Darkblood Prison - G.K. DeRosa Page 0,49

in the face, but at least I’d grazed his arm this time.

“Not bad.” He quirked a dark brow as he regained his footing. I’d barely managed to flick him off balance with that hit. He curled his index finger and beckoned me over.

I stepped closer, my heartbeats accelerating with every inch. I stopped about three feet away from my surly trainer. With my supernatural senses back, his mountain fresh scent mixed with his natural manly musk was doing crazy things to my insides.

And I needed a clear head for this.

“What?” I crossed my arms over my chest and stared up at him.

He dipped his head and blazing silver irises locked on mine. For a minute, everything else faded away, those mesmerizing orbs consuming all errant thoughts. The minute space between us crackled to life, and the air buzzed with electricity. My heart staggered before picking up its already accelerated pace. I blinked, and the intense haze dissipated.

Talon shook his head, the motion oddly reminding me of Emi’s hell hound, and our gazes unlocked. “Good,” he muttered.

“Huh?”

He stared down at the floor before meeting my eyes once more. “Your pupils—they’re normal. Not demonic oily pits of black.”

“Oh, right.” I pulled my hair down out of the high ponytail and rearranged it into a messy bun. The stoic dragon in front of me tugged on the waistband of his shorts, the awkward silence lingering. Had he felt whatever that sexually charged moment was?

Strangely enough, I was fairly sure it wasn’t only one sided.

“Water break.” Talon spun toward a mini fridge I hadn’t even noticed when we first walked in. He grabbed two bottles and tossed me one, then folded his large frame onto the floor.

Opening the water and taking a long gulp, I followed his lead and settled down by the wall opposite his.

I couldn’t help my eyes drifting up to the bottle pressed against his lips. Water trickled down his scruffy chin, and my tongue ached to lick it off. Geez, Azara, get a grip. Who let the lusty demon out? Ripping my gaze away from my trainer, I scanned the large room. Mats covered half the space, while the remainder was made up of the same stone floor that lined the rest of the prison fortress. A huge shelf lined the far wall, a variety of weights, jump ropes, medicine balls and typical workout equipment littered the shelves. Then on the opposite wall, my eyes landed on not so typical workout equipment—blades of all shapes and sizes, bows, axes, nunchucks and dozens of other sharp or spiked weapons. Things that should definitely not be kept in a prison full of deranged supes. “So what’s up with this mysterious training room and freaky weapons? And more importantly, why do you have access to it?”

“Don’t worry about it, demon. We have our ways and our inside resources. Don’t even think about swiping anything.”

“I think I do need to worry about it. If I’m going to be training with you, I should at least understand what I’m getting into.” I sipped my water, clutching and releasing the bottle so the crunch of plastic echoed across the quiet space.

“The extent of your training is yet to be determined.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and took a few long breaths. This guy really got on my last nerve. Maybe I could convince Logan to work some yoga into my training. Somehow, I doubted the insufferable dragon would be into downward dog. I chuckled at my own joke, out loud, by accident.

“What’s so funny, one thirty-eight?”

My brows slammed together. “I have a name, and I know you’re familiar with it. Try using it when you address me.” Better coming off rude than admitting to my inappropriate joke.

He lifted his hands up and scowled. “Never mind. Let’s get back to work. The faster we get this done, the less amount of time we’ll have to spend together.”

“Fine by me,” I hissed, downing the rest of the water and tossing the empty bottle on the floor.

Talon jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “The recycle bin is over there. Just because you’re in prison, doesn’t mean you have to act like an animal.”

“Are you effin’ kidding me right now?” I picked it up and chucked the plastic at his head. It skimmed the top of his spikey dark hair and a grin curled my lips.

“Very mature, Azara.”

Talon hissed out my name, but it still sounded blissful coming from his lips. Gods, what is wrong with me? He bent down to