Still Holding On

Chapter Sixteen

I sit on the living room couch and start to go through my email on Art's laptop while everyone eats in the dining room. "Alek?" A small voice calls and I look up in the doorway to see Rose. "Yes, kitten?" I respond and she fidgets with her fingers. "Can I sit with you?" She asks and I smile. "I'd love that." I reply and she slowly walks over to sit next to me. She wraps her arms around my right arm and I smile as I read the emails from Luca. "Anton is okay?" She asks and I nod. "Yeah, he has a concussion but he'll be fine." I answer and she smiles slightly. Damn, I thought that'd work. 

She points to an email from Tony and looks up at me. "Can you open it?" She asks and I hesitantly open the email. She reads the email when he told me he'd be coming to help us and tears fill her eyes. God damn those boys. "He's a good man, Rose. He'll pull through." I assure her and she pushes the tears away with a small nod. "You're right." She agrees and takes my hand. Something's changed. Something about her aura. "Will you fight with me today?" She asks and I look down at her. What? "You want to have lessons today?" I ask and she nods. "Please." She pleads and I sigh as I shut the laptop. "Come on. I'll show you where Artan trains his men." I say and take her hand as we both stand to our feet.

I lead her to the back yard and she looks at the tables full of melee weapons. "He trains them outside?" She asks and I nod as I walk to the middle of the area. "It's better for learning." I respond and she slowly walks to the tables. "Don't. I want you learning fist to fist." I say and she nods as she puts her hair into a pony tail. I roll up my sleeves for my navy blue button up and turn to look at Rose's attire. Shorts and a loose shirt. It'll do... for now. "The shorts are a good idea for now. You need to learn to move in loose clothing before you try tighter clothing." I explain to her and she stands across from me. I almost laugh when I see how stiff and uncertain she is. "Don't look so stiff, Rose. You have to be loose. Move quick." I say and she loosens a little bit. That's better but that's not a good stance.

I walk over to her and adjust her so that her right foot is farther back. I then take her hands and place them evenly in front of her torso in a defensive stance. "Gilbert never showed me this." She whispers and I nod. He wouldn't. "Gilbert is always on offense. He's not as good with defense. It's one of the reasons I didn't like him training with you." I explain and walk about five feet in front of her before getting into a defensive position of my own. "Why are your legs further apart than mine?" She asks and I smile. I never thought I'd love teaching her this so much. "Because you're tinier.  Now, I want you to try to hit me." I say and she frowns. "Excuse me?" She asks and I smirk. "Come on, kitten. Give it your best shot." I insist and she sighs. "Alright." She whispers and goes to hit me.

I wrap my hand around her wrist and yank it while spinning her around. I grab her left hand and hold it back as her back hits my chest. "Whoa." She breathes and I smile as I let her go. She turns to face me and I grab her right hand. "You can't slow down. Act fast. If they don't expect it then they don't have time to react. By the time you have someone in that position you could pull a gun and shoot. Understand?" I explain and she nods. "What if they try to elbow my stomach?" She asks and I sigh. "That all depends on how large the opponent is. Take me for example. I'm a lot bigger than you. You have a tiny figure compared to me. If I tried to elbow your stomach I'd probably hit your arm or ribs. Dangerous but possible to avoid. But if it was my mother she'd definitely hit your stomach." I explain and she nods. "So I only use that on people much larger than me. Got it." She responds and I nod. That's good.

I take a few steps back and we both get in defensive stances. "Now, I want you to try." I say and she nods. I go to punch her and she grabs my wrist spinning me around. She then grabs my left wrist and yanks me back into her. Not bad. "Did I do it right?" She asks and I chuckle as she lets me go. I turn back around to her and nod. "You did fine. Just move a little faster." I assure her and she sighs but nods. She learns fast. "Try hitting me again." I say and she smiles. "You like being hit don't you?" She asks and I chuckle. She thinks she's so funny. "You haven't hit me yet kitten." I remind her and she rolls her eyes as she swings at me. I grab her forearm and throw it to the side before grabbing her left arm. I use my right leg to swing her feet out from underneath her and gently allow her to land on her ass. "Dammit." She curses and I chuckle down at her. She really hates losing. Especially to me.