“No way. Craig is good, but you are better. Under the circumstances, I trust you more than him. No offence,” she called up to Craig.
“None taken,” he called back. JD was amazed at how good her words made him feel.
“So why is Craig here?” she asked.
“He will be watching you very carefully. If he thinks you are freaking out or are going to move, he’ll tell me to stop. I have to concentrate on my sword movements so I can’t be watching you as closely as you need to be watched. Now are you ready?”
“No,” she said truthfully, “but I don’t think I ever will be, so you might as well begin.”
JD looked up at Craig, who nodded. He took down his sword and noticed that Sarah flinched as she heard him draw it from its scabbard.
“I wish I didn’t have to put you through this,” he said as he approached, “but it is necessary.”
He walked slowly around her, letting her get used to hearing his footsteps. “Keep your head still,” he said when he noticed she was moving it in order to help her keep track of where he was.
He glanced up at Craig once more, who nodded to signal he was ready. He looked tense and JD could understand why. He had played this role for each of the others, but never had the person in the arena meant as much to him as Sarah did.
JD began his attack. He moved fast, striking from all directions, starting off close, getting closer with each stroke. Sarah tensed all her muscles and began to shake. Her breathing became shallow and rapid. Craig watched her closely. He was concerned, but not concerned enough to stop JD yet.
Then JD got so near that his sword moved her hair and she cried out. “Fucking hell, Jason.”
Neither of the men reacted to her outburst; it was to be expected.
JD continued, getting so close to her that she could feel the air brush the hairs on her arms as the sword passed by. She felt the metal almost touch her face, her neck, every part of her. Her entire body began to tremble uncontrollably.
“JD,” Craig called out and he span away from her.
“Do you want to stop?” he asked as he walked up to her.
“No,” she gasped. “Just give me a minute.”
She removed the blindfold and tears streamed down her face. She took deep lungfuls of air as she tried to slow down her heart rate and stop her body from shaking.
“You can take a break,” JD said softly to her.
“No, I’m alright,” she insisted. She stretched out her tensed up muscles, willing herself to relax. After a few minutes her heart rate was down to normal and her breathing was slow and steady.
She moved to the centre of the arena and replaced her blindfold. “Okay. Go again.”
JD looked up at Craig, who nodded. If Craig had any doubts about continuing, JD wouldn’t do so.
This time she did better. She managed to control her breathing, which stopped her body from shaking. She started concentrating on the sound of the sword and found she could start to predict where she would feel the movement of air based on the noise alone. He moved her hair once more when his sword got close to her neck, but this time she didn’t react. She knew it was coming a fraction of a second before she felt the sword touch her hair.
Then everything stopped. “Good girl,” she heard JD say as she felt her blindfold being removed. “That’s enough for today. We will do this at least once a week from now on until you’re able to block while blindfolded. Then we can progress onto moving while you can’t see. I’ll get the others to give you a demonstration tomorrow if you think it will help.”
She nodded her agreement, not daring to trust herself to speak.
As soon as he gave her permission to go, she ran up the stairs and locked herself in her room. Her body started shaking once more and the tears began to flow again. She managed to undress herself and sat at the bottom of her shower, the hot water pouring over her as she hugged herself tight and cried.
Jonathon was waiting for JD in his office when he entered it.
“How did she handle it?” he asked.
“Better than I did the first time.”
“Do you really think she was ready?”
“Are you questioning my judgement?”
“No, we’re just all concerned that you’re pushing her too hard.”
JD raised his eyebrows. “You sound like you actually care.”
“I do. We all do. She’s one of us and you know we look out for each other.”
“She was ready,” JD said. “Craig wouldn’t have agreed to take part if she wasn’t.” That was all Jonathon needed to hear, so he left JD alone to update his report.
Sarah stayed in the shower for a very long time and JD was beginning to get worried. He was just considering sending Craig to check on her when she knocked on his office door and walked in. She had her bags packed.
“I’m going home. I need a drink and I need to spend some time away from this place. I promise I’ll be back tomorrow.”
“I’ll understand if you’re not, but do me a favour. Take Craig with you. I want him with you tonight in case you have nightmares.”
“It sounds like you’re speaking from personal experience.”
“I am.”
As Craig drove her home, he explained why JD was worried about her. “Every trainee gets to witness that part of the training many times before they have to go through it themselves. It helps them prepare for it. JD did not want you to see it as he thought it would have the opposite effect on you. He was probably right. You’re the first person I know of who has gone into the arena blindfolded without knowing anything about it. Also, when JD did it to us, we had known him for a long time and had complete confidence in him, so it wasn’t as terrifying for any of us as it was for you.”
“He said he had nightmares.” Sarah hoped she wasn’t betraying JD’s confidence by letting Craig know that.
“I’m not surprised. Everyone usually goes through it in their early twenties. JD was just fifteen and it affected him badly. Trainers are now banned from doing it to anyone under eighteen.”
Later that evening they got Chinese from the local take-away and opened a bottle of wine. Sally was home so they didn’t discuss what had happened. Instead, they talked of other things, then watched a film.
Half way through the movie, JD called Craig. He went out into the kitchen so Sally couldn’t overhear the conversation.
“How is she?”
“She’s doing okay. She hasn’t eaten much, but we’re still on our first bottle of wine so I’m not too worried about her.”
“Keep an eye on her,” JD said. “Don’t bring her here tomorrow if you think she needs a day off.”
“I won’t,” Craig said and smiled at JD’s concern as he hung up.
————————————-∞————————————-
Training continued and Sarah began to get quite good at fighting blindfolded. She wasn’t yet at the stage where JD would let her fight anyone else while she couldn’t see, but she was getting close.
He was not happy when she said she would have to miss one of her Friday night sessions, but it was so she could attend a compulsory work function, so he didn’t have much choice.
It was what she did when she and Craig got back to the Sanctuary that really annoyed him. Why they decided to stay the night there instead of her place he had no idea, but he made sure they regretted it.
It was almost midnight when he heard the front door open. He had been working late and had only just gone to bed. He wasn’t intentionally listening out for them, but was concerned when he didn’t hear them climbing the stairs.
Sarah had driven so Craig was a little worse for wear when they arrived home. It had been a much better night than either of them had been expecting and they were still in a party mood.
“Come with me,” Sarah whispered into his ear as they reached the stairs. Instead of climbing them, she went down and led him into the arena.
“What are you up to?” Craig asked wa
rily.
“I want to dance some more,” she said and put on some music.
“This is a very bad idea,” Craig said as he pulled her into his arms.
“Don’t worry. Jason won’t find out.”
“We’re going to be in big trouble if he does.”
Sarah shrugged her shoulders as if it was of no consequence. Craig sighed and swung her around.
When JD opened his bedroom door he was sure he could hear music coming from below. He grabbed his dressing gown and made his way to the balcony doors. He eased them open and stepped inside.
When he saw what was going on, anger surged through him. Sarah and Craig were dancing closely, very closely, way too closely for his liking. They were touching each other and moving together more like lovers than dance partners.
He clenched his fists to stop himself from yelling at them. Sarah looked so happy he didn’t want to be the one to ruin her evening.
Then she caught his eye. Instead of pulling away from Craig, she had the audacity to smile at him, then look away. She carried on dancing instead of warning Craig that they were being watched.
Anger merged with jealousy and he didn’t know how to react. He walked away, leaving them to it. Tomorrow would be soon enough to punish them and he was sure he would have thought of something suitable by then.
He was in the arena earlier than usual the next morning, eagerly awaiting Sarah and Craig’s arrival. He was planning on having some fun at their expense.
He noticed that Sarah wouldn’t look at him as they waited for everyone to arrive.
“How’s your head this morning Craig?” he asked casually.
“Fine. Why?” Craig was understandably defensive.
“Just wondering how drunk you were last night.”
“I had a few, but not too many. I’m here aren’t I?” The poor fool still had no idea he had been seen.
“You may regret telling me that. Got anything to confess?”
“No, should I have?” He glanced at Sarah, who refused to look his way.
“Care to let everyone know what you were up to in here last night?” JD was enjoying making him feel uncomfortable.
The moment Craig realised what JD was referring to registered on his face and he went pale. “Oh shit. We were just dancing.”
JD changed his tone, letting a little of his anger seep into his voice. “I would hardly call that dancing. It was almost pornographic.”
“Oh yes,” Jonathon said. “Tell us more.”
“It wasn’t his fault,” Sarah said, leaping to Craig’s defence. JD was pleased to see that she was prepared to take the responsibility for what had happened as he was certain it had been her idea.
He smiled at her in a way that made her shiver. “I know. That’s why you’re the only one who will be punished.”
“You can’t punish me. I was never told any rule about not dancing in here.”
“That is no excuse. You should have known not to use my arena as a nightclub.”
Everyone noticed his use of ‘my’ instead of ‘our’. He was taking this personally, which was not a good sign. Especially for Sarah.
“I hope you didn’t have plans for this afternoon.”
“Apparently I do now.”
JD made them all work extra hard for the hour, a fact that did not go unnoticed. They would take it out on Sarah and probably Craig as well and he wasn’t surprised when Katie asked to borrow the arena later in the day. He was even less surprised when she informed him that they would all be using it as soon as he had finished with Sarah that afternoon. He gave his permission, loud enough for both Craig and Sarah to hear, then asked Craig to stay behind.
“I thought you weren’t going to punish me,” he said in a sulky voice. The others were going to get their revenge on him as well as Sarah later and he wasn’t sure he really deserved it.
JD’s tone was almost friendly. “I’m not. I’m concerned about your friendship with Sarah. You know she’s the perfect girl for you.”
Craig relaxed a little. “I know, but she’s the one person I will never want.”
“You two are so in sync with each other I’m worried you’re letting it stop you finding someone else. You haven’t been on a date since Alex died.”
“Stop worrying. Sarah’s not the issue. One of the reasons we get on so well is that we’re not romantically involved. The problem is this place. I’m not looking for a short term relationship or a one night stand. I want a girl I can be with for the rest of my life, but she has to be able to accept what and who I am from the beginning. I don’t want to have to lie to her until things become serious. Do you understand where I’m coming from?”
“Yes, but you’re making things hard for yourself. That girl might not exist, unless she’s already one of us.”
“I don’t want to get together with a hunter.”
“You used to date, when Alex was still alive.”
“Only because those two kept trying to set me up. Please, stop worrying about me. I’m alright and Sarah is good for me right now. She’s someone I can have fun with without having to worry about the consequences.”
“I noticed,” JD couldn’t resist saying, making Craig tense once more. “Alright. Get out of here.”
JD didn’t tell Sarah what he had planned for her, but ordered her to be ready to leave straight after lunch and wear clothes she was comfortable walking in.
“Care to explain why you carried on when you knew I was there?” he asked as he pulled out of the driveway.
“It’s the first time I’ve really let my hair down since I lost Alex and I didn’t want it to end.”
“You must have known I would punish you.”
“I didn’t care.” JD shook his head. She didn’t seem at all repentant. He tried a different line.
“What would Alex think of you dancing like that with Craig? You were taking things a bit far.”
“We did it in front of Alex all the time. He was fine with it. He didn’t enjoy dancing and he knew there was nothing in it other than two friends having a bit of fun.” That was all he needed to hear, so he stopped the questioning.
“Do what you like with Craig, it’s none of my business. Just keep it outside of my arena or there will be consequences. Serious consequences. Understand?”
“Yes. Why are you taking this so personally?”
“Because you’re showing a lack of respect for me and our training ground. If you don’t respect me then your training is never going to work.” He was partially telling the truth.
“Respect you?” she spat at him. “Of course I bloody well respect you. I put up with all your crap don’t I? Just because I don’t bow and scrape to you like the others do, don’t you dare accuse me of not respecting you.”
She crossed her arms and turned her head to stare out of the window, her face screwed up in a scowl. JD wondered why she had reacted so angrily, but he wasn’t brave enough to ask. He glanced at her and could see in the reflection of the glass that she had tears in her eyes.
‘Well handled you idiot,’ he silently reprimanded himself. Twice he opened his mouth to speak to her, but closed it again. He had no idea what to say.
They travelled in a heated silence for a while until she decided to break it.
“So what horrific torture do you have planned for me this afternoon?” The wording made him smile. It meant she had calmed down, at least a little.
“I have to play golf with some of the senior partners from my firm. You have volunteered to be my caddy.”
“You like playing golf?” she asked in surprise.
He shook his head. “No. I know how to play and I play well enough to keep up with those I have to play with without accidentally beating them or looking like I’m letting them win, but I wouldn’t say I enjoy the game. It’s way too slow and not violent enough.”
“Now why doesn’t that surprise me?”
His tone turned serious. “These people are my bosses. I need you to behave.” The exp
ected witty comeback didn’t arrive. Instead she just assured him that she would.
And she did. She did not react when she was introduced as Craig’s girlfriend, she was polite and friendly when spoken to, treated JD with the respect he accused her of lacking and charmed the older men. She even called him JD instead of Jason, much to his surprise. She never put a step out of place.
“So you’re bedding your friend’s girlfriend,” one of the senior partners said to him at the eighth tee when Sarah wouldn’t be able to overhear.
JD glanced across at her, then returned his attention to the man who had spoken. “Unfortunately not. She’s completely off limits to me.” He did not explain why, allowing the older man to reach his own conclusions.
“She likes you though,” he continued, winking at him.
“What makes you say that?”
“She’s here isn’t she?”
JD laughed. “Not through choice I’m afraid. I act as a personal trainer to some of my friends in my spare time and I told her she had to do this to maintain her fitness levels.”
“And did she?”
“Of course not. I just wanted a caddy.”
The senior partner laughed and slapped JD on the back. “You are going to go a long way, young man. A very long way.”
————————————-∞————————————-
“I am not Craig’s girlfriend,” Sarah snapped as soon as they were alone in JD’s car once more.
JD stared at her incredulously. “Have you been bottling that up all afternoon?”
“Of course I have. It’s not as if I could say something sooner is it.”
“You never cease to amaze me,” he said as he reversed out of his parking space and drove out of the golf club car park.
As soon as they arrived home, Sarah looked at her watch. “Is it really that late? I need to get going.”
JD shook his head at her theatrics. He knew full well why she had said that. “Not yet. Right now you have to go to the arena. I’ll let the others know you are back.”
She almost asked him to let her sneak off, but the look he was giving her told her she was better off keeping her mouth shut.
Vampire Hunters, #1 Page 17
