I shake my head. I should’ve thought it was odd that Krav Maga was being offered. Instead, I just thought it was rich people and their shit.
“Of course you did,” I retort, pausing to catch my breath “I’ll be ready.”
“That’s my girl,” Dad says, then walks out of my room.
Groaning, I throw myself back onto my bed. I guess I’ll be practicing before the game tomorrow night.
42
ARIAH
“Higher,” Mikhael barks, easily tapping my shoulder.
We’d been at this for almost an hour now.
“Have you been training at all?” he asks, walking around me and checking my stance.
Does he think I was just home sitting on my ass? “I was kinda busy being kidnapped, asshole,” I snap, dropping my hands to my side.
His leg sweeps out, clipping me behind my ankles, and I land on my back.
“Fuck,” I shout.
“You’re not thinking with your head,” he tuts, pointing to his temple. “Never lead with emotion or anger. You know this. Get up and do it again.”
Mikhael walks around my prone form, giving me only seconds to ready myself before he’s on the attack again.
His foot lifts, slamming it down. “Your attacker won’t wait for you to get your bearings.”
I roll out from under the pending stomp of his boot into a backward shoulder roll and pivot, rearing my fist back for a kidney shot. Mikhael grunts but aims his elbow out, preparing to hit my nose. I duck, avoiding the shot, and uppercut his chin. He sails back and kips-up as I move in on offense.
“Better,” he says, wiping the blood from his chin.
My fists are up as I reposition my fighting stance. “I might have been out of commission, but I didn’t suddenly forget everyth—.” My words are cut off when an arm hooks around my throat and locks in.
“Always check your surroundings and never expect your opponent to fight f—,” an unknown gruff voice starts to whisper in my ear, but I’m already stepping back with my left foot and tucking my chin toward my chest as I slightly twist my head and body to the right, setting my feet. Then my hands quickly snap up to my shoulders to build momentum before I bring my right hand down, swinging my open palm directly into his groin. The mystery man grunts, leaning forward with me as I bend, allowing me enough leverage to bring my right elbow up and slam it into his throat. The stranger lets out a sharp groan as his hands fall from my throat as I pivot my right foot back into my fighting stance.
“Excellent,” I hear my father say, but I don’t dare look. I just continue to bounce on the balls of my feet.
I watch as Mikhael gives the signal that the round is over. I don’t lower my guard until I’m at the edge of the mat by my towel and water bottle. I only drop my hands to my sides when I know we’re really taking a break. As I drink my water, I take in the man still holding his throat and dick on the ground.
“Damn,” the unknown man exclaims between pained gasps, “that’s quite the swing you got there.”
I can’t tell how tall he is in his bent state, but his tousled inky black hair hangs in his russet eyes as he aims his gaze at me.
Turning to my Dad, I ask, “Who’s this?” My tone has an edge to it. I don’t like the idea of someone I don’t know sneaking up on me. However, I’m happy it didn’t trip me up. After the Selection party, the idea of anyone sneaking up behind me like that makes me edgy.
Dad shakes his head, then responds, “This is Reign. Mikhael’s younger brother.”
I turn, looking at Reign, then at Mikhael, finally making the connection. They both have the same color eyes and facial features. As Reign gets to his feet, I see he’s over six feet tall.
“Reign’s a senior and will be transferring to LWU for the spring semester,” Mikhael informs me. “He’s going to be one of your sparring partners. After what happened at the party, we need to work on you being surprise attacked more.”
I nod, understanding the importance of the sneak attack immediately. Hopefully, none of these sessions will trigger a panic attack or a flashback. “Okay, are we going again?” I inquire, knowing that I’ll need to wrap this up soon if I want to have enough time to get ready for the guys’ game.
My Dad’s hand rests on my shoulder and squeezes before releasing it. “Let’s go one more round. I know you have to get ready soon.”
I grab a quick sip of my water, towel off the excess sweat, and redo my bun. “All right then. You heard the man. Prepare to get your asses kicked.”
