Chapter 6 Orion
Orion
After Gabriel left, I went to the basement to set up the training room.
It was a familiar exercise meant to keep me from overthinking the awkward start we’d been through.
I was so ashamed of how I treated Ares’s son, I might not be able to face my friend.
The effects of my isolation had been invisible to me when I was living in the moment.
The others must’ve known and been waiting for the right situation to present itself to shock me back into reality. The only thing I wouldn’t own was how they sent Zeke into the lion’s den like they had. They had no way of being sure I wouldn’t hurt Zeke.
I called Gabriel out for their callous disregard for the boy’s safety.
He laughed it off, pointing out Zeke held his own.
It wasn’t an accurate assessment. I’d been mad, but not so far gone I didn’t have control.
Hurting Zeke hadn’t been the plan. Scare him?
Yes. Convince him to obey me? Absolutely.
Inflict pain or serious injury? Not even a thought.
Unfortunately, collateral damage didn’t care about intent. What I did could’ve hurt him, and if that had happened, Michael and Gabriel would have been responsible.
I took off my shirt and went through some warm-up exercises, pushing my body through familiar patterns. The familiarity helped settle my nerves about the upcoming conversation with Zeke.
He came home a little over an hour after Gabe left. I heard him walking around upstairs, but didn’t call out, either verbally or mentally. He’d earned the right to come to me on his own terms. I wasn’t going to force him to deal with me before he was ready.
Ten minutes later he trudged down the stairs. I rested the weighted sword I’d been swinging and waited for him to come around the corner. My breath caught at the sight of him in a tight workout shirt and shorts. He looked good. Really good.
I shook my head minutely, pushing those thoughts away. This was Zeke. I couldn’t go there.
Zeke came ready to spar. He didn’t wear socks and had no jewelry or earphones.
“I’m ready for you to assess me,” he said in a neutral voice.
I nodded and invited him to come onto the mat.
Before we started, I needed to clear the air.
“About earlier. I was out of line, and I owe you an apology. Michael put you in charge of this mission, and my job of protecting you doesn’t change that.
I promise that I’ll defer to you unless I’m absolutely convinced you’re putting yourself in danger.
If that happens, I hope you’ll listen to my concerns and not think I’m trying to overrule you.
I realize after what I did that might be hard, but I promise you it will come from a good place. ”
Zeke dropped his gaze and shuffled his feet. “First, Dad said to say hello, and let you know if you do it again, he’s going to kick your ass into the next century.”
He looked embarrassed, but I’m sure Ares told him to tell me, or he’d have come himself. “Fair. I expect no less.”
“Whew. I wasn’t happy he made me do that, but you know how Dad can be.
” Zeke did this awkward thing, like he was trying to get his hands to explain what he was thinking.
“I’m sorry for being a jerk. Arguments take two to have them.
I appreciate what you just said. I can totally work with what you set out.
We could always call Dad if we reach an impasse. ”
The last thing I wanted was to call Ares for at least a decade. “Hopefully it won’t come to that.”
“Fair enough,” he said with a small smile. “What do you want to do first?”
I took him through a series of stretches to make sure he was limber enough. He might not be a wall of muscle like his father or brothers, but he didn’t have an ounce of fat. The muscles rippled through his skintight clothes, and it took an effort to stay on task.
Once we were warmed up, I started with basic footwork and striking drills. Zeke was coordinated, so I took him through more difficult moves, offering corrections and praise as warranted. His technique was decent, if rusty.
“Okay, let’s see what you’ve got,” I told him as I pulled on focus mitts. Shifting into my defensive stance, I watched him get ready. “Remember to keep your hands up and get your whole body into each strike.”
Zeke nodded and started throwing punches, his brow furrowed in concentration. I pushed him, calling out adjustments and encouragement. To his credit, he took the feedback well, making each correction fluidly.
After a few minutes, I started deflecting and redirecting his strikes rather than just absorbing them on the mitts. Zeke’s frown deepened as his punches began to glance off me.
“Don’t get frustrated,” I said calmly. “Use your speed and agility.”
He tried, but I was able to consistently keep him off-balance and unable to land any solid blows. Finally, I swept his legs out from under him, dropping him to the mat.
Zeke looked up at me with a mixture of frustration and grudging respect. I offered him a hand up. “Not bad for a warm-up. Ready to kick it up a notch?”
“What the fuck?” The corners of his mouth twitched upward. “That wasn’t the real thing?”
“Maybe two outta ten.”
I didn’t let him dwell on my words and launched us back into the training. We engaged in a flurry of strikes, grapples, and somersaults as we sparred. Zeke was tenacious, but my centuries of experience showed. I countered or evaded almost everything he tried.
Zeke hit the mat again with a gruff exhale. This time, I didn’t offer my hand, letting him catch his breath for a moment.
“You’re pulling your punches,” I told him, crossing my arms. “I appreciate you not wanting to hurt me, but let me worry about that. Not only do I have a few centuries on you, I’ve devoted my life to being a fighter. And, most importantly, you’re not going to improve if you don’t commit fully.”
He huffed out a laugh and leveraged himself up to his feet. “Why do I feel like this is a set-up?”
Because, in a way, it was, and he was very perceptive.
He came at me with more power behind each blow, but it was still not a full effort. The blows hitting my mitts were stronger than any so far, but he only committed part of his powers. He couldn’t enter a fight halfway.
After I put him on the ground again, I shook my head. “Better, but you’re still holding back. Use all your abilities or you’ll never get anywhere.”
Zeke scowled at me, but I knew what I was talking about. One of the hardest things for someone to do, especially in training, was give it everything they had. Zeke was a good person. He didn’t want to hurt people needlessly, but in a real fight, his opponent probably wouldn’t feel the same.
I pulled out my full powers to show him I’d been holding back, too. His eyes flickered with understanding, and ethereal energy surrounded him as he tapped into his angelic powers.
Instantly, his speed and strength increased, forcing me to engage at a higher level. We traded blows and grapples at an ever-increasing pace, the air practically crackling with exertion. I tried a few times to make him mad, but he kept his focus and didn’t let emotions cloud his actions.
Finally, using a perfectly timed combination, I swept his feet out from under him and pinned him to the mat, my forearm across his throat.
We were both sweating and breathing hard. Looming inches from his face, I saw the depth of his brown eyes. He really did look like Ruth.
Seeing the same caring expression in his face as the woman who was closer to me than my own mother threw me.
Realizing I’d been staring, I cleared my throat and stood, offering my hand to help him up.
“You did well,” I told him honestly. “I don’t expect you to be able to beat me or your brothers overnight, but you’re already better than most beings you’re likely to meet.
With some more training and focus, you’ll be a real challenge to anyone. ”
Zeke accepted my hand and levered himself up, giving me an assessing look. “High praise, but don’t kiss my ass to make up for being a douche canoe earlier. I’m not a fragile leaf. If I don’t earn it, don’t give it to me.”
I snorted and bent to grab our towels and water bottles. “Don’t worry, I promise not to give you more than you deserve. Not even to make up for my canoery.”
Zeke laughed as he took the towel and water. He drained half the bottle in one go. Up close, I could smell the musky scent of his exertion and had to resist the urge to lean in and kiss him.
I had one of those “I need to punch myself in the face” moments. Forget the bad start we got off to, this was Zeke. Ares’s son. The man I looked up to as a father. It didn’t matter Zeke and I barely saw each other when he was a kid. We were almost family and I needed to get a grip on myself.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m in desperate need of a shower.” Zeke’s voice pulled me from my inappropriate thoughts. “If you let me shower first, I’ll make us some dinner.”
After how badly I treated him, he still wanted to take care of me. This was truly Ruth and Ares’s son. His parents raised him well. “You don’t need to feed me. I’m not sure I deserve your kindness.”
He walked up and got in my face. “I’m going to say this one time and then we shall never speak of it again.
That stupidity earlier today? It didn’t happen.
We’re a team, or we’re going home. I’m going to make us dinner.
If you feel generous, you can help me clean up because I fucking hate washing pots.
Then once I’ve wowed you with my stunning cooking skills, we can go over those plans of mine you wanted to assess. ”
Sassy fucking kid. He was right, and I loved how he didn’t back down if someone was being stupid. “Okay, stunning man. Go shower and then wow me with your skills. As for pot washing, if you cook as well as you talk, I’ll gladly wash them all while you relax.”
“Sounds like we have a deal.” He smiled and then finished his water. “Let me go so I can get started. Do you have any dietary restrictions or things you absolutely hate?”
Images of his lean, tight body under the spray materialized, and it took me a few seconds to find my voice. “No. I’m good with whatever.”
“Are you sure?” He shot me a disbelieving look. “You hesitated for a moment.”
Fuck. What was wrong with me? It had been decades since I had trouble controlling my desires. “Totally. I was trying to think of anything you might make I wouldn’t want to eat, that’s all.”
“Sounds good.” He dipped his chin until he focused on my torso.
The look on his face was filthy, and I would know because it was how I felt when I looked at him. His mouth hung open, but nothing came out. I bent my head to the right and leaned down to catch his eye.
Zeke blinked, snapped his mouth shut, and turned bright red. Using the towel, he bought a few seconds by wiping his face. “Give me about an hour and we can eat.”
He glanced my way, and we locked gazes for a second before he turned and headed upstairs at a hurried pace. I stared at his retreating ass for too long, but Zeke couldn’t see me. Gabriel was right. I was out of practice interacting with people.
Shaking my head, I grabbed my shirt and followed Zeke up the stairs. A cold shower sounded amazing right about now.