Laurel had never cared for Nancy, but after the fallout the two of them had together, she stayed as far away from her as possible. Nathan even promised to keep her out of the Academy, just so she would feel safe to and from the house. If she knew that his promised was anywhere around, Laurel wanted to go the other way. She might be equal to her in some ways, but in others she wasn’t.
Laurel had never been especially vicious and Nancy seemed to be an old pro. Laurel wasn’t used to such encounters and wanted to avoid them. Nancy was from a good and prominent family, respected. Laurel had no idea where she was from or what sort of blood ran through her. She had already learned that it mattered more to shifters.
Nathan had told her that morning that the training room that they usually used, was going to be full of last-year fighting. They had some sort of tournament going on that they did every year, and they were going to have to do their practice in his office. Laurel was pretty sure that it was his private office, and even though she still stayed there, there was still a part of her that felt more comfortable when she was at the Academy, surrounded by people.
Nancy was crazy and legitimately wanted to kill her, but Nathan scared her just as much, if not more. He was the one she wanted but couldn't have, and that bothered her more than she liked to admit. No woman liked to be told that they couldn’t have a man, especially by such a horrid woman. It almost brought up feelings of spite that she had to fight against.
Being around him made it more and more difficult for her to remember that he was already taken. That she couldn't have him. He was always promised to somebody else and that somebody else wanted her dead. The last thing she should be thinking about was getting with him, but of course, when they were together, it was all she could ponder on, with a smile no less.
Laurel tried not to think about it. It was all so uncouth, anyway. He was already promised to another. Why couldn't she get that through her head? Then she wouldn't have to worry about any of it because he wasn't hers. He would never be hers.
That was the last thing running through her mind as she knocked on the door. He heard her and told her to come in. Even as she was telling herself that she would not think about him in that way, as soon as she went through the door and saw him smile, she knew that there was nothing else that could be done. How could she just turn it off? Nathan was sexy and had sparkling eyes that made her shiver inside.
“I told you that you didn’t have to knock Laurel. You live here, too.”
“I know, it’s just...”
“Never mind. It's good to see you.”
“It's good to see you, too.”
He had paperwork all over the place, and she asked him if he would like her to come back later or to postpone it. It looked like he had his hands full and Laurel felt ready to take on the world. She hadn’t been training long, but as she got a handle on her powers, Laurel realized how strong she was. It almost made her feel like nothing was going to get in her way. Nothing and no one.
“Are you trying to get out of training, Laurel? Are you sore from all the new activities?”
“Nothing like that. I don’t want to give up a training session with you, but I see that you have a lot on your plate. I don't want to take up all your time. I am sure you have better things to do than help me.”
“I would much rather give you my time, Laurel, than to give it to somebody else. Anybody else, really. Don’t you know that by now?”
She was a bit shy after he said such a thing. Laurel didn't know how to respond and there wasn't much time to, anyway. The next thing she knew, he was coming at her as if he was going to attack her. She learned quickly that Nathan did not believe in normal types of training. He believed that she had to be ready to fight at any moment. It sounded good in theory, but in practice, it was absolutely exhausting. He was constantly charging her, jumping her, and she always had to be on the lookout. Sometimes it occurred during dinner, not just when they were training. He was strong, and she could appreciate how much so when they were having these little battles and she had to watch out or he would knock her out.
She blocked the punch that was coming toward her head, but she was not able to stop the sweep of his feet that took the ground out from underneath her. Laurel tried not to make a surprised sound, but she couldn't help it. She hit the ground so hard that her breath was knocked out of her and she groaned out loud.
And then he was done. He backed up and gave her space. She was trying to catch her breath, and he had a big grin on his face.
“I see that you're not listening.”
“Maybe I would just like a hello before you attack me? Did you ever think of that? This is not the usual way that men treat me. It’s hard to adapt.”
He agreed. “Of course, I have thought that, but it doesn't mean that I'm going to lay off of you. I have thought about it, but you need to learn more, do more, before you let your guard down.”
It was another irritating answer that he had. Nathan was smart and it always made his idea look like the best one. She was trying to catch her breath from the take down, and he was telling her how she needed it. Laurel didn’t feel like it was necessary. At least it helped to temper her ardor. Now she wasn’t thinking about him in such a naughty way. She would have much rather slapped him than done anything else with him.
“I was hoping that we would do less fighting and more flying. You keep promising me that you'll take me out for a flying lesson. Why can't we do it today? Let’s not knock me over any more today. Let’s go be free and fly. Doesn’t that sound good?”
He surprised her with a chuckle, instead of the denial that she had been so sure she was going to receive.
“Well, I guess you're right. I guess I have kicked your ass enough today. We have to take a little bit of a walk before we shift. Since you’re a student now, I don't want to break the rules and make it seem like I’m giving you special treatment.”
Laurel just kind of looked at him for a moment and grinned a little wider than before.
“From what I hear, the men in this Academy seem to love the students here. Especially the men in power.”
That got her a fiery look from Nathan, and Laurel had to pull her eyes from his gaze. They were just too intense, and she couldn't hold them for very long. No one had to ask him what was going through his mind. It was pretty obvious by the hunger that she saw in his.
Suddenly, she was wondering if it was a bad idea. How was she ever going to get over him if he kept looking at her like that?
Chapter 11
