He didn’t sound particularly upset at the thought, and I decided his was an excellent outlook on life in general.
“I’ve gotta get Trix,” I said, heading for the staff entrance. When they followed me, I turned to him. “Could you teach me a few fighting moves?”
He stared at me, and it surprised me that he appeared dismayed at the prospect. “I can’t teach you how to fight in one session,” he grumbled.
“Just a few moves,” I pleaded. “So that I don’t look like a complete idiot during the assessment.”
“I think people that fight are complete idiots,” Mari stated as we pushed through the staff entrance.
Matt tweaked a brow at her. “I love fighting. And I am not an idiot.” He sounded more amused than annoyed.
“Which makes you the perfect person to teach me,” I said.
His mouth opened, and then shut again.
Mari tilted her broad head. “Not everyone who can do, can teach,” she stated.
He rolled his eyes. “Strewth. How can I say no after a challenge like that?”
“Exactly,” I said with no small degree of triumph, and knocked on the Sabre’s door.
25
Matt
This was a really bad idea. But I had never been able to resist a bloody challenge.
That it had been rather sarcastic only added to my determination to see this through. But still—that didn’t mean it was a good idea.
Not at all.
Surely, however, I could show Anna a few fightin’ moves. Enough that she’d feel a little more confident going into tomorrow’s evaluation.
After we’d collected Anna’s dog, I led us back toward the coliseum, where they were doing the assessments.
“Do you think we can watch?” I asked.
Anna pointed to the hand-written sign on the door. “Participants only.”
“Well, we’re participants,” I rebutted.
Mari’s orange eyes regarded me. “Why do you want to watch?”
I shrugged. “I’m nosy.” I’d also hoped I could get away with pointing out things rather than actually doing them. Anna rolled her eyes and led us away, her dog trotting along on her string. I followed them and Mari out to the back field. Where she selected a corner not occupied by the shifter-blokes playing their game.
Mari took Trix’s string while Anna faced up to me. “What do I do?”
Where to begin? Circles. That sounded good. I twirled my hand in a circular motion. “Circlin’ your opponent allows you to assess certain things about them.”
She obediently started walking, her eyes on me, while I did my best to ignore just how damned sexy she looked in black.
Meanwhile, Mari sat herself down against the fence, tied the dog to her foot, and adopted a lotus position with her huge square hands facing upward on her knees.
It almost stopped me cold. “Are you seriously meditating?”
The ogress closed her eyes. “Yes.”
I shook my head and focused on Anna. On her eyes, andnoton the way her breasts moved beneath her shirt, or the sway of her hips, or the way her butt filled out the leggings that clung... Or, for that matter, the delicious scent that the wind carried to me.
