Dread settled over me. We hadn’t finished our conversation about the creepy vampire cannibal monster, but I already knew I’d be doing whatever the Order of the Void wanted. Homegirl didn’t want to be obliterated, so...
Consider me bait.
SEVEN
I had developed mantras to survive my training with Blaise.
Don’t look at his abs.
Don’t touch him there.
That’s not a bulge. Avert your eyes.
Ignore the tingles when his skin moves against yours.
Don’t think about how sexy his grunts are.
Blaise’s affinity? Fucking telepathy. He could read snippets of my mind when he focuses. Apparently, the sneaky vampire had been doing so all along. This gave him a considerable advantage in a fight, and fighting was something Blaise excelled at even without that perk.
“Focus, Poppy.” Stern gray eyes glowered at me as he pinned my arms above my head and straddled my waist on the black foam surface covering the gym floor. “If I was an abandoned...”
“Dead, I know,” I said in a breathless tone of voice.
He’d given me the same daunting warning every time I fucked up. It was day three of our training together, and I’d noticed a significant improvement in my fighting style.
To be honest, I knew jack-shit about defending myself or fighting three days ago. My problem was evidently putting too much weight on my heels and not the ball of my foot, but I kept fucking that up.
He bent down to where his nose brushed mine. “I keep getting pangs of lust thrown at me, so I know your thoughts are dirty as fuck. I’d be happy to entertain them so we can get back to fighting.”
I swallowed hard. “I think that would definitely clear my head.”
A strained chuckle burst from him, and he drew in a deep breath. His eyes raked up and down my chest and stomach before getting up. “I’d love to go through with that, trust me, but since you’re going to start hunting with us at night, I’d feel better if you knew how to protect yourself.”
I pouted out my lip and grabbed his hand. “I really am trying, okay? I’m just having a difficult time not fantasizing about you when you’re fighting me shirtless in gray sweats.”
He pulled me to my feet. “In real fights, there’s going to be distractions.”
“Not sexy attractions,” I grumbled, and he cocked his head. “Where did you learn to fight like that anyway?”
“It’s a long story.” He crossed his arms. “But if you can pin me for five seconds, I’ll tell you. I won’t even fight back, but you have to catch me.”
“Challenge accepted.”
He arched an eyebrow, not moving until I advanced, throwing my leg under his. I ended up kicking my leg out into the air as he darted to the other side of the room. Tilting his head back, he laughed.
“You’re thinking too much.”
I growled and lunged forward again. My fingertips barely skimmed his shoulder as he stood on the opposite side of the room once again.
“That’s not fair,” I grumbled. “You’re using telepathy.”
“Fights aren’t fair. Not when it’s life or death. Come at me again.” He curled his fingers to gesture.
I huffed, circling him from behind. He was still, not moving a muscle, so I jumped. I aimed to tackle him, but of course, he knew I was coming and dodged—and I smacked right into the floor.
This time, he stood mockingly out of reach. “You’re favoring your heels again.”
I slapped my hands on the rubber mat and pushed myself back to my feet.
