Chapter 18 #2
I loved to move, that was for certain, but when it came down to throwing a punch, I wasn't particularly skilled or practiced at it, despite having thrown two while in this alien city so far.
I was weaker, smaller, and less experienced than he apparently was.
I didn't pull him into that ring because I thought I would have even the slightest chance of impressing him with my fisticuffs.
I pulled him into that ring because I wanted to see what he would do.
Every interaction with him helped me build a clearer picture of who he was without knowing anything about his species or society. All I had to go off of were his actions, and so far, all of his actions said that he was going to take care of me and that he would be gentle with me.
What would he do now that I was giving him a socially acceptable way to lay his hands on me?
He swept past me into the ring, pulling his hand out of mine as he went to the far end opposite me. The sound in the room dimmed, but I didn't take my eyes off him. He didn't take his eyes off me. He crouched. His movements were slow, deliberate.
Then he jumped straight at me, just like the other fighters had done.
Primal panic flooded through me at the sight of a massive, muscular male beast flying through the air in an arc. I let out a scream and threw myself to the side. I slid one arm down towards my hip, my shoulder hitting the ground as I tucked my chin into my chest, rolling diagonally along my spine.
My feet came under me, and I launched myself back up to my feet.
He stood where I had been, waiting, watching me.
Once I was fully back on my feet, he crouched again.
This time, the jump was faster.
Again, I dove to the side.
We repeated, him waiting until I was on my feet, clearly projecting his intention with the slow crouch. With each pass, he moved faster and faster, giving me less and less time to recover until…
His body slammed into mine, his arms wrapping around me as his greater bulk took me down to the ground.
His hand was around the back of my head, protecting my skull and neck.
My palms were against his chest as he crouched over me, cradling me underneath him.
He murmured something, the sound rumbling under my hands.
Then he stood, lifting me back up to my feet.
He stepped back.
He sang something else at me and crouched. He quickly stood up straight again, made another sound, and gestured out of the arena.
Did I want to continue or stop?
I rubbed my shoulder for a moment. Even though the floor was springy, practicing my dodge rolls to avoid a pouncy elf cat man was a lot. I needed a different form of exercise. I eyed the weighted bags. I could do weight training or…
I looked back at Zale.
Maybe he would be willing to dodge.
I clenched my hands into fists, bringing them up to my face, reminiscent of the one boxing exercise class I had taken back in the day. I put one foot in front of me and slid the other one back and wide, bending my knees to give myself a grounded stance, one where I could move quickly.
I slid forward, keeping my feet close to the floor as I sprung fast and low. With my movement, I swung my fist towards him, rotating my hips to try to add power to the blow.
He didn't dodge.
I blinked, staring at where my fist was completely encased in his hand.
He made a chuffing sound, which was echoed by the room.
He was laughing at me.
The entire room was laughing at me.
My face began to burn as I flushed with embarrassment.
I knew I wasn't much of a fighter, but that was why I was here in this ring with him. Being abducted by those lizard aliens, being beaten by them - I didn't want to be that helpless ever again.
I wanted to learn how to fight.
How to really fight.
Rage rolled in me as he continued to laugh, and I swung my other fist towards him. He ducked low, dropping below my swinging arm, and scooped me up off the ground and tossed me over his shoulder..
"Just teach me!" I snarled at him as I kicked my feet, trying to throw myself out of his grip. He didn’t let go as I struggled, instead moving to the door, holding me in place with a firm grip.
I didn’t give up.
Fuck this shit.
I wasn’t going to let this male haul me off like this.
I pushed down on his shoulder blades, lifting my upper body into the air. His arm was around the back of my sacrum, but he wasn’t holding me with a vice grip.
He was being gentle.
His mistake.
I wasn’t going to be gentle.
I didn’t think about what I was doing, or the consequences.
I just did it.
I twisted on his shoulder so my belly was towards his head and my side was on his shoulder.
Then, I grabbed his soft, delicate ears.
In one motion I yanked his head back.
He let out a snarl as he released my hips to reach both hands up towards my hands. I then switched directions, yanking his head forward with my hands at the same time as I did an epic crunch, bringing both of my knees up into his face.
I heard, and felt, the sound of his nose bucking under the impact.
I whipped my legs out in a circle, letting the momentum of their twisting movement travel up my body as I spun off his shoulder and landed on the ground.
My eyes met his.
His hand reached up to touch his nose.
Blood dripped down onto his hand.
His ears pinned back flat on his head.
“Fuck you!” I said, flipping him a double bird, unable to hold back a toothy grin.
Then I turned and ran for it. I heard a low growl behind me and I couldn’t hold it in.
I laughed.
I didn’t know what the fuck was wrong with me.
I just knew that antagonizing a massive predator alien who I already knew would kill multiple people to prove a point brought me a hefty dose of gleeful joy. The adrenaline that raced through my system made me happy.
That didn’t mean I was going to let him catch me.
I lurched to the side, doing another dive roll as his body hit the ground where I had just been. I continued running.
I reached the pole, the one that I’d noticed earlier.
I leaped towards it.
My hands reached up, grabbing as high as I could.
I brought my knees up, my right knee pointing out to the right as I pressed my right shin against the pole, my right foot pressing against the other side.
My left leg whipped around to the back so my calf pressed against it, placing the pole in between a sandwich of shin and calf.
I extended my legs, lifting my hips up in the air as I pulled with my arms.
I climbed, quickly ascending out of Zale’s reach.
The pole was a lot higher than the ones I was used to, but it would work.
I perched near the top and looked down at him.
He stared up at me.
Everyone in the room was staring at me.
My heart pounded in my chest, a small thrill of mania rushing through me. I had an audience. This was an alien species that spoke through a significant amount of body movement.
I couldn’t sing, but I sure for shit could dance.
So I danced.
I hooked one elbow around the pole above my head.
I reached down with my other arm, straightening it as I connected with the pole near my hips.
I pushed out, levering my legs away from the pole and straightening them, sending energy through them.
I began to walk in the air with pointed toes, moving my legs as if I was caressing the air itself.
Then I pushed out harder, using my lats and side body to slowly drift my feet up higher and higher until I was perpendicular with the pole.
I was strong, I was beautiful, and I damn well was going to be asked for my permission before I was hauled around like a sack of potatoes.
I moved from one position to the next, using my years of experience to dance silently with no music.
I slowly made my way down the pole, switching from spinning around it to placing it directly between my legs and rocking down it.
I put sensuality into my movements, making sure that I made them look effortless.
I looked below me as I descended.
Zale had stepped back, his ears no longer flat, his tail no longer lashing. He was giving me space to do my thing. His body was relaxed as he watched me undulate.
His eyes were another matter.
They burned as they looked at me.
When I reached the bottom I didn’t just stop.
I danced around the pole, whipping my hair, cutting the air with my hips as I performed like I was in a world class competition.
I was going to make him understand me.
Finally, I came to a stop in the silence, turning to face him, my heart still pounding in my chest, my breath rapid in my lungs. I held his gaze as I walked towards him. He didn’t reach out to grab me as I grew close. He just waited, perfectly still.
I reached up and gently cupped the side of his face.
“Now you can show me what you want to show me,” I said softly, wishing for all the world I could sing it in his language instead of say it flatly in mine.
I slid my hand down his cheek. I used my thumb to gently wipe some of the blood from his nose before I continued to run my hand down over his jaw, along his neck, over his shoulder and down his arm until I found his own hand.
I wrapped my hand around his, turned and began to walk towards the door.
He came with me.
When we reached the corridor, I turned to him.
I lifted my arms up towards him.
“You can pick me up now,” I said as I bounced on the balls of my feet.
He placed his hands on either side of my waist, his thumbs making small circles over the space to the front of my hip bones, causing a flutter in my lower belly. Then he lifted me up in his arms, holding me carefully rather than chucking me over his shoulder.
Instead of going up, he dropped down one level.
He set me down in a new room.
This one had a small entry room and an open doorway that displayed a wall on the other side of it, a corridor that went to the left, hiding whatever was behind it.
There was a strange, concussive, repetitive sound coming from the opening.