Chapter 15

 

We continued on like this for several minutes, with each block of his sword, my arm stung and I knew I’d feel this later, but wasn’t about to let up for a second. The adrenalin was pumping and I was a definite junky when it came to this. I gained the advantage again and had him back-stepping across the mat, while out of the corner of my eye I saw Troy and Arius move out of our way. Ducking his swing, I stepped forward and jumped into a spinning kick and sent him crashing to the mat.

Realizing I’d just managed to kick him in the head, I rushed over and dropped down beside him. “I’m sorry.” I said quickly. He blinked a few times and then looked at me with humor shining from his eyes.

“Good move,” he whispered between breaths. “I’m out.” He rubbed the side of his head.

I stood up and looked around to see everyone had stopped and were looking at me. Did I apologize for knocking their sibling on his ass?

“My turn.” Chase started walking in my direction with a grin on his face. Something told me he wasn’t going to hesitate, so I side-stepped away from Quinton and watched him swing the bo around as he got closer. It dawned on me then that these men had been doing this for hundreds of years that made the ten years under my belt seem like a minute.

He wasn’t going to be delicate about this at all is what the light in his eyes told me. I inhaled and readied when he was almost within reach with the weapon in his hands. He glanced at my feet at the last second and I knew where he was going to strike first. As he swung, I jumped and pushed off his shoulder with my feet, sending him completely off balance. Before he had time to recover I hooked his foot and sent him crashing to the mat.

Before I could mentally pat myself on the back, he rolled and came at me again. Between his height and the length of the Bo, he could reach me without being anywhere near me. I sneered at him. “Afraid to get to close, your highness?”

I heard a few snickers from behind us and watched as he looked over my shoulder and nodded. I wasn’t about to turn and see who was there. Tossing the Bo to the ground, he caught a wand similar to the one I held that came flying through the air.

“Does this please you, kitten?” He grinned and waved the wand, flicking his wrist.

“Immensely,” I whispered as I lunged at him. He came close to connecting with my head as I ducked out of the way and jabbed the end of mine into his stomach.

He grunted, but kept moving toward me. “You can use your cute little knife, I won’t cry.”

I debated on it for a split second, but decided if I was taking him down, I was doing it on a fair level. “Too easy.” I said as I rolled away just before his wand connected with my flesh. Before I could get to my feet, he hooked my leg and I landed flat on my back. I saw the satisfaction in his eyes, as he was about to drop and pin me to the floor. Timing it right, I kicked up with both feet and hit him square in the chest, sending him flying onto his back with a loud whop when he hit the mat.

Rolling, I jumped up and dropped down with my knee across his throat, flipping the handle of wand, the blade flicked out the end an inch above his face.

Dropping his hands to his side, he smiled up at me. “I’m out.”

Straightening away from him, I turned to see the rest of the brothers standing watching me. Apparently, we had been the main show. I looked around at them. “Anyone else?” I looked at Rafael.

He shook his head. “Hell no, I’ve seen you really fight in my visions and I like life.”

“Are we too late to practice?”

I turned to watch the long white haired Welsley saunter into the room. Beside him walked a woman as tall as him. She had long black hair and looked like a runway model that snacked on steroids, judging by the size of her biceps. “Not at all.” I said making eye contact with the neon green eyes of the man I wanted to stab when I first met him.

He stopped and looked at Chase lying on the floor. “I am not fighting a woman.”

The tone in his voice immediately set me on edge. I looked over at Troy, who stood there glaring at him.

“Please.” The tall woman pushed past him and came over and stood in front of me. “I have no problem fighting her. Look how small she is.”

“Shelby.” Troy said through clenched teeth.

The woman turned and gave Troy a once over look, obviously some history there. “I promise not to hurt your precious Huntress, Troy.”

Well that did it for me, I didn’t care who she was or thought she was supposed to be, she had just enough of the wrong attitude to piss me off. I sized her up while she was still glaring back at Troy. I’d fought bigger, at least I thought I probably had somewhere along the way.

Quinton stepped toward me. I shook my head and he stopped. “Shelby, is it?” She turned and gave me a look filled with hatred. “I wouldn’t want you to break a nail or anything, and your hair might get a bit mussed…”

With a battle cry that would rival a Viking she came at me. I didn’t see any weapon but just her size was dangerous enough. One thing I learned a long time ago, anger has no place in a fight. When she would have touched me with that large hand of hers, I dropped down to one knee and made myself small, causing her to stumble right over me onto the mat on the other side.

Jumping to my feet, I turned to face her and found myself lying flat on my back on the mat; clearly I hadn’t gotten out of reach enough. She straddled me and grabbed my wrist, pissing me off further; this was supposed to be sparring not wrestling. Kicking my leg up, I caught it around her throat and pulled her down off me. Before she had time to recover this time I made sure there was enough distance between us that I could see her coming.

She grabbed the wand that Chase had dropped and came at me, swinging it like a golf club. This woman needed to be medicated. I didn’t know where my own wand was and I didn’t exactly have the time to look around for it. I started to reach for my raptor, but hesitated too long as the wand clipped the side of my cheek. The pain radiated right up into my eye, blinding me for a half a second.

Backing away, my foot hit something wooden, without taking my eyes off her I reached down and grabbed my wand. This bitch had a serious payback on its way. She came at me again like a mad woman; I blocked two swings and had to clench my jaw as the blow vibrated up into my shoulder.

With a jab, I shoved the end of mine into her ribs and was rewarded with a very satisfying feeling as she grunted and bent forward. With a quick step, I swung my foot and caught her in the side of the head, sending her sprawling on the mat.

Backing away, I kept as much distance between us as I could. Behind her I watched Chase hold Quinton where he was, shaking his head. Chase understood I was not going to lose this by interference.

“Shelby that’s enough!” Troy bellowed.