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44
“Brutally effective strategy,” Javier said. “He’s right. We fight for our lives. No one will care if you looked good doing it, or how long it took. All that matters is one walks away and the other doesn’t.”
Javier had me demonstrate some tactics, then he called them off. “Hermann, you referee. Patrick, let’s go.” My eyes bugged out, I didn’t expect the respected elder Alpha to want to fight with someone who was the age of his grandchildren. I took my spot, bowing my head in respect as he took his spot and the spar began.
I took an MMA-style stance and was shocked to see the stance he took. It was used in Thai kickboxing, something I’d only seen in movies like Bloodsport. “Really?” I shook my head as I circled and he bounced, his hands held evenly just below his chin.
“You learn a few things along the way if you never stop trying to get better.” I ran through what I could remember about Muay-Thai; it was a discipline that used knees and shins to brutal effect, using the arms to tie you up while the damage was done. I decided I would try and end this quickly, because if he got me he’d bust me up good.
I shot in low, sweeping my leg towards his knee, only to miss as he jumped over my leg. I turned it into a roll, bringing my other leg up into his thigh and knocking him sideways. He kept his balance and jumped on my back as I tried to scramble away. His arm wrapped around my neck, and I tried a wrestling sit-out move to escape. I got loose, but not before taking two brutal shots to the ribs from his right knee.
I stood up just as he charged, this time his arms tangled with mine and he pulled me forward, into his knee. I felt ribs breaking before I was able to grab his leg, pushing forward as I lifted I got him on the ground. Somehow, he got his legs wrapped around my chest as we hit the ground, and he rolled me on my side as his ankles locked me in a vise.
I pounded his stomach with an elbow, but he caught it and held it to his side while he kept squeezing. I couldn’t get a breath in, and my broken rib was moving inside me. I tapped out.
“You see? Never stop learning. Every Beta I ever trained had mastered at least three fighting disciplines and was familiar with a dozen more. I’m going to set up a training rotation; each night of the week will have a different style that will be taught and practiced.”
I just nodded my head, spitting out blood as Hermann helped move my ribs back in place so they could heal. I still had a lot to learn. I did learn one thing- never fuck with an old Alpha. They didn’t get to be old Alphas by being weak.
John’s POV
I could hear the men grumbling outside the room, trying to figure out what to do next. We were among humans, they couldn’t just bust in and drag us out of there and I knew that. I went to the window, I could see they had parked a car next to mine. I heard one man moving around in the hallway, the others were likely covering the exits. I was pretty sure they would be sending reinforcements.
“Who was at the door?” Jessie came out of the bathroom, dressed in faded jeans, a T-shirt and a long-sleeved flannel shirt buttoned halfway up, and ankle boots. I looked her up and down. “What?”
“I can’t decide whether you are more beautiful in those clothes or naked,” I said. She blushed and walked past me, tingles exploding along my arm as her fingers dragged along it. “I wish we had more time, but that was the welcoming committee from the local Pack. It seems this is claimed territory, and I drove past the markers without noticing. We’ve been summoned before the Alpha.”
“Is that a problem?”
“It can be, depending on the Alpha and the circumstances. Since I’m no rogue wolf and I’m passing through, it should be fairly straightforward. I get a lecture on boundaries, he calls my Alpha to verify my identity, then we get escorted to the border after I apologize. You’re human, so it doesn’t apply to you.”
“Oh. We better get packed, then.” It didn’t take long, neither of us had pulled much out. I collected the dirty clothes in a plastic bag and set our luggage by the door. “Are you taking those to our car?”
“No, I’m not going out there until we’re ready to leave. They may not let us back in.” I sat down on the couch, and she sat next to me, relaxing into my side. “I could get used to waking up with you in my arms every morning.”
“I do sleep better with my Cuddles,” she said as she threw her leg over, sitting in my lap. I raised my right hand to her face as my left curved around her waist; she melted into it. “I’ve never felt like this about anyone before. It’s like coming home when I am in your arms.”
“With you in my arms, I need nothing else. You are my love, my mate, my future,” I told her as I drew her towards me. Her eyes closed as our lips touched, and she moaned as my hand moved around the back of her head. The kiss deepened, and she leaned forward until her chest was resting on mine. Her hands started to move down my chest, feeling the hard planes of muscles. I moved my left hand up, caressing her side before my thumb caught under her breast, releasing another moan. I pulled back, reluctantly, knowing that if we continued she’d be naked under me before she was ready.
“John…” Her whispered plea and her body grinding itself on mine was pushing me to the edge. I was relieved when I heard the knock on the door for room service.
“Breakfast, then we have to go,” I said. “I’ve pissed off the Alpha enough by not coming right away.” She got off my lap and sat at the table as I paid the guy and brought the dishes in, my guard staying just out of sight down the hall. I set her plate down, it was a Northwoods Platter with pancakes, thick cut maple smoked bacon, three sunny-side-up eggs and hash browns, along with butter and real maple syrup. I set mine down and filled her in on the protocol of visiting a Pack as we ate; basically, keep your eyes down, only talk when directly asked something, and do not lie. I would handle the rest.
We washed up and I set the room service cart by the door, then grabbed the suitcases as she opened the door. We walked down the hall and out to the parking lot, the Beta following behind me. The warrior in the lobby got up and followed us out, and the two in the parking lot were waiting as I opened the back hatch and put the luggage in. “How are we doing this,” I said to the waiting Beta.
“Follow their car. If you turn off or do anything else, you’ll be attacked and killed,” he said. I looked around, using my senses I could pick up two more vehicles and another six wolves in the area. No Alpha, but ten on one would be a struggle, even with Jessie’s powers. I opened the door for her, then went around and got in.
“Everything all right?”
“Yes, I must have scared them with my little power play more than I thought. They sent six more escorts for us.” I held her hand as we pulled behind the lead vehicle, the other three falling behind us. “Just relax, we’ll be fine.”
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” she said.
“It’s all right to be nervous.” She was starting to shake a little. “I’m curious as to your powers now. You were still discovering what Father Kempechny gave you, but what did you gain from Miriam and Gwyneth?”
She thought for a while. “I can only talk about what I saw, or they told me. Gwyneth rarely worked with me, as you know. Miriam said she was good at illusions, she could touch another and make herself look and act like them, or them look like her, but only while she maintained the illusion through her concentration. She couldn’t do fireballs or work with water like me, her powers were in controlling lightning and casting shields. She had some skill in fortune telling, palm reading, the old reliable crystal ball. She made a good income with that; like most powers, it only worked for others, though.”
“What do you mean?”
“Magic like that, especially white magic, doesn’t work on the witch who uses it. She could tell me my fortune, but not her own. The magic doesn’t allow for that.”
“Huh.” I thought for a moment. “Why doesn’t she just find out stuff like who wins the football game, or what company is going to succeed, then bet on that?”
“The magic is about individuals, rarely is it that specific. At least that is what Miriam taught me. She doesn’t have it, it came up on the trip over here when I was asking what witches were capable of.”
“What about Miriam?”
“Her powers were more elemental, like mine. She could control fire, water, air, and had an affinity for living things. She could cause plants to grow rapidly, even use them to bind or capture. She could call animals to her and direct them.”
“That will be interesting since I am a werewolf. Kind of takes the whole fun of the hunt away?”
She smacked my arm and laughed. “I am NOT calling Bambi in so you can kill it,” she said as she looked out the window. We were on a logging road, heading deep into the woods and lakes.
“Have you tried any of their powers?”
“No, I don’t know how, and I haven’t exactly had time to practice anything. Maybe someday we can find another witch, one we can trust, and she can continue teaching me.”
I squeezed her hand. “Tell me my future,” I said.
“I can’t do that!”
“You have no idea right now if you can or cannot, all you know is that the POWER to do so is inside you. Take my hand, clear your mind and try to see my future.”
She looked back to me, then sat with a huff and took my hand in both of mine while she closed her eyes. I kept driving, stealing glances as she tried to focus. “I can’t do it,” she said as she let me go.
“Try one more time. Better yet, don’t try. Just relax and let the magic flow.” I had picked up a thing or two in the training sessions I had watched, and it couldn’t hurt.From NôvelDrama.Org.