37
Iconnect my phone to the speakers wired throughout the whole room. Imagine Dragons’ “Believer” fills the room as I walk over to the treadmill and power it up. I choose the run that I want and start a slow jog as the drum beat in the song helps to get my blood flowing. I’m not sure how long I run, but Linkin Park’s “Hit the Floor” is just getting started when it suddenly stops, and the only sound now filling the gym is the whirring of the treadmill track as it moves and the thump of my long stride as my feet connect with the machine. I look over at where my phone is docked to find Bastien leaning against the wall there.
“What are you running from, Bruiser?”
“What makes you think I’m running from something?”
“Because you only run like that when you’re upset. What’s bugging you?”
I turn off the treadmill and wind down my run. When the track stops, I step off and take a moment to catch my breath.
“Take your pick. I’m not even sure if I know anymore, there’s so much to choose from.”
Bastien gives a humorless chuckle and walks towards the black mats in the corner of the room. He picks up some pads designed for punch-kick combos and nods for me to come to him.
“You want to kick the shit out of something?” he teases, and I snort.
“I don’t know Bastien, can you hang with this?” I joke back, and motion down my body.
Bastien takes his time looking me down and back up before his eyes return to mine.
“I think I can hang; I am a paladin conscript after all.”
Bastien puffs out his chest and takes up a defensive stance. He starts calling out punch combos, and I’m impressed to discover that he knows what he’s doing and can keep up. He starts adding in kicks, and we both fall into a rhythm. Me punching and kicking the shit out of the pads, and Bastien calling out different ways to help me release my aggression while he absorbs the hits.
I’m surprised by how easily he falls into sync with me. I haven’t seen the guys in their element, training to be paladin, but I can see that Bastien probably excels at the physical aspects of it. A twinge of guilt shoots through me at the thought that he and the others will probably have to leave that behind, but I shut the guilt down. Just because their training at the Academy stops doesn’t mean training in general stops. We’ll be workingtogetherto become a team of unmatched skill and power.
He calls out a jab, hook, roundhouse combo and I must be going too fast because I realize too late that my roundhouse is about to land on his torso instead of on the pad because it’s not in place yet. My kick lands brutally hard against Bastien’s ribs, and he lets out a pained grunt and crumbles to the floor.
“Fuck! Bastien, I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”
Bastien grunts out a response, but I don’t speak caveman and have no idea what this particular grunt means. I rest a hand against his side and call on my Healing magic pushing it into him. I don’t feel anything broken, but I can feel the deep bruise there as it heals. Bastien lays back against the mats, and I watch his pained face smooth out, and his breathing deepens as his body adjusts to the sudden absence of pain and injury. I crawl towards his head and brush hair back from his face.
“Are you okay? I’m so fucking sorry; I was going too fast!”
He opens his eyes, and I’m relieved to find humor in the hazel depths.
“You know what this means right?”
I look at him confused. “That you can’t hang with this?” I tease.
He cracks up and out of nowhere pounces on me. Bastien declaresretaliationas he pushes me onto my back and blows raspberries against my neck. I squeal and wiggle to get away, tickling his side in an attempt to try and gain the upper hand.
“Can you hang with this?” he mocks, as he tickles me back mercilessly. I try to kick him off of me, but I’m laughing so hard I can barely breathe, and I can’t put much strength behind my efforts to escape.
“Truce!” I half gasp, half squeal until Bastien relents and falls back down on his back chuckling.
We both ride out our giggles, and the room grows silent as we lay side by side.
“Bruiser, why didn’t you tell me about Torrez?”
I turn to my side so I can see Bastien’s face as his question hangs in the air between us. His tone doesn’t give any emotion away, and his face just shows curiosity and not the hurt that I was afraid I might find there.
“I didn’t mean tonotto tell you. There was just so much going on that morning. What happened with him didn’t rise to the top of the priority list; not after Sorik, and the house news, and then Enoch knocking down the door, and all the drama with Pebble’s coven.”
Bastien gives me an understanding nod and falls quiet again. I run my finger across his jawline and begin to trace the beautiful angles of his face absently. He closes his eyes against my touch, and I get lost for a moment in how gorgeous he is. His full lips call to me, and I lean into him and taste them the way that they’re begging to be tasted. He moans deeply into the kiss, and the sound of his pleasure vibrates through me to land right between my thighs. I deepen the kiss, needing more from him, and he answers my demand by pulling me on top of him as he masters my lips and my tongue.
He pulls my shirt up and over my head, forcing his lips from mine, and runs both of his palms up the runes on my ribs. His touch sets my runes ablaze, each caress shoots right to my clit, and I pant out an approving moan at the sensations.
