Page 18 of Seduction in Blood
"Defend yourself."
And before I knew it, he came at me. For a while, he was in the defensive position. But after my previous workout, my energy quickly waned. And before he powered up to land me on the floor, he stepped off the mat. A sign the match was over, but not the training.
"In a one-on-one fight, you'll never escape a shifter, let alone a vampire."
"I wasn't trained for that." I wiped the sweat from my brow and worked to get my breath back to a normal rhythm.
"Obviously."
Not a drop of sweat showed on his chiseled features. Not a strand of hair had come out of his ponytail. Maybe vamps didn't sweat.
"I was going easy on you." It was a lame response, but all my brain could handle. This wasn't how I'd pictured the training sessions.
He didn't laugh, and I wondered who the real Trelane was. The charming and thoughtful man from this morning, or the unsmiling killer who couldn't wait to put me down like a dog? I wasn't liking his idea of training, but maybe he'd had a change of heart. I'd be happy to go back to The Wolf if I only knew whether that was a better option. Unfortunately, I didn't know, and either way, I wasn't getting out of today's session.
"If you can't fight your way past one vampire, you're useless to me."
I really hated being called useless.
With hands on hips, I narrowed my eyes. "I'm a thief. If you want me to steal something, then I would expect you to protect me. Or have one of your goons do it."
He moved so fast I didn't see the first hit—a kick to the back of my knees that dropped me to all fours. Before I could push myself up, I buckled from his next attack. I managed to deliver a kick of my own as I recovered, and when it landed, it felt like I'd hit a cement wall.
I stumbled back, wincing as the pain raced up my leg, but I was still standing. He circled me before coming to a stop.
"I'm not a babysitter, nor are my goons." This was said with a sneer.
He really wasn't happy with me, and I didn't know what I'd done to create his wrath. This was the vamp I'd heard about. The dangerous outcast of Santiga Bay.
I dropped my arms and stood straight. If he wanted to come at me, so be it. But I wasn't going to play his games. "Then you're not as smart as I thought to risk your thief. If anyone else could do what I can do, you wouldn't be going through this trouble. So, stop being an asshole."
He stared at me, and I thought he might be considering my words. Then he stepped onto the mat, coming within a foot of me. I refused to back away.
"Step into the red circle."
"What?" I had no idea what he was talking about until I glanced down. Why hadn't I noticed the colorful circles and squares before? Or maybe I had and assumed they were random designs.
"If I have to repeat myself, your training sessions will have to be increased."
The red circle was barely four feet in diameter. Once I stepped inside, there would only be inches between us. I swallowed hard, then stepped in. There was no way I'd survive longer training sessions.
"And what is this supposed to teach me?" I only glanced up as far as his lips, not wanting to look into his eyes. I was tall, but he still had a good four inches on me. I wasn't sure his lips were the best choice and lowered my gaze to his chest.
Without warning, he leaped to the closest rope, his momentum swinging him as he undulated his body to increase the height. When his rhythm reached its peak, he released and flew toward the climbing wall, catching on with one hand before grabbing the taut line that ran across the room. He crawled along the rope, hand over hand, feet pushing him along until he reached the wooden post. In a blink of an eye, he swung from another rope, heading straight for me. Not sure what to do, I planted my feet, braced myself, and squinted until I heard the soft thud of his landing mere inches from me. I glanced down to confirm he stood within the red circle as his warm breath washed over me.
I replayed the entire scene in my head. The image was unbelievable, yet there he was, so close I could almost hear his heart racing. Did vampires have heartbeats? There was still much I didn't know.
When he didn't say anything and only glared, I should have returned the gesture. But I wasn't always the smartest one in the room.
"You're nuts if you think I'm going to learn how to do that."
I felt the hit to my shoulder almost before I saw him take the two quick steps back before kicking out. The force of the kick spun me, and he slammed a hand into my chest that sent me flying. I hit the floor, the momentum sliding me across the smooth wood, too stunned to stop my trajectory. Before I crashed into the oncoming wall headfirst, I was picked up and slammed against the hard paneling. Trelane's hand grasped my neck, holding me up on my tiptoes.
I scratched and pawed at his arms, barely able to breathe. My heart pounded so fast it blocked out everything but the rapid beats reverberating in my head. My blood froze.
The vampire's brows furrowed over glowing eyes. The piercing blue of his natural eye color had turned an iridescent silver. They would be beautiful if he wasn't frowning, his lips twisted in a sneer. Then his frown receded as the color of his eyes darkened with bits of blue sprinkled within the silver.
He bent his head and ran his lips along my jaw. The scent of cloves and cinnamon circled around us, filling my senses, invading deeper parts of me as I warmed from the inside out. My nether regions tingled as he breathed deep, taking in my own scent. A hand caressed my hip, lingering as his lips moved toward my mouth. When the tips of his fangs slid across my lips, I heard a moan.
