by Kasi Blake
Bay-Lee reported for her first Combat Training class with a sense of déjà vu riding shotgun. The students met at the edge of the lake, pristine waters of clear blue with a border of jagged rocks and a stretch of lush lawn. She hadn’t gotten used to the fact it was spring in New Zealand. For most people in the United States the month of November meant cold weather. Tessa had warned her not to expect anything different out of December. Although, Tessa had amended, New Zealand weather could change in a flash. It was possible they could have a cold Christmas, but the odds were against them.
Students lined up as a teacher named Bruce paced in front of them, hands clasped behind his back. The short man was stocky with tattoo-covered arms. He was a mixture of French and Hawaiian with black and gray bushy hair. In his thirties, the man wore the same uniform as the rest of them, but it was extremely tight on him.
“Good day, students!” He spoke with a slight accent. To Bay-Lee it sounded like he had a mouthful of cotton. He waited for the students to respond with a similar greeting. Then he continued. “Because we have new Bait joining us today we will keep things simple. I will pair you off, and you will practice your defense skills, taking turns attacking and being attacked. But first,”—he held up a stubby finger— “we are going to watch a demonstration. I asked Nick Gallos and Mike Keebler to join us today. If you want to rise in rank, pay close attention. Between the two of them they have clocked over a thousand hours on the battlefield.”
An excited murmur rippled through the crowd, and Bay-Lee forgot how to breathe. She wondered if Van had talked to Nick yet about being her mentor. She’d hardly slept last night, worried over what the angry boy might do in retaliation.
Nick and Mike appeared out of nowhere, dressed in their workout clothes. Funny thing was it looked totally different on Nick than it did on others. The black T-shirt fit him like a second skin, molding to his muscular frame. She could practically count his six-pack through the thin material. Her mouth went dry.
The two boys took their places and got into fighting stance. Van taught Bay-Lee how to spar when she was nine so she was familiar with the position. They turned their bodies sideways, legs wide apart for balance, and held an arm out to each other. The backs of their wrists touched, forming an X with their arms, fists clenched.
Instead of taking the sparring match seriously, Mike puckered up and kissed the air, silently challenging his partner.
Nick grinned. “I am going to wipe the ground with you, elf.”
A few of the students snickered, and a girl behind Bay-Lee explained to the newbies that some people called Mike ‘elf’ because his last name was Keebler as in the cookie brand. Plus, he was short. This made someone else laugh.
Mike’s face turned red, and he glared at his opponent. “Don’t start that elf crap!”
“Careful. Don’t start crying now.”
“I might not be the size of a monster truck, but I’m quick on my feet, and I’ve got a powerful punch.”
Bruce growled like a ferocious junkyard dog. “Get on with it!”
“Sorry,” Mike said. “Nick can’t fight without being a smartass. He thinks he’s Batman.”
“No.” A lazy smile curved Nick’s mouth. “I’m the Incredible Hulk. Better not make me mad or you’ll be sorry.”
Bruce shouted, “Fight! Or I’m going to take you both down myself.”
The girl behind Bay-Lee spoke in a whisper. “Watch out for him. Some say Bruce is worse than the monsters we hunt. He loves to see blood. If you want to impress him, knock someone’s teeth out.”
Mike made the first move. He simultaneously turned and dropped, swinging his legs in a semi circle. Nick jumped over them. Mike popped up like a tart in a toaster. Seemingly surprised that his plan hadn’t worked, he took a few steps back. It was obvious he was reassessing the situation.
Nick waited, fists up and ready.
Mike threw a punch.
Nick blocked it with ease.
They traded hits and misses, knowing each other too well to do any real damage. It was clear they’d been sparring partners for years. Every time one of them attacked, the other was ready with a counterstrike. This went on for several minutes until they were both sweaty and out of breath.
Bruce signaled for them to stop. Facing the students, he said, “Even if your opponent is bigger than you, there are things you can do to protect yourself.” Returning his gaze to the boys, he said, “Demonstrate please.”
They got into fighting stance again. This time it was obvious they were putting on a choreographed show. At the count of three Mike grabbed Nick by the wrist, twisted around, and used his hip to propel Nick over his body. Nick rolled, a perfect summersault, before coming back up to his feet. The acrobatic move rent a murmur of appreciation from the crowd.
Nick’s turn. He attacked, throwing a punch at Mike’s face. Mike leaned to the left and the fist sailed over his shoulder. Once again he grabbed Nick by the arm, but this time he spun him around and pinned Nick’s arm to his back in a way that looked painful. Nick dropped to his knees.
Bruce whistled. “That’s it! Thank you for the demonstration. You are dismissed.”
Nick shook his head. Jaw tight, his hostile gaze sought and found Bay-Lee among the spectators. Although he spoke to Bruce, his eyes were pinned to her. “I can’t leave. I’m supposed to train Van’s daughter today, his orders.”
“I had her paired with Tessa,” Bruce said. “That will leave us with an odd number.”
“I’ll take Tessa,” Mike said, giving Nick a dark look. “If you’re staying, so am I.”
“Whatever.”
Bruce shouted out names in pairs while Nick grabbed Bay-Lee by the wrist in a bruising grip and pulled her away from the others. As soon as they were out of earshot he said, “That was some dirty little trick you pulled, going over my head to daddy.”
She squirmed beneath his steely gaze. “It’s your fault. If you didn’t want to train me, you shouldn’t have volunteered.”
He bent forward at the waist instead of moving closer and spoke low, for her ears only. “Think you have me right where you want me, don’t you? You have no idea how sorry you’re going to be for making me mentor you.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“What if I am? What are you going to do about it, Micki?” His lips parted to reveal clenched teeth and a growl emanated from the back of his throat, reminding her of a werewolf. The shock of it threw her off balance. Bad memories surfaced. Caught off guard by the vicious sound, she lost control.
Reacting to the imagined threat without thinking, her hand shot out. The flat of her palm slammed into his face. His head rocked back on his shoulders. A stunned expression replaced the angry snarl as he licked blood from his teeth. She didn’t know which of them was more stunned by the sudden act of violence.
Several students stared at them, their own battles forgotten, Mike among them. Bruce watched from the sidelines with what appeared to be joyous approval. A bloodthirsty man, he encouraged the fight instead of stepping in to stop it. “Good hit, honey. Show no mercy.”
A waterfall of apologies rushed to her lips, but she didn’t get a chance to voice a single one. Nick dropped down and grabbed her by the ankles. He yanked on her legs, and she fell backwards. The ground knocked the air from her lungs.
“Did you see that?” Bruce asked the other students. “You have to be able to think fast and don’t be afraid to fight dirty.”
She climbed to her feet, more embarrassed than hurt.
Nick turned sideways and put his arm out. At least he was willing to start in fighting stance this time. Maybe he was actually going to teach her something. She stuck her arm out. They touched wrists.
Lifting one eyebrow he said, “Tell me when you’ve had enough, princess.”
She took a couple steps back before doing a flying kick. It was designed to catch Nick in the face, but he
caught her leg around the ankle and held it tight. She hopped on the other foot. What was she supposed to do now?
His eyes flashed in triumph.
“Let me go.”
“Make me.” He chuckled and his dimples deepened. “You can always go to daddy and ask him to make me let you go.”
Anger surged to life inside her, adding to her strength. Using his hold on her as leverage, she jumped as high as she could and twisted her body in mid-air. Her other foot swung around and kicked him in the jaw. He released her ankle. She landed on all fours in the grass. His arms wrapped around her waist before she could erect herself and he lifted her high. The guy was going to body slam her on the ground. She saw it coming and a wave of fear held her immobile.
Students gathered around them in a wide circle. Some cheered for Nick while others encouraged her to kick his arrogant butt. The teacher shouted at the students to return to their own fights, but they ignored him. This was going to be an epic battle, and no one wanted to miss a second of it.
Bay-Lee slammed her feet down on top of Nick’s.
He yelped and dropped her.
Bent over, he checked his toes, probably searching for broken bones. Bay-Lee didn’t give him a chance to recover. She grabbed his arm, turned, and used her hip to throw him the way Mike Keebler had done. In the middle of the move a little voice warned her it wasn’t going to work, but it did. He landed on his back. The air around them burst wide open with wild screams of appreciation as students exploded in genuine applause.
Bay-Lee lifted an arm in victory.
Nick sat on the ground, looking dazed.
Worry cut her celebration short. Had she hurt him? She leaned over his shoulder and asked, “Are you okay?”
Nick’s hands reached up and caught her by the shoulders. In a flash she was sailing through the air. She landed on her back in front of his feet. For the second time the breath was knocked from her body. It took a few minutes for her to learn to breathe again. During that time Nick got up and took a victory lap around her prone figure.
“Careful not to seriously injure our leader’s daughter, at least not in my class,” Bruce said.
“I’m only following orders. Van wants his baby girl to learn how to defend herself.”
Bay-Lee jumped up and shouted, “You cheated!”
“I’m sorry.” He didn’t sound sorry. “Didn’t anyone tell you monsters don’t play fair? They will try every dirty trick in the book. If you fall for one, you die.” His eyebrows slowly lifted. “So, are we done yet?”
He was daring her to continue. The smirk on his face said it all. He wanted her to give up. If she went back to Van and told him she didn’t want to work with Nick anymore, the former rocker could drop his mentoring duties, but she wasn’t going to let him win.
She spit gritty dirt from the side of her mouth before saying, “Not yet. Let’s go.”
Wrist to wrist, they began a new battle. A touch of admiration lit his eyes. He took it easier on her during the next round, no longer trying to kill her. He offered advice on how to fight him, and they matched each other blow for blow.
