Child’s play no, warm-up yes.
“Chan ann leis a’chiad bhuille thuiteas a’chraobh,” Odran yelled. It was Gaelic, the old language of his people, and meant: It is not with the first stroke that the tree falls.
Not giving me adequate time to chuckle over his witticism, he charged me, all the while glowing a bright yellow. I braced myself for the impact—feet shoulder-width apart and core tight. When he collided with me, it was as if I’d been struck by a train. The yellow of his glow sizzled against me and I could smell the rancid odor of burning hair. I hit the ground and glanced at my arms, realizing his energy had singed my arm hair. Even though I was down, Odran continued his attack. He fell on me and his energy continued to burn me, continued to scald me with its intensity. I clenched my eyes shut against the pain and focused on my warlock abilities, focused on pushing Odran away from me. When I opened my eyes, I realized my hands were glowing purple. I was ready. I thrust my palms onto Odran’s chest and pushed. A jolt bolted through him and in a matter of seconds he was sailing through the air, landing in the dirt perhaps ten feet from me.
I took a moment to catch my breath and glanced over at Odran, realizing he was doing the same. Magically, I’d say we were both of the same degree. We were a good match. Before either of us had the opportunity to stand up and resume our jousting, Jolie suddenly appeared on the sidelines. She jogged the few paces separating us and stood between Odran and me. I felt something jealous and angry start in the pit of my stomach and the images of her with Sinjin began to flood my mind again. I fended them off, reminding myself they weren’t real and, more so, that I was acting like a jealous fool.
Jolie smiled at me and reached down. I looked up at her and nodded with a quick smile as I took her proffered hand. “Jolie,” I said
“You’re a sight for sore eyes.”
I grabbed a towel lying on the ground and blotted my forehead, suddenly feeling slightly self-conscious about my appearance. I was certain I looked a mess—with smudges of dirt and mud covering every inch of me along with sweat.
I glanced at her and felt the breath catch in my throat. She was wearing her workout gear—stretch pants and a fitted T-shirt. It wasn’t a revealing outfit by any means and yet I could see the curves of her body as if she were naked. “It’s good to see you too.”
She giggled and it was a sound that pleased me immensely. I draped my arm around her, suddenly needing to touch her, to feel her beside me. I pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head as we started toward Odran, who was now nearly upon us.
“Good job,” I said to him.
“Aye, ye too,” he responded and glanced at Jolie in question, as if he didn’t understand what she was doing on the battlefield. I, too, wasn’t certain why she’d decided to visit but I was happy to see her all the same.
“Hi, Odran,” she said.
“Lass,” he answered and slightly inclined his head. “What are ye doin’ oot here?”
Jolie released herself from my hold and faced me, the girlish smile dissolving from her face. “I was hoping I could spar with you.” I didn’t say anything but I was sure my expression belied my curiosity. She continued. “I thought it would be good to take advantage of all this Underworld power and work on my magic too.”
I nodded, not finding fault with her reasoning. “That sounds like a good idea.”
I glanced out at my throng of warring soldiers, scanning them until I could find someone I could trust with Jolie. Someone who wouldn’t hurt her, but would challenge her, all the same. My eyes settled on John, who happened to be a werewolf and the beau of Jolie’s best friend, Christa. Christa had relocated to England and, more pointedly, Pelham Manor at the same time Jolie had—when I’d taken them both under my wing to offer protection against Bella and anyone else who would seek to do them harm. Now Christa acted the part of my assistant.
“John!” I yelled. He glanced over at me at the same time Christa, Trent (a werewolf), and Sinjin did.
“Yessir?” John responded and began approaching us.
“Are you interested in training with Jolie?” I asked and offered him an expression that said he better go easy on her and if he hurt her, he’d have to answer to me.
John frowned as if he wasn’t comfortable accepting. “But I thought you said she wasn’t fighting Bella’s …”
“She’s not,” I interrupted, glancing at her as if to reiterate the point. Yes, it had crossed my mind that her sole intention had been to prove her abilities in combat in the hopes that I would give her my blessing to attend the battle. Well, that wasn’t going to happen. I didn’t care if she hog-tied Odran, John, and Sinjin and did so all at the same time. I would not risk her safety.
I looked back at John and shook my head. “It’ll be good practice for you to defend yourself against her powers.”
John obeyed with a quick nod and approached Jolie. I stood on the sidelines next to Odran, Christa, and Sinjin. I couldn’t help but look at Sinjin askance. He was the last person I wanted to see and the visual of him biting Jolie’s neck seemed to return with a vengeance.
“I could not miss this,” Sinjin said in response to the quizzical look I offered him.
“John, go easy on her!” Christa yelled and then added, “I’ve got a twenty on Jules.”
“Hey!” John yelled back. There was an ease between the two of them that caused pangs of envy in my stomach. I wanted the same between Jolie and me. I wanted to be with her; I always had but there was always some obstacle keeping us apart.
“Give me all you’ve got. I can defend myself,” she said to John. I felt a smile break out across my face. She could defend herself and then some.
“You got it, girl.” John ripped his shirt off and tossed it aside, then slowly walked around her, as if sizing up his competition. That or he just liked the image of her in her tight workout pants.
“Mind if I cut in?” Trent, the other werewolf who had followed us and who also happened to be Jolie’s ex-boyfriend, interrupted.
Trent is far from making my favorite people list. He’s a braggart, narcissistic, and he didn’t treat Jolie well during their short romance. Truth be told, I can’t stand the bastard. “Trent, mind your own bloody business,” I called out and took a few steps closer, as if to say he’d have me to deal with if he didn’t back down.
“It’s okay,” Jolie countered as a smile that wasn’t quite sweet spread across her face. “I’d be happy to fight him.”
“Okay,” I said, chuckling to myself as I realized maybe Jolie was going to exact some retribution. I backed off at the same time that John returned to Christa on the sidelines.
“Don’t hold back,” Jolie said as she faced Trent and narrowed her eyes.
Trent shook his head. “Never do.”
And without further warning, he lunged at her. I took a step forward, wanting to call interference but Jolie was faster than I. Using her magic, she disappeared in a split second, only to reappear a few feet from where she was just standing. Trent fell, face-first, at her feet. Jolie and I both laughed at the same time. She then held up her hands, palms facing each other and set to creating a fireball of energy. Yes, it could have seriously injured Trent but I could only imagine Jolie hadn’t charged it with much more than a mild sting. Of course, depending on how angry she was with the bloody bastard, maybe she’d given it full strength. She aimed the fireball for Trent’s stomach and released it. The wolf darted to the right to avoid it and the ball merely disappeared into the earth, blinking a few times before it popped and fizzled away.
I watched as Trent grabbed Jolie’s ankle and yanked until she lost her footing and fell. She landed as I’d instructed her, with her weight thrown into her middle as she braced herself evenly between her arms. It was the best way to delimit physical injury. Once on her hands and knees, she rolled over in a split second but Trent was waiting for her. He pushed her down and jumped atop her, pinning her with his weight.
“I always wanted you in this position,”
he said, causing my stomach to sour. I knew Jolie could take care of herself but it didn’t change the fact that I detested the way she was constantly receiving sexual innuendos. She deserved more than that. She deserved their absolute respect.
She just smiled, as if Trent’s comment meant nothing to her, and began manifesting a handful of sand. She wasted no time in throwing the sand into his face, which allowed her ample opportunity to create another energy ball. Her ability to create energy was improving every time she tried it. I’d instructed her well. And I enjoyed playing the part of impressed instructor. I watched her hurl the orb into Trent’s chest and he fell over, moaning as he gripped his stomach. I clapped, enjoying every moment of his pain.
“Nice!” Christa yelled.
But apparently the fool hadn’t tasted enough defeat because he stood up and snarled, anger over the fact that he’d been bested by a woman no doubt driving him on. He charged her. I wanted to call out and warn her but I didn’t. This was Jolie’s fight. But I never took my eyes from her, wondering how she would counter him, what she would do. I watched as she magicked a heavy silver dagger and lashed out with it. I must have been on autopilot because the next thing I knew, I’d grabbed Trent’s arm and pulled him backward, just shy of Jolie’s blade.
“Bloody hell!” I yelled at Trent as soon as I released him and gave him a push that said in no uncertain terms that he’d made a fool of himself. “You weren’t paying close enough attention! Don’t let your personal issues get in the way.”
“I have no issues with Jolie,” Trent spat out.
We all were more than aware that there was no truth to that statement. I glanced at Jolie and noticed she hadn’t responded other than to shrug while Trent continued to glare at the silver dagger in her hand. She glanced down at it and watched it disappear into her hand. When my gaze returned to her face, I found her studying me, perhaps to glean whether or not I was upset with her. I was nothing but proud, confident that she could defend herself should the need ever arise. I merely nodded and offered her a smile that said exactly what I thought. She responded with a great smile that spread across her face and made me want to kiss her.
Trent, apparently still irritated that Jolie had beaten him, trudged off while John patted her on the back. “Nice going, Jules,” he said with a laugh. “I didn’t realize you were so good.”
“She’s better than good,” Christa said, beaming. “I didn’t doubt you for a second.”
Jolie smiled and quickly glanced at Sinjin before she turned toward me again.
“I want to fight Sinjin,” she said in a matter-of-fact sort of way. I glanced at the vampire who was now smiling and licking his lips as if he’d just been served a bowl of O Negative. And all of a sudden, the memory of his hands all over her breasts returned. I shook my head, trying to free my mind from the recurrent images. When would these visions end?
Sinjin stepped forward and his eyes narrowed as he studied her, followed the contours of her body from head to toe. “Nothing would please me more.”
“Jolie,” I started, wanting to talk her out of this foolishness. Not only was Sinjin entirely too powerful for her but I also didn’t want him to be so close to her, to be able to touch her. “Sinjin is centuries old …”
“I don’t care,” she said in that stubborn way of hers that absolutely drove me to madness. She walked the ten feet that separated her and the vampire, then she braced herself and motioned to Sinjin that she was ready for him. He laughed as if the context were completely different, as if it were just the two of them behind closed doors. I felt my throat begin to constrict.
Sinjin disappeared and reappeared seconds later directly in front of her. He could have reached out and touched her easily. I watched her gasp, watched her expression of shock as she realized how close she was to a creature who could kill her instantly.
“I will not go easy on you,” Sinjin warned. I didn’t expect that he would hand her a victory but, at the same time, if he so much as harmed a hair on her head, he would answer to me.
“I’m not asking you to,” she countered and her voice faltered as if she was worried. Whether she was nervous about the fact that she was going to spar with a master vampire or whether that anxiety was a response to the fact that he was standing so close to her, I didn’t know. As to what Jolie thought about Sinjin? I didn’t know that either and perhaps that was why I tended to get so frantic concerning the two of them. Perhaps she had feelings for him? It would not be unusual—Sinjin could give Casanova a run for his money.
“Very well.”
I watched Jolie close her eyes as she focused on her magic. In response, a sheen of light reflected around her, revealing the walls of a protective barrier she’d constructed around herself. But magic would not work against Sinjin. Granted, Sinjin’s abilities to bewitch her would also fail so it would become a match of brawn against brawn. And physically, Sinjin was much stronger than she was.
He materialized directly behind her and pulled her into his chest, as if to show her she couldn’t even defend herself when he was being gentle. “Your magic does nothing to deter me.”
“Then how do I defeat you?”
He smiled. “You do not.”
He turned her around to face him and then pushed her as she stumbled backward, falling down on her back and hitting her head against the dirt. She didn’t fall as I’d instructed her and she’d pay the price later if she didn’t already have the beginnings of a headache. I started forward but held myself back, allowed her to find out for herself what happened when she was ill prepared in battle. Sinjin must have knocked the wind out of her because she merely lay there for a few seconds.
“Sinjin!” Christa reprimanded and took a step nearer Jolie but Jolie held her back with a shake of her head.
“I’m okay,” she muttered.
“I apologize,” Sinjin said.
He stood above her, glancing down at her with what appeared to be apology and regret. He extended his hand and the thought of him touching her, spurred me onward. I wanted nothing more than to push him away from her, let him know that I was her protector. I sidestepped him and leaned over Jolie, offering her a smile. “He’s just too strong.”
She nodded but still made no motion to stand. “How is anyone supposed to defeat them?”
I didn’t want to answer the question so I said nothing as Sinjin took the onus of answering it himself. “Only the oldest and strongest can battle against us, poppet.”
“So that means everyone else is doomed?” She propped herself up on her elbows, apparently still too winded to stand. I wanted to pull her into my arms but I knew better. Jolie was not the type who wanted to be saved. She was independent, a modern and sensible woman.
“Not exactly,” I said, rubbing the back of my head.
“The other creatures have been drinking our blood,” Sinjin answered nonchalantly, crossing his arms against his broad chest.
“What?” she demanded and appeared to be horrified by the thought.
“It’s the only way we can fortify ourselves to fight them,” John responded, sounding defensive.
“Your blood?” she asked Sinjin.
“Of course not,” he spat out, clearly insulted by the idea. “I am a master vampire and I do not share my blood.”
She nodded, as if she weren’t surprised by that and then turned to face me. “Rand, have you …”
“No!” I said quickly, offended that she would even consider the thought. I would never stoop so low as to ingest anything vampire. The mere thought of it sickened me. “I don’t need it.”
She offered me a quick smile of apology and reached out her hand. I relished the feel of her soft and warm skin as it met mine. Before I could comprehend it, I felt an incredible wind come up from behind me. Not prepared for the gust, I felt myself wobble, lose my balance. I landed just beside Jolie but braced myself for the impact and was about to leap to my feet, to face whoever had been responsible for toppling me when I heard the sound of he
r giggling and I realized exactly what had just happened.
I faced her and smiled. “Is it like that then?”
“Come on, warlock, let the apprentice parry with the master,” she answered in her most flirtatious voice. Warmth spread throughout me and I wanted nothing more than to grab her and climb atop her, to kiss her and yell to the world that she was mine. I watched her stand up and there was something giddy in her, something that said she wanted nothing more than to best me, to prove her skills.
I wouldn’t give in.
I stood up and smiled at her.
You will regret that. I thought the words, reveling in our secret connection, loving the fact that no one else could speak to her in such an intimate way.
So come and get me.
I didn’t. I wanted to take her by surprise. Instead, I focused on her lovely body and imagined her floating above the ground and gliding backward. Her eyes widened as she felt herself lift. She glanced down, as if to ensure that she was, in fact, floating. Smiling, I walked behind her while she closed her eyes and struggled to extricate herself from my power. I continued to focus on the charm, on the fact that I wanted to subject her to my control while she continued to struggle against it. I held my hand up and stopped her backward momentum as soon as a tree interrupted her path. She was still floating a foot or so off the ground, just suspended against the tree, exactly where I wanted her. Then I suddenly remembered we still had an audience.
I turned around and faced the others, wanting only to be alone with Jolie.
“Get back to work, all of you.”
Odran must have already grown tired with our games because he was nowhere to be found. John and Christa vacated the premises first. Sinjin made no motion to leave and merely switched his gaze between Jolie and me. I cleared my throat as if to tell him to hurry and be on his way. Seconds later, he disappeared into the air.