Chapter 10 #3
I blink… and then attack. I hook his ankle, rotating my hips as I haul him over me.
He hits hard, the mat thudding under his back.
I blink rapidly, fighting the red begging to cover me.
He just lies there, crossing his arms behind his head and looking up at me as if he’s satisfied.
“You recover faster from attacks than kindness,” he chuckles.
I don’t answer. He’s not wrong. I throw my hand out to him, hoisting him to his feet.
Across the room, Jasper stands watching. Nina throws jab after jab into his padded vest, his feet sliding backward as he stares.
From the bench, a slow clap echoes off the walls. “Cute.” Greer laughs.
Nyx ignores her, unwrapping his hands.
She leans back against the wall, crossing her ankles. “Flossie getting special treatment?”
I roll my eyes and walk over to check the time. This clearly only bothers her more.
Greer calls out across the gym, “Nina, why don’t you give her a go?”
I shake my head. “We fly soon. Not today.”
Greer doesn’t look at me, only at Nina. “One round. No ego. C’mon, Nina, don’t tell me you’re not curious.”
Nina shrugs. “Up to you Florence.”
I suppress a sigh. Greer didn’t pick Nina by accident. The women of Greyline don’t make a habit of fighting each other because bonds are harder to heal than bruises. Nina’s a close friend, and the last thing either of us wants is a scorecard between us.
I eye Greer, waiting for her to look at me.
But she only flashes a catlike smile, plopping back down on the bench, and nods.
I roll my shoulders, stepping back to the mat.
Nina swings her elbows back, a faint crack popping from her neck.
We face each other and the room quiets. Even Bear stops moving.
She doesn’t look aggressive as she grins, just certain.
Her stance is low and balanced, weight shifting over her hips, legs planted like she could root the floor.
I already know her strength is in her lower body.
We circle barefoot across the mat, my eyes flashing to her hips subtly so she doesn’t catch the observation.
People think fights start with hands. They don’t.
They start with weight transfer. Her shoulders twitch, not with a strike, but with preparation.
My body moves before I can consciously decide to; I shift left as her leg snaps upward.
Her kick cuts through the space with a whoosh, where my ribs had been seconds earlier.
I step in, distance being safety against someone with stamina like Nina. I reach for her wrist as her knee drives forward. I barely catch her thigh with my forearm, the impact jarring my arm numb. She uses the contact to push me back across the mat. Her grin is growing now. Testing. Good.
Nina lunges forward, a sweeping kick aimed low.
I hop it, but she chains the motion into a spinning back kick, her weight unloading into her front foot before she turns.
I drop instead of retreating, her heel passing just inches above my shoulder.
I move back inside her range, grabbing for a takedown.
Nina widens her stance instantly, not budging.
It’s like trying to move a tree. Her hands catch my shoulder as she attempts to throw me off balance.
I roll with it instead of resisting, sliding past her.
She’s used to someone who fights back, not someone who uses her own strength against her.
And I can feel it eating her alive as she growls in my ear.
We break apart, chests heaving. My pulse kicks up with focus as we circle.
Nina attacks again, sending a direct side kick toward my abdomen.
But I spotted the tension in her flex a fraction before her foot left the floor.
Once an opponent becomes frustrated, their body begins to reveal their next move before even deciding on it.
They become sloppy and predictable. I pivot and trap her leg at my side, using her own momentum.
She reacts instantly, her hands reaching to counter, just as I anticipated.
I don’t try to throw her. I turn with her movement, redirecting her balance point.
I swiftly step behind her planted foot, rotating my own hips.
The center of gravity instantly betrays her.
The mat catches her back as a whoosh of air bursts from her throat.
I cringe inwardly as she lies there. Nina breathes hard, propping herself on her elbows.
She stares at me with a different expression than normal… not irritation, but recognition.
I offer my hand, noting the grin returning to her face as she grabs on, pulling herself up. “Good thing I’m on your side on the field.” She laughs.
I chuckle. “Ditto.”
Behind her, Greer’s jaw tightens. Jasper exhales beside her, his shoulders drooping. Across the mat, Nyx hasn’t moved. Greer huffs, flipping her phone open and jolts through the doors.
And Bear, leaning against the wall, gives me one approving nod. I pause, waiting for his commentary. But he turns back to the security guard on the mat. “That’s all today. Thanks man,” he says.
“Time to go?” Jasper asks.
Nyx nods, yanking his gloves off.