To Mend a Heart (Born in Darkness, Book 1)

Chapter Fourteen

Her training began briskly at dawn the next morning.  Connor left before she awoke and then Uriel came in and attacked her with a blast of magic.  Sensing the strike even in sleep, she instantly awoke and countered with a wave of shadows, then slammed the warlock against the wall with thick, dusky tendrils.

Uriel smiled.  "Very good, milady."

Evelyn blinked, but kept the shadows in place.  "Seriously?"

"Did you think we were going to go easy on you?"

She let him down, and he attacked again.  She dodged, then waved her hand to create a swarm of ravens.  She pointed at Uriel and the birds charged at him.  He drew his sword and sliced at the birds, which vanished in puffs of darkness when his blade made contact with their feathers.

"Are you trying to kill me?" Evelyn yelled.

"Yes."  He sliced his sword in an arc towards her, barely giving her time to open the lid of the footlocker and pull out a sword to parry his strike.  "A Princess who cannot defend herself is unworthy of the name Dracula."

Anger raced through her.  "Fine, then."

She attacked, using all she had learned from Connor in the art of swordplay.  However, she only had six years of practice with a sword, whereas Uriel, who was only a few decades younger than Connor, had centuries of battle experience on his side.  He was faster, cleverer, and far more skilled than she, not to mention bigger and stronger.  In an act of desperation, she sent her fist in an uppercut towards him, causing a wave of shadows to send him flying through her bedroom's open door.

Alabaster squawked in what sounded like laughter.  Evelyn fell to her knees as relief flooded through her limbs.  Connor appeared in the doorway, clearly holding back a laugh.

"You've always been quite the handful."

Evelyn sent him a glare.  "This is what you call 'training'?"

He just shrugged.  "The best way to learn is through experience."

"So basically, it's kill or be killed?"

His smile faded.  "Yes."  He entered her room and helped her to her feet, then laid his hands on her shoulders.  "Evelyn, you need to take this seriously.  The estate is warded against unwanted evil, but that hasn't always been enough.  You're a prized target in the supernatural world.  Demons and servants of evil have been trying to take you from us since the night I brought you home.  You have to learn to fight them and protect yourself, because there may come a day when I won't be able to."

She chewed her lip nervously.  "You mean when I'm supposed to disappear?"

He sighed in confirmation.

"So, what?" she said.  "I have to grow up now?"

"I know it's a lot to ask, but yes."

She backed away and lifted her sword, pressing the tip to his throat.  At the same time, she wrapped his wrists and ankles in shadowy tendrils so that he could not counter her attack.

"No."

"Evelyn—"

"I said no.  I'm not growing up yet."

His eyes changed to a glowing crimson as his claws and fangs extended and he looked at her sternly.  "Evelyn, we are Royalty to the supernatural world.  While we have diplomatic immunity among the different Races, we are also priorities for the Hunter Clans."  He closed his eyes for a moment, and Evelyn sensed the darkness in his heart become tainted with pain and trauma.  Then he opened his eyes again.  "Our childhoods are not meant to last.  You need to accept that in order to survive."