Gamble, Book One

Chapter 11

This chapter is dedicated to the awesome Sarcasticbanana! I greatly appreciate your feedback on my story, welcome to the party ^_~

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Bright and early the next morning, Toni dressed in a baggy v-neck, yoga pants and slip on sneakers, ready to train. She stepped out onto the front porch to wait for Sam. While she waited, Bobby's dog Rumsfield walked over and placed his head in her lap.

For a Rottweiler, he was a very sweet dog. She proceeded to scratch behind his ears, making his tail flap against the wood floor loudly. "You know, I don't like dogs...but I think I'll make an exception for you."

"Good cause he doesn't take to strangers very often," Sam said from behind her. Looking behind her, Toni took in the black tank and loose sweats that hung low on his hips. She gulped as she stood up, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Good thing I'm not strange huh?" She joked.

Sam grinned and gestured for her to follow, "we're going spar in the back then we'll try some shooting," he said as he jumped off the porch and circled around back. "C'mon!"

Breathing deeply, Toni followed, not as enthusiastically. She wasn't big on working out and was aware of how horribly out of shape she was. Part of her wanted Sam to take it easy on her, but at the same time, she knew that a demon wouldn't grant her the luxury.

Once in the backyard, she noticed Sam was doing some stretches and thought she should do the same. Standing a few feet away, she did some lunges and bent over to touch her toes. Sam looked up, taking notice to Toni's presence. He tried not to ogle while she twisted, loosening her limbs for the impending session.

Clearing his throat, "I think you're, er, good. Ready to start?"

"Ready!" She nodded eagerly. Sam nodded his head and held up his fists.

"Now, what I need you to understand is that in this world, there are no rules. It's life or death, walking away with your own body or having something evil inhabit it. A demon doesn't care about fighting fair. You don't worry about hurting them; in fact, your main focus is to do as much damage possible...your goal is to survive."

Toni gulped at his serious tone but nodded to show that she was listening.

"You need to hurt them in a way so that they don't get a chance to do the same to you. Now, you already are aware of the uses of salt and holy water, yeah?" Toni nodded, "now in a case that you don't have that available, you resort to other methods. Ok, put 'em up," he asked, gesturing to her arms.

Awkwardly, Toni held her fists in front of her chest. "Like this?"

"You're a bit loose..." he replied, moving to stand beside her. Grabbing her hand, he formed a proper fist. "To make a proper fist, your fingers need to be tightly clenched and that your thumb is secure around your second and third knuckles. If you can't make a proper fist, you won't be capable of delivering a punch," Sam stated, holding her hand in his.

Sam rubbed circles around the top of her hand for a moment before stepping back. "Ahem, right." He held his hands up for her. "Now, I want to see how your force is. Hit me."

"Hit you? Sam, I'm not sure-"

"Remember what I said about no rules? A demon isn't going to wait."

Toni sighed, then raised a fist to strike. Taking her time, she punched only for Sam to grab her wrist and spin her around till she was locked in his arms, her back to his front. She yelped as his hand gripped her throat and his arm circled her waist.