Game of the Vampires

Chapter 37:

(Song is "Rise With Me" by In This Moment)

One day. I only had one more day until the games. And with every passing minute, I was becoming more anxious and hopeless. As a result, I was taking out my stress on everyone around me. Right now that was Blake.

He held the punching bag still for me as I hammered my pathetic punches into it. I would occasionally yell out at him to hold the punching bag better even thought it wasn't going anywhere with my weak blows.

I had been at this for hours. Blake had tried to pry me away to take a break, but I would only gripe at him. Pain was shooting through my knuckles with every hit, but I kept my mind elsewhere.

I barely even realized that Col had entered the room. His eyes watched me from where he stood in the corner of the room. He eventually nudged Blake and told him to take a break.

Col waited until he left before turning back to me. "Airlia."

Ignoring him, I didn't stop with my task. In fact, I pummeled my fists harder into the bag- if that was even possible. I could hear a constant smacking and popping sound over and over.

Before I knew it, a strong arm wrapped around my waist, snatching me off my feet. I tried to fight against the pull, but Col wasn't easing up as he pulled me away from the bag. He finally stopped pulling, but he didn't release me.

"Airlia, stop. Please..." His warm breaths were fanning over the lobe of my ear and down my neck. His hold on my abdomen tightened slightly, but I ceased fighting against him.

When he sensed that I had calmed down, he slowly released his hold on me. I slowly turned around to face him, keeping my eyes glue to the floor. I felt his warm fingers against my chin, gently tipping it back until my eyes met his.

His brown eyes seemed to soften when he looked down at me. I didn't want him to feel pity for me. Then again, something seemed so comforting about the possibility. I needed comfort, but I was too prideful to admit it.

He looked down at my clasped hands. Taking them in his, he examined both. HIs eyes scanned over the raw, cracked flesh covering my hands. I saw him flinch slightly at the sight. Honestly, I could hardly feel anything as riled up as I was.

Col pulled me over to a room and started to cover my knuckles with ointment and tape. As he did this, I watched him in a dazed state. He would occasionally look up to catch me watching him, but he never ceased from his task.

Wrapping the last piece of tape around my knuckle, he finished. He stood and leaned against the counter across from me. I felt his gaze analyzing every move I made.

"Will you talk to me about it?" he asked.

I didn't answer, earning in a heavy sigh from Col. He raked his hands through his hair. The silence in between us was too much for him. I know he wanted me to open up to him, but there was so much to say. I just couldn't bring myself to begin.

"Well, come on then. We should at least teach you a couple of more pointers."

Silently, I followed behind him to his study. He motioned for me to sit down as he began to fetch the books from his shelves. One by one, he stacked them in front of me. Many of these we had already read, but Col always wanted to review.

"What weakens a vampire?"

"A weapon tainted with angel blood."

"Good. What do you do if you are cornered by a vampire?"

"Fight or flight."

"Flight would be your best option in the games."

We went on like that for awhile. Until he reviewed new things with me. After that, it was the regular routine. Run, exercise, and fight with Blake and Valerie. I always enjoyed fighting with Valerie because I knew she wouldn't take it easy on me like Blake always did. Although, Valerie seemed a little off her game today.