by S M Olivier
“I’m surprised to even see you training.” Henderson frowned as he noticed me ensconced between Troy and Jace.
I stood up, brushing the bottoms of my pants. I had enough angst boiling up in me, and it was itching to get out. I needed to vent, and what better way to do so than physically in a ring.
“I’m game,” I called out. “…if she promises not to take any cheap shots to my arm.”
“I really don’t think that’s a good idea,” Henderson said hesitantly.
“Blake,” Remy said with a warning growl.
“‘Tis but a scratch!” I said in my best British accent.
Jaxson and Noah immediately started snickering. They had made me sit through many hours of Monty Python movies when I was laid up. I found some of it wasn’t that amusing to me, but I did discover some parts to be hilarious, hence the reference.
“You can be so damn stubborn,” Troy muttered fondly as he helped me wrap my hands. Then he placed my thin foam helmet over my head. He knew my limitations. We worked hard to become more proficient in the art. We even lightly sparred yesterday. I appreciated the fact that he didn’t treat me like a girl and didn’t go easy on me. He certainly wasn’t putting all of himself in his matches with me, but he undeniably made me work for it.
“I learned from the best.” I smiled impishly up at him.
“The moment she fights dirty, I’m ending the match, with or without your permission,” Remy clenched his jaw in displeasure.
“Okay, let’s go,” Henderson had a mixture of respect and exasperation in his eyes as he looked at me. “Adams, I know you have trained for many, many years—” Henderson began.
“Since I was four,” Adams interrupted as she swept her long dark hair back into a ponytail. She gave me a superior look.
I was new to all this, but with the help of Troy and my natural athleticism, I was able to pick it up reasonably well.
“So you know how to exercise control,” Henderson finished, clearly displeased by her interruption. At her unrepentant nod, he continued. “Her left arm is to be left untouched. If you so much as graze it, you will be immediately ejected, and I’ll give you additional duties for a month to include no more sparring in that time period.”
Adams nodded as she stared at me with determination. “Understood.”
I knew she was out for blood. She hated to be made a fool of in front of others. She had underestimated me the first time we had been matched up. She wouldn’t this time.
I shook out my limbs and gave her a relaxed smile, hoping to infuriate her. I wasn’t going to be intimidated by her. Even if she won this time, it was because of my lack of experience not my lack of heart.
“Fist bump,” Henderson instructed.
I held out both of my fists and tapped them to hers as the whistle blew. I had done my homework. Homework she probably wouldn’t have done or thought of. Little did she remember, all our training sessions in this room were recorded. If requested, you could sign out the footage of any given day and time. In between school work, watching movies, sleeping, and practicing on my guitar− when my hands and arms let me− I had plenty of days of bed rest to review all her previous matches. Troy and I had taken notes.
I was ready for her.
She immediately went on offense and came in with some double roundhouse kicks. She landed her attack on my right side, but I was ready for her left foot as I blocked it. Carried on with my momentum, I did a back-hook kick to her head, followed immediately by a roundhouse kick to her side. I generally hated hitting people in the head, but Troy had gotten me over my misgivings. He helped me learn how to control the power of my kicks with a dummy and targets. I was no longer afraid I would hurt someone accidentally.
I was small, but I was told several times I had power in my legs. I may never be able to cause any actual damage to a person of Remy’s or Terrance’s size, but they would know I had hit them.
I saw I had surprised her too, which secretly pleased me. Before the break, I was too afraid to even try any kicks beside the basic ones and a few advanced ones. Troy had patiently worked on some of the technically advanced moves with me until I felt comfortable and my muscles committed them to memory. I had more tricks up my sleeves then she knew.
I don’t doubt she had commenced her regular training. I knew she put extra time into her practice almost daily. I couldn’t deny how graceful, pretty, and powerful she was in her art. She just suffered from arrogance and overconfidence.
We continued to parry back and forth. For every point, I scored she answered and vice versa. We were evenly matched, and she was getting frustrated.
“Now, Blake,” I heard Troy call as I feigned and rolled from one of her attacks. I preferred defense, honestly. It usually tired her out. However, I noticed immediately that she must have been working on her endurance since we last sparred.
I hesitated for too long. Surprise had me barely registering the ax kick she gave to my right arm. I doubled over at the pain that radiated up my limb. She was using a more force than necessary. Taking advantage of the fact that I dropped my guard, she landed another powerful kick to my side. I felt the wind leave me, but I tried to not let it show on my face.
I was never so thankful to hear the whistle blow. I tried to take long deep breaths into my lungs.
“Dial it back,” Henderson warned Adams as she went to her corner.
“I am,” Adams said in wide-eyed innocence. “I’m not hurting you am I, Thomas?”
I gritted my teeth and shook my head as I retreated to my corner.
“Adams,” Henderson said in warning.
“Yes, sir,” Adams said contritely.
She was so full of crap, and I knew it. She felt no remorse.
“Don’t be foolish, Blake,” Remy bit out as he handed me my bottle of water. “You have nothing to prove.”
“No,” I breathed heavily, finally able to breathe somewhat normal once more. You wouldn’t think two minutes was that long until you were stuck in a ring for that trying to evade and attack someone. “I don’t have anything to prove, you’re right, but this is a great way to get rid of some of the frustration I’m feeling.”
“I can think of better ways for you to burn off extra frustrations,” Jaxson said suggestively as he wiped me down with his clean towel.
“Later,” I told him with a wink.
He laughed in surprise.
“It’s time−” Troy began to speak before I heard cheers on the opposite side and saw Adams was up by three. Troy took my face in his hands before he dropped a quick kiss on my lips. “The points don’t matter. You look amazing out there. Take all that anger you’re feeling and use it to your benefit. Put her in her place and keep her there.”
I nodded with a smile. He understood the most what the sparring ring gave us. He had used it for years to expend all his unhealthy energy and turned it to good.
It all came down to the last round. I had us tied in the second round, and once again, she had let me get in her head. I had made her livid. She wasn’t dumb enough to pull some of the tricks she had before, but she was still continuing to hit me with more force than necessary.
Henderson continued to warn her, but she didn’t seem to care, especially after I had landed a three-kick combination on her. Mentally we both were keeping score in our head. She knew I was up by three with less than twenty seconds in the round.
She did some quick footwork, causing me to take a step forward, and I realized my mistake too late as she smiled gleefully before quickly hiding it. She forced me to step into her kick, which conveniently left my left arm exposed. She could deny accountability since I technically traveled in the path of her attack.
Bright white lights exploded behind my eyes, and I couldn’t breathe, the pain was so great.
“She walked into it!” I heard Adams immediately exclaim as she held up her hands innocently.
I gritted my teeth. Digging deep within myself. I was beyond angry. Angry at myself for taking her bait.
Irritated that she intentionally hit me in my arm. Livid that my guys were physically feeling the effects of our loss of gifts. Upset that one man and his infuriating behavior was keeping me in this state of limbo. Fuming that I lost my gifts. Annoyed at life in general. It was time I took control.
She thought the match was won, but I still had it in me to finish it and finish I would.
She didn’t expect my attack, and she barely got her hands up in time. I shuffled my feet to the right, then I used my back leg to push her forward. I took my rear leg and landed a roundhouse kick to the side, and before she could react, I did a double kick ensuring that my second kick landed on her head. I didn’t put my full force behind my last kick, but she was going to remember it.
I was breathing heavy and felt extremely light-headed as the whistle blew. I vaguely noticed the guys were already making their way to me, and, as always. Remy looked angry. Jaxson, Noah, and Drake looked concerned as they looked at my arm. I looked down, slightly woozy, and noticed blood running down my arm.
“You have got to be the most reckless girl I have ever met,” a cool clipped tone bit out to my left after the whistle blew.
I looked up startled to see Lincoln Hudgens advancing towards me, his piercing dark blue-green eyes scrutinizing me as he removed his shirt revealing a white tee under it.
Chapter 14
I barely registered the hush that fell over the room before excited whispers began all around me. Especially from the females in particular. I hissed as Lincoln made contact with my arm. I was wondering if I imagined him there as I looked up and saw Will, Paul, and Leo step behind him.
Will was shaking his head in worried exasperation at me as Leo was looking at me with a new level of respect. I knew he had commended me numerous times for taking a bullet for a client, but I think he still believed I was somewhat of a distraction for his boss.
“Let’s take her to the hospital wing,” Noah stated grimly as he eyed Lincoln. The guys looked like they wanted to take over, but they knew better than to interfere at this point. I think they already knew Lincoln would refuse to relieve the pressure on my arm.
“I’ll follow you,” Lincoln stated in a brusque tone.
“I’ll lift her if you’ll keep the pressure on her arm. I don’t think she should walk the distance,” Troy stated as he lifted me in his arms immediately after Lincoln nodded in agreement.
I was in a state of shock to see Lincoln there. “What are you doing here?” I blurted out as we entered the hall.
He gave me an enigmatic look with a raised brow. “I would think it was obvious. Is this a constant occurrence around her?” he turned and looked at the other guys. “Is she always reckless, with a disregard for her own safety?”
“You may be her connection,” Remy said gruffly, “But that doesn’t give you the right to criticize her.”
I couldn’t help but stifle a laugh in Troy’s chest. I kept my face there since looking at the fluorescent lights above us and looking at the guys was making me feel dizzy and even more lightheaded. Remy was acting so hypocritical right now. He would have given me the same reproach if Lincoln wasn’t here. Especially since I entered the ring against his advisement.
“Blake should come with her own list of cautions,” Jemmy simpered as she caught up beside us. “You’ve probably only seen the tip of her iceberg.”
I was slightly upset by her blatant attack. I never expected it. She usually didn’t hold grudges for this long, either. I also never expected her to openly flirt with Lincoln in front of Gavin.
“Jem,” Gavin said in a warning tone.
“What?” Jemmy said in feigned innocence.
“Is this a field trip to the hospital wing?” I looked up and noticed Will, Paul, Leo, Jemmy, Gavin, Sierra, Dawn, and Rachel were trailing us as well. “I hope everyone got their permission slips signed by their parents,” I said tartly. A few people laughed at my sarcastic comment.
Then I looked over briefly at Lincoln. “I won’t lie to you, I am a hot mess. Sometimes intentionally, other times unintentionally. You know what they say; you’re never given more than what you can handle,” I said flippantly.
“I have half a mind to leave now. I must be losing my damn mind,” Lincoln muttered.
I saw Jaxson preparing to say something, his eyes full of storms.
“You won’t,” I stated confidently, even though I felt the anxiety and panic hit me at the thought of Lincoln leaving. “You value your gift and health too much. You wouldn’t have traveled to the other side of the country if you weren’t ready to fix this.”
“We’re here,” Troy interjected as he pushed a button on the wall. The double doors swung inward, letting us in.
The hospital wing wasn’t that large and really wasn’t used that often. They did a lot of inoculations here and treated minor injuries related to training.
The moment you entered through the doors, you were greeted by a large lobby with one desk customarily operated by two nurses. It was so laid back here that Paul and Will didn’t bat an eye when the nurses there paused the movie they had been obviously watching.
One of the nurses did a double take as she looked at Lincoln. “Has anyone ever told you how much you look like Lincoln Hudgens?” she said in an awed tone. She was a young blonde-haired beauty and obviously enamored.
Lincoln gave her a charming smile, immediately transforming his sharp features. “I’ve been told that a time or two.”
I snorted aloud. “Oh brother,” I muttered.
“Joy,” the older nurse softly reprimanded the younger girl before she looked over at me with a knowing look. I instantly recognized her as Henderson’s wife. “Blake, I take it you didn’t follow the doctor’s orders by light training,” Paula, Henderson’s wife, stated as she placed her fist on her ample hips.
She was a no-nonsense, blunt, woman, and I loved her for it. She was outspoken without being meanspirited and wasn’t afraid to tell you like it was.
“No, ma’am,” I feigned contriteness.
She snorted at me, clearly seeing through my ruse. “Bring her back, put her in room one and the doc will be with her shortly.”
When almost everyone went to follow us, Paula held out her hand. “You done lost your mind if you think you’re all going back into the exam room. You’ve all seen how small the room is.”
“Troy, Mr. Hudgens,” Pops said resolutely. “Why don’t you go back with her?” he looked pointedly at Remy and Jaxson, knowing that they would be the first ones to protest.
“OMG!” the girl squealed. “You are Lincoln Hudgens!”
I saw Will grimace slightly at his slip up. Lincoln just gave her a crooked smile.
“He’ll give you an autograph on the way out,” I called behind Troy’s shoulder. I turned to Lincoln and glared at him. “Are you Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde or are you only a douche towards me?” I hissed quietly at him.
“Blake,” Troy said in exasperation. “You aren't exactly friendly right now either.”
“Careful, mon trésor,” Lincoln smirked at me. “I may take you for the jealous type, and it’s not a desirable trait, especially,” he lowered his voice to a near whisper as he exited the room, “since you expect seven men to share your affections.”
“I expect no such thing,” I barely refrained from rolling my eyes at him. “You act like I marked myself, that I would choose this life, this situation, given a chance.”
Troy carried me into the room and placed me on the paper-lined table. Lincoln still had his hand on my wound.
“How does that even work?” Lincoln turned to look at Troy. “You look like an attractive, self-confident man, and you're acting like it’s completely normal to share your woman with five other men—six, if I decide to drink the Kool-aid.”
I was lucky it was Troy back in the room with us and not Remy or Jaxson, because they wouldn’t be taking this discussion as well as Troy, Drake, or Jace would. They were used to being more diplomatic with their words.
“I am all of that and then some,” Troy assured him with a confident grin. “But I was also marked when I was younger and was raised by a man that taught me the importance of your marks, so I grew accustomed to the idea. After meeting Blake, I understand now why she was chosen for me, for us.”
“So just like that, you drank the Kool-aid?” Lincoln asked in bafflement.
“She’s my favorite flavor,” Troy said glibly before he shook his head and chuckled. “I don’t think anything I say will convince you. You’ve probably grown up outside of a community and wasn’t exposed to our way of life often.”
Lincoln opened his mouth to say more but the door opened, and the doctor walked in. “Blake.” Doctor Wyatt shook his head in fond vexation.
He was relatively new here, but we had already become acquainted. He was raised by a gifted family, although he wasn't gifted himself. His mother had been a healer much like Noah, so he did the next best thing, in his opinion, and went to medical school.
“Dr. Wyatt,” I said in the same stern tone that he was using with me.
“Light training, such as a gentle jog,” he reminded me with a chuckle. He really couldn’t stay mad at me for long; he said I reminded him of his daughter too much. Unfortunately, he was recently divorced, and his wife retained primary custody of his twelve-year-old daughter.
It’s amazing the things you learned if you only listened.
“I tried,” I said impishly. “Honestly, you know how some people have it out for me.”
“Can I see?” Dr. Wyatt said gently to Lincoln.
Lincoln dropped his hands, and Dr. Wyatt gingerly removed Lincoln’s shirt and unwrapped my bandage. He got a bottle out of the cabinet and some swabs and carefully wiped the blood away.
“Well it doesn’t look too bad,” he finally said. “It looks like a little of it was reopened. I’m going to clean it out, put some antibiotic ointment on there, then a new bandage, and you should be all set. No more sparring, Blake. No more lifting weights. None. Zilch. Zero. Come back in a week, and I’ll look at it then, but until then, refrain from those activities.”