“Again?”
“Thorne needs to heal him.” He nods, but there’s a glint of uncertainty in his eyes. Before he can say a single word, I beat him to it. “You brought him here, Rion. Deal with it.”
I slam my bedroom door shut behind me and dart into the bathroom, making quick work ofshowering, ensuring I rid every inch of blood from my body. Satisfied, I wrap a towel around my waist and hurry to change, having no desire to keep Elodie waiting when I know she could very easily change her mind.
She’s held me at arm’s length for long enough.
Switching out my towel for a pair of black boxer shorts, I shrug on a pair of black shorts and a fitted gray tee before reaching for my sneakers and socks. I’m tying the final lace when a knock sounds from the hallway door.
I rush to my feet, but by the time I make it to my bedroom door, Rion’s already swinging it open to reveal Elodie on the other side.
“Petal, want to hang out?” he asks, sweeping his arm out for her to come inside, but she shakes her head, spying me over his shoulder.
“I’m training with that guy.”
My eyes narrow. I don’t like being referred to asthat guyby her of all people, but I brush it off, attempting not to piss her off before we even leave the room.
Rion glances over his shoulder at me, a frown furrowing his brows as he turns his attention back to her.
“Training? You could have asked me,” heinsists, rubbing a hand at the back of his neck, and she shakes her head.
“You would be too distracting,” she admits, her cheeks turning a slight shade of pink as Rion snickers, his hand finding its way to her waist.
“Yeah, I would.”
I can be distracting too if I want to be, but she’s right; I’ll take this seriously compared to him, and if that’s what she needs, I’m more than willing to provide it.
Eliminating the distance between us, I roll my shoulders back as I grin. “Don’t worry, Princess. I’ll make you sweat just as hard.”
“You’re mad at me.”
She shakes her head, but I know the truth. I felt it in the silence between us as we used the interior stairs to get to the gym. I sensed it in her stilted conversation, and it’s only been solidified by the lack of eye contact and the force behind her punches when she thinks she might actually make contact with me.
“I’m not,” she grumbles, tapping the cushions of her boxing gloves together instead of looking at me, and I sigh.
“You are, I just can’t figure out why,” I admit, and I think that’s what’s pissing me off more. I hate not knowing. I’m not bothered if she’s mad. She’s been angry at me before, yet she’s still here, choosing me to help her.
She shrugs, taking another hefty swing for the pads in my palms, but her frustration takes away from the accuracy of the move and the positioning I’m trying to teach her.
“Keep your elbow tight, we want to be directing your strength from here, not there,” I direct, pointing to where I mean, and she nods, trying the move again, and with a deep breath and a little more focus, she does a lot better. “Good. Go again,” I murmur, encouraging her to jab at the pads, alternating between each hand for a few moments before I reapproach the subject. “So, why are you mad?”
“Why do you care?” she replies with a huff as a curl of purple hair falls around her face, having worked its way loose from the hair tie securing the rest back off her face.
“I don’t,” I mutter, the lie clear as she rolls her eyes, but she’s driving me insane too. This isn’t just a one-way street. “You’re exhausting,” I grumble, and she scoffs, the sound hollow as she lands two hits before she speaks again.
“Probably not as much as Willow, though, right?”
My eyebrows furrow in confusion. “Willow? What the hell does she have to do with anything?”
Another shrug, but no answer, making my frown deepen as I try to figure out why the hell she’s bringing up that bitch. The last time I spoke to her was…
“Is this about The Hut?” I ask, my hands dropping slightly, which seems to entice her to swing harder, and I quickly lift them back into position to defend myself from her punch.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she mutters, but the bite is thick in her tone.
“So it is about The Hut,” I confirm, and she finally drags her gaze to mine.
“Can we just train?” she grumbles, throwing a few more punches, each one stronger than the last, but the precision is much better.
