by Morgan Wylie
Chapter Twelve
“I’m nervous, Rylen.” Alana clung to the arm of her mate as they walked to the other end of the Lair, to a part she hadn’t yet been to. The training room was little more than a small gym. The back quarter of the room was set up with an actual gym, complete with all kinds of equipment for working out, a bar for balance attached to a mirror that took up the entire back wall, and punching bags. Half of the front was floored with mats thicker than carpet for physical training and combat practice. The other half had tables and strange looking equipment set up like a lab. For being underground, the gym was lit extremely well with high overhead lights. Another door painted bright blue stuck out at the back of the gym and was actually labeled “Gym” in navy letters. Behind it sat a full basketball court for the team to play and burn off steam. The room was also used for large class activities and workout routines. Rylen made sure that all the member of the PAC stayed in shape and had lots of outlets for physical release and refinement.
“No need to be nervous, love. Enock will be gentle with you… at first.” Rylen smirked as he looked down at his mate who was not much shorter than he was. Alana punched him in the stomach with her other hand. He grabbed it quickly and pulled her into his chest. “Now, now, is that any way to treat your mate?” His smile was barely contained. He still couldn’t understand how he had found his mate so quickly, well, after the first couple centuries. But still, relatively quickly in his opinion.
“Will you stay with me?” Alana asked, unsure of herself.
“Until you are comfortable. Then I have some business to attend to with Poppy in HQ. All right?”
Alana nodded and turned to face the training room and her new instructor, who was, at that moment, sitting in one of the chairs over by what appeared to be a lab. He had his feet up on top of a shiny stainless steel table, crossed at the ankles, and was tipping back in the chair almost to the point of falling with his hands folded on top of his chest. Enock looked the exact opposite of a teacher ready to begin with a new student. He didn’t look bored, just unconcerned. At odds with his faded blue jeans and white T-shirt stretched tautly across his chest was the long dirty-brown duster jacket he wore. It made him look like a vigilante from the wild west mixed with an islander thanks to his thick blonde dreadlocks. Alana had come to like Enock, and she appreciated his low-key attitude and persona, but she was pretty sure there was much more behind his casual facade than he let others see.
She and Rylen approached Enock as a big smile appeared on his face in anticipation of what was about to happen.
“Miss Alana, are you ready for the wisdom that is about to hit you?” Enock winked at her.
Alana laughed at his dramatic flair while Rylen snorted.
Enock looked perturbed. “What? You don’t think I have it?” He stood up and bowed with a flourish and sauntered closer to where they had stopped.
“I think you have plenty, E, just don’t be putting it on my mate,” Rylen growled humorously. Alana blushed and smacked Rylen.
“I’m hurt you would insinuate such an accusation!” Enock’s hand slapped over his heart. “I am purely professional in all things.” He suddenly looked serious.
“Of course, you are,” Rylen retorted sarcastically. He turned to Alana. “Don’t take any shit from this guy. Learn what you can, but if you need to put him in his place, remember you are my mate.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek.
“What does that mean? How would I put him in his place—not that I want to, mind you”—she turned to Enock—“but how does being your mate allow me to do that?” She was genuinely curious. Enock jumped in to explain, using her question as his first opportunity to teach a lesson.
“As his mate, you carry the same authority that Rylen does within the PAC,” he said quite satisfied with himself. “That means, to be specific, that you are in essence the alpha of this ragtag team.” Enock winked, trying to lighten the information that was indeed heavy, and she knew it by the expression on her face.
“Way to start the lessons off with a light, easy transition,” Rylen grumbled.
“Were you going to explain this to me?” Alana turned to Rylen.
“Yes, I just didn’t want to add too much to your plate right now. You have a lot that you are sifting through and transitioning into, my love. One thing at a time.” He watched her chest heave and visibly relax as she released a slow breath. He placed his hand against her cheek and watched as she leaned into his palm. It warmed his heart. Rylen gazed into her eyes, willing her to feel his calm. “One thing at a time. For now, enjoy these lessons”—he shifted his gaze to Enock to see him smirking at Rylen’s sarcasm—“that Enock will be teaching you. Despite his ease and casual nature, he is in fact quite qualified to instruct you in several means of getting in touch with your magic.”
“Well, thank you, boss.” Enock tipped his head toward Rylen in a slight bow.
“How can Enock teach me to access my magic when he doesn’t have magic as a vampire… or am I missing something?” Alana inquired.
“No, you’re not missing anything, love.” Rylen inhaled and relaxed as her vein of questioning had veered in another direction. “Enock has been around magic a lot and has studied it well. While he can’t do it himself, he is gifted with instructing it. He has other ways of getting you in touch with your inner talents, as well. I trust him with my life.” His gaze bore deeper into her bright blue eyes. “I trust him with yours as well. Allow him to try, please.”
It was the please at the end that endeared Alana to her mate even more. She could hear the desperation in his voice as he was attempting to help her find a solution to her current issue—her life slipping away from her before she turned twenty-one. “All right, let’s do this, E!”
Enock’s eyebrow raised with surprise at her enthusiasm and use of his nickname. He liked it. Smiling at her, he ushered her forward toward the table he had been sitting at. He shooed Rylen away, “Go on now, boss, we’ve got this.”
Rylen turned to Alana and she smiled at him. She was comfortable with Enock and didn’t need him. As much as he wanted her to want him around her, he wanted her to be confident in her role here and her magic. That was important to him. “All right. You know where I’ll be if you need me. Just call me on the intercom and I’ll come right back.”
“Okay,” Alana said and nodded to her mate. As Rylen headed back toward the door they entered, she ran up behind him. “Rylen, wait.” She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek tenderly. “Thank you.”
Rylen pulled her close to his chest, gripping her upper arms and kissed her full on the lips. It was a short, claiming kiss so she would want more from him later. He left her breathing deeply, catching her breath as he walked away to the sounds of Enock whistling his approval.
“Let’s begin,” Enock said jovially as he clapped his hands to bring Alana back down to earth. She blushed slightly but brushed her long blonde hair behind her and stood proudly to see if Enock could help her find her magic.
~~~~~
“It’s been hours, Enock. Can we take a break?” Alana asked as she looked up from the cold stainless table. Scattered around her were several old, tattered, and torn books opened to various pages. “My eyeballs feel like they’re going to pop out.” She laid her head down on her arms and groaned.
“Tired already? We’ve only just begun.” Enock laughed. “All right. Come on, get up. We’ll move to something active.”
“Yes, are you going to teach me to fight?” Alana jumped up with eager anticipation, her eyes wide with excitement.
“We will start with some basics, yes,” he said with humor as he took in her palpable sudden explosion of energy. “But what you were doing just now, reading the grimoires and understanding the basic principles of magic and the histories of magic users is extremely important. You need to understand the basis of all magic and understand how it works so you can apply it to your own. Your magic will be your own signature; it blends with your unique DNA. No two m
agic users can use their magic in exactly the same way. The motivation of your magic, what gives it its own life and purpose, comes only from you. It is special, just as you are.”
Alana calmed herself and nodded slowly. “I understand, Enock. Just reading it is quite boring. I think it’s good if I can switch back and forth between being active and sitting.”
“I agree. I was about to suggest the same thing. I was testing you to see how far your endurance would carry you.” A twinkle lit his eyes as he surveyed her reactions.
“That makes sense. I don’t like tests, but I understand their purpose.” She nodded as if it had already moved out of her mind. “Ok, what do I do first? Do I get weapons?”
“Whoa, slow down”—Enock chuckled while impressed at her eagerness—“we will get to that part, but first, let’s learn hand-to-hand combat. Once your magic is at your beck and call, that will be your primary weapon, but I believe in being equipped for all occasions including ones that might include weapons.” Enock moved into the center of the matted gym floor. “Most of us don’t use weapons, but the guards who do not have magic or wouldn’t be in a shifter form do, as does yours truly”—he paused and winked at her—“when we go out on a mission for extra protection. And if those we are fighting have weapons, too, then it gives us the advantage over them, as well.”
“Makes sense,” Alana stated plainly.
“Face me and come in a little closer.” Enock situated her so she was only a few feet away from him. He showed her how to position her arms and a stance for her feet. When she didn’t copy him properly, he came up beside her and moved her arms and legs as if she was a doll to be played with. He was quite competent with his instructions, and Alana caught on quickly. Soon enough, she was blocking his throws and kicks, albeit at a slow-motion pace, but nevertheless, she was understanding the movements in defending herself.
“Well done, mate,” Rylen praised from the sidelines with a smile on his face as he watched Alana finish her block to Enock’s punch that had been aimed right at her solar plexus. Alana startled slightly as she stepped back from Enock and looked over at Rylen to see his handsome face, eyes burning with a heat that quickly washed over her body.
“How long has he been there?” Alana asked Enock quietly as she relaxed her stance, waiting for instruction.
“A little while now.” Enock grinned at her, noting her slight embarrassment.
“Are we finished?” Alana breathed heavily as she tried to calm her heartbeat, erratic not only from the exertion of her training.
“For now. Take a break, get a drink. Then we begin again.” Enock walked off the mat and passed Rylen, mumbled something, to which Rylen nodded, and walked out the room.
Rylen slowly moved to where Alana was standing relaxed but with her hands on her hips taking in deep breaths of air. “Hey,” he said.
“Hey,” she replied. “How much did you see?”
“Enough to know that you are learning quickly and will be quite a valuable fighter when Enock is finished with you.” He bowed his head momentarily, but when his eyes came up to meet hers, there was a glimmer of mischief in them that accompanied a boyish smile, complete with dimples. “I also may have seen him swipe your feet and you land hard on your back.”
“Great.” Alana sighed dramatically. “Now, I’ll never live that one down, because that will be my only mistake, of course.” She smiled at him with good humor.
“Well, of course. Everything will be flawless from here on out,” Rylen confirmed conspiratorially.
“Where did Enock go?”
“He needed to get a drink, he’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“There’s a drinking fountain and a coke machine over by the… oh, his own special kind of drink, gotcha,” Alana said with understanding for her vampire trainer. “Does he ever, you know, use people?”
“Only if they ask him to,” Rylen replied honestly, “or if he had to take someone out. There’s no need wasting good resources.”
“People ask him to?” Alana started bewildered.
“Apparently, it feels really good to the donor. He doesn’t do it often, at least not as often as the other vamps. It tends to tie people to them in ways that Enock is not necessarily comfortable with. He’d rather take donations from blood banks.” Rylen shrugged as Alana took in the new information. He could tell she was about to ask something else when Mather sauntered in the gym.
“I thought there was training supposed to be going on in here today?” Mather was dressed in dark blue jogging pants with tennis shoes and a green t-shirt that had had the sleeves ripped off, exposing his defined arm muscles covered with interesting ink. Alana wished she could see it up close.
“We were. Just taking a break,” Alana answered before Rylen could. He smiled at her, proud she was adjusting and unafraid of those he called closest friends—well, he knew she was a bit afraid of Lucius, but who wasn’t really. Rylen whipped out a protein bar he had behind his back and offered it to Alana. She tore into it like a hungry shifter. He would need to remember to feed her more often when she was training. It expended much more energy than she was used to, even just the smallest exercises with her magic.
“Don’t mind me, just gonna lift for a bit,” Mather raised his voice to be heard as he moved to the opposite end of the gym and studied the equipment as if he wasn’t sure which to use first. Decided, he went to the bench press and switched out the weights.
Rylen and Alana sat down at the tables while she finished her snack and guzzled some water from the bottle that was set on the table for her earlier. A few minutes later, Enock came back in with more color in his cheeks, refreshed. Following him was Ricky, who had been rescued from the Fairfax group. He had kept the survivors alive long enough for Rylen and the team to get them out, and decided he wanted to join the team. Poppy was behind him. Her eyes were bright with anticipation and nervousness until she saw Alana, then she smiled a genuine smile and moved toward her.
“I decided to allow a couple others to join us. Poppy has expressed wanting to learn physical defense and Ricky has been training with me recently. I thought the extra assistance would be not only good for you but also for him since he can impart what he’s been learning. That tends to ingrain the lessons all the more. Are you all right with that, Alana?”
“Yes, that’s fine. It will be nice to not be the only novice,” Alana replied and smiled back at Poppy. She hadn’t gotten to spend much time with the beautiful redhead who ran the electronics side of the Lair… she also felt guilty about it being her father and his people who had kept Poppy and the others hostage. Her smile suddenly faltered at the remembrance. How could Poppy smile at her in the genuine way she did?
Obviously versed at reading body language, Poppy walked up and linked her arm within Alana’s, giving it a little pat. “Don’t you dare pull away from me. It had nothing to do with you, and I know that. Us girls got to stick together at the Lair.”
Alana relaxed and smiled in return. “Yes, we do. Thank you, Poppy.”
Rylen grinned slightly and nodded his thanks to Poppy, as well. The other girls—aside from Lola and Gracie—hadn’t been nearly as welcoming. He realized female bonding was an important thing to girls, and he needed to figure out what to do about it. But, honestly, getting in the middle of the girls and how they did things made him nervous—of course, he would never admit that to anyone, but it was true. He chuckled to himself that he, Rylen, leader of one of the greatest factions in the history of The Web, powerful warlock, and cat shifter, could be made nervous by girls—ones he considered as close as sisters at that! Rylen had dreaded breaking up the catfight in the Den between the girls because he wasn’t sure how to properly handle them. He could go against a vampire twice his size, but a girl fight… he’d rather delegate it to someone else. He shook his head and came back to the present as Enock called his new trainees to the center of the floor.
“See you soon,” Alana whispered to Rylen as she followed the others. He reached ou
t to grasp her pinky finger before she got too far and smiled at her when she turned to him. Seeing his smile lit up her own all the way to her eyes. She had a beautiful smile; it warmed him from the inside of his chest. Inhaling deeply, he nodded to Enock and headed over to spot for Mather, not that he needed it, but it would give him an excuse to stick around for a bit without watching Alana directly.
“Spying are you?” Mather whispered as he lowered the bar back into its holder. He sat up from where he had been lying on the bench and inclined his head toward the group training. Rylen gave a wry smile as if he hadn’t been caught. “How’s she doing?”
Rylen considered his friend’s question and snuck a quick peek to watch Alana set her legs apart in a defensive stance. “She’s learning quickly. That’s good. I just don’t know how much of the magic part is hitting her. I trust Enock, though. He’ll do what she needs in the order she needs it.”
“Why are you spying?” Rylen asked in return, the corner of his mouth tugged up and an eyebrow raised.
“I’m not. Just getting in a workout at a similar time as this part of the training,” Mather said matter of factly, raising his own eyebrow, daring Rylen to counter his answer.
“So you are,” Rylen stated, letting his challenge pass. Mather was having enough of his own issues in his mind right now, so Rylen let him be to figure it out when it was time. Mather relaxed and lay back down on his bench.
“Add more weight, and I’ll let you spot me,” Mather said, giving Rylen the reason to stick around a bit longer.
Rylen grabbed one of the round weight discs that would add the appropriate weight to each side then moved to stand behind the bench at Mather’s head and waited for him to lift the bar. After a few presses, Rylen noticed some of the other members of the Lair saunter into the gym.
