For the next hour, we sparred, switching up techniques and styles so I could gauge the range of her hand-to-hand combat skills. Ren had done an excellent job, but she had a ways to go before I would feel comfortable sending her out in the field.
I let her take me down again, not wanting to hurt her. “That was great,” I praised her with a smile.
Her response was to glare at me and emit a growl as she jumped to her feet. “Stop it!”
Confused, I sat up and studied her as I asked, “Stop what? Complimenting you?”
“Yes!” She shook her head. “No! I mean don’t compliment me when it’s not really my skills that took you down. You’re holding back as if I were a child learning my first moves!”
“I can see how well you’re trained, baby.” I pushed up and got to my feet. “But I don’t want to hurt you.”
She shoved her hands onto her hips and scowled. “Do you think Ren ever took it easy on me?”
My good mood evaporated at the reminder that my brother had put his hands on my woman. Even if he hadn’t known she was mine at the time.
“I’ll never improve if you don’t push me, Braeden. So, start acting like a real trainer, or I’m going to go find Ren to teach me again.”
“Over my dead body,” I growled.
“It’s your choice, babe. Either stop taking it easy on me or watch me train with your brother.”
“Fine,” I gritted out through clenched teeth.
It was one of the hardest things I’d ever done since my natural instinct would always be to protect my consort from harm before anything else. But I schooled my focus and tried to remember that the nightwalkers she faced wouldn’t pull their punches.
I grabbed a bottle of water, drank it in a few gulps, and tossed it in a bin. Then I wiped my face with my towel before throwing it onto a nearby bench and prowling to the center of the mat. “All right, baby. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
By the time my alarm went off, I was thoroughly impressed with Callie’s skills. She was a natural. She’d only managed to take me down once, but she’d come close many times, and I had over five hundred years of experience on her.
“Well?” she demanded as she stood before me, legs braced apart and her hands on her hips again. Sweat trickled down from her temples, and her breaths were coming out in rapid pants, but she looked as though she could keep going on determination alone.
“I didn’t give you enough credit,” I admitted. “You’re one hell of a force to be reckoned with.”
“Really? You’re not just trying to placate me because I’m your consort?”
“You really think I would do that?”
“No,” she replied, a beaming smile forming on her face. “One of these days, babe. I will knock you on your butt every time.”
“I look forward to it,” I teased with a wink. I had no doubt that her natural ability and work ethic would elevate her to my level eventually.
My phone pinged again, and I walked across the room to silence the alarm. “Let’s shower and dress. I’m taking you with me today.”
“Taking me where?”
I smiled at her and shook my head. “You’ll see.”
Getting ready took a little longer than I’d intended since I insisted she shower with me, which led to me on my knees, licking her to orgasm before taking her up against the tiled wall.
Luckily, we were daywalkers and could teleport, so we managed to arrive two minutes before my meeting.
“Braeden,” Mira—one of the oldest vampires on the council—greeted me with a smile as she walked up to us. Then she turned her bright gaze onto Callie. She reached out her hand and they shook. Then Mira’s smile stretched even bigger. “My, my, didn’t you hit the jackpot with your consort. Beautiful, kind, smart, and can kick ass.”
Everyone knew about Mira’s unusual abilities, but how she came by them was a huge mystery that no one seemed to be able to solve. With one touch, she knew everything about you.
Callie blushed but beamed back at Mira proudly.
“Damn straight,” I agreed, making my mate’s cheeks redden further. She was so fucking adorable.
“I’m pleased you brought her. It can be very helpful for them to speak with a mated pair.”
Mira waved in a gesture for us to follow her as she began to walk away. “Well, come now. They’re waiting for us.”
Callie glanced up at me, questions shining in her eyes, but I just shook my head and murmured, “You’ll see soon.”
Mira led us into a sitting room that could easily fit over a hundred people, but they’d worked hard to make the space homey and intimate. There were men and women scattered about, some excited, others openly curious, and some were clearly wary of what was happening.