Page 144 of Crimson Promises
I glanced down at my torn leggings and felt the knots and leaves that had weaved themselves into my hair.
I hope thousands of fire ants are stinging his back right now.
“While you may not agree with those methods, Aurora, I won’t apologize for them. I will use every advantage that I have to ensure you succeed. It was effective. You learned to precisely call up your magic and exert enough control over it to utilize it to cause harm to your opponent.”
My lips thinned. “Easy for you to say. You weren’t the one about to be devoured by a wild cat.”
“You were never in danger. I was there the entire time. If you aren’t a fan of my methods, I can stop training you.” He sat up, a muscle jumping in his jaw. His relaxed demeanor cracked slightly.
I threw my hands up in the air. “Fine. Whatever.” He would never concede, and I was too tired to continue arguing.
“Come sit.” He patted the spot next to him. A stump connected to a fallen tree.
I felt a tug on the bond before my feet started moving of their own accord.
“Let me see your back,” he demanded.
I gave him my back as I stared at the moss that grew through the veins of the tree’s bark. It looked greyish-green in the moonlight and like it would be velvety to the touch.
“Thought you told me to never give anyone their back.” Just because I didn’t feel like arguing anymore didn't mean I was cool with being unknowingly used as bait.
“Smart ass,” he chuckled. “You can trust that you will always be safe with me.”
“Being led into the clutches of a cougar felt real safe." Ben pinched my shoulder. "Of course, it's your job. Wouldn’t want to mess that up.”
Ben cleared his throat. “Right.”
The chilly night tickled the dip where Ben had pulled my shirt down. “Ah, all healed up already.”
I twisted my head over my shoulder, trying to look. I could still feel the sharp tips of the cougar’s claws pressing into my shoulder blades like tiny needles.
“There’s nothing to see. One of the benefits of having healing powers.”
I looked down at my stomach and pulled up my shirt. I completely forgot about the bruise that wasn’t healing after touching the demonic book.
The purple, yellow, and green spots were all gone.
“The demonic power laced in the book you touched most likely slowed down your body’s ability to heal you. However, you have such a vast amount of power that your magic burns through the spots of that power, trying to burrow its way into you. Once it was all gone, the bruise could heal at its typical metabolic rate. Do you honestly think I would have let things get that far last night if you were still injured?”
"Doesn't mean it erases the fact that I was attacked by a fucking jungle cat." I swung my legs over the trunk so I was straddling the log. “I never said that. It was the first time I noticed it had healed. My mind had been occupied with other things.”
“Like my godlike appearance? Supple body? Herculean abs?”
I snorted. “More like the several attempts on my life in such a short period. I’d rate your abs as meeting the requirements. Could work on exceeding expectations, though.”
Ben shot to his feet. “How dare you? Just for that, we’re going to do a few more training exercises before we call it a night.”
My shoulders slumped. “Do we have to?”I’m aware I’m whining like a petulant child.
“We do.”
“What if I take it back and say your abs are better than Herculean?”
He counted off on his finger. “First, it’s too late to take it back. Second, I have a few more maneuvers to go over with you that I think it’s important to learn. Third, you're really hot when wielding your powers. I can't help but get turned on. I promise there will be no hide-and-seek regiments.”
“Promise?” I couldn't resist when he wielded that filthy mouth of his.
“Promise.”
