There was a hunger in his eyes as I sauntered toward him. He dropped the book as I straddled his waist. The Hunter stiffened when I leaned toward him, my hot breath on his neck. Gently, I trailed my finger behind his ear and down his neck until my hand rested on the middle of his breast bone. Goose bumps rose on his bare skin.
“What I wouldn’t give to have my Magic back,” I whispered in his ear, and I pressed my palm down in a silent threat. “Or even a knife.”
He pulled back to look at me, a sly smile on his face. “The oath would kill you too.” His voice was low and husky.
“I might decide that it’s worth it.”
The comment earned me a toothy grin, I pushed off him with a snarl and went to the bathroom to sit under the hot water. When I returned, with my skin pink the Hunter had disappeared and I was alone.
I was reckless and petty, but it felt good to claw back even a tiny bit of control. The bed was free and remade, I pulled the blankets up to my chin and fell asleep with a satisfied grin.
***
I emptied my mind, my only thoughts of the practiced flow of movement. The wooden sword was heavy in my hands and sweat ran down my back. I practiced thrusting, striking and parrying. Without my power, it felt like I was carrying bags of sand around my ankles. But if I stopped training, I knew the black hole in the centre of my chest would consume me.
Two water Mages, Anthony and Levi, were sparring in the middle of the room. I had seen them train most days. Anthony often gave me a meek smile when he entered, but we hadn’t spoken at any great length. They were both too young to have seen any real combat, but their technique seemed sound. Maybe they would let me practice with them. I was bored of training by myself. The Hunter trained with me when he felt like it, but I wouldn’t go seek him out. When they stopped between rounds, I wandered over.
“Hey, can I join with you guys?” I tried to keep my voice friendly but failed.
They looked at each other and then at me, puzzled. It was almost comical. “But you’re collared.” Anthony seemed perplexed.
“It’s fine. I’m used to it.”
“We don’t want to hurt you.” Anthony pushed himself to his feet. He wasn’t particularly intimidating.
“Trust me. You won’t hurt me.” I tried to reassure the pair. “Ever used practice swords?”
Anthony shrugged and went to pick up a broadsword from the wall. He shifted the hefty weight between his hands. I stood in the middle of the mat, facing the boy. He looked uncomfortable standing across from me. I needed to remind myself I was here to make friends. I couldn’t hurt them.
We circled for a few moments.
He struck out lazily and I swatted his sword away. He hadn’t put any real effort behind the blow. Anthony lunged slowly toward me again. Even impaired as I was, I had enough time to kick his sword hand. The blow caused him to release his grip and the blade went scattering to the ground.
“Move faster,” I commanded. I allowed him to pick up his weapon again, if it had been anyone else I would have pressed my advantage. He begun to strike me with more vigour. Still, his attacks were easy to block. They had no violent intent behind them.
“Stop going easy,” I complained, as I stopped an overhead downward strike.
He should have been able to overpower me with his size. But I hadn’t even needed to use technique. I was getting by on my measly strength alone. Eventually I grew bored of blocking and begun striking back. Over and over my weapon kissed his neck. If he ever had to fight for his life he would be grossly underprepared. When I had seen him sparring earlier, they both looked fast and proficient. He thought me weaker than him. It would be his mistake.
Every time he missed a block I begun to whack him with the sword just hard enough to get his attention. Every time the sword hit him he would flinch. No doubt his midsection was covered in red welts. Eventually he got the hint and picked up the pace. He was soon out of breath. I lowered my weapon.
“I can go again,” I gestured to Levi, dropping my sword. “Hand to hand?”
He stepped onto the mats with me.
“You can hit me,” I reminded him.
His hands were heavy, but at the last second he hesitated. They weren’t used to training with women. Instead of hitting him, I swept him down to the mat over and over. The fifth time I straddled his chest I hesitated before getting up.
“Have you never grappled before?”
“I have,” he muttered defensively and wiggled out from under me.
I lunged in again. Before I heaved his weight back onto the mat, I stopped.
“I’m tricking you here, see? When I grab your arm, you can’t step toward me like that.”
I grabbed his arm above his elbow and pulled. On cue, he stepped toward me with his back leg. Expertly, I ducked to the ground and tucked the crook of my knee around his ankle. Levi lost his balance and fell straight onto his butt.
“Now you know what I’m doing, try and break out of it.”
We stood again. I grabbed his arm and he twisted my wrist until I lost my grip.
I grinned. “Better,”
We threw more combinations back and forth. Every time he would throw a punch, I would dodge to my right. Eventually he stepped toward me and ended his combination with a left blow trying to catch me. I executed the same motion as before, using his weight against him. He fell hard.
“Ooof. I did it again”
I helped haul him up. “You’ll get better.”
My chest hurt so I let them go a round by themselves. The boys were much rougher with each other, neither one could get the upper hand for very long. When they grew tired, they sat beside me, sweat dripping from their noses.
When the Hunter strode in, Anthony jumped up, suddenly full of energy again. Their eyes lit up. It was clear they worshiped him.
“Hey, Noah.”
He looked over with an easy smile. “Hey, Tony. Are you guys sparring?”
Tony? He was on nickname basis. What the hell?
“Yeah, we were sparring with Lilith too,” Levi chimed in.
“I’m surprised you’re not more beat up.” He looked at me, mischief in his eyes.
“She doesn’t hit very hard,” Levi tweeted, looking smug.
My eyes narrowed, that little twerp. I hadn’t wanted to whoop his ass, but now he was asking for it.
“Why don’t you lift up your shirt?” I raised a brow.
The Hunter laughed, the booming sound filling the small room.
“Well how about I give you boys some real competition?”
Asshole.
They nodded eagerly, a lot more excited to spar with him than with me. If only they knew who he really was.
“I’ll go first.” Anthony stood in the middle of the room and jumped around on the balls of his feet. I relaxed back onto my hands. This would be good.
The Hunter was meaner than me. So much for making friends. He wasn’t striking at full strength, but wasn’t giving the boy love taps like I had. Anthony was mercilessly picked apart. He had no answers to the Hunter’s complicated technique. After falling to his knees, Anthony tapped his hand hard against the mat. He had signalled his defeat.
The Hunter stood over him. “You can’t tap in real life.”
I thought for a second he would continue but instead he held out a hand and helped Anthony to his feet. He crawled next to me and I shot him a smug smile. Levi didn’t hesitate in jumping up, even though he had just watched his friend get beat up. Ever the asshole, the Hunter didn’t wait for him to get ready. Like a viper, he struck out before the boy could prepare. It was something to see. His technique was flawless and no doubt the result of years of grueling training.
Some people looked uncomfortable within their bodies, but the Hunter was not one of those people. It was clear in the way he moved that he had absolute surety in the way his body would respond. Every step was taken with unarguable confidence. When Levi couldn’t run anymore, he covered his face and cowered on the ground. The H
unter let him up and he stumbled over to sit beside his wounded friend.
The Hunter looked at me expectedly. With a groan I stood and shook out the remaining tightness in my muscles. He was too arrogant for his own good.
“Ready to stop picking on children?” I teased, picking up my practice sword once again. He grabbed the other one and sunk into his stance.
We began.
Our movements were almost identical. He was slightly faster, and I found myself on the back foot. Every block or strike was just a millisecond behind. The force reverberated through my bones. It was lucky for me that the blades weren’t real.
We moved through complicated combinations. He didn’t bother using his size advantage against me, but focused instead on pushing himself faster.
After rolling out of the way of a downward spike, I realised my breathing was too strained. When I tried to get up, the blood rushed from my head. I sat back awkwardly on my side trying to hide my disorientation. The world had turned static.
“I’m done,” I huffed out after a moment.
“Are you okay?” The Hunter dropped his sword and rushed toward me.
I brushed him off. “Just tired.”
I rolled onto my back, spreading out my arms. Before being collared, I had been in the best shape of my life. Now it felt like I had never run a day in my life. The Hunter brought me a water bottle. My muscles shook under the meagre weight.
The two boys took the opportunity to slink out of the room.
“See ya tomorrow,” Levi managed to shout out before they both hobbled off to get some healing potions.
“Keep going.” I pushed the Hunter away. “I’ll be fine in a moment.”
His concern was worse than Judas’s. I dragged my heavy body toward the side of the room and sat with my back against the wall. He stared at me a moment before nodding.
I was grateful when he turned his attention to the heavy bag. His blows reverberated through the room. He hit it so hard that I thought it would break off the chain. After a few minutes he was slick with sweat, his black shirt clung to his body. He peeled it off and threw it to the side. Without the shirt I could see the mass of scars that decorated his back. It was like a work of art. I wanted to run my hands over every scar and hear what he had done to the people who caused them. I surpassed a groan.
He’s the enemy. Death wrapped in a pretty package—nothing more.
The lack of Magic was turning me crazy. When he was training, the careful, controlled facade seemed to fade and his feral nature came out. When he exhausted himself he turned to me. His curly hair hung over his eyebrows and he raked his fingers through the lengths.
“Enjoy the show?”
I fought the blush that threatened to colour my cheeks. Instead I wiped all emotion from my face and shrugged listlessly. I wouldn’t feed his ego.
“You’re done?”
“For now.”
When we walked back to our shared room, Luka didn’t put his shirt back on. It was payback. He liked watching me squirm just as much as I enjoyed watching him.
Chapter Nine
After incessant begging, Loral had finally broke and told me Judas was getting back later in the afternoon. As a result, I was sitting in the dining room waiting for him.
The Hunter and I had fallen into an easy routine. We would train in the morning before breakfast, and after lunch time we would hold an informal class. It had started with Levi and Anthony, but then the word had spread and now we had about ten wannabe students.
I had skipped morning training with the Hunter today, my body was too sore. I almost regretted telling him not to pull his punches. The last few days had been hell, but I had too much pride to ask him to dial it down now. No matter how hard I trained, I was getting worse.
Don’t think about it.
I felt silly waiting in the kitchen. My hair was brushed and I had even managed to find some make up from Sylvia. It was too late to wipe it off now. The book of runes the healer had lent me lay on the table, forgotten. The teachings inside were all ancient, the newer ones much simpler, and had wider applications. Still, it was good knowledge.
I waited for what felt like forever when finally Judas’s familiar figure bounded through the entrance to the kitchen. I jumped up. His warm smile lit up the room and his blonde hair was damp and hung over his eyebrows. It must have been raining outside. I had never wanted to stand in the rain more.
I would have to persuade Loral to let me go on a mission, collar or not.
When he saw me, he immediately dropped his bag and wrapped me in a tight hug. His thick arms wrapped around my waist and my feet lifted off the ground. I just managed to stop myself from flinching at the contact.
The compound was lonely. There was only so much reading and training to do. Judas would have stories from the outside, I couldn’t wait to hear them.
“Welcome back,” I said when he put me down, his smile reaching his eyes. “How was the outside world?”
“Wet. It didn’t stop raining. I barely got to see the sun.” He fake pouted.
“Do I get to know what you did?”
“Nope, but I did get you a present.” He unzipped his backpack and brought out a bag to hand to me.
I wasn’t one for ceremony. I dug into the bag and pulled out tracksuit pants and workout gear. He looked embarrassed, his golden skin flushing pink.
“I heard you complaining to Loral about not having any clothes to wear. There’s something else in there also.” I smiled at his thoughtfulness.
In the bottom of the bag there was a small box. I ripped it open. Inside was an inscribed gold coin hanging from a thin chain. I picked it up and let it dangle in the kitchen light. Ice shot me like a dagger to my heart, it could have been one-hundred degrees outside and my insides would still be frozen. My mouth forced itself into a smile as I looked at the golden chain.
“What is it?” I didn’t understand the engraving, but the longer I looked the more the writing seemed to writhe in the light.
“It’s the Coin of Galway. I thought you could use some luck.” He took it from my hands and fastened it around my wrist.
“The one you told me about on the bus.” My voice was hollow. “Is it really lucky?” I dangled it up in front of my face.
“Very much so. Do you like it?”
The bracelet was beautiful. No one had ever given me a gift like it.
“I do.” My voice was warmer than usual. My eyes stung with something that felt like tears.
He beamed.
Judas glossed over his time on the outside and instead entertained me with stories of his near death expeditions in his life before the rebellion. It was crazy to me, the lengths he went to for some dusty old antiques. He was a firm believer that the historical Magic the artefacts held needed to be protected. It didn’t hurt they were worth a pretty penny. I barely had to prompt him. The stories flowed one after the other. If I focused on Judas, I could ignore the screaming in the back of my mind, It demanded to know how I could willingly trade my life for his. The guilt was louder than usual.
Before I knew it, people had started to file in for dinner. Stella sat wiggled in beside me. Judas stood suddenly.
“I’m tired from my journey.”
I looked at him, puzzled. He had seemed fine ten minutes ago.
“You’re not eating?”
“No. I’ll speak to you tomorrow.” He knelt down and kissed my cheek before leaving the dining room. I watched him go.
“You’re looking worse today, Lilith. Very gaunt. I hope Davis gets that collar off soon.” Stella pulled me from my thoughts.
I gave her a closed mouth grimace. Stella was too honest. It was a refreshing change, except when she told me how shitty I looked. The mascara wasn’t fooling anyone.
“Thank you, Stella, It’s my new look.”
The Hunter took Judas’s seat and shot me daggers. “It doesn’t suit you.”
He had no sense of humour. I was the one dying. Dinner was soup and I
struggled to stomach the watery substance. Stella was right, I hadn’t been able to eat much the last week and my clothes were getting baggy. I didn’t want my new look to become permanent. When dinner was finished, I helped Sylvia clean up.
She passed me dishes to dry. I didn’t mind the repetitive movements.
“Is that bracelet new? It’s beautiful.”
“It is. Judas got it for me.”
She lowered her voice, leaning close to me. “You must be careful with him, Lilith.”
I shot her a puzzled look. Judas was as harmless as a fly. Maybe one of her daughters had a crush on him.
“I’m fine, thank you, Sylvie.”
She nodded, looking unconvinced. We finished the dishes in silence.
When I returned to my room, I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in my stomach. The Hunter was sitting on the mattress, head in a book, his knuckles bruised and bloodied. He must have skipped cleaning up to go snooping around again. I got into the soft tracksuit Judas had bought me. I didn’t bother to cover up. There wasn’t much to see anymore. The nagging pain had gotten worse. I turned back around to search for the medicine the doctor had given me. Ignoring the Hunter’s worried look, I finally found the vial. The tiny cork was hard to get out with my shaking hands but I finally managed it. I let a drop fall onto my tongue. The gnawing pain eased some and I fell into bed beside him. I should have asked what would happen if I died before we could complete our mission. There was a million questions I should have asked, instead I stayed silent.
The collar was taking its toll. The healer’s medicine had taken the edge off, but the ache felt like a part of me now. The tiredness I felt could not be remedied with sleep.
“What’s that for?” the Hunter asked, placing his book down. I was glad he hadn’t asked me how I felt.
“Pain.”
He gently picked up the medicine. The tiny vial looked strange in his hand. It was the first time I had given in and drunk some.
“I thought healing potions don’t work.”
“It’s not a healing potion. It’s human medicine.” He inspected the contents, uncorking the lid, and sniffing before pulling a face and handing it back to me.
The Sanguine Door Page 11
