Eternal

“I didn’t really want to bring you down here, but it is the best place to train, as you can see there is an abundance of room for us to practice hand to hand combat, such as deflection, disarming and various other kinds. You will also notice the other exercise equipment if you allow yourself to stop looking at the arsenal that has clearly stolen your attention.”

I heard what he said, but I could not take my eyes away from them, at least not until he laced his fingers with mine and pulled me away from my new obsession and led me over to the exercise bike, rowing machine, punching bag and different sized weights.

He explained how I would spend most of that day using just that and he would not introduce me to actual combat styles until he thought I was ready. I tried not to sigh too noticeably but obviously failed if the scowl on his face was anything to go by.

I ducked inside a shower room that was attached to the training room and quickly changed into an exercise bra and shorts, I was far from modest and was not in the slightest bit bothered about him seeing my bare stomach. As far as I was concerned the most important parts were covered and that’s all that really mattered.

I could tell by the look on his face I had surprised him with my attire, and he looked positively ravenous.

Z

After two hours of machine work and weight lifting, he decided it would be a good idea for me to show him my form on the punch bag. I was knackered, how could he possibly expect me to continue, but I refused to utter a single word as it dawned on me that maybe he was pushing me so hard so I would not continue with our training. I refused to let him win on this and I was far from backing down, he could tire me out as much as he wanted, I was not going to run away from a challenge.

He took to correcting my stance and offering tips on my form. I wanted to tell him where to stick his suggestions but had to keep reminding myself that I had asked for this. He had warned me he would not go easy on me and every time I got close to throwing in the towel, Jackie’s malicious face would pop in to my mind, pushing me to go harder.

We finally stopped after another hour, he then informed me we would be doing this three times a week for a minimum of six hours. My eyes nearly popped out of my head and he smirked at my facial reaction.

“Are you trying to kill me?” I demanded, not finding his humour all that amusing.

“You asked for this princess, don’t forget that. And if you are going to train with me then you are going to have to accept my decisions or you can just walk away and carry on the way you have been.”

That irked me and I couldn’t help myself from launching my fist at his face, I was waiting for the gratifying crunch of my fist connecting with his nose when I was suddenly sailing through the air and came down hard on my back.

He rested his boot lightly on my chest and sported a Cheshire grin on his smug face.

“You are not ready to go toe to toe with me princess, you really should think before you act.”

I wanted to come back with some clever retort, but I was still trying to get back the wind that had been knocked out of me.

He graciously offered me his hand and I wasn’t too proud to accept the assistance, silently promising myself to one day return the favour to him and to have him staring up at me from the same position I was just in.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Lawson

I honestly believed she would have backed out of our arrangement after the first day, but four days in, she kept coming back for more.

We were supposed to have another training session during the summer solstice, but she refused, saying that she had somewhere else that she had to be. I couldn’t understand what could be more important to her, then training to protect herself. But I had ungraciously agreed to train her today instead.

She was definitely starting to improve with her stamina and I felt a little proud of her resilience to continue. I also couldn’t help but notice how often her gaze would drift over to the wall, where most of the weapons were mounted. I wondered if she was unnerved by their presence or more anxious to actually wield one herself, I did have every intention of training her with some of the weapons that we had, but first she really needed to learn how to defend herself while she was unarmed.

I knew I had surprised her when I informed her of our hand to hand combat that afternoon, and she actually looked pleased by the turn of events, though that soon changed when I told her she still had to work the machines beforehand.

I know she thought I was just trying to torture her and that idea had a smirk forming on my lips, as I thought about the actual torture techniques I had used on my victims in the past. None of them had been as painless as what I was putting Unya through, due to her own request.

After she had worked up a good sweat for about two hours, I finally let her take a quick break before we would begin. I told her when she was ready she was to make a move for me, I didn’t want any forewarning before it happened, I just wanted to see how close she could actually get and let me tell you, she was definitely quick on her feet.

She came flying at me like a bat out of hell and I could see the determination clear on her face, unfortunately she was much too predictable and she soon ended back on her back, just like that first day.

After I started going through the various types of blocks she could use and the perfect technique to flip someone over her shoulder, no matter the size difference to her. We went through the different styles of punches and kicks and she did have remarkable form, even if it was slightly sloppy in some places.

I got her to practice the different techniques against the kick bag and was impressed to see the dent she left after delivering a round house kick or even just from her punches.

I knew if she could actually manage to get a hit on me, that I would definitely feel it.

By the time that the six hours passed, she was performing the kicks like they were no more than muscle memory and I was definitely surprised by how quickly she took to it, but obviously she had a lot of motivation to pick this up as quickly as possible.

I told her to wait for me upstairs while I quickly tidied up and said she could help herself to a drink and something to eat if she felt it necessary. The only problem was that I hadn’t realised Kat would be bringing her work home with her that day and Unya was already up the stairs when the first scream resounded through the house.