I took his hand as he levered me up, and his eyes flashed some more. So different from Matt’s emerald but rather engaging, nevertheless. They gleamed at me as he held onto my hand for a second longer than necessary—and then dropped it like it had scalded him.
What was up with that? I resumed my circling, a bit confused but determined to succeed.
He came at me too fast for me to process at all. With a fluidity I would have considered well beyond me, I ducked beneath both arms, pressed my shoulder into his chest, and tucked my head down. I held his torso with both hands, and as I let his momentum twist me, I hooked my leg behind his.
And took him down.
He lay there and blinked, and then laughed. I offered him a hand to help him up, but he waved me off and rolled fluidly to his feet.
It was my only true victory, but I’d learned something vital—that my body did know what to do. If I could shut off my brain, I might just stand a chance in this class.
By the time the bell finally rang, I had sand in places I’d rather not think about. But my spirit sang. I’d glimpsed a piece of myself I had no idea existed.
Neil shook the grit from his hair. He was standing well away from me, and his eyes flickered back and forth between pale brown and gold, as though his beast was in chaos. Even his voice was rough-edged as he gave his assessment. “You’ve got some solid basics. I’d say you’ve had good training. You’re rusty as hell, but martial arts, and not just one kind, either, from what I can see. Your footwork, when your brain doesn’t interfere, is excellent.”
Huh.Maybe throwing that feral Dire hadn’t been a fluke. “It didn’t stop you from burying me.” I shook more sand out of my tee shirt.
He rubbed his big hand over his face, but he managed a smile. “You did great. Better, I’m sure, than a lot of these dudes. They are too used to sprouting claws.”
“Thanks,” I said, as he moved off. With a lighter heart, I dragged my sand-encrusted self into the building and up the stairs to retrieve an equally disgusting Trix from Kitani.
At some point, she, and presumably the twins, had discovered a mudhole.
“They had a blast,” the Sabre said with a smile. “The girls are scrubbed and out cold. I was about to put her in the tub, too. I should be paying you for her services.”
I laughed and dragged my tired, muddy dog to lunch.
It was, overall, a pretty filthy, bruised, and disconsolate group in the cafeteria. Darius didn’t show, and he’d kept Aaron with him.
“Licking his wounds,” Matt said with a smirk when asked about the alpha. “Cody handed him his furry ass. Then threw him out of class for sprouting claws.”
I grimaced. “I suppose it’s wishful thinking that he’ll toss him out of the academy altogether.”
“Money buys privilege,” Talakai rumbled from beside me as he shoveled in another mouthful. I glanced at him, and his eyes gleamed at me. My heart stopped, and then thudded hard, until he looked back down to his meal.
Thanks to a morning physically exerting ourselves, the cafeteria air was rather redolent. But although I—and the other humanoid types—reeked like humans, the shifters smelled more animal. A heavy, musky scent, but not particularly unpleasant.
Talakai’s was overlaid with a slight metallic tang that caused my heart to flutter. Matt sat in his usual spot across from me, and the occasional whiff I got of him was hardly doing my pumper any good, either. Despite her efforts and her nighttime eruptions, Mari remained basically odorless on my other side.
Just as well—my nose needed a break. Perhaps I should suggest they give us time to shower before lunch...
Talakai’s arm brushed mine whenever he took a forkful. It was like touching steel. Instead of gaping at him, I struck up a conversation.
“Who did they team you up with?” I asked him.
Matt snorted and answered from across the table. “Me.”
I looked between the two of them, surprised. “And... How did that go?”
“Adequate,” Talakai said.
“Bloke’s slippery as an eel,” Matt replied to me. Then, to the Dragon. “Didn’t expect that—you’re so bleedin’ big, mate. Don’t think I’d want to face you in the cage.”
Talakai merely shrugged.
“I thought they’d put you against that other Dragon,” I remarked.
He waved his fork toward the silent form on the other side of me. “Tyrez was teaching her that even a giant can hit the dirt.”
