Morning Training #2
A few of the warriors snicker behind me, and I step closer, closing the gap between us, her own heart spiking. I smirk as I lower my head.
“Likewise, or you will lose before we even begin,” I reply, my voice low, my eyes dragging over her in a way I don’t even try to hide.
Her eyes dip to my pecs before she looks up into my eyes. “I don’t need to win. I just need to keep up with you.”
“Let’s see if you can,” I murmur.
“Alright, on three,” Anthony says. “Three!”
It’s almost as if we both knew to expect that.
We both move at the same time.
She’s faster than I’ve ever seen her move, her body closing the distance in a blink as she comes straight for me, no hesitation, pure determination burning in her eyes, her fist already aimed for my jaw.
I block on instinct, but the force behind it sends a sharp jolt through my arm, enough to make my muscles tighten as I step back half a pace, more surprised than I let show.
She’s packing strength far stronger than before.
With the bond complete, we would both be stronger than ever.
Her second strike aims lower, and I catch her wrist, but instead of pulling back as I expected her to, she uses my hold in her favour, pivoting into me, her body brushing mine as her leg hooks behind my knee.
I shift my weight in time, her move missing by inches, but the proximity alone is enough to send pleasure dancing through me.
I push her away, but she holds her balance well before she comes at me again, her movements sharp, precise, controlled in a way I’ve never seen from her before. There’s no wild surge of power, no chaotic burst or out-of-control chaos.
I counter, stepping into her space this time, catching her arm as I twist, aiming to throw her off balance, but she moves with it instead of against it, slipping free with incredible agility.
Our bodies collide again, chest to chest for the briefest second, and for a moment the fight falters, just for a fraction of a second, just long enough for me to feel the heat radiating from her, the steady rhythm of her heart against mine-
Then she shoves me back, which doesn’t throw me off, but it forces me to put space between us.
She lifts her hand then, and this time I feel it before I see it, that familiar power rising around her, but it’s different; the chaos that would have once spiralled out of control is now forged to such precision.
It’s like a blade ready to destroy all in its path, forcing me to raise my own aura to meet it.
I push through it, stepping forward instead of back, letting it break against me as I close the distance again.
“Switching to your powers, huh?” I taunt arrogantly.
She smiles, not answering me. Instead, she matches my every attack. Strike for strike.
Her body moves like every lesson has been burned into her muscle memory, and I feel it: the improvement in the way she’s closed the gap between us, the way she blocks and deflects my throws.
I grab her wrist again, twisting, pulling her into me, intending to pin her, but she spins under my arm, her back brushing my chest as she slips free, her hand coming up to my throat.
I catch it.
But not before her fingers press just enough to make my breath hitch.
For a second, we freeze.
Way too fucking close.
Her breath brushes my jaw, uneven now, her control slipping just slightly as her eyes flick up to meet mine, her heart pounding.
The things she does to me.
“You’re slower than I remember,” she murmurs, her voice softer now, quieter as she whispers it in my ear.
I tighten my grip on her wrist, pulling her even closer, my other hand bracing at her waist before I can stop myself.
“Or maybe you’ve just gotten better,” I reply, my voice lower now, rougher without meaning to be.
Her lips part slightly.
That moment lasts too long.
And then I break it.
I twist, flipping her, sending her down onto the ground beneath me. Her back hits the ground before I pin her wrists above her head, my knee braced between her thighs to keep her from moving.
Her breath catches.
Mine isn’t much better.
We’re both still.
Both breathing too hard.
Very aware of exactly how we’re positioned.
“You were saying?” I murmur, my voice quieter now, but there’s something darker beneath it.
She doesn’t answer immediately.
Instead, her gaze drags slowly over my face, my chest, then back up again, something shifting in her expression, something heated, something dangerously seductive…
Then her power wraps around us, and it throws my balance off for a fraction of a second, and that’s all she needs.
She twists, using that moment to flip us, reversing everything so fast I barely register it until I’m the one on my back, with her straddling me now, her hands pinning mine, her hair coming undone as it cascades around us like a curtain as she leans over me.
The crowd goes fucking wild somewhere in the background.
I don’t hear it properly.
All I hear is her breathing.
All I see is her.
The only one who can distract me in this way.
“That,” she says softly, her lips barely a breath from mine now, “Was me holding back.”
My chest rises sharply beneath her.
For a second, neither of us moves, and then my aura surges.
Not enough to hurt her, but enough to make her eyes widen, startling her.
I flip us again, faster this time, pinning her harder, my grip tighter, my control absolute again, even if it took more to get here than I’ll ever admit.
“Careful,” I murmur, leaning closer, my voice low against her ear. “You’re starting to look like a threat.”
She smiles beneath me, not at all bothered, as if my victory is hers.
“Good,” she whispers back.
And that – that does something fucking dangerous to me.