StarShine (Temporarily On Hold)

13

Everett growled under his breath as he watched his sister duck away from her mates' fist. There were so many contradicting emotions fueling through him as he stood there, arms crossed, staring at Elara on the blue mat across the field.

He's known that Elara needed to learn to defend herself, but all the previous times they had tried hadn't ended all that well. Their dad would have been an amazing teacher and Everett was ready to do his best to teach her the same as their dad had.

He could see a small difference in Elara's form. It wasn't an obvious change, but just enough definition to show that Elara was putting in the work and it was paying off.

But there was something about watching your sister get hit in the face by her mate that was unsettling for Everett.

But would it be better if it was his fists flying towards Elara?

He had held his tongue, hit after hit, pin after pin, just letting Bennett teach Elara. No matter how much it hurt him to watch.

Today though, even from across the field, Everett could see that there was something off with Elara. Something that threw her off her game and made her nothing but a lamb in the lion's den while facing with Bennett.

For the thousandth time, Everett wondered how Bennett didn't see the dark circles under her eyes or notice that she was almost always up before the sun. He was under no illusions, he knew that his sister shared a bed with her mate, so he had to have noticed.

And yet, he sighed in indignation as Elara fell hard to the mat across the way.

Bennett stared down at his mate, hating the bruise that was forming on her cheek. A bruise that he had caused.

He had thought for sure, Elara saw the punch coming. They had been training for the last two weeks and he always threw a right hook to the cheek after she tried to hit him in the stomach.

Self-loathing and disgust rolled through him and settled in his stomach like a stone. He had thought she seemed off today. But instead of listening to his gut, he brushed it off and continued anyway.

And now, Elara has a nearly black bruise on her face.

"Where's your head, Elara?!" he practically yelled, running his hand through his short, yet sweaty hair.

Bennett didn't mean to sound so angry. He was frustrated at himself for throwing the punch in the first place. But dammit, she wanted to learn how to defend herself and he can't go easy on her!

His mind keeps flashing to the night he lost his father and brother. That feeling of helplessness and heartache that shot through him as he watched the life drain out them at the hands of those vampires.

He couldn't, wouldn't let that happen to Elara.

"If this were an actual fight - I could've killed you!" He knelt down to examine the mark on her cheek, trying to decide if they should call it a day, when something crashes into him, knocking him off balance.

Cheap shot, Bennett thought but never in a fight are things fair.

Bennett lands on his back with a painful thud with Everett already straddled on top of him. Somehow, Everett was able to pin Bennett's hands with his knees and had his own hands wrapped around Bennett's throat.

"What's your problem?" Everett seethes, tightening his grip around Bennett's neck a little more.

Bennett thrashed under Everett's weight but the way he's straddling on top of him, it made it nearly impossible.

"You're supposed to be helping her! I could tell from across the field that she was distracted!" Elara watched in shocked and silent horror as Everett continued his assualt on Bennett.