by Amy Manemann
“How do you know when my birthday is?”
Evanore lowered her eyes, but not before I saw a swell of sadness wash through them. Eyes to the soul, Sadie’s words whispered through my mind, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up.
“Your birthday and year are known to us all, Willa. It is our business to know these things.”
I stared at Lord Lancaster in disbelief. “If it’s the Council’s business to know these things, then why didn’t you know about Addison and Riley? Doesn’t it seem strange you didn't know they even existed until now?”
Next to me, I heard Braeden sigh, and I knew without looking he wasn’t happy. Probably should have kept my mouth shut on that one.
“You are very disrespectful for someone so young,” Kensington observed.
Eyes narrowed, I opened my mouth to speak, halting when Braeden’s hand came down on my shoulder as he stood.
“Willa does not mean to question the authority of the Council, nor does she mean to be disrespectful. She is simply unprepared for being thrust into our world the way she has been. I’m afraid she's tired from all she has been through.” The look he gave me clearly said ‘keep your mouth shut’.
Fine. I shrugged his hand away, slumping glumly back in my seat.
Kensington sniffed indifferently. “You would do well to teach her before her mouth gets her into trouble.”
I sat up, indignant. Why that little...
Braeden’s hand came down on my shoulder again, squeezing it none too gently.
“As I’ve already said, I shall be incorporate it into her training,” Braeden spoke through gritted teeth, peering at me from the corner of his eye.
Appeased, Lord Lancaster stood, clasping his hands together. “Very well then, we shall leave her in your capable hands. We will alert you should there be any change in outside conditions.”
I watched, open-mouthed, as the men filed out the door, enraged with Lancaster’s comment but unable to say anything with Braeden’s meaty hand still boring into my shoulder. Reaching the door, Evanore spared me a long look before she too took her leave, leaving Braeden and I alone in the empty room.
“Seriously? They aren’t here to be an opposition? I thought you said they would help us,” I snapped, fuming.
Braeden removed his hand from my shoulder, blowing out a breath. “The Council is here to help us, but only if you don’t let your emotions rule your mouth. They’ve been around for longer than we’ve been alive, Willa. They know what they’re doing.”
“Well, what they’re doing is pissing me off,” I fired back, wincing at my own crude choice of words. Silence greeted me, which made me feel even worse for the way I was acting. Maybe Braeden was right, and I was just worn out from everything being thrown at me. What did they call that? Post-traumatic stress disorder? Maybe I was suffering from that. Or maybe I’d finally gone off the deep end.
“Listen, I’m sorry.” I wearily rubbed my forehead. “This isn’t me. I’m not that girl who just shoots off rude comments and provokes fights. I don’t know what’s come over me.”
Braeden dropped back into his chair, angling his body towards mine. “Or maybe this is the person you’ve been all along, and you just needed a gang of blood-sucking vampires to bring it out of you. You never know. Somewhere deep down, you may have a kick ass ninja just waiting to be let out.”
My lips twitched into a half-hearted smile. “You’re crazy.”
He shrugged. “Perhaps, but you like me that way. Now, what do you say we go back to our rooms, change into workout gear and hit the gym? I think we both have a bit of pent up frustration that could use a bit of venting.”
“You know, that doesn’t sound like a half bad idea. You are supposed to be training me. I think it’s fair to say you are sorely slacking in that area,” I pointed out, my lips spreading into a wide smile.
He leaned over and tugged a strand of my hair, grinning. “Don’t say something you might regret.”
An hour later, I landed on my back on the workout pad with a groan, a thick sheen of sweat coating my body. While I knew I’d be sore tomorrow, I had to admit; I was glad for the physical exertion. Being already in shape had definitely been a bonus, especially when Braeden wanted to start out by showing me defensive moves. Braeden moved faster and was obviously more skilled in hand to hand combat, but I was learning, albeit at a much slower pace. I’d already lost count of how many times he’d knocked me on my rear.
Standing over me with a cocky grin, Braeden held out a hand to help me up. “Want to go another round?”
I slid my hand into his and raised myself partially off the ground. Keeping my attention on him, I slid my legs behind his knees and swept him off his feet, laughing when he landed with a thud on the mat next to me.
“I’m not sure. Do you think you’re up for it?” I teased, laughing when he rolled his thick body over and tackled me to the floor.
His body half on mine, he had captured my hands and was holding them over my head.
“I’m always up for it,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows.
I laughed, arching an eyebrow. “Says every man I’ve ever met.”
Braeden chuckled, leaning in to nibble my lips. I returned the kisses, liking this part of training even better.
He pulled back an inch, finding my eyes. “Princess, you haven’t seen anything yet. If you’re done messing around, we should probably get back to work.”
“I’m not the one playing make out in the training room,” I informed him in a sing-song voice. Raising my head off the mat, I closed the distance between our lips to press mine more fully against his. He groaned at the contact, the sound reverberating through my mouth. Deepening the kiss, he rolled over on the mat until I lay sprawled half on top of him. His hands moved up to tangle in my hair, holding my head steady while his tongue pushed past the folds of my lips to tangle with mine.
“I’ve got to say,” he said in between breathless kisses that left my senses reeling, “I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed working out this much.”
I laughed against his mouth.
“I think you’re easily distracted.” I pressed soft, butterfly kisses to his lips before dragging myself off his body to sit up.
“Only when it comes to you.” In one fluid motion, Braeden pushed himself up and flipped back on his feet, leaving me to stare up at him in awe.
I slid my hand into his, allowing him to help me to my feet.
“Neat trick. I need to learn that.”
He smirked. “I’ve got a lot of tricks up my sleeve. You just wait.”
We retook our spots in the middle of the arena, squaring off against each other. Keeping my senses alert, I watched his body movements closely, waiting for any signs of him making a move.
“You’re not paying attention,” he said evenly, a hint of a smile in his voice.
I scowled, raising my eyes to his. “I am too.”
One minute I was staring him in the eye, the next I was again lying on the floor, looking up at the ceiling. Dang it. He held out a hand, helping me back on my feet. “You need to watch more than their body. When facing off against an adversary, you need to focus and avoid distractions.”
“I was focused. You distracted me when you spoke.” Huffily, I retook my position.
“Enemies don’t always stay silent, Willa. You must be prepared for anything during a fight, including them speaking. Talking with your opponent gives you an opportunity to catch them with their guard down before making your move. I knew you were focused on watching me for body movements, therefore I spoke to distract your train of thought.”
“So what you’re saying is I should trash talk my opponent?” I eyed him warily as we began to circle one another, watching for any signs of movement.
Braeden grinned. “Something like that. I want you to open up your senses, use your peripheral vision. Always look your opponent in the eye, but use your periphery to tell if they’re making their move.”
We again
circled each other, this time my gaze focused on his. I kept the rest of his body in my periphery like he’d said, sharpening my focus until I was in tune with his every movement. This time when Braeden moved I was ready, side-stepping his sweep kick and returning with a quick front kick to his gut. My kick caught him off guard and he stumbled backwards before landing on his rear, momentarily stunned.
“You know, I think I like my way better. Especially if it ends with me knocking you on your rear,” I gloated, standing over him.
“Nice kick,” he coughed, and my gloating faded, worry setting in.
“Oh jeez, did I really hurt you?” I asked, dropping to my knees in front of him.
“Only my manly pride, I’m sure I’ll live. Though if I don’t, would you nurse me back to health?” He gave a wounded look, rubbing his stomach.
I laughed, shoving his chest. “As many times as you’ve knocked me on my butt today, I highly doubt it. You can soak your aches and pains in a hot bath like the rest of us do.”
“Now that can definitely be arranged. I think we’ve had enough training for one day. What do you say we hit the hot tub?”
I nearly sighed aloud at the thought. Soaking in a hot tub definitely sounded better than getting knocked on my butt in here. “There’s a hot tub here too? Is there anything the Council doesn’t have?”
Braeden’s eyes twinkled with laughter. “A better cook, though I’m told that’s something in the works. The meals here are awful.”
We met Allora in the blue hallway on our way back from the training room and invited her to join us. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a braid that hung midway down her back, and she wore a blue gown with iridescent colors. Standing next to her in the pair of sweats and t-shirt I’d drummed up, with sweat trickling down my back, I felt underdressed.
“I think I’ll decline, but if you need any clothes, my room seems to have an overabundance of women’s clothing,” she offered, eyes flickering towards my sweaty outfit.
She didn’t have to ask me twice. I had rummaged through my room a dozen times and only came up with bare essentials. Having something other than t-shirts and yoga pants to wear sounded heavenly. “That’d be great, thank you.”
Braeden tugged my ponytail, flashing a smile. “Have fun. Meet you in twenty minutes?”
With a nod, I watched him saunter away, enjoying the view from behind a little too much.
Allora sighed, grabbing my hand and tugging me towards her room. “You can gawk at Braeden later. Let’s get you into some nicer attire, shall we?”
Allora’s room was a gold mine of clothing, filled with everything from undergarments to evening wear. I even found a one-piece bathing suit that wouldn’t show off too much skin. Even though Braeden and I were growing closer, I didn’t think I was ready to be flashing any amount of skin just yet.
Knowing my time was short, I picked out a few simple choices, including the swimsuit, and escaped back to my room to change. Shedding my sweaty clothes, I quickly changed into the bathing suit, and was just wrapping a towel around my waist when a knock sounded on the door adjoining our rooms.
“All ready to go…,” he stopped just inside the doorway, his golden gaze hungrily drinking me in.
I fidgeted uncomfortably, feeling self-conscious in just the bathing suit and towel. “I found a swim suit in Allora’s room. It’s a bit snug…” I absently fingered the blue material, suddenly wishing there was more to it.
Braeden smiled, stepping further in the room. Tucking a long finger under my chin, he brought my gaze up to his, his golden eyes swallowing my green eyes.
“It’s beautiful. You’re beautiful,” he said huskily, leaning in and capturing my lips in a sweet kiss.
Pulling back, I smiled shyly, dropping my gaze to take in his attire. He wore a pair of blue tropical swim trunks and had pulled a light blue t-shirt on over top. Like mine, his feet were bare.
“I just realized something,” I exclaimed. “Everything in our rooms are blue. We have blue towels, blue carpet, blue walls…even blue lamp shades.”
Braeden laughed, nodding. “Everything in the blue hall is blue, right down to the color of your socks. I honestly think it was meant to be a joke at one time and it morphed into reality. The other halls are thusly the same in that their décor and clothing match the color of the hall.”
I snorted back a laugh. “Someone has a warped sense of humor.”
“You aren’t kidding.” Face growing serious, he leaned in closer. “I’d hate to be the fellow staying in the pink hall.”
Laughing, I followed Braeden from the room and down the hall. Instead of turning left to head to the main hall, we turned right.
“I trust you know where you’re going,” I said, smiling when Braeden tucked my hand into his as we walked.
“Yes, you have me all figured out. I plan on getting us lost in the Council and having my wicked way with you.” His grin sent my stomach into somersaults and I laughed to mask my nervousness.
Stopping at the end of the hall, Braeden pushed the last door open to reveal the room inside.
Chapter 15
The smell of chlorine assaulted my senses as we stepped inside, and I wrinkled my nose. My dislike of the smell was short lived when I got a good look of the room we were standing in. An Olympic sized pool was at the room’s center, the cool blue waters wave-less for lack of occupants. To my right was a large shelf full of hot towels, meticulously folded and ready for use. A marbled path skirted the edge of the pool, leading a winding path to a grotto style hot tub that was half-hidden beneath the thick vines and flowered shrubbery surrounding it. On the opposite side of the marbled path were empty lounge chairs, their metal frames cushioned in thick grass. There was even a large cabana, its silky curtains swaying gently from an unknown breeze filtering through the room. Instead of walls of the room there was darkness, the only lights coming from the multiple lamp posts lining the outside ring of lounge chairs.
“Are we outside?” I asked in wonder, my eyes shifting upwards to where the ceiling should have been, only to be greeted by a thousand twinkling stars. "This is amazing."
Braeden chuckled, closing the door behind us. His large hands encased my arms, and the heat from his body radiated through the thin layer of my swimsuit, causing my skin to prickle in awareness.
“Magic,” he whispered in my ear, his breath stirring the sensitive skin there.
I shied away from him, wandering further into the magical room while Braeden got us some towels from the shelf. I came to a stop at the first lounge chair, eyeing the bright green grass with interest. I wonder if it’s as soft as it looks, I thought, biting my lower lip. Tentatively, I stepped off the path and onto the grass, surprised at the dewy softness that cushioned my bare feet.
“Wow, it feels so real. Do you ever have to mow it?” I looked up at Braeden's approach, towels in hand.
“It may be magic, but it’s as real as you and I. And you only have to mow if you’ve done something really naughty.” His roguish grin made my toes curl in the soft grass before he sauntered away, heading towards the steamy grotto.
Smoothing my foot one last time in the soft grass, I stepped back onto the marbled path, my bare feet padding behind him at a more leisurely pace. Butterflies swirled in my stomach the closer we got to the grotto, and I could see vents of steam trickling through the exposed vines surrounding the hot tub.
Pausing at the entrance, Braeden pulled back a curtain of vines, revealing the steaming pool inside. It was even more beautiful inside than out, and I swallowed, noting it was also more secluded. Don’t be such a ninny, I told myself, forcing a smile for his benefit. He slept in the same bed with you last night for crying out loud. Now you’re afraid of getting in a hot tub with him?
He grandly swept his arm wide. “After you, M’Lady.”
Bolstered by false courage, I swept past him into the grotto, taking a seat on a bench just inside the door. Braeden let the curtain of vines fall behind him, shutting us com
pletely off from the outside world. The butterflies in my stomach took flight, and I averted my gaze, toying with the edge of my towel.
“Is the temperature alright?” he asked, tossing our towels on the bench next to me while moving over to the pool’s edge to read the thermometer. Satisfied with the reading, he slid his fingers under the edge of his shirt, pulling it up and over his head before tossing it on the floor. The site of rock-hard abs and a washboard stomach rendered me momentarily speechless. By the Goddess, how was it possible for a man’s body to look that good? I wasn’t aware I was staring until a slow grin stretched his lips, and I quickly snapped my gaze away, studying the wall of vines just above my head.
“Um, yeah. It’s great. Pretty steamy in here,” I replied, immediately flushing at my choice of words.
Braeden chuckled, crossing the room to stand in front of me. “Willa, am I making you nervous?”
I laughed, trying to play it off. The sound came out as more of a squeak, and I winced.
“Yeah, maybe a little,” I softly admitted, lifting my gaze to his.
“It’s cool.” Reaching for the vines covering the entrance, Braeden gathered them in one hand and secured them with a rope to the side of the grotto wall. Now that we had a view to the poolroom, the pressure in my chest began to ease, and the butterflies in my stomach quieted down. It also made me keenly aware of how my awkwardness had just ruined what would probably be a fairly romantic moment by any standards.
I dropped my gaze to the floor. “I’m sorry.” If he wasn’t certain of it before, he was definitely certain by now. I sorely lacked experience where boys were concerned.
There was a moment’s pause, then a rustle of clothing, before Braeden’s feet came into view a second before he dropped to his knees in front of me. Tucking a long finger under my chin, he lifted my gaze to his. I saw he had put his shirt back on, which only added to my embarrassment. It also pleased me he was being so conscious of my feelings.