Chapter 4
"C'mon! Is that all you got? Hit harder, throw your full weight behind your punch. Again!" Damian's loud, authoritative voice penetrates the sleepy fog around my mind.
I blink the sleep away and sit up slowly, still in the front seat. My neck aches so I pop my head to the side, rubbing over the achy spot. Sunlight streams into the car's windows. A steady flow of thuds and smacks and grunts fill the air. I glance around before stepping out of the car. Emmaline and Damian are out in the field, Damian standing still with his stance spread and hands up as Emmaline comes at him with punches and kicks.
"Harder! Aim for the soft spots like I taught you!" Damian instructs.
Emmaline pants, bouncing on her feet as she recoils. "I'm trying!" She darts forward mid-sentence and hooks a right uppercut, a punch with her weight behind it.
Lightning fast, Damian moves back a few feet so that her punch barely clips his jaw. "Use your speed! Sense where I am!"
I tug my bun out, finger comb the tangles and pull it back in a quick braid. I leave my sweater on the passenger's seat, taking in the surroundings as I approach the two friends. The grass is soft, yellowing and comes up to mid-shin. A paved road that looks to have seen many years runs in either direction, a few feet from where the car is parked.
I roll my shoulders back. "Mind if I join?"
Emmaline casts me a sidelong glance. "Of course."
Damian smirks. "Think you can spar with two full fledged vampires, human?" He crosses his arms over his chest.
"Yes, I do." I growl, pushing the sleeves of my shirt up past my elbows.
Damian lifts a brow, "Alright, little one. Show me what you got. Emmaline, step back."
She leans against the car, the sun making the light sheen of sweat on her skin sparkle. "Mhm." Emmaline opens a bottle and downs it in two gulps.
I take my time walking over to get within smacking range of Damian. I even my stance and relax my body. When he feigns a yawn, I jump forward with my fist ready to clock him in the face as hard as I can.
Damian ducks and sidesteps out of the way. "You have to try harder than that, human."
Anger heats my blood. "You know I will." I stomp over to him, knowing full well he could put me six feet under with one hit. But being the stubborn, headstrong girl that I am, I went to slap him in the face.
Damian becomes a blur, coming back into focus with his hand wrapped firmly around my raised wrist. "Uh uh, little one."
"Damian, you stupi-" I snarl.
"Hey, calm down, short stack." A new voice speaks.
I turn around, insults on the tip of my tongue.
A broad shouldered, lean muscled man stands before me with an amused expression curving his lips. Vivid red hair is cut short on the sides, grown longer on top where he brushes the bangs to the side. Freckles dust every inch of his pale skin. His brilliant green eyes flick between Damian and I.
"Everett?" Damian's face splits into a broad grin. "I thought you were dead."
Everett chuckles, raking a hand through his hair. "No, just in hiding. The magic wielders have been upping the magic dosage for the wolf shifters and I needed to get away from that before I became something unrecognizable. The shifters are barely even human anymore." He shudders.
I jerk my wrist away from Damian and wander over to stand beside Emmaline.
Her eyes analyze Everett and she lets out a low wolf whistle. "That is one fine piece of man." Emmaline sighs dreamily.
