He motioned toward Beckett. “Stairs now.”
Beckett hunched over and sucked deep panting breaths. His surfer blond hair was slicked back against his head with sweat. “Come on, we’ve been at this for hours.”
“And you’ll keep going until it’s right. Stairs now.” He held his sword up, and I swear I could feel the power he used to control those flames. They crackled down the white metal, sending off bright red sparks.
Beckett leaned back on his heels and began tossing blue spheres of magic into the air they lined up one right after the other.
Tucker nodded. “Good. Gray, go.”
“Yes boss.” Grayson ran at the stairs at full speed. His arms blurred into his body until he was just a streak of white moving around the room. He leapt up, taking the sphere steps one at a time. When he reached the middle, twenty feet in the air, his toe caught on one of them and he tumbled forward. His arms pinwheels wildly as he headed to the ground face-first. It was like a train wreck I couldn’t turn away from.
Ashryn, the noble elf, pulled an arrow from the holster on her back, then drew it on her bow faster than I thought possible. She let it fire right at Grayson. The arrow went straight through the hip of his pants, jerking him back and stopping him from falling. Instead, the arrow shot straight into the wall behind Gray, pinning him there by his pants.
He hung limply for a moment before waving toward Ashryn. “Thanks for that, love.”
I’d only seen her shoot on a few occasions, but each time I did, I found myself more and more impressed with her. She tossed her sandy brown hair over her shoulder, wild braids mixed in with her long strands. The tips of her tiny pointed ears peeked out from between them.
She sauntered up beside Tucker. “This move needs work.”
As one of the Knights of Evermore, she’d be training with Tuck and the others. At times when she looked at me with those hunter green eyes, I felt she was looking right through me and seeing secrets no one else could. There was something different about the elves. They were calm and somber almost to the point of being utterly cold. Ashryn was no different. In the short time I’d known her, she was unflappable. She was all long lean lines, and her movements were fluid, like a dancer. Standing at just five and a half feet tall, she was a few inches taller than me but completely dwarfed by Tucker’s six and half feet.
Tucker sighed. “Yes, it does. Do it again.”
Serrina tilted her head back and whispered. “Isn’t he the hottest one? I mean, the line to get Tuckered is long enough. Imagine if he walked around school like that.”
Yeah imagine that. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop from laying claim on him in front of everyone.
Nova shook her head. “No way, it’s Beckett. He’s the hotter one, for sure.”
I don’t see it. Beckett was beautiful in a surfer guy kind of way. With his tan skin, light blond hair and ocean blue eyes, he was good looking for sure. But there was a dark primal undercurrent in Tucker that called to me, attracted me, like a moth to his flames.
I leaned in. “Nah, it’s Tucker all the way.”
As if he heard me, his head snapped up and his heated gaze locked onto mine. Heat pooled in my belly. Does he know I’m talking about him? He titled his head to the side, and his lips pulled up into a half smirk. He called out to us. “Ah, glad you all are here. Let’s go.”
Grayson yanked the arrow from his pants and soundlessly landed on his feet. “Yes, glad you’re here, now your torture can start and ours can stop.”
Niche strolled in from a door on the other end of the room. “Tucker Brand was trained by Balthazar Blackwing, one of the greatest warriors ever. I recommend you listen to him, Mr. Shade.”
Grayson threw his hands up. “Is it me or do you always turn up at the wrong moment?”
“It’s you.” She shrugged and continued past him. She glanced down at her clipboard then back up to where we stood. “Ladies, right on time, very nice.”
Niche pressed her pen to the board and drew a small check mark. “Tuck, I assume you have this well in hand. I need to get back to planning.” Without another word, she turned and went back into the door she’d came out of only a moment ago.
Beckett leaned over and rested his hands on his knees. “I tell ya, Gray, she has some kind of locator spell on you. Every time you’re about to do or say something stupid she’s there.”
“I know, right?” Gray walked up to stand on the other side of Tucker. “It’s all the bloody time.”
Tucker clapped him on the shoulder. “Just remember you’re the one who said you do something stupid all the time.”
Then he stepped away and motioned toward us. “Let’s go, ladies. Time to train.” He waved us into the room.
I sucked in a deep breath and followed Serrina and Nova over to the side of the gym where they dropped all their stuff. The moment I put my books down, I felt something akin to panic in the pit of my stomach, yet my heart wasn’t racing. I was calm. Tucker. I spun on my heels, then threw my arms out, shoving Nova and Serrina off to the sides and out of the way of his swinging sword. The flames weren’t there. Had they been, he might’ve caught one of us.
I leaned back, and the tip of the razor-sharp edge missed my face by mere inches. “What the hell, Tuck?”
He pointed his sword at Serrina, then Nova, and then at me. “Never let your guard down, not even for a minute.” He took a few steps back. “Not bad, Zinnia.”
Not bad? I extended my hand out to Serrina to help her up off the ground. “Sorry for knocking you over. Gut reaction.”
She took my hand and let me lift her to her feet. She brushed her hands off on her shirt then down her sides. “I guess if we were in a fight, that would’ve saved my life.”
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re like a Super Witch or something.”
“Or something,” I mumbled. I’d never had a day of hand-to-hand training in my life, yet I felt Tucker coming. Why? Was it some kind of witchy sense, or was it because since I laid eyes on him I felt more and more connected to him? Either way it didn’t matter I had to learn, and I had to do it quick. For my mother, for Evermore and for myself.
“Well, whatever it is, I’m glad you’re on our side.” She gave me a half-smile.
“Are you?” I gave her a sideways look. “Because yesterday you all but accused me of being on Alataris’ side.”
“Look, I was just terrified in the moment, and I took it out on you. Honestly, if you hadn’t done what you did, we would’ve probably died.” She pressed her hand lightly to my elbow. “Thanks.”
What the hell was happening around here? Dealing with all their emotions was going to give me whiplash. “You’re welcome?”
“I’m glad Tuck talked to me about it this morning. We can’t have a rift between us all.” Her bright red lips pulled up into a perfect model smile.
“Wait a second. Tuck talked to you about it?” Why would he do that for me?
She shrugged. “Yeah, he wants us all to get along. I mean, we do have a world to save, so I get it.” She turned away and headed to the corner of the room where Brax stood waiting with two wooden swords. When she got closer to him, he tossed one up in the air, which she caught instantly.
I am not that good.
Nova got up off the floor and pulled her long white hair high into a messy bun on the top of her head. “Thanks.”
Nova turned toward the wall and pulled down two small wooden daggers. When she spun them in each of her hands, I felt I was nowhere near their level in anything. Maybe my fight with Alataris was a fluke, and winning was pure luck. I took a step back, ready to turn for the door and find a self-defense class 101 to start with. Maybe even kickboxing for starters.
Tucker motioned for me to join him. “Zin, you’re over here.”
I balled my hands in to fists at my sides and pressed my nails into my palms. I can do this, I can do this, I can do this. Of course, Tuck was at the center of the gym wh
ere everyone could see. Why couldn’t we be in a corner like Tabi? She looked totally comfortable in her private section, wielding a golden whip like it was child’s play. Adrienne stood beside her with her own silvery whip, showing Tabi new moves.
I pointed toward a darker spot in the gym. “Sure you wouldn’t be more comfortable over there?”
Tuck plucked his shirt from the floor and ran it over his face and chest, wiping away the sweat. Yeah that’s not distracting at all. He shook his head. “No, here’s good.”
“Great, so um, what do you want to do first? Swords? Knives? Machine guns? Throwing stars?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “You think you’re ready for me?”
Definitely not. “Bring it on.”
“Be careful what you wish for.”
Chapter 7
Grayson
Funny to think yesterday I was nearly dead and today I was standing back in the training room about to take on the most powerful witch in a generation. My only saving grace was she still didn’t know it. I owed her more than I could say. Her blood saved my life, and now it was time for me to teach her to save her own. But as I approached her with my throwing stars at the ready, a tide of emotions overcame me. Emotions that weren’t my own. I’d been a vampire all my life, and with that came the knowledge of knowing when my internal radar was completely jacked up. Right now, I was rolling like the ocean.
What is wrong with me? As I approached Zinnia, she bounced on the balls of her feet nervously. In turn, I was nervous. Bloody hell. I never got nervous during training.
Zinnia turned to me with wide eyes. “Are you going to throw those at me?”
“Maybe.” I chuckled.
Her face paled, and she shook her head. “Nope, I’m not some kind of super vampire ninja.”
I stopped in my tracks. My heart was racing uncontrollably. I tried to ignore it. “I said I’d throw them at you, not that I would hit you with them, love.”
I pinched the side of the star and tossed it at her. It circled around her body like a boomerang and came right back to me. The gleaming silver metal reflected the harsh overhead lights of the gym as I caught it. “See? Mystically reinforced to come back on my command.”
A small smirk tugged at her bow-shaped lips. “Cool?”
“It is indeed.” My heart started to slow back down to its normal speed. Was it a side effect of Zinnia’s magic in my blood? Was my body not handling it?
Then Tucker strode up to Zinnia, holding out a sword in one hand and a dagger in the other. He presented them to her. “Which one?”
She bit her bottom lip, and again my hands started to shake with nerves. When she reached out to grab the sword from him, her hands tremored slightly. Oh crap! Was I feeling her emotions because of a blood tie? When she glanced up and her eyes met Tucker’s, I felt an instant zing between them. That was when I knew there was indeed a blood tie. I shouldn’t have been able to feel her emotions or anything else. Damn, what am I going to do? Back home in the House of Shade, we did not drink from the flesh under any circumstance. Yet yesterday, I broke that rule, and now I was feeling thrown off and out of sorts.
The moment she lifted the sword up, she nearly toppled over with it. She stumbled forward, and the blade lodged into the mat at her feet. Pink tinged her cheeks, and I felt the rush of embarrassment she now felt.
I walked up beside her. “Perhaps something lighter, mate.”
Tucker reached down for the hilt of the sword at the same time Zinnia did. When their hands brushed, my heart started to go wild once more. Bloody hell no. Ugh, she wanted him like nothing I’d ever felt before. I staggered back as the breath left my lips in a rush. Wait a second. Just wait a sodding minute. There was something else in there, another hint of someone else. Someone who wasn’t Zinnia or me. All these different emotions were almost too much, but there was something inside of me that liked having this insider knowledge. Now to figure out who the other one is…
“I got it.” Tucker wrapped his hand around the hilt of the sword and effortlessly slid it from the mat on the ground.
Zinnia’s cheeks turned an even darker shade of pink. “It was bigger than I expected.”
I scoffed. “That’s what she said.”
Zinnia jabbed her elbow into my arm. “You’re so gross.”
“I quite like the way I am.” I winked at her.
“I like that way you are too.” When a light giggle escaped her lips, I was hit with a wave of jealousy so strong I felt the need to duck away, as if a fist would come flying at my face at any moment.
Tucker shoved the knife in my direction. “Here, give it a try with this.”
Ah, we have a ringer. As he stomped away from me, the pieces started to come together. I glanced from Tuck to Zinnia and back again. Ah, Grayson Shade, you are brilliant sometimes.
A plan began to form in my mind, and the vampire in me couldn’t help but want to meddle in the affairs of others…Uncle Titus would be proud.
Chapter 8
Zinnia
“Zinnia, sweet, why don’t you try this instead?” Grayson handed me the dagger.
“I have a thought.” Tucker strolled back up to us. He quickly plucked the dagger from my hand and tossed it away. He held his hand out to me with his palm up. A ball of white light gathered at the center of his hand, and a set of two small half-moon looking blades sat beautifully in his grip. The handle was perfectly straight and wrapped with a black leather. The blade itself connected from one end of the handle to the other. The silver metal glinted in the light. I grabbed them out of his hand and held them at my sides. They were light and well-balanced, with a small half-moon carved into the side that mimicked the witch queen mark on my shoulder perfectly. When I turned them over, there was a small flame carved into the other side.
“How do you do that?” I held the blades out in front of me. They felt like natural extensions of my arms, weightless like all I would have to do was swing my hand out and I’d connect with my target.
“Do what?” Tucker watched as I twisted my wrists around, moving the blades.
Grayson leaned his arm on my shoulder. “You know, that little bit of making weapons appear in your hand. How do you do that?”
Tucker narrowed his eyes at Grayson. “It’s old shifter magic. Not sure a little vamp like yourself could master it.”
“Right, I’m sure if the pretty bird can do it then a brilliant vampire can.” He met Tucker’s gaze and wagged his eyebrows.
“Can I do it?” If I could summon weapons the way Tuck did, I might stand a chance in combat after all.
He shrugged. “Anything is possible.”
Grayson held his throwing star up. “You sure you wouldn’t like one of these? Small but effective.”
Tucker chuckled. “Is that what you tell the ladies?” Then he held his own sword up. “Or you could use something like this if you don’t like the blades.”
“As fun as this whole my weapon is bigger than your weapon thing is, I can’t take your blades from you.” I held them out to Tucker. “You need them.”
He shook his head. “Keep them.”
“I can’t, Tuck. They’re too beautiful.” I jiggled them in my hands. They were perfect, but I couldn’t stand the thought of taking them.
He glanced at Grayson, then leaned in closer to me. “I made them for you.”
“Jeez, mate. What ever happened to flowers and chocolates? Here, lady, have a knife…to kill things with. Nothing says hey, I like you like a weapon of destruction.” Grayson tilted is head back and chuckled.
I shoved his arm off my shoulder then narrowed my eyes at him. When I turned back to face Tucker, he shuffled from one foot to the other, his eyes downcast. “I love them, thank you.”
“You’re welcome. And they’re enchanted like Gray’s ninja stars. If you throw them, they’ll come back to you.” When he gave me that half-smile, the butterflies in my stomach flipped around.
“Wow, really?” I stepped away from him, the
n wound up and let the blade go as if I were throwing a baseball. It spun in graceful circles like a frisbee across the gym. When it circled back around, it cut through three separate ropes hanging from the ceiling. One after the other, punching bags dropped to the ground. Each one hit the floor with a resounding thud. Everyone stopped what they were doing to openly stare at the mess. The spinning blades didn’t stop there. On their way back to me, they ricocheted off the cement walls, sending tiny sparks into the air. The sparks landed in a pile of discarded towels, setting it instantly on fire. Smoke rose from the pile, and little flames licked up the side of the wall.
As the blades got closer to me, I knew I couldn’t do this. Images of them lodged into my palm assailed me.
Tucker seemed to know exactly what I was thinking. “Just open your hand and call for them with your mind.”
I closed my eyes and turned my head away. In my mind, I imagined them landing in my palm hilt-first. “Crap, crap, crap.”
The buttery leather of the hilts slammed into my hands, and my shoulders jerked. Before I fell over, I took a step back, righting myself. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
“Yeah, not bad, not bad at all. Only a small fire and mass destruction.” Gray poked my side. “That’ll do.”
I pressed my lips into a thin line. The noise around the gym fell silent until Serrina hunched over and started laughing. “Well done, Zin. Not quite as bad as my first training session. But close. Hey, Nova, remember when you raised all those Reanimants, and they chased us around here for an hour?”
Wicked Magic (The Royals: Witch Court Book 2) Page 5
