Chapter 59 Nico
NICO
As I’d read along with the letters and diary entries, and after seeing all the pictures and news articles, I got the feeling things were going to get bad.
If I had been the one seeing these memories in my dreams, it would have destroyed me.
I’d seen Maddy shut down after experiencing things like this before, and now I understood why.
That was what I was worried about. I was surprised by the change I saw in her.
It was the complete opposite of what I’d expected.
“Teach me to fight,” she said through gritted teeth.
My eyes widened in surprise. “What?” Maddy looked ready to go to battle right there and then.
“You heard me, Nico. I can keep my wolf’s emotions in check, and I can control my own, but if it comes down to it, I need to be able to defend myself. I’m tired of sitting on the sidelines. I sit under that damned tree and watch Javi’s pack and our pack training. I need to know how to fight.”
I didn’t want her to think like that. If she had to fight, then it meant I’d have failed in some way.
Her protection would have been compromised.
The royals or their agents would have gotten to her.
It was too anxiety-inducing for me to even think about.
I put my hands on her shoulders. “Maddy, there’s no reason for that.
I will never allow anyone to come near you.
They’ll never even get the chance to attack you directly—”
“For fuck’s sake, Nico. Stop that,” she said, shaking my hands off her arms. “Stop coddling me! I’m not some porcelain doll that’s gonna break if the wrong person touches me.
Anything can happen. You and I both know that.
I can’t shift yet, but hopefully, I will soon.
If nothing else, I should be able to defend myself in human form as well as when I’m a wolf. ”
I tried to find an argument against her learning to fight, but it all sounded stupid.
If we weren’t in this situation and everything was normal, wouldn’t I want her to be able to defend herself against a mugging or an attempted rape?
Why was it different with the royals? Why was I so afraid for her to learn to fight? It was ridiculous. I had to admit that.
“Okay,” I said, the tension leaving my shoulders as I came to terms with it. “You’re right. I’ve been treating you like you’re some fragile thing that shouldn’t be anywhere near the fight. The fight is coming to you, though. We can start tomorrow. Does that sound good?”
Maddy visibly calmed and gave me a small smile. “That does sound good.”
Maddy met me in the backyard the next morning.
She was dressed in a T-shirt and shorts while I wore athletic pants and opted to go shirtless.
Our pack hadn’t had any true battles in years.
My father and grandfather before him had always done a good job of keeping the peace.
Other than Javi’s crew, we’d had very little reason to have any disputes.
Even with that in mind, the Lorenzos had always made sure the pack was properly defended.
Everyone old enough to learn was taught how to fight, both as humans and as wolves.
Dad had taught my brothers and me multiple techniques—Jiu Jitsu, Krav Maga, and Aikido.
Even though we’d had no true reason to use it over the last several years, it was a matter of pride that our pack was able to defend ourselves against any attacker.
“So,” Maddy said. “Where do we start?”
This wasn’t supposed to be easy, so I decided to start things off the way my father had started with me.
Without answering her, I stepped forward, grabbed her arm, spun, dug my hip into her belly, and twisted my upper body.
Maddy yelped as she spun head over heels and landed on the grass on her back.
Groaning, she coughed. “Fuck. What the hell?”
I winced inwardly. I didn’t want to hurt her. That move had been minor, but it still made me feel bad. I’d need to be a little more careful. I lifted my shoulder in a shrug. “This is how I learned.”
Maddy rolled over and dusted the grass off her butt. “Well, damn. Okay, then.”
Over the next hour, I showed the initial stages of fighting: footwork and placement, balance, guarding, and spacing.
After that first hip check, I found myself holding back, being more careful with her.
The lessons my father taught me seemed to totally disappear from my mind.
It got so bad that Maddy actually managed to get a few hits in before lunch.
Not because she was picking it up that fast or that she was inherently good.
She was athletic and a quick learner, but if I was honest with myself, it was because I wasn’t able to give it my all.
When I was a boy, Dad loved us. He loved us, but he still knocked the shit out of us when he was teaching us to fight.
That was what Maddy needed, especially with such short notice.
I couldn’t do it. The realization was brutal.
I could teach her a lot of things, but I couldn’t be the only one.
I needed someone who wouldn't hold back—someone who wouldn’t hurt her but would be able to knock her around more than I was able to.
“Hey?” I said to Maddy when we took a break.
She finished chugging her water bottle and looked over at me. “Yeah?”
I took a moment to gather my thoughts before continuing. “I think we need someone else here.”
Maddy raised an eyebrow. “Hey, buddy, I’m not into that three-way stuff.”
I snorted a laugh. “No! Not like that. I’m not able to give it my all when I’m sparring with you. I need someone who's going to give you a true challenge. That’s the only way you’ll learn. I’m doing that thing you were talking about. Treating you like a glass doll.”
“Oh.” Maddy nodded. “Was it seeing me on my ass in the grass?”
I nodded. “Basically. Let’s say I’m too much of a gentleman.”
“Who do you want to do it? Felipe? Luis?”
I sighed and shook my head. “You’d be surprised, but they aren’t the best fighters among my brothers and friends.”
“Who then?”
“I’m gonna grab my phone. I’ll see if Sebastian can be here soon.”
“Sebastian?” Maddy looked like she’d just choked on her spit.
Less than thirty minutes later, Sebastian and Maddy stood face to face in my backyard.
He looked as uncomfortable as I’d thought he would.
I conned him into coming over by saying I needed him for some one-on-one sparring.
Of course, I neglected to tell him exactly who he would be sparring with.
As uncomfortable as he looked, Maddy looked equally as irritated.
She stared back at Sebastian, her arms crossed over her chest.
I was starting to think this might not have been such a good idea.
Although, the two of them needed to get a grip.
When Abi had first been taken, Maddy hadn’t seemed to hold any ill will towards Sebastian, but that had changed quickly.
His own guilt had kept him from going anywhere near her.
They’d been becoming friends, and that conscious separation had hurt Maddy more than I’d realized.
Plus, I think she needed someone to blame.
The royals were so far removed and impossible to strike out at that she focused her anger and hurt at the only person who was nearby.
Sebastian. For his part, he’d done a shit job.
He’d promised multiple times to talk it out with Maddy, and so far, he’d been too afraid to do it.
This would be the chance for them to hash it all out—as long as they didn’t accidentally kill each other in the process.
“Okay,” I said. “Do we understand the assignment?”
Sebastian gave a hesitant nod. “I… uh… try to take her down, right?
“You can try,” Maddy said with a roll of her eyes.
I grimaced inwardly. “Okay then, whenever you guys are ready.”
Sebastian took a couple of tentative steps toward Maddy.
After having some success against me, Maddy was probably more confident than she should have been.
She took heavy steps toward Sebastian and tried to chop at his neck.
Sebastian easily blocked it, slapping her hand away.
The crack of skin on skin made me wince.
Maddy clutched her hand to her chest, hissing in pain.
“Shit, sorry,” Sebastian mumbled.
“It’s fine,” Maddy said, her teeth clenched.
They went at it again. This time Sebastian took a more active stance, bending his knees and moving in low.
Sebastian knew more fighting techniques than me, Luis, and Felipe combined.
While a lot of kids played baseball or football growing up, all Sebastian had enjoyed was martial arts.
Once he became an expert in one specialty, he’d beg his parents to enroll him in a different one.
He’d even gotten into boxing in college.
The guy was an encyclopedia of fighting.
I wasn’t even sure what style he was using when Maddy tried to grapple with him again.
Sebastian shot a hand under her striking hand and grabbed a handful of clothing.
He yanked it forward and braced his leg, forcing her to fall face-first onto the ground.
From there, things got heated. I stayed back and let things play out.
As much as I wanted to intervene, I knew they needed to get this out of their system.
They went back and forth, and to my surprise, Maddy was a quick learner.
Once she saw Sebastian use a move, she made sure to watch out for it.
Sebastian made sure to still give her verbal clues and explain why she’d been taken down each time, though I could tell he was getting irritated with her for not acknowledging the instruction.