I bite back my scathing reply because he’s right. My repertoire of defensive moves is nonexistent. Growing up, the focus was just to stay hidden, not to fight and now that I’m on the run, I don’t have the time to learn. If Noah is able to find me so easily, I don’t want to be cornered and unable to do anything. I want to be able to defend myself and get away, but my meager knowledge won’t get me far against someone who expects all my moves.
“Fine,” I say. “I’ll learn.”
DJ and Colton break out into a smile. “Perfect,” DJ says.
With that decision, they get down to work. I go off to the side, finding a log to sit on while they break off into pairs.
“We’re just going to do hand to hand combat for now,” Colton says and everyone nods their agreement.
Colton pairs with Jackson, and DJ pairs with Eli.
After giving some kind of signal I can’t see, they begin sparring.
I stare in awe as they fight. Colton is all grace as he transitions from one move into another. He watches and reacts accordingly, thinking each of his moves out. Jackson is the opposite. He’s a volcano already erupted. His attacks are without hesitation, sending flurries of punches at Colton without resolve. He doesn’t hold back, and his speed is incredible, considering he’s slightly bigger than Colton.
Of course, Colton is faster, dodging the attacks with ease. Jackson goes to swipe Colton’s feet and Colton jumps back before going in, finally striking. Jackson goes down hard and Colton backs off to give Jackson time to get back up.
DJ and Eli are similar in their fighting styles as they gauge each other. They’re cautious around each other, slowly circling. I wonder why until they finally make their moves. My jaw drops as I try to figure out what it is I’m seeing. They move so fast. Almost gifted fast. I can barely see what they’re doing. I just know one attacks, while another dodges and then they switch. I can’t see their punches and kicks, but from the way they move, it’s happening.
“Switch,” Colton yells out and without stopping they switch partners, Colton now up against DJ while Jackson takes on Eli.
Jackson isn’t as fast, but he’s powerful. He has to trap Eli before he can do anything else. That doesn’t stop him and he powers on as they spar. Colton keeps up with DJ, but spends more time defending than attacking. DJ is a lot more aggressive than I expected from him.
This goes on until sweat covers their skin, and DJ and Eli’s movements slow down.
“Time,” Colton calls out.
“Thank fuck,” Eli says, catching his breath
I laugh as I stare at the tired bunch. They all catch their breaths, working out kinks in their body. I shake my head, the dream realm impresses me every time. Before meeting DJ, I had only been pulled into one as a kid and that was by a neighborhood kid still learning how to control his gift. He pulled me in a couple of times and we played with each other. My dad moved us shortly after and the kid’s reach wasn’t that far.
But I learned a lot in his world. Like we still feel aches and pains to a certain degree, but we don’t bring it back with us when we wake up. We can’t be killed, and how we are in the real world when we go to sleep is how we are when we go into the dream realm. So they feel the soreness of their muscles now, but it will soon go away. The aches are more like what the body knows it should feel, even if it doesn’t really feel them. Phantom pains.
“Laugh it up,” Eli says. “You’re next.”
“No way. I can’t do anything like that,” I say.
“We’ll start with the basic,” Colton says. “Don’t worry, it won’t be painful.”
“But only because this is the dream realm,” DJ says and the other guys chuckle.
“Come on, Lyn,” Colton motions me forward. Jackson and Eli step back, DJ staying close by as I near Colton. “We’re going to start with moves to help you escape. You attack fast, and then you run away even faster. Do what you can to get free, then run like hell, screaming your head off to draw attention to yourself.”
“Why? So I can drag others into my problems, so they can get hurt too?” I ask.
Colton shakes his head. “Yes, it’ll drag others into your business, but it’ll stop your attackers too because they won’t want to make a scene. They’ll become the next America’s Most Wanted if they still took you. With technology these days, someone will record it, it’ll go viral, police will use facial recognition, and they’ll be found. They’re trying to grab you in the shadows. You need to drag them into the light.”
“Or,” Jackson puts in, “they’ll write it off as a hoax. That’s happened once or twice.”
“Cover up,” Eli mutters.
They all look at each other and my gaze flickers from one face to another, wondering what’s going on. These guys are just as mysterious to me as I am to them. We know nothing about each other and we all have our secrets.
“Okay, hit them and run. I can do that,” I say.
Someone snorts, but Colton ignores them and smiles at me with all the patience of a grand monk. I met one of those before. I swear the man lived in a different realm, a much slower one. I asked him questions that should have driven him away, but he patiently answered what he could with a small smile on his face, even after hours of talking when he probably had other things to do.
Colton really puts me through the wringer as we go through different exercises. I learn about throws, punches, kicks, and holds. I learn how to break free from different grips, how to fall, how to roll, and how to hit a man in his junk to get free. I have to say, the hitting the junk one is my favorite. Jackson didn’t move quick enough to block like he should have. He knew what was coming. I’d think he’d put more care into protecting his family jewels.
“You’re doing good,” Colton says as he stares down at me. I’m on my back again… after being thrown again.
“Am I done?” I ask.
Colton’s smile slips away a little and again I feel like I’m missing something. They know something they aren’t telling me, and it’s beginning to put me on edge. At first, I brushed it off. I’m comfortable around them. I won’t say it out loud, but a small part of me even trusts them. But they share one too many glances with each other and that’s something I can’t tolerate.
“Yeah, you’re done,” DJ speaks up. “Come over here with Eli and take a break while the rest of us go through this next exercise. Watch carefully and then you’ll go through it too.”
I take DJ’s spot on a log as he joins Jackson and Colton. Eli sits next to me, and I stare at his profile for a moment.
He has a small mouth and his nose is slightly crooked. His olive green eyes are focused as he watches the others. I glance at the other group and my eyes widen. While I was distracted with Eli, DJ managed to shift the dream realm. Before us is an obstacle course. It’s not as simple as jumping over logs or running through tires. There are ropes with different weapons attached, there are pits with fire blasting through them intermittently.
“Holy shit,” I say, my mouth dropping.
“Yeah,” Eli says with a smirk. He runs his hand through his short brown hair, showing off the muscles on his bare arm and chest as they flex from the movement. I blink and glance away before he draws me in. They all draw me in.
“So why all the training?” I ask.
Eli glances at me before focusing on the guys working their way through the course. I don’t try to focus too hard or I might pee myself. I get that you can’t die in the dream realm, but it doesn’t mean your body doesn’t think you’re dying or going to die. Just watching sends my heart rate up. They want me to do this after them?
“We just like being prepared for anything,” Eli responds.
“Are you guys in the business of always needing to be prepared?”
“Yes. We do private security.”
That explains so much. How they move like a unit, how they communicate, how they’re so strong and fit. These guys aren’t Boy Scouts.
“Any good?” I ask, trying to teas
e them.
Eli snorts, and when he looks at me, his eyes are lit with humor and a little challenge. “What do you think?”
I bite my lip and his eyes flicker down to the movement before focusing back on my eyes, an eyebrow raising.
“I think you guys probably kick ass and then some.”
He smirks. “That we definitely do.”
“What are all your gifts? I have a good idea, but just want you to verify.”
Eli leans back a little, placing his hands on the log to hold him up. He still faces forward but his head turns just a little so he can look at me through the corner of his eyes. “Only if you’ll tell us.”
“Pass,” I say without hesitation.
“What are you hiding, Lyn?” Eli asks. “Other than your real name.”
I don’t respond and watch as Jackson does something that makes the air shimmer briefly before the fire in front of him goes out and they cross through that challenge.
Eli stares at me, and I stare at the obstacle course. They work together flawlessly, knowing what the other is going to do without a single glance at the other person. They trust each other to do what they need to do to finish safely.
“We really do want to just help you,” Eli says.
“I don’t need it. Like I said, I’m fine.”
He sighs. “I’ve been trained to know when a person lies. There are a lot of tells to go on, even for the smallest ones. There’s the tightening around the eyes, or the eye movement, or the heartbeat, or the way they shift around, the sweat on the skin. There’s even a scent change.”
I swallow as he continues on.
“Every time you say you’re safe, your scent sours slightly at the lie and your eyes look down just so. You’re not safe.”
“Fine.” I try to ignore the extra pounding of my heart. “I’m not safe. But this isn’t any of your business, and I don’t want you guys getting hurt.”
He snorts. “Did you miss where I said we work in private security? We each own a piece of the business. We have a handful of teams and only one admin. He keeps our schedules straight and worries about the financials while we go out and put our lives at risk. That’s what we do every time. We’re used to our lives being in danger.”
I face him, my face serious. “Not your business. I can handle it. I’ll be fine.”
“And you don’t believe that. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have lied again. You’re not fine. You think you’re going to die.” Eli’s eyes grow cold. “Why? What is going on with you? Why won’t you let us help you?”
“Because you’ll die!” I snap and take in a sharp breath, not meaning to burst like that. He’s right. I’m a pretty shitty liar. You’d think being on the run all the time and having to come up with stories would make it easier, but it doesn’t. We moved more often than we probably should have because I’m a terrible liar.
Eli stares at me, and I feel more sets of eyes. The other three stare at me with varying expressions. DJ looks surprised, eyes wide, mouth open, Colton doesn’t give anything away, and Jackson looks like he wants to rip my head off my shoulders. His hands are fisted at his side as he glares, his dark eyes even darker now, nearly pitch black.
“Explain,” Jackson says.
I press my lips together. “What is there to explain?”
“Us dying, what makes you think that? Don’t give us partial stories, don’t just toss out information. Explain it all.” Jackson moves closer but not aggressively. Some of the anger thrumming through his body dissipates as he stops in front of me. “Talk us through it. What about us helping you is going to get us killed? Why are you so sure?”
“And why are you so determined to help?” I ask. “I say no, and you push. Why? You guys don’t know me. You don’t need to risk yourself for me.”
“Because while you say you don’t need help, we have eyes. You need it. Your very soul is screaming for it. You don’t think you’ll last much longer at this pace. Let us help you.”
I shake my head. “No. Are we done or am I doing the course?” I ask.
Colton’s lips thin, and I know I’m pushing his patience. He’s not a grand monk after all.
“After the course, you can leave,” Colton finally says. “We want you as prepared as possible for whatever is going on.”
I nod and get up. Eli follows close behind. “I’m coming with you. They won’t like it if you get your head chopped off.”
I smile at that. That isn’t going to happen. I roll my shoulders and prepare myself for the course.
“You know what I’m best at?” I ask.
He cocks an eyebrow.
“Running.” I grin and take off. The first trap is sprung, an ax heading right toward me to take off my neck. I duck, sliding on the damp grass. I use the momentum and pop myself up in time to avoid the six-inch spikes that pop out of the ground. I land on my feet and release a breath. Shaking off the double images going on in my head. I can see where and when the traps are coming, but it’s hard to see it while also trying to avoid what is currently happening. It messes with your head a bit. I’ve had to do this a few times, and I always get a headache because of it. I guess being in the dream realm has its perks.
Eli is at my side in moments, gaping at me. “Holy shit, you really do know how to run.”
I grin. “I think they call it parkour? Though I don’t do it for entertainment.”
“All right, let’s see what else you can do,” Eli says.
I glance at the course and release a breath. None of this looks fun. I map out potential routes before committing to one and making a run for it.
I run up a ramp and grab onto a swing, my arms doing that phantom ache thing because I know I can barely do a pull-up. I release and fall into a roll, avoiding a swinging log from taking off my head. I glance at the clear blue sky, counting in my head slowly. When I hit five, I spring up and dash, running through the fire just as it disappears completely, leaving enough time to get Eli through without getting his butt burned.
That puts an interesting image in my head of smoke coming out of his butt, and I stifle a laugh just as something whizzes by my head and I barely dodge in time.
“Careful,” Eli calls out. He moves ahead of me and thoughts of a smoking butts turns into a pun as I have a moment to admire the way it’s shaped to fit into his jeans, muscular with just enough roundness to give it shape.
We move forward, and I tear my gaze away from him and to the wall before I begin climbing. Right before a spear pops out, I yank on Eli just enough for his body to be out of its path. His eyes widen as he stares at the spike while it slowly slips back into its hidden hole.
“Shit,” he says. “DJ really wants to kill us this time around.”
“What happens if we die?” I ask.
“Nothing,” he says. “It feels like a pinch and everything goes black for a couple of seconds and then we are back, usually by where DJ is and we’re alive and fine. It’s weird. Our body wants to say we’re dead, but we aren’t. I’ve woken up confused a few times.”
I nod. “I don’t want to find out.”
“Then don’t die.”
I roll my eyes and climb the rest of the way up the wall. A row of cords dangles in midair. I follow one up, seeing that they aren’t attached to anything. They just float there. Grabbing the closest one, I yank and let it go right away as it falls a good distance to the ground. I glance at the side we climbed. We had to scale about ten feet up, and yet on this side, the fall is still a good thirty feet to the ground.
I grab another rope and give it a good tug. It holds.
“You first?” I ask Eli.
“I’m just shadowing you,” he says.
I roll my eyes and grab onto the rope, barely able to hold on as I slowly descend. When my feet hit the ground, I jump to the side as another spike pops out of the wall.
“Dammit, DJ,” Eli says, his feet raised just above the spike. Once it goes back in, Eli jumps down and rolls away before it comes out again.
&n
bsp; The rest of the course is pretty much the same, dodging traps and hoping I don’t get skewered. Eli gives minimum help. He wasn’t lying when he said he was only there to make sure I kept my head on my shoulders, not that it would matter if I were killed. I’d just show up next to DJ apparently. It’s still not a theory I want to test out, so I continue to use my gift to know what will happen and when, and then move accordingly.
In no time, we finish the course and at the end stands Colton, Jackson, and DJ. But the way they stand and stare at me, I must have surprised them. Maybe they expected me to die or lose a limb or two.
“You look surprised.” I take in a breath to steady my breathing and stop in front of them.
“We didn’t expect you to do so well,” DJ says.
“So you wanted me to die?”
“Wh—” DJ’s jaw drops. “Of course not!”
“You can See,” Colton says and I still as I look at him. “That’s your gift.” He tilts his head to the side. “How far into the future can you go? A few minutes? A couple days? Is this why you’re in danger?”
“A seer, a fricken seer?” Eli asks.
I back away from them, not liking the way they’re looking at me. There’s a new interest in their expressions. Old fears claw their way up as I take in their expressions. They’re looking at me like I’m a new shiny toy.
Colton’s eyes widen as he realizes I’m ready to bolt. I don’t have anywhere to go since I’m stuck in the dream realm until DJ lets me go, but I can make do. The moment DJ wakes up, the realm falls apart and I’ll be released too. I just need to avoid them until then.
“Wait.” Colton holds his hands up. “That’s not what we’re thinking. Guys, cut the shit, you’re freaking her out.”
They all look at me and realize I’m ready to bolt. They back up together, hands up to show they don’t mean any harm.
“Shit, sorry,” Eli says. “Lyn, we aren’t going to hurt you. We just think your gift is really cool.”
“Cool?” I whisper, trying to push away the little bit of anger starting to boil up as I grow defensive.
“Yes, there are only a handful of seers out there and they’re well protected,” Colton says. “It’s rare to meet one out of the blue without making an appointment and going through tight security.”
Fate Foretold Page 6
