Fate's Demand (Twisted Fate, Book 3)

Chapter Forty-Nine

Marcus glanced at me again as I approached, and I took pleasure in seeing his smile fade. After the lackluster speech, there was no way I was about to miss his demonstration. Whether he liked it or not, he wasn't going to be able to slink out of sight before talking.

"You've never been in a session before," he said in lieu of a greeting.

"Are you telling me to be a newbie?" Cocking my head, I continued to study him.

This close, his lean body was corded with muscle that twitched with each movement he made. A single dimple creviced his right cheek and, despite his serious appraisal, there was a hint of laugh lines webbing the corners of his eyes.

"Isn't that what you are?" He turned away from his friend to face me fully, crossing his arms with his clipboard still in hand. "You've never participated in a session."

"Right. Well, not that I need to explain myself, but I have been boxing for a year and, up to a few days ago, training at Glory Academy."

"A couple weeks in a classroom doesn't qualify—"

"Not only did I train with the Pure Souls, I had daily sessions with one of the eldest Brothers," I said, looking up from the floor slowly so that by the time my eyes made contact with his studious gaze, what I said had sunk in.

"Which one?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Huh?"

"Which Brother were you training with?"

Would Marcus know what Uri and Ace had said about Mike laying everyone on their ass? I smiled, hoping he would. "I trained one-on-one with Mike for a couple hours a day after class was finished."

Marcus, unlike those who gasped around us, hid his surprise well. A tiny spark, and then it was gone, and his stoicism returned. The set of his jaw was clear: he was going to try tag me a newbie despite my experience.

I couldn't let that happen.

"Look, you might be the first Dark Soul," I said, raising my hands to make finger quotes, "but I am not a newbie. Even if I was, you can't force me to the right side of the gym without using force. Just so you know, that won't be easy to do. Besides, if you hurt me... Well, wouldn't that hurt everyone that my light empowers? That includes you."

Maybe the last bit was a stretch. I had no clue if my injury would harm them the same way as my death, but who cared? They didn't need to know I was in astral form.

His gaze narrowed further, but he masked it with a smile for everyone else. The whole room, even James's group, was silent, as though everyone was holding their breath. Shifting my weight, I crossed my arms and joined everyone as they waited.

Surprising us all, Marcus laughed and pointed at me, waving his finger in the air. "Fine. You didn't have to get melodramatic, Miss Alyssa Frank!" he said, making his distain clear in the way his tone dripped like acid. "Training with the Brothers makes you qualified for higher status. Let's see how much you really learned, hmm?" he winked and turned his back to me.

Chatter resumed as he left everyone feeling disappointed. Sharing a look with Scottie, I knew that what I had seen wasn't a mistake. Marcus hadn't needed words to promise I would be made to regret my open disregard of his authority. I looked back at Scottie with a promise I hoped he would relay to Marcus: I was up to the challenge.

*****

The next hour and a half passed in a state of boredom. While it was clear Marcus and Scottie—even James from what I could see—were gifted fighters, every move came tagged with an explanation. Hold your hand like this, rest your weight this way, and keep your elbows aligned here. Why? Let me tell you. Maybe the Dark Souls were listening, but, although their actions were interesting, all I heard when they opened their mouths was, "Blah, blah-blah-blah... blah."