?Doesn’t matter,” Gabe snarled. “The deceivers will stop at nothing to exterminate the Nephilim. You cannot risk anything if you want to survive in this world for very long, Lizzy.”
Yeesh. Someone couldn’t take a joke.
Gabe shook his head and his voice quieted. “That’s enough of that. Now, I want to know how well you fight. After I assess your skills, we’ll develop a training plan.” He unstrapped his sword and dropped it outside the ring. Taking a wide stance on the mat, he nodded. “Let’s begin.”
For a full ten seconds, I stared at him dumbly. Surely he didn’t want me to just charge at him. Gabe could kill me with one pinky. No way was I going to attack him.
“Come on,” he growled.
I shrugged and walked closer. Now was his chance to see how truly uncoordinated I really was.
“You want me to punch you or something?”
The only fight I’d ever seen was on the local cable Granny sometimes turned on in the evenings. We’d watched some of the old Batman shows. Those fight moves weren’t exactly killer.
“Attack me like I’m a demon,” he said. “You won’t hurt me. Give me your all.”
I sighed. So much for letting him get his frustration out. It sounded like it would be me doing all the heavy lifting. Spreading my legs apart like Gabe, I balled my hands into fists. It felt ridiculous, like I was pretending to be a ninja or something. Even six year old kids could fight better than me.
Stepping forward with my right leg, I punched out with my right arm at his chest. He snatched my fist and pulled it toward him, spinning me around faster than I could blink. Before I knew it, he had me pulled tight against his chest, his hand at my throat. He growled in my ear, releasing me before the heat of his body against mine got to my head.
“Weak. Try again.”
Rolling my eyes, I took the same stance. He was going to have to start at ground zero if he wanted to train me. This time, I aimed a kick at his thigh. With blinding speed, he grabbed my heel and yanked it up, dropping me hard on my back. Even with the padded floor, the way my head hit the ground had me seeing stars.
“Are you okay?” he asked in a flat voice.
I looked up at him from my back and winced. “Yeah, I think so.”
“Good. Now get up.”
Fighting back a groan, I pushed myself to my feet. “Is this really necessary? I can tell you now, I have no fighting experience. I’ve never thrown a punch, never shot a gun, never thrown a knife. I’m weak.”
A disgusted frown pulled at the corners of his mouth. “Don’t say that.”
I threw my hands in the air. “Why not? It’s true.”
“Because I won’t allow you to be weak.” He lifted his chin, his green eyes burning with a quiet rage.
I was getting tired of his attitude. Tired of the whole thing. I never asked for this. I certainly wouldn’t have chosen to be his partner or taken away his chance at the board.
“What do you want from me, Gabe?” I felt my voice grow too loud, but I couldn’t stop it. “I can’t help that I’m cursed and weak. I can’t help that your mentor is supposedly my father. And I can’t help that I got chosen as your partner.”
A fiery rage burned in the black of Gabe’s eyes. “If you’re so weak, why did you put your blood in that fire pit?” he demanded. “Did you think this was just a game? Fighting demons isn’t a game. You could get killed out there. I’ve seen it happen too many times.”
“Of course I didn’t think it was a game.” I was practically shouting now.
Bree and Dominic had grown suspiciously quiet up in the weight room, the clang of weights no longer a distraction.
“I didn’t put my blood in that fire pit, Raquel did.”
Gabe blinked in confusion, but I couldn’t stop myself from continuing.
“I didn’t ask for any of this. All I wanted to do was go to college in the fall. Be a normal person for once in my life. But that all went up in flames when my family tried to kill me and a demon decided she liked the taste of my blood. I am doing my best to cope, so I suggest that you learn to do so as well, even if you don’t like it.”
He stepped back as if I’d slapped him and I instantly regretted opening my big mouth. Yelling wasn’t a great way to show him gratitude for saving my life.
“I’m sorry,” I began. “I shouldn’t have…”