“That was awesome,” Layla said, her mouth spreading into a smile.
“It was?”
“Yeah, girl! I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Huh.
“Miss Jones, Miss Jonasson.” Nick’s brows drew together. “Can we continue?”
“Let’s go,” Layla said. “And don’t you hold back on me.”
* * *
Astrid didn’t think she’d be having so much fun on the first day of her punishment, but she was. It was actually freeing, being able to use both her combat skills and her abilities. Uncle Connor had never asked her to use her teleporting abilities while they sparred, and perhaps this was something she could show him during their next session. She saw him at least once a month, training with her cousins to keep their skills fresh. He insisted on it, and he would hound her if she missed a session.
Most of the other trainees seemed to accept her and enjoyed sparring with her. Well, most of them anyway. There were definitely a few who were frustrated that they couldn’t even grab her.
“This isn’t fair,” Frank, a mouthy Lycan from Long Island, growled when Astrid disappeared from his grasp. “How are we supposed to fight something we can’t even touch?”
“You’ll have to figure it out,” Meredith said. “That’s part of your training. Not everyone is invincible. Every opponent has a weakness. You need to be smart enough to find it.”
“She’s a witch,” another trainee said. “And a Lycan. I don’t think she has a weakness.”
“She does.”
Everyone’s head whipped around. Zac was leaning casually against one of the treadmills.
“What is it?” Layla asked.
“Yeah, do tell, Zac.” Astrid planted her hands on her hips. Who the hell did he think he was? He wasn’t even part of the team, just observing. She puffed out her chest. She was trained by the motherfucking feral wolf of New York. Her father was the most powerful warlock in the world.
“Maybe I can show you instead?” Zac loosened his tie, took it off, and then removed his jacket, draping both over the side of the treadmill.
Astrid looked to Meredith and Nick, waiting for them to say something. “I think it’s a great idea,” Meredith said.
Okay, that was not what she was expecting her mother to say. “Fine.” She wiped the floor with every single one of these trainees. Surely, she could do the same with some Oxford-educated executive. “I’m not going to go easy on you,” she warned him. Even if you do look hot in just your white shirt.
“I don’t expect you to, Astrid.” He walked toward where she stood in the middle of the mat. The muscles of his shoulders strained against the fabric. When he rolled up the sleeves to his elbows, Astrid had to stop herself from drooling when she saw the ink. Jesus H. Christ on a bicycle, tattoos were one of her number one weaknesses when it came to men. Standing this close, she could scent him, and she could barely contain her wolf.
“All right then.” She pushed those feelings of desire away. This was Zac Vrost, for God’s sake.
“Do your worst.”
Astrid treated Zac the same way she did with the other recruits. She sparred with him hand-to-hand first. She had to admit, he was good. Of course, he was the son of the Beta, so he knew how to fight. Karate, most likely. Maybe some jiu-jitsu. She let him think he had the upper hand a few times—something she learned from Meredith. Let their guard down, then strike. When Zac made a grab for her, she knew it was time to shut this down. She poofed and relocated herself just behind him, to his left.
“I—hey!” For only the second time that day, Astrid found herself on her back. But this time, a very hard and very male body was on top of her. “What the—” A hand came over her eyes, and her vision went dark. Motherfucker!
In her blinded state, it was like the rest of her senses went into overdrive. This close, his scent was even stronger, permeating her very being. The hard planes of his body pressed down on her. She squirmed, trying to get him off her, but he only bore down, trapping her by locking her knees between his. She gasped when she felt something hard brush against her stomach and a flood of desire pooled between her legs. He let out a surprised gasp and rolled away from her.
She blinked. What the hell—
“Astrid?” Meredith stood over her, looking down at her. “Are you all right?”
There was nothing like seeing your mother to totally douse your on-fire libido. “Yeah, um.” She took the hand Meredith offered and hopped to her feet.
Nick stood to the side, barely containing his smirk. “Care to tell us her weakness?”
Zac was running his fingers through his blond locks. “What?” He looked confused, his eyes glazed over.
“What did you observe, son?”
Zac cleared his throat, then addressed the rest of the trainees. “Astr—Miss Jonasson has a tell,” he began. “Right before she uses her power, she looks toward the direction of where she wants to reappear. I suspected that she needs to calculate precisely where she wants to go and needs a clear line of sight.”
Sonofabitch. How the hell could he have known? It was one of the limits of her power, as she and her father discovered. She had to see where she was going or at least have been in the space before.
“She looked over my left shoulder, and so I simply guessed that’s where she would be.”
“And you were right,” Nick said, the pride in his voice unmistakable.
“I also covered her eyes so she wouldn’t be able to disappear while I subdued her.”
Astrid felt her face grow hot. “Lucky guess, then.”
Zac didn’t even look at her. “An educated guess, but my advantage was that I had to watch all of you fight her before I could put it to the test.”
“So,” Nick began. “As we’ve always told you, fighting is …”
As Nick continued his lecture, Astrid continued to stew, her hands turning to fists at her side. Stupid Zac Vrost. “So, is this why I’m here? To be humiliated?” she asked Meredith.
“You shouldn’t have been so cocky,” she shot back. “Have you forgotten your training with us? You never get too confident and you never let your guard down.”
Ouch. That certainly stung. But she had to admit her mother was right. She glanced over at Zac again, and this time, his blue eyes were trained right on her. She held his gaze, daring him to look away. That heat she felt when she was under him spread through her body again, and this time, she was the one who had to turn away. It was too intense, and he was making her feel things she shouldn’t.
“C’mon,” Meredith said. “Let’s get back to work.”
Chapter Six
After Monday’s exercise, Zac never showed up again during training. And, despite the fact that she told herself “good riddance”, Astrid still felt that disappointment in the pit of her stomach each day she showed up for training and he wasn’t there.
Ugh. The things he made her feel was disturbing. At night, she’d lie awake thinking of him and how his body felt against hers. She was still wondering if she’d imagined it, or that last bit when she felt his surging erection against her. He’s a guy. If Zac felt anything it was because it was a natural function of the male body.
Still, it wasn’t good for her sleep or her sanity. She’d only had three hours of sleep that night, that’s why she was grumpy when she answered the phone call that came in at about seven o’clock that morning.
“What do you want?” she groused.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were living at Fenrir?” came the very annoyed voice of Deedee Creed.
“Hey, Deedee,” she said casually.
“Don’t ‘Hey, Deedee’ me.” Her best friend really did sound genuinely mad. “I had to hear from my mother, who heard from your mother, that the Alpha is punishing you for a whole year. Why didn’t you call me?”
Astrid rolled over and pulled the covers above her head. “I’ve been busy, okay? I’m sorry.”
“Sorry isn’t good enough,” Deedee said with
a sniff. “I want details.”
“Fine.”
“Over dinner.”
And so that night, Astrid found herself walking into Petite Louve, a French restaurant in the trendy SoHo district in downtown Manhattan. Deedee was already sitting at the table when she arrived.
“Astrid!” she greeted as she stood up to hug her. Although Deedee was five years older than her, they had become best friends over the years. She was like the older sister she’d never had and probably one of the few people around her who knew the awkwardness of having a five-inch growth spurt at the age of fourteen.
“How’s life, Distinguished Professor Creed?” she teased. After she finished her PhD in London three years ago, Deedee came home and became a professor of Archeology at New York University. Just last week, however, she had been named a Distinguished Professor at NYU to honor her achievements in the field. “So, does everyone have to bow down to you when they pass you in the hallways?”
“Ha, I wish. But it’s nothing more than just a fancy title, plus a grant for me to pursue any type of research I want to do.” They sat down at the cozy two-top in the corner of the restaurant. “And as much as I’m sure you’re interested to hear about how I’m planning to study the migration patterns of the ancient people of Mesopotamia, we’re here to talk about you.” Deedee flashed her that I’m-disappointed-in-you big sister look she’d perfected over the years.
“Can we order first? I’m famished.” She opened the menu, but the gesture was more to hide from her friend, as she already knew every single dish there.
“Fine,” Dee said. “But once we’re done, you’re going to tell me why I, your best friend, was the last to know about this life changing news.”
“Oh, stop being so dramatic, Dee. I’ll tell you, okay?”
After they’d finished ordering and the waiter was barely two feet away, Deedee laid her hands on the table and said, “Talk.”
Astrid let out a sigh and gave her the entire story from start to finish, leaving out one tiny detail. Deedee was actually the only person who knew about her working at The Vixen Den, and Astrid realized she had been remiss in her best friend duties for not telling her right away. Though they tried to talk every day and get together as often as possible, Deedee was always so busy with her job and tended to lose track of time, and sometimes even the days. Plus, Astrid was always changing jobs, it wasn’t even a topic of conversation for them anymore.
“But this isn’t exactly a job,” Deedee pointed out. “This is punishment. It’s going on your record for the rest of your life.”
“Oh, for God’s sake, Dee, you’ve always been such a goody-goody.” She grabbed a piece of bread and buttered it before popping it in her mouth. “Those records at the Lycan High Council are meaningless.”
“So, what are you going to do now?” Deedee asked.
“Ride out the year,” she said. “And then move on with my life.”
“Hmm …”
Astrid put her butter knife down. “And what exactly do you mean by hmm, Miz Desiree Desmond Creed?”
“Nothing.” She took a sip of her sparkling water. “It’s just … maybe this could be a good thing for you.”
“What? Being punished is a good thing?”
“No!” Deedee put her hands up. “Astrid, I love you. You’re one of my bestest friends in the whole wide world. But do you know how many jobs you’ve had in the last four years?”
“I dunno. Five? Six?”
“Eighteen.”
“I did not!”
“Yes, you did.”
“That time I was a living statue in Times Square doesn’t count.”
Deedee sighed. “Anyway, my point is, maybe this is good for you. A job that you can’t really quit. It’ll give you—”
“Direction?” Astrid finished. She sat back and crossed her arms over her chest. “Why don’t you just join my mother’s side then?”
“Astrid.” She reached over and placed a hand on her arm. “I’m on your side, okay? Whatever happens. I’ve upset you, I’m sorry. We can talk about something else.”
“You know you can never upset me, Dee,” she said. “I just … this was just a couple days ago, okay? I’m still figuring things out.”
“All right. We can talk about something else. But you’re not trapped at Fenrir, are you? You’ll still make it to my party tomorrow, right?”
“Oh shit, is that tomorrow?” This was the party to celebrate Deedee’s promotion. She didn’t want one, but it was actually Deedee’s mother, Aunt Jade, who’d convinced her she should celebrate her accomplishments. “I still have to do a shift at The Vixen Den.” She didn’t want to give up her job as a bodyguard because the girls needed her. She was only able to convince Nick and her mother to let her keep it because A, it worked with her training schedule and B, she reasoned that although the forgetting potion worked on making everyone lose their memories of her using her powers and shifting, it might seem strange if she suddenly just disappeared.
“It’s not till late,” Deedee said. “It was kind of a last-minute thing, and not everyone can come for dinner. So, I’m having supper with my parents first and then inviting everyone to come to Blood Moon after. My mother had the VIP room reserved for me.”
“Oh good, I’ll be there for sure.”
The waiter arrived with their appetizers, and the tension between them dissipated. However, as they enjoyed their escargot, Astrid couldn’t help but notice her friend looking around her nervously. Dee’s eyes darted around and she fiddled with her napkin a lot.
“All right, Dee. Your turn.”
Deedee’s light green eyes looked up at her. “Am I that transparent?”
“Yes.”
“It’s nothing, I mean …” She wiped her mouth with her napkin. “I was wondering … have you seen Cross lately?”
Ah yes. Her MIA oldest brother. Before Astrid had been born, it was Cross and Deedee who had been attached at the hip. But Astrid’s arrival didn’t cut in on their friendship; in fact, it had only strengthened it, and over the years, they had been an inseparable trio.
Eventually, all of them grew up and had their own lives. Deedee went off to London, Cross remained in New York, and Astrid was … well, she was being herself. Still, they had always kept in touch and spent as much time together as they could, especially since Deedee returned to New York. Cross’ withdrawal from his sister and best friend had been more of a recent phenomena.
“You know he’s been kinda … weird the past year,” Astrid said.
“And he hasn’t talked to you or anything?”
“Nothing of note.” Come to think of it, it had been a while since she’d seen or anyone even mentioned Cross.
“Oh.” Deedee looked down at her lap.
This time, it was Astrid who reached over to Deedee. “Are you going to tell him?”
“Tell him what?”
“That you’ve nursed this crush on him since you were sixteen?”
“What?” Her eyes widened and a blush spread over her cheek. “I have not.”
“Please, Deedee, it was so obvious.” Astrid said. “Our moms thought it was cute.”
“Well, I can’t believe you’re only telling me now that everyone knew.” Deedee pouted. “Anyway, that was more than ten years ago and I am not crushing on him anymore. I’m just concerned as I haven’t heard from him for a while. You know he didn’t even show up for our traditional Christmas dinner.”
“I know,” Astrid said. “I’m sure he had his reasons. But, well … maybe you could tell him how you feel next time you do see him? You did invite him to your party, right?”
The blush deepened on her cheeks. “I did. He said he’d try. But I can’t say anything. I mean, I don’t feel that way anymore.”
“Oh please, Deedee! What could it hurt? You know, our moms would be over the moon if you guys started dating and then got married and had babies—”
“No. It could never happen,” she said firmly. “We’re just fr
iends. And maybe he won’t even show up.”
Astrid eyed her friend carefully. Did Deedee have deeper feelings for Cross than she made it sound like? “Dee, come on. I would be thrilled too—that means we’d really be sisters.”
“Astrid you know—oh!” Dee pointed behind her. “Look who’s here!” She waved her hand. “Zac! Zac, over here.”
Oh, no. Astrid covered her face with her hands. Maybe it was a different Zac? She grabbed another piece of bread and stuffed it in her mouth. Fat chance. Her inner wolf was practically beaming as it scented Zac Vrost. Oh, shut it, you stupid animal.
“Deedee,” Zac greeted as he came closer. When his eyes landed on Astrid, he seemed just as surprised as she was.
“Zac, you remember Astrid? Aunt Meredith’s youngest kid?” Deedee said.
“I do,” Zac said curtly. “Actually, we’ve been reacquainted this weekend.”
Deedee’s eyes narrowed at Astrid. “You have?”
“Yes, I saw her at her, uh, place of employment.” Zac said in a bemused voice. “Old and new.”
“She never mentioned about you being there.” Deedee looked daggers at Astrid. “Did you, best friend of mine?”
Okay, so that was the one tiny detail she didn’t tell Deedee. “Oh, did I forget to mention that Nick and Cady had brought Zac along? And that he was there for my first day of training?”
Deedee smirked. “Yes, you did forget to mention that fact.”
“Well, he was,” Astrid said nonchalantly. “End of story.”
Zac looked at her strangely, then turned to Dee. “So, how have you been, Deedee? It’s been a while since London.”
“After graduation, I went to.…”
As Deedee gave him a rundown, Astrid wanted to kick herself. She forgot that Deedee and Zac had studied in London at around the same time, so of course they were friends too.
“—and the job’s been great,” Deedee finished. “So, are you here alone? Want to join us for dinner?”
Astrid wanted to scream no at Deedee but kept a tight smile on her face.
A Twist of Fate: True Mates Generations Book 1 Page 5
