Chapter 10 #2
“You look like you want to punch something,” Lionel noted, studying me. He wasn’t wrong, I felt like I had some steam to blow. Lionel helped me prepare, placing bandages over my knuckles to prevent me from damaging my hands.
“Normally, I’d taunt you or offer some bad jokes to make you angry, but it seems you’re good to go?” Lionel flashed a smile, leaning towards the wall beside me. I gave him a quick glance, before I readied myself and smashed my fist into the heavy bag.
“Oh come on, it will all be forgotten soon enough.”
“Yeah?” I snapped. “That I killed a squadmate on the first mission, or that I was put in a cell by the Lieutenant himself? Either is kind of hard to forget.” I gave the sack a couple of hits, before swinging a kick into the rotation.
“She was a mage,” his voice was firm, like he was trying to persuade me. “No one is thinking that you killed her in cold blood.”
“See, that’s the problem.” I clenched my teeth.
“I didn’t kill her.” And why hadn’t I? She was a mage, the very thing our organization hunted, the beings we had to defeat in order to not let any more demons into our world.
Or at least that was what had been decided, and for a split second, I questioned it.
Why weren’t we able to team up with the mages against the demons?
Stupid moment to freeze up like that, if it hadn’t been for Malakai…
she might’ve killed me instead. I focused all the power I had in my right hand against the bag, and at impact something burned against my skin.
“Shit,” I hissed, trying to shrug it off. Glancing at my hand, there was no visible wound, but I was sure it had felt like a cut or a slight burn.
“Look,” Lionel cut through. “In their eyes, you were able to do exactly what was expected of you. What’s wrong with that?”
“That I didn’t get my cookie,” I muttered, giving him a teasing stare.
He burst into laughter. “Yeah, I promised you one, didn’t I? Alright, beat me in a sparring round and I’ll bake it myself.” He flashed a daring smile and I snorted at him.
“If you don’t, I will,” a panting Ashley joined behind me, looking back and forth between us. “I love cookies.”
“The more the merrier,” Lionel shrugged, throwing his arm around me in a hooking grip and pulled me along.
“Have you heard… anything from Nate and Mey?” I asked, peeking at Ashley.
“They keep to themselves while training,” she explained, nothing in her expression told me that she was trying to sugarcoat it either. “I told them about Carolyn… what she was.”
“Oh.” It was all I was capable of answering, as we strolled out of the room.
“They’re on your side too,” she smiled easily. “Also kind of explained why you almost cut the Lieutenant’s head off.”
“You did what!?” Lionel shouted, right into my ear.
“I told you, he framed me,” I mumbled, glaring at him.
“Oh, I’m sorry, do you want a silver plate to go with his head?” he asked, sarcasm filling each and every word. “What were you thinking!?”
“He pissed me off.”
“In other words, she was thinking with her dagger, not her head,” Ashley added, and I simply nodded in agreement.
Lionel grunted at us. “You should be thankful that he only placed you in a cell.”
Once we stepped outside on the western side of the base, wide-open spaces allowed for joint exercises, lots of people gathered to spar against one another. My eyes squinted at the sight of sunlight, being inside for so long had apparently affected me in more ways than one.
My eyes landed on two figures standing at the shooting range, along one of the outer walls of the sparring area. Nate and Mey were target practicing together.
“Hey, Mey. How are you feeling today?” Ashley shouted, echoing over the field.
They jumped, before slowly turning towards us, both of them with a thick annoyed line on their foreheads. When their eyes landed on me, they went still and then they smiled faintly, followed by waving hands.
I felt like I was shining all of a sudden, with the corners of my mouth twitching eagerly to respond with a smile.
“I’ll go check up on them, you start without me.” Ashley instructed us. “And you better win those cookies, or I’ll never forgive you.”
“Sure,” I chuckled at her.
“You sound a bit too confident,” Lionel huffed, releasing his grip around me as we strolled out on the open yard. There was no grass left except for the corners, dirt and mud conquered the middle. The barbed wire that stretched around the area almost made it feel like a pasture for animals.
“Can I have this dance, Miss Deering?” Lionel interrupted my thoughts, as he teased me with a bow and a mocking grin on his face.
“I hate you, mister Lambkin,” I sighed, raising my balled hands.
“You adore me,” he scoffed.
I swung my fist at him, but he side-stepped easily to avoid it. To prevent him from finding an opportunity, I swung the other way with my leg and he caught my calf in the middle of the air.
“Watch it,” he barked, shoving me backwards. I fought to keep my balance.
Lionel came with his curled hand from the side, but I put my arms up to defend my head in time.
He took a step forward, coming at me again, but I danced to the side, brushing my arm against his, before I sent an elbow into his side.
He coughed slightly before his foot slipped around mine and toppled me.
Before I reached the ground my hands caught me. I rolled around and threw myself up on my feet again.
“That was a dirty trick,” I pointed out, sending him a glare.
“It got the job done,” he flashed a smile, making me hesitate in my movement.
I sprinted towards him, sending a flurry of attacks against him, but we were too synchronized, too familiar with each other’s fighting-style. He deflected all of them, quick and easy, and I stopped him from making any progress in return.
“A sniper going easy on someone? That’s a first.”
The voice sliced through our spar like a blade.
Lionel stiffened, then snapped his hand to his temple. “Sir.”
Shit.
I turned, meeting those blazing red eyes. My jaw tightened before I could stop myself.
Malakai smirked, savoring it. “Kitten.”
My body moved on instinct, I stepped forward, fists curling, until a hand clamped around my wrist. Lionel, holding me back.
“Stop calling me that,” I ground out between my teeth.
“Then prove you can do more than hiss.” The Lieutenant’s brow arched, taunting. “Or leave,” he added, before he strode past us.
I burned holes into his back with my glare, watching him survey the sparring grounds like he owned the place. Which I guess, he technically did? When I finally turned back to Lionel, heat still boiled in my chest.
“You should’ve let me hit him. Just once.”
“And get you thrown in the cell again?” His voice was sharp now, colder than before. “Not happening.”
I exhaled hard, irritation crawling under my skin like fire. “Again.”
And before Lionel could protest, I lunged at him.
He was caught off guard, reacting too slowly, as I got a hit in against his abdomen. A low grunt, before he steadied himself, blocking my next strike.
My blood felt as if it was on fire, and with it my pace quickened, my body was working on its own.
A strike to his head, Lionel blocked, I swept to the side, jumping for a blow from above. He ducked and caught my fist in his hands. Our eyes locked and he looked surprised, as if he hadn’t seen me like this.
My fury.
He curved his arms in, taking a defensive position, watching me like a hawk.
It didn’t matter, I had no pattern. I took a step closer, earning a reaction from him, but I squatted down and swung my leg out, kicking his feet off the ground.
He stumbled, but successfully regained his balance just in time for my foot to kick him in his chest, tipping him over.
Lionel landed on his ass, looking up at me with wide eyes. I came flying down for one last hit, but he caught it and pulled me down with him.
I struggled against his grip, but when his other hand found my forehead, I froze.
“Do you have a fever?” he asked confused, searching my face.
I panted, releasing the rage that had taken over me. “No.”
“You’re burning up,” he pushed on, worrying conquering his calm.
I brushed his hand off and retreated from him. “I’m fine.” There was no time for sickness, I wouldn’t allow myself that.
Lionel stood up, chasing after me. “Ethalyn—”
“Really, I’m fine.”
His mouth closed, jaw tensing as if wanting to argue, but he kept quiet. Instead he stared, until guilt found its way into me.
Gods, why did he have that effect on me?
I averted my gaze, but instead it collided with those scarlet ones, cold as ice. Malakai was staring at me from across the courtyard as if I was his next kill.