Chapter 53 Trapped
Trapped
Kit/Kat
“Again!” Jasper says as he jumps to his feet.
The fucker has been pinning me to the ground every round with a smirk that grew increasingly infuriating with every failed attempt to win.
He’s not being an asshole to taunt me, though; this time, he’s doing his best to rile me so I fight harder.
I know what he’s doing, and yet I’m still not angry enough to do more than duck a few hits and land a few punches before he gets me.
It doesn’t help that the more we spar, the hotter he looks and my body has told my brain to fuck right off.
I set my feet for another go, gritting my teeth as I reach for the darker parts of me.
It would help a lot if the strength that makes my lioness come out or whatever the fuck happened during that battle would show up to throw some power my way.
Alas, nothing inside of me seems to want to beat the fuck out of the prince.
If you’d told me that even a week ago, I would have laughed in your face, but here we are.
“Use your emotions, but do not let them overtake you, shrimp,” Jasper says as he falls into his stance.
“Thanks for the advice, Emperor Pout-patine,” I mutter as I advance on him.
The jackass is really fast for the biggest demon I know, and like Slash, it’s clear he’s been trained for this since he could walk.
His movements are fluid and easy as he ducks my first punch, and I growl as I dance out of his way when he whirls around.
His tail is a built-in weapon, too, and I have to watch it as much as his fists.
Being struck with it stings like a bitch, even with the non-spiky part.
“Is that a reference? You and those human movies… It’s lost on me, unfortunately.” His smirk deepens as he tries to sweep my leg in the distraction, and I barely escape his maneuver without getting trounced once more. “Oh, very good. Your speed is improving a bit.”
“Yay,” I grunt sarcastically as I watch him, looking for another way to strike. “I’m not slow enough to flatten immediately; how exciting.”
“Tuck your thumb! You’re going to break something.”
Rolling my eyes at his non-response, I do as he says while I circle the ring we’re fighting in.
He set it with his magic so I’d know where the bounds are, but I don’t think anyone I fight in the Games will stick to a set space.
My comment on that was ignored, so I guess he’s working on something specific that I don’t need to know about.
“I’m likely to break something anyway, Jasper.
You’re about fifty million times stronger than me, even when you’re holding back. ”
“I won’t let that happen,” he says as he darts forward, and I have to duck and roll out of the way. “Look at that! You’re learning.”
I get to my feet, my tired body wishing the half hour would be up, but I school my features not to show it. Jasper might give me quarter in this practice, but real enemies will not. I have to focus on pretending this is real. “Isn’t that what this is supposed to be? A lesson?”
Before I can blink, he’s in my space and knocking me to the ground again.
I groan as his huge frame presses me into the field, both out of exhaustion and the pent-up tingling racing through me from these moments where I’ve been shocked to find that I’m definitely not terrified of the dragon holding me down.
Fucking hormones, I swear to shit. I have no idea how people live with this all the time.
“Did I hurt you?” he asks, his eyes going wide as he doesn’t move as usual. The color of his eyes has changed, and there’s a rumble to his voice that is decidedly not normal.
“No, I…” I swallow hard as lovely sensations flood my limbs and my body clenches eagerly.
“Um, no. You didn’t hurt me, I’m…” I can’t seem to finish a sentence as I look up at him while the weight of his heavy-ass dragon-muscled body presses me into the ground.
My pulse spikes and my gut flutters as I lose control of myself entirely—something that usually only happens when I have an attack.
This is not an attack, though, and I’m damn near frozen in place as it grabs hold.
“Shrimp,” he says softly, too softly for the surly asshole who likes to torture me. “I…”
“What a fine display of dedication!”
The funny feelings dissipate like mist on the moors as a loud, booming voice echoes throughout the stadium.
Jasper’s face reflects panic—which I haven’t seen on him before—as he scrambles to his feet.
I’m left dazed and certainly fucking confused by the abrupt switch, sucking in a breath as I work to right the world so I don’t sway when I get up.
The prince, however, is dusting himself off as he stares up at the stands toward what must be the person who spoke.
The panic has morphed into his usual arrogant scowl, and I realize that he’s about to put on a show for our uninvited spectator.
“Major. What a pleasant surprise,” he growls as his tail whips in a way that I know means exactly the opposite of his words. “What brings you to the arena during my private session?”
Holy fuck, that goddamn court dude everyone is so worried about is here!
I push to my feet, willing my body and every part of me to give me the strength to also put on an act for this dangerous motherfucker.
We don’t need him spreading shit to Jasper and Slash’s dads, nor do we need him deciding to monitor me.
I have to be just beige enough for him to ignore me completely in favor of the dragon demon despite my ball of conflicting emotions and bone-weary condition.
“Taking on extra duties to ensure your caliphate is top-notch. Very noble… something your father would find pleasing, no doubt.” The huge soldier stomps down the last rows of the stands to leap over the edge and hit the ground without even flinching. “This is your newest member, I take it.”
Jasper nods, walking over to get his water, and I follow suit like a good little caliphate member.
I assume that mirroring his behavior without the royal attitude is probably safest, and keeping my mouth closed for as long as possible is an even better idea.
I toss back a swig, wiping my mouth on my sleeve as I avert my eyes from the Major.
I hate playing this submissive role to my very core, but I also made a promise, and part of it was to do my best not to bring more shit on our heads if possible.
Whether I’m successful at it depends entirely on how this motherfucker behaves, though.
“We have a duty to perform to the highest of our capabilities in the Games,” Jasper says smoothly. “I work with all of my brothers to refine their talent and develop their weak spots.”
“Do you now?” The Major says as he saunters over.
His casual question sends up a million red flags in my brain, and I turn away from him to ensure that my reaction isn’t visible.
His intonation and gait are supposed to lull us into a false sense of security—of that, I’m certain.
I had foster fathers who played this game when I was very young, and figuring out how to avoid bad consequences when they put on the mask of friendliness was something the kids in those houses learned quickly.
Jasper sends his empty bottle hurtling towards the trash bin, and I know he’s using it to drain off his anger.
Of course, it lands in the damn thing perfectly as if he’s a fucking NBA All-star, but that’s not my worry at the moment.
My concern is the speed of his tail tip, which I can see out of the corner of my eye, and how fast it’s moving as he gets more and more irritated.
“Perhaps I’d enjoy a demonstration of your technique, Your Highness. You’ve been taught by the best fighters in the realm since you were a newly summoned lad, and I would like to see your methods.”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. He can’t say ‘no’, and he won’t be able to hold back as much as he was before.
I turn to look at the two demons, my jaw set as I stand ramrod straight.
“Prince Jasper may request my participation in any training he sees fit.” That hurt my soul; I hate appearing to be a spineless sycophant, especially for a dickweasel like this.
But I know by the look in Jasper’s eyes that he’s trapped, and we won’t be able to fly under the radar if he refuses.
I’ll have to let him do this to keep the caliphate’s cover, and there’s nothing either of us can do to stop it.
“Of course, Major,” Jasper replies as he moves back into our circle slowly. His entire body radiates tension as I watch him set his stance, and I know to the bottom of my soul that this is going to trigger the fuck out of me no matter how hard he tries to prevent that.
But I can’t show it, and I have to perform well enough to seem like I’m not the weakest link—no pressure here on day one of training.
Walking into the circle, I pause at the edge to close my eyes.
The guys have encouraged me consistently to talk to my animal, talk to my magic, and to reason with it as I do my emotions when I’m having issues.
That’s worked occasionally, and with varied results that are not predictable.
But right now, I need those parts of me that I do not have full control over to listen in a way that they never have before.
They have to help me get through this goddamn demo while dancing in a field of landmines that affect all of my men.
So I dig as deeply as I can inside my mind, my heart, my soul, and even the colorful stains within me to plead for that aid.
I beg them to give me enough strength and stamina to make a very mid showing so this shithead goes away.
Then I open my eyes and walk to the center of the ring, dropping into position.
Jasper’s eyes are dark, swirling with colors that have to be both his dragon and his demon.
I don’t think any part of him wants to do this, and he’s fighting like hell to keep that a secret from our spectator.
His fists are high as he looks me in the eye, and within seconds, we’ve both made a move.
He is faster, but I dodge it—barely. I move away from him again, using the distance to see if I can catch telegraphed moves like he taught me, but Jasper can’t level himself down like he did before.
The first blow rocks my socks off, sending me staggering until I bounce off the barrier the circle creates.
My bell is rung, but I focus on the demon circling, not the fucking birdies around my head as I get back into the game.
He gave me enough time to reset by slowing down a fraction after the punch, but that’s about as much leeway as he can get away with, I think.
Moving quickly, I run forward, sliding under his arm as he strikes and grabbing an ankle as I go past.
It makes him stumble, but he catches himself easily and whips around. I’m not nearly as fast getting to my feet as he is, so it leaves me at a disadvantage that has him on me within seconds. I’m pinned and up looking at him, my frame trembling with both fear and fury at the situation we’re in.
“Oh, that was too easy, Jasper! Let him up and go again. The boy is weak, and he’s going to get you killed.”
The smug taunt from the Major is the last damn thing I hear before blood rushes to my ears and I feel the sensation of losing control again, but this time, it’s not my pussy getting overly excited.
No, now I’m filled with a rage so deep that it coats my insides with sludge as it races through me, and I know that without a doubt, something terrible is going to happen.
I try to fight it, but there’s nothing I can reach for, nothing I can hold on to in my mind or body—it’s like I’m completely detached from it all.
This is awful, and I have no way of stopping it; I can only watch from a distance in abject horror.