Isle of Night (The Watchers 1)

“Yeah, sure. Combat rocks—or it will. They’re still mostly having us do intro stuff, like basic fencing or tai chi forms. ” I climbed over the ropes into the ring. “I didn’t exactly have an épée handy when that Draug came at us. I can’t help but worry it was dumb luck that saved me. ”

Yas smiled. “Sounds like Emma was pretty cool about the whole thing. ”

I heard something in his voice. Emma was attractive in a refreshingly scrubbed, prairie sort of way. If it were the normal world, I might think about setting them up. “So you think Emma’s cool, huh?”

“I don’t know. ” He wandered around the gym floor, stopping at the hanging rope, giving it a tug, as if he might need to test it out. “I’ve never met anyone like her. Especially not in Hell-Lay, California. ”

I leaned over the edge of the ring, trying to get a good look at his face. “Are you blushing?”

“Guys don’t blush. ”

“Uh-huh. ” I shoved against the side of the ring a few times, but the ropes barely gave. There were five of them, fully padded and sturdier than they looked. “Come on, then. Unless you’re chicken. I want to see some of your good old L. A. street-fighting moves. ”

He prickled. “You think because I’m from Los Angeles and I’m Asian, I’m in some sort of gang?”

I gave him my don’t-go-there look. “No. . . . I think because you’re a guy who claims to have killed his Yakuza father that maybe you know a thing or two. ”

Smiling, he shook his head, and like that, the tension was gone. “Yeah, I guess I’ve got some choice MMA moves. ”

“What’s MM . . . ohhh. ” Understanding dawned. “Mixed martial arts? That’s, like, late-night, cable-TV, cage-fighting stuff, right?”

“Drew, I’m shocked. ” He hopped into the ring, his movements lithe as a cat’s. Clearly, he’d done this before. “MMA is a highly respected form of fighting. ”

“Forgive me if I’m not acquainted with the vernacular. ” I stared as he bobbed from foot to foot, shaking out his arms. “Jeez, Yas, you are such a guy. ”

“I should hope so. Now get ready. I’m going to teach you my favorite move. ” He flashed me a brilliant smile. “Ground and pound, baby. ”

I approached him warily. “Sounds like a cooking thing. ”

“Nope. It’s the thing that’s going to save your ass someday. When you’re fresh out of those ninja stars or you drop your fencing . . . foil, or whatever those wussy-ass swords are called. ”

I had to agree with him on the fencing. The moves were elegant, and I could see how repeating the same series of stances increased arm strength and built the foundation for stronger overall fighting. Only I’d seen the eyes of that Draug, and it’d wanted to eat me. All the hopping and feinting in the world wouldn’t save me if I were caught off guard.

But Yasuo had dissed my throwing stars, and nobody dissed my throwing stars. “My weapon is known as the shuriken. ”

“Wakatta yo. ” He shot me a look of exaggerated annoyance. “As in, Duh, Drew. I think I know what they’re called in Japanese. ”

“Okay, okay, sensei. So let’s ground around this thing. ” I stretched my arms in front of m

e, cracking my knuckles, but it kind of hurt, so I shook them out with a scowl instead.

“Ground and pound,” he said distractedly. He’d begun to circle me like a tiger about to pounce.

It put me on my guard, and I squatted in a standard defensive posture, hands bracing the air in front of me. He was taking too long to attack, so I taunted, “What’s the problem, Yas? Afraid to hit a girl?”

But then he pounced, and the breath whooshed from me as I hit the ground, shutting me up. I knew he wasn’t my real enemy, I knew this was a friendly grapple, but still, adrenaline dumped into my veins.

Memories tumbled into my head. The breath whooshing from me when Daddy Dearest shoved me to the ground. The creak of my ribs when he’d grip me tight, flinging me into my room and slamming the door. I forced the images from my head. I’d survived my father and it’d made me stronger. That other girl wasn’t me anymore.

Because now I had the tools to fight back.

We rolled on the floor. I scrapped and scratched, managing to get on top. I suspected he’d let me.

“Come on, Drew. Push me down. ”

I scrambled, painfully aware of how tiny I was compared to him. It would be that way with every fight for me.

“That’s it. ” He began to shout encouragements. “Push me down. Pin me. Use your elbows. Hold me down. ”