I turned and found Lachlan’s gaze first, and he gave me a reassuring smile. Damien tilted his head and licked his piercing. Calmness washed through our bond, and I swallowed hard before turning back to face Coach Simmons.
“Ready when you are,” he told me.
I stepped forward and threw my hand out to hit his chest, because he’d said I needed to land a hit and that was it, but he’d dodged it. I reached out again, but he simply stepped out of the way.
A small growl left my throat before I balled my fist up and drove it toward him, but he’d jumped back at the last minute, and I stumbled forward.
“Good attempts,” he stated, a genuine smile taking over his face, and he turned to face the class. “Now, you see that even with her speed, she was unable to hit me. That’s because her form was off, and she wasn’t using all of her abilities.”
A few in the class snickered, and Damien’s anger shot through the bond. I clasped my hands together and glanced down at them with a sigh.
“There’s no need for that. I’m sure most of you would’ve done the same,” Simmons said in a dry voice. “Foxes, in particular, have a weaker strength than some of our fellow shifters. However, we have stealth-advantages. Wren, when you’re going on offense, the best opportunity you have is to catch someone off guard, then attack fast and swiftly. What is your other power?”
“She doesn’t have one!” Nate answered from somewhere in the room before cursing under his breath in pain.
Anger and satisfaction trickled through the bond, and I knew Damien had hurt him.
Simmons′ brows raised, but he didn’t comment. He waited for me to answer.
“I have a shadow tendril that I’m learning to control.” My voice cracked.
“Ah, a shadow demon mate?” He asked, holding his palm up to show a dark swirl.
My lips parted, and I shifted my gaze back and forth from his palm to his face. “You’re mated to one too?”
He smiled, love shining brightly in his eyes. “Yes. For thirty years now.”
My heart swelled, and I glanced back at Damien who winked at me. “That’s wonderful.”
“The tendril is its own energy, and it’s tied to your mate. You can’t consciously control it, but you can tell it what you desire. The tendril can also feel, taste, or smell for you, if you desire it,” he explained before clearing his throat. “We will have to set a time after class to speak more about this, as it will be your most effective offense move.”
I nodded eagerly, and he waved me on to go back to the group. I practically ran back between Damien and Lachlan, thankful the stares were gone.
“Don’t waste your time striking with an attack you know may fail. Attack with your strongest attack. Use your powers.” Simmons’ voice boomed. “This is war, and war isn’t fought fairly.”
Coach Simmons had us split into pairs to practice any attack we knew on each other. He wanted us to focus on dodging or blocking them so he could see where we stood in our skills before teaching us. To my surprise, Damien rushed over to pair with Nate, shooting me an innocent smile as he did so.
Lachlan chuckled beside me. “You know, he’s just pairing with Nate because of what he said during Simmons’ little lecture.”
“I figured.” I just hoped he didn’t get too out of control about it. He has tried to kill him several times, and Nate was still provoking him despite that.
Lachlan placed his hand on the small of my back and led me over next to the wall, where there weren’t many students. “Can’t complain about it. The asshole gets taught a lesson, and I get some alone time with you.”
I kicked off my shoes and let my bare feet sink into the snow. “We don’t get much of that, do we?”
“Nope.” He grinned, and a smile tugged at my lips.
Lachlan made me feel so good, and it was so fun to play around with him. “Now, do you want to try your shadow?”
My blood ran cold as he mentioned it. I knew this class was supposed to be fighting, but I didn’t want to hurt one of my mates.
My shadow hadn’t sliced into anyone but Damien, but it had smacked and pushed the others. I wasn’t sure what it would do if I used it for the purpose of fighting, especially since everything else that had happened with it was unprovoked.
Lachlan must’ve noticed the fear on my face because he placed two warm hands on my shoulders. “Come on, Wren. You’re not going to hurt me. I’m stronger than you think.”
“I know you’re strong, but the problem is I can’t control it… What if I lose control of it, and it hurts you? Damien’s shadows have decapitated people! What if my shadow can do the same? Actually, I’m pretty sure it can,” I whined, pushing my hands through the sides of my hair.
Lachlan pursed his lips and tilted his head, his brown locks falling into his eyes before he brushed them away. “That’s a good point, but I don’t think you would do that, and I don’t think your shadow would do that either. I am going to be your mate, after all. Right?”
