In Plain Sight (A Hunted Rose)

Chapter Twenty-Two

River rode with me in my car to the training center.  When I pulled up, it looked the same as last time.  It was still big, it was still white-ish colored.  I had convinced River to let me stop at my house for workout clothes, if he really wanted to teach me self-defense.  I brought a simple racer back tank top, a sports bra, and some exercise shorts.  River promised me that there would be somewhere for me to change when I got there, but I was hesitant – I mean, there were no female hunters; it wasn’t like they had a girls locker room. 

 I followed River in, and he led me to a one stall bathroom.  He stood guard outside the door as I changed, not that there seemed to be anyone in the building to accidentally barge in on me.  When I had an armful of clothes and my hair in a high ponytail, I exited the bathroom, almost bumping into River as I did.

 “Hi,” I said.  “Where to now?”

“Back to the training room,” he replied.   “You’re going to use the sparring mats.”

 “I thought you were going to help me.”

 “I was,” River said, “but I got a text while you were changing.  I need to go to a meeting; it’s really important.  But, Cameron is going to take over for me and show you the basics.  I’ll walk you there."

“Sure,” I told him.  “Lead the way.”

Entering the large room that had all the equipment, I was struck with an odd feeling of security, which was completely and utterly out of place considering where I was.  I was literally surrounded by all things Verdis and hunters, and yet, I was not worried, or panicked in any way.  River brought me over to the mats, where Cameron was sitting down and stretching out.  He lifted his head up and smiled at us as we approached him. 

 “Hey people,” he said.  “Funny seeing you guys here.”

 “I’ll let you guys get to it,” River said, and then he walked out, leaving me and Cameron staring at each other. 

 I cleared my throat, and then asked him, “Why did you guys just now decide to teach me self-defense.  Also, what makes you think that Liam hasn’t taught me?”

 “Thought we should,” Cameron told me simply.  “Never know when you’ll need it.”

 “I told you that I lived with Liam for a little bit – during that time he took it upon himself to teach me defense, among other things.  So, I actually know quite a bit.”  I sat down on the floor next to him and started stretching as well, focusing on my arms and legs.  “Sparring with an old vampire is a surefire way to learn good techniques, and do better with speed and agility.”  It’s also a good way to get beat from here to Sunday, but I didn’t mention that out loud.  Because, why would little ole human me be getting seriously beat up by a 300 year old vampire?  Beat up as in broken bones, ruptured organs, internal bleeding, and pretty much any other injury possible next to getting my limbs ripped off.  At first I really hated Liam for it, but the first time I was actually able to beat him in a fair fight, I understood why he did it.

 “That’s good,” Cameron said.  “It means that we can move on to the fun stuff, instead of being stuck on the basics for forever.”

 “Awesome,” I replied.  I stood up, as did Cameron.  Before I knew it, a fist was flying through the air to my face.  Instinct took over, and I shot my hand up to grab his fist before it hit my face.  I held it tightly and twisted it so that I could hold his arm behind his back, not allowing him to have use of it.  “Cheater,” I grunted out; he hadn't given me any warning.  “That wasn’t fair.”

 “Yeah, well,” Cameron said, “no fight is ever fair.  Why teach you to fight clean when everybody else fights dirty?”

 “Trust me, I have experience with dirty fighting,” I raised my eyebrows at him, turning my head so that he could see.  “Liam never, ever fought fair.  I know exactly what it’s like.”