Chapter 20 - Jade
I stood on the side, stretching, watching as Brandon ran another group through their drill.
I was trying to focus on myself, but my eyes kept looking back at him every few moments.
He walked around, adjusting people’s stances and showing them how to punch or kick properly.
He really was putting his heart into training, and it showed.
Even when he was being strict, you could tell he was still being kind.
He didn’t yell with anger, but rather with care.
“You’re staring,” Nora said, a smirk plastered on her face.
“No, I’m not,” I said, breaking my gaze away from him and pulling it back to my feet as I leaned forward to touch my toes. I could feel my face growing red, but I tried to shake it off.
“You’re such a terrible liar,” she laughed as she pulled herself up, reaching for the sky. “Your face is a dead giveaway.”
“I was not staring,” I grumbled back, trying to keep my composure. My eyes, however, flicked toward Brandon. They seemed to move on their own, and I couldn’t stop them.
He stopped next to two women who I knew were new to training. He was demonstrating how to stand and hold their shoulders properly. My eyes watched his hands, knowing what his fingers were capable of.
I felt my face grow hot, and a flush rolled over my entire body. Nora started to laugh louder, which caused people to look at us.
I elbowed her, throwing daggers her way. “Shut up. Stop laughing.”
She continued to laugh, covering her mouth. “I’m sorry, it’s just so cute. I’ve never seen this side of you before. That longing and wanting look is new.”
“I don’t want him,” I whispered back, suddenly wishing I could disappear into a dark hole.
She snorted. “And I don’t want to enjoy a piece of cheesecake after this, but I do.”
I sighed heavily. “It’s not like that. We’re just getting along.”
Nora smiled. “You don’t have to be embarrassed that you like the man you’re married to. Come on, this is me.”
But how could I like someone who abandoned me? Sure, he had a reason, but he could have told me. We could have talked about things. Brandon didn’t just have to leave me behind. My heart wanted one thing, and my mind wanted another. I didn’t know which to listen to.
I glanced at Brandon, taking him in. He had grown a lot since he was a young man. His hair had darkened, and his skin was tanner. He had more muscle behind him and a sharper jawline. He wasn’t the guy who left me three years ago.
A whistle blew, and I knew the group was done with their training for the day, which meant it was our turn.
Nora hopped on the balls of her feet, and we moved over to take a spot near the back.
I smirked at her because I wasn’t the only person who was eager for training anymore.
Both of us seemed to find it relaxing and something to look forward to.
I turned to the front of the group. I watched Brandon, and I could see that his shirt was soaked with sweat.
My mind traveled back to the other night once more.
My throat suddenly went dry, remembering how his body felt against mine.
I could still remember how his hands felt against my hips, his graze over my stomach, and down.
“Jade.” Nora elbowed me, and I shook my head, confused. She made a face, pointing toward the front. “He’s taking attendance.”
I looked toward Brandon, who was holding a clipboard, a smirk plastered on his face. “Something on your mind?”
I felt my face grow hot, wondering if the ass was thinking about it as well. Probably not.
I shook my head. “Sorry, didn’t hear you.”
Brandon smirked, his eyes taunting me for a moment before he crossed me off the clipboard. He went on to another name, and I glanced at Nora, who gave me a smug expression. “Shut up,” I grumbled.
Training started with simple movement. We reviewed how to perform proper tucks and kicks.
All things we had already done before, but Brandon wanted to see us actually use them as if someone were running at us.
Nora and I took turns trying to attack each other.
It wasn’t long before I was panting, questioning if Brandon was trying to just kill us all.
He seemed to be pushing us even harder today, not letting any of us slide with doing anything half-assed.
“God damn,” Nora sighed heavily as we both leaned over, trying to catch our breath. We could hear other groups starting to grow tired around us. “This is going to be the death of me, I’m pretty sure my heart is going to burst…”
I nodded, unable to pull words out as I tried to take some deep breaths. I knew Brandon was doing this because of what was out there. I knew he was just trying to make us stronger, but it was exhausting.
“You think we could ask for a break?”
“And be told we’re weak?” Nora grumbled, knowing that would be what Brandon said. He’d said it to a guy who asked last week, and everyone snickered.
The whistle blew, and I was our saving grace. We both tumbled to the ground, sighing heavily as we did. I wanted water. I wanted a nap. I needed a shower.
“How did you guys enjoy today?” Brandon stopped in front of us, a smirk still on his face. I was pretty sure it didn’t leave him for the entire training session.
“Oh, it was wonderful,” Nora cooed in her sarcastic tone as she wiped at her forehead. “Thinking of doing this for a living.”
I held back a laugh as Brandon raised an eyebrow at her. He chuckled. He pulled his hands behind his back and stood there for a moment. “You guys did well today. You’ve both improved a lot since we first started this.”
“Oh, I’m so glad,” Nora chirped sarcastically. “I’ll be sure to remind my calves later when they hurt that at least I looked good. You think all this sweat and hard breathing is going to catch me a man?”
Brandon chuckled before his eyes went to me. I felt a blush roll over my face. Nora made a groaning noise and pulled herself up. “Just fuck already.”
Nora walked away, and Brandon laughed. He tilted his head slightly as he looked back at me. His voice dropped low to a whisper. “Did you want to tell her we already did that?”
“Hush,” I grumbled as I pulled myself up. “People will hear you.”
He made a face. “Oh, how dare we have sex while we are husband and wife?”
“Everyone knows the marriage was out of obligation, not because you wanted to.”
He took a step closer, his body hovering over me. I inhaled slowly, his scent surrounding me like a blanket. “That’s true, but us fucking the other night wasn’t.” I felt my throat go dry remembering how wet I’d been. I remember how I moaned loudly, and how I curled close to him after.
A part of me wanted to desperately open myself up and let him in, but the other half was still unsure. As badly as I wanted to forgive and forget, I was having a hard time doing so. There was so much on the line.
Brandon and I needed to have a serious conversation and just lay all our cards out. But with everything going on, how could we? There was never a good time to open your heart up when you could lose everything to monsters.
“I need to go get Ilsa from daycare.” I broke free, needing air. Every time I was near him, my brain seemed to short-circuit and make quick, bad decisions. And I really needed to think about what I wanted. Should I give it a chance, or do we need to discuss setting better boundaries?
“Alright, I’ll see you at home.” His lips pulled into a huge grin. “Wifey.”
The nickname hit, and I felt myself melt a little. He made it so bloody hard to hate him.
I turned on my heels, biting hard on my cheek, stopping myself from jumping him. I headed across the training ground toward the parking lot. Nora was standing by her car waiting for me. She scanned me quickly, giving me a pitiful expression. “Your clothes are still on.”
I rolled my eyes at her. “Oh, stop. I don’t need people hearing you.”
She laughed. “With the way you were just eye fucking him, everyone is aware you two are sleeping together.”
“We aren’t,” I said quickly, too quickly. Nora’s eyes narrowed slightly and then widened. “Oh my god! You guys slept together again! That’s why you’ve been staring at him. It’s not just because of the first time. You’re sleeping together.”
“No, we aren’t,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s… I… we.” I couldn’t form a sentence, and she started to laugh. She moved closer, invading my personal space. “I don’t know how I didn’t see this until now, but wow… you’re so in love with him.”
“I am not.”
She covered her mouth as she nodded, trying to contain her excitement. “You are. Oh my god, you’re in love. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because there is nothing to tell.”
Nora reached for me, her fingers tight against my shoulders. “I need to know everything. What has happened between now and the last time we discussed him?”
I wanted to deny it, but I wanted to tell Nora. She was my best friend, and I felt like I had missed out on telling her so much. I had been so focused on Brandon and everything with him that I felt she and I hadn’t spent much time together.
“There are some things to tell,” I admitted, and her hands only squeezed me tighter.
“Oh my god!” she squealed. Several other people looked at us, and I quickly covered her mouth. “Okay, but not here. Not now.” I swallowed. “I have to go get Ilsa. We can chat about this later.”
Nora wiggled her eyes. “Oh, we will be with some popcorn. I want every detail.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle as she pulled me into a tight hug before hopping into her car.
I waved her off before turning on my heels and heading toward my car.
As I walked, I couldn’t help but smile, thinking about how so much had changed.
Things were looking good. Sure, I had to make a decision about Brandon and what I wanted, but besides that, life seemed like it was getting better.
As I got to my car, I paused as I felt a sensation, like a tickle in my chest. I looked over at the woods. The sensation grew, and I felt it heighten into a gut-twisting worry in my belly. I couldn’t see anything, but I knew something was there.
I felt the air shift, and like a sixth sense was screaming at me that something was coming.
I knew it was the hybrid, and I looked over at the training ground.
I was moving, running across the parking lot back toward the group.
Brandon was standing with Kaleb near a picnic table.
They were both looking at something with their backs to me.
“Brandon! Kaleb.” My voice came out loud and filled with worry. They both turned, their instincts instantly on high alert.
“What’s wrong?” Kaleb asked, his arms crossed.
I was panting by the time I reached them. I pointed toward the trees, half bent over. “A hybrid…”
They both turned, looking at the woods. I watched them both get ready to jump into action. Their arms flexed, and their eyes scanned the space.
“I felt it…I felt something coming.”
Kaleb looked back at me with a quizzical look. “You what?”
“I felt it. I know that something is coming.”
Kaleb looked at me like I was crazy, but Brandon held a softer expression. “Tell me more.”
I expected him to look at me like my brother was, but he wasn’t. Brandon was taking my word at value, and it meant a great deal. I didn’t know exactly what I was feeling, but I knew it was the hybrids. I didn’t know where or when, but I could feel they were close and we needed to be prepared.
“I can feel the energy, and it matches the same when the hybrid was in town. It’s out there.”
I watched both of their faces fall, and my stomach dipped. A small part of me was hoping that I was wrong. We were training to fight against them, but I didn’t know if we were ready. Either way, we were going to find out.