by Jenna Lee
He just shakes his head and walks out the door heading down the stairs. I grunt and stand up, following him out. This day was going to be the death of me, I just knew it.
I knew my guess was correct when Harlan opens the torture chamber and disappears through the door. I really don’t want to, but I find myself following him down the stairs. As soon as I make it to the bottom, Harlan appears in front of me.
“You really need to stop calling this place the torture chamber. It really isn’t that bad. Trust me, you will end up loving it. You are going to learn so much here.”
“Yeah, right. If I ever love this place, I promise I will do the housework every day of the week. That’s how confident I am that I will never ever love it down here in the torture chamber,” I say, rolling my eyes at him.
“Also, before we even start with this training shit, I need some answers. I need to know some things,” I say, putting on my most serious face.
Harlan stops and turns around to face me. “Okay, fine, but wait until all the guys and Jolie gets here. Everyone needs to be here to answer your questions.”
I walk over to the gym room and keep myself busy, checking out the equipment, while I wait for everyone to join us.
Finally, after what feels like forever, I hear everyone coming down the stairs. Oliver comes into view first; his laid-back attitude beams off him as he struts over toward me.
“Hey there buttercup, are you ready to let me beat the life out of you?” he jokes, as he lifts me up and spins me around in his arms. He is just what I need right now to cheer me up. All too soon he puts me down and takes my hand leading me back toward everyone.
“Okay. So, Dara has asked for some answers to her questions, did you want to ask what you want to know, Dara?” Harlan asks as we reach them. Everyone is in a circle all looking at me waiting for what I have to say.
Okay, here goes nothing.
“Once I got to Silvia, my whole body changed. It felt different, lighter somehow. I can’t explain it, but I know it felt like it changed somehow. Can someone explain why?” The warriors look at each other, having another one of their silent conversations.
Declan surprises me by being the one to answer my question. “Silvia is a very special world, it’s magical and holds the strongest power within. Once you came through the portal, Silvia recognised you and gave back all your powers which were taken when you left.”
I hold up my hand stopping him. I need to take this information in. Magic? What the actual fuck, could Silvia get any more crazy?
“What kind of powers did it give back to me? What am I? What are you guys?” I spill out all the questions on my mind, as quickly as I can, not wanting to wait another second.
Harlan gestures to Blair to answer my questions, of course he would pick him. Using sweet Blair to lay it on me as sweetly as possible. Typical, I think as I roll my eyes.
Blair takes a deep breath and starts, “So, Dara I am going to try and explain this as simply as I can. Then once we get into training, things will get explained in more detail. You and Jolie are enchantresses and us guys are enchanters. Typically, meaning that we are magic. We can perform spells and have powers beyond belief. Each one of us can produce the same spells but have our own specialties. Take me for example, I can create any weapon just by thinking about it. It will appear in my hands, just as I thought it. Each of the guys and Jolie will explain what their speciality is, in their own time. As for your speciality, we are not sure what it is, yet. Jolie will help you release your powers within. All we know is that you are a very important piece in our group, the missing puzzle. Hence, why Harlan is keen to get started on your training, to see what comes out of it. To find out what powers hide beneath you. Plus, once you retrieve each stone it will bring you a new power.”
Say what? I take a step back from the group to try and catch my breath. Me? An enchantress?
Can I go hide in my hole now?
Chapter 18
Dara
They leave me for a few minutes to wrap my head around this new information. I don’t think I will ever be okay in the head after all of this. I might just go insane; they may as well put me into a mental home now as that’s where I am heading.
I shake my head and get the courage to say, “Okay, let’s get into this training shit. No point putting it off any longer.” I need to keep my mind busy and focus on something else. The more I think about it, the crazier it will make me.
“Alright, let’s get started then. You will start off in the gym. Oliver can take you and prepare a workout for you,” Harlan orders.
I follow Oliver into the gym dungeon. I had a feeling I would be killing him by the end of the session.
Oliver snickers at me while he walks toward the equipment, “Okay, first things first, let’s do some exercises, to help prevent too many muscle aches. Now, I am not saying that you won’t be sore tomorrow because I know you most definitely will be. But this will help with the recovery.”
I follow Oliver’s moves as he goes through ten stretches. After what seems like forever, we finally finish doing the stretches. I am already buggered. I have no idea how I am going to last the entire day of doing this shit. I head over to the bench that’s in the corner and grab a towel to wipe off the sweat that has formed in places I didn’t think possible.
“That’s it for the day, yeah?” I ask Oliver, walking back over to join him.
He lets out a huge chuckle and shakes his head, “Princess, that was just the warm up…stretches don’t even count,” he explains.
I stand there dumbfounded, trying to pick up my mouth from the floor. “Argghh, this shit sucks balls! Fine. Continue on with your instructions, pretty boy,” I huff, as I throw my towel down to the ground. He just smirks and turns around to get ready for the almighty workout that is about to kill me.
I mean, I am by no means fat, but I do have curves as a result of not working out. I am not toned in the slightest. The only workouts I have the time to do are my hiking walks, which do help me stay fit.
I just have never done this weightlifting stuff. It never interested me to go to the local gym and workout in front of all of the grunting, sweaty men. Girls these days just went there and spent the entire time on their phones, telling the world on social media that they were working out, which they totally weren’t.
Trust me, it was the only reason Kayla ever went there. I used to tease her about it all the time. Just thinking of her has my heart breaking. I miss her so darn much. It’s not like I could just message her to check in, as I left my phone at home when I headed out on my hike. That’s the main reason I go hiking; to get away from the social world. And I doubt my phone would work in this place anyway.
I focus back on what Oliver is saying, missing half the workout by the sounds of it; “…then you will need to do fifty reps of this one - times four.” I just nod in response, as I am too distracted by the way his muscles flex as he pulls the weights up and down.
He slams down the weight, snapping me out of my daydream. “Are you even listening, Dara? This isn’t some sort of game. It’s people’s lives on the line if you don’t shape up and find these stones. Please concentrate, I hate having to yell at you,” he yells in frustration.
I focus back on his instructions. “Okay, sorry. I just got distracted,” I say, as I walk over to the first machine.
It’s a rowing machine and he has me going back and forth for twenty minutes straight. I get a short rest between sessions, as he explains the next machine. I then continue on, following his workout. As I work my way through, he watches me intensely, which has me trying to work as hard as I possibly can. Finally, after two hours straight, I am done. I let go of the weight I am lifting, and it slams down onto the ground. I couldn’t give two shits - I am too exhausted.
I fall to the ground and just lay there trying to catch my breath. Oliver makes his way over to me, throwing me my towel to wipe off all the sweat that has appeared, literally all
over my body.
“You okay, Princess?” He doesn’t wait for me to respond. “Good job. You did really well, I am actually proud of you. I hate to be the one to tell you that you’re not done yet. I am going to teach you some martial arts.”
I let out a huge huff, showing him how I feel about the situation. I don’t even have the energy to form words right now. I hear Oliver snicker at me as he walks off. I just lay there for another five minutes trying to catch my breath and try to prepare myself for the next torturing workout. Finally, I get up and make my way into the space that has the big red mat.
Oliver is warming up, doing all sorts of weird moves, from kicks to punches, his top has been tossed to the side. Fuck, I stand there gawking at him, watching his abs move with each punch and kick. He stops as soon as he notices me.
“Like what you see, Princess? Stop gawking and come over and join me. Today we will be working on the beginner moves. The proper way to kick and punch your opponent,” he says, as I make my way over to join him on the mat.
I am scared shitless. I have never punched or kicked anyone. I am way out of my league. I stand in front of him looking into his crystal blue eyes that I have come to adore.
He grabs my hands pulling them up and places them in a defensive position, with one behind the other. “Okay, now punch my hands one in front of the other, then alternate.”
I do as I am told for once, without giving him any cheek. I try my hardest to impress Oliver, punching as hard as I can. As I punch out with my right hand, he grabs my fist before I have the chance to pull it back.
“First of all, stop punching me so bloody hard, it hurts. Second, you need to move your thumb to the outside of your fingers. Don’t keep it tucked in under your fingers, you will break a bone if you continue doing it like that. And punch on an angle like this,” he explains, as he gently moves my hands into the correct position. “Alright there you go, now try and add in a little side kick to my upper leg after the punches.”
I follow Oliver’s orders, and land two hard punches into his fists, then I land a hard-arse kick into his leg. I notice him winching the slightest bit and this makes me give him a little smirk. I hadn’t seen this serious side of Oliver before, but it seems that once in the torture chamber, he takes it all very seriously.
“Yes. Good. Nice moves. Now again,” he says, through clenched teeth.
I try to hide the cheeky grin that threatens to come. But it looks like Oliver caught me and he smirks back. We continue doing this for another hour, but fuck, it feels like hours and hours. By now my punches are half-arsed and I can barely lift my leg to kick.
I stop and drop down on the mat, not giving a shit what Oliver says. I am done, I am completely exhausted.
“Am I dead? Because I sure as hell hope that I am. Actually, come to think of it, death would be much more peaceful than this. I seriously can’t move anything right now,” I complain, shutting my eyes, not even seeing if Oliver is still there to hear me moaning.
I feel the air change around me and feel someone straddle me, their legs on either side of my waist. I don’t dare open my eyes, as I am enjoying this way too much. I feel a cold washcloth on my forehead and I enjoy the cool tingle that goes through my whole body. The weight over my body shifts and I squint my eyes open to see Oliver.
He moves the cloth lower toward my neck. “I don’t know what concerns me more. The fact that you’re straddling me, or the fact that you have the cheekiest grin on your face right now. Should I be concerned that you are enjoying this a little too much, Oliver?” I laugh up at him, causing him to grab the washcloth and put it in my mouth as a gag to shut me up.
“Sometimes your mouth is too cheeky for your own good, Miss Dara. Just how am I going to shut it up?” he questions, causing my whole body to shiver.
A thought pops through my mind; You can start by bringing that sexy as fuck mouth of yours down to mine.
With the gag in my mouth I can’t say a word. But by the looks of it, Oliver heard my thoughts and knows exactly what I was thinking. His eyes change colour to a dark, deep blue, which turns me on even more. He leans down so close, to exactly where I want his lips.
He rips out the cloth and crashes his lips onto mine. With a lot of effort, I lift my hand up and fist it through his hair, holding on tight and moving in motion with our lips. He tastes of fresh mint. Fuck, I have never been so turned on in my entire life. I moan into his lips as his tongue slips in and out, exploring everything.
But all too quickly he slowly pulls away, and grabs my bottom lip between his teeth, giving me a little nibble. He lets go and I take the opportunity to pull his head down, positioning his ear to my mouth.
“If we don’t stop now, I don’t think we ever will. I would love nothing more than to fuck you on every surface in this torture chamber, and have you torment me senseless. But after that workout, I don’t think I can even lift my leg up,” I purr into his ear.
I hear a huge non-human growl coming from the bottom of his belly. I should fear that sound, but it only makes it ten times harder to not jump him right here. I know my body and I seriously can’t even move right now.
He leans up on his elbows and looks me dead in the eye. “To be continued Princess, and trust me, I won’t be letting you get away with talking to me like that again. You have no idea how hard it will be to walk away from you right now. But I know you won’t be able to handle what I have in store for you with the state that you are in right now. I’d rather you be as flexible as possible, not stiff from today’s workout. I do have to go and deal with this big hard stick in my pants that you so kindly caused,” he says, with a deep growl.
He pokes his stiffness into my hot spot, just showing me what I have caused. Oh fuck, he is huge. I better fucking recover quickly from this workout. I wanted Oliver in ways I didn’t even think I wanted a man before. I watch as Oliver gets up off me and heads toward the door.
Shit, I was in trouble and instantly felt guilty. I needed to keep my feelings in check. For the guys’ sake, I couldn’t be slutting around with them. That wasn’t me and I couldn’t stand to hurt them.
I lay on the mat for a good twenty minutes, too tired to move a muscle. Finally, I decide to pull myself up t and head upstairs. I sneak inside not wanting to bump into anyone. All I want to do is have a nice hot shower and slip into bed.
I look around the living room and kitchen and no one is in sight, thank you. I don’t even have the energy to grab a bite to eat. Since being in Silvia, I haven’t known what the time was. I didn’t have my phone anymore and I wasn’t quite sure how the time worked here anyway. But to me, it felt like night time right now. Well it didn’t matter either way, as I was going to bed.
I am like a robot as I turn on my shower and step inside. I let the hot water run down my back and enjoy the way it feels. My whole body is so sore from today’s torture, but I would be lying if I didn’t say I enjoyed it. No way I would ever admit that to the guys of course. I am still completely scared over what lies ahead, I just hope that I will be strong enough. I want to get through all the training and become this so called Super Warrior that is going to save Silvia.
I laugh to myself, thinking how and why I was chosen for this job? Out of all the people in the world, plain old me got chosen. I just didn’t want to disappoint the guys, Jolie, Anna and Albert. I wanted to make them proud and become this super ninja, finding these stones before it’s too late.
I just hope I have what it takes.
Chapter 19
Dara
The sun beams down on me, as I run through the forest. My body is in charge and is leading me through the greenery. I can think for myself, but my body is out of my control. I hear pounding footsteps beside me. I look to my right and am shocked at what I see. A huge panther, it’s body as black as night and its eyes crystal blue. Wait a minute. I do a double take, all the while trying not to trip on anything.
Those eyes look so familiar. Oliver. Those
eyes are an exact replica of his. But that can’t be right? It must be his pet or something. We continue to run together through the forest, until my body comes to a complete stop, scaring the shit out of me. Could have given my brain some notice. I look around and take in my surroundings and am super grateful I stopped when I did. As I look over the ledge there is an 800-metre drop down to the ground.
If I had have gone over, there would be no way I would have survived. Next thing I know, my body is moving toward the edge. What the hell? I turn around grabbing onto the ledge and dangle my legs over. I close my eyes waiting for my tumbling death. But it doesn’t come. I am holding onto rocks and making my way down the drop off. I dare to lift my eyes open. I shut them again and open. Hoping that what I am seeing is not real.
Where my arms were only a minute ago, have now been replaced by fur. My arms are fucking furry! What the hell, can this get any weirder? By the looks of them, I have turned into a freaking gorilla. A gorilla. I climb so fast down the cliff and about half way down I stop. I look around and notice a cave. As I enter, my whole body transforms back to my normal self, thank god.
This shit was whack. The further I walk into the cave my body gets lighter and a sense of calm overtakes me. It is like nothing like I have ever felt before. I feel the presence of someone beside me but I am too transfixed on something ahead, so I don’t notice who it is, or what is going on behind me. I take a sharp right and stop in my tracks. Right ahead of me is a huge maze that leads to something.
In the distance, I see a shining green light that rises to the cave ceiling. As soon as my eyes make contact with the light, a shiver goes through my whole body, making my tattoo burn. It is then, I realise what is through the maze. My body becomes a light and recognises the stone as if it’s made for me.
A long-lost part of me that needs to be reconnected.
I wake up in a state of shock, sitting up so fast that I smack into something extremely hard.