’s bass growl, which was hilarious given that she was a mezzo soprano, and we cracked up. “I’ll kill any of them who touch you, Gemma.”

She copied his angry scowl, completed with narrowed eyes, and we giggled even harder.

“There’s a good slogan for your sign, angel,” she continued her imitation. “Join the F-Fers and get kicked in the balls.”

We broke into outright laughter, and it took a bit before we got to doing any serious work on our signs. We had to hurry to finish in time, but I didn’t mind. The laughter had chased the shadows out of Gigi’s eyes.

#

Kerry

Matt Farley did not know jack about fighting, but he could take some hits.

On Saturday, me and Jax met him in the dojo for our lesson, and John tagged along. I talked them through a few down and dirty moves, including the sleeper I’d used on Fanishell the other day. I shoulda demonstrated first, but there was only one person I was comfortable getting that close to.

Speaking of Gemma, I’d told her where I was going and why, half-expecting her to come along because she loved sparring, but she had her own plans with Gigi. I’d been a little disappointed because Icravedspending time with her, but I had learned pretty quick that girl time was non-negotiable with her.

Anyways, it wasn’t long before the guys were hitting the mats, and their moves grew better and faster the longer we worked. I was surprised by their seriousness, which I hadn’t expected. When you get a bunch of dudes together, it usually turns into horsing around, but they were focused on learning. Even Jax had his game face on.

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