Werewolves Be Damned - By Stacey Kennedy Page 0,26

enjoyable, or so Nexi assumed. Her fighting skills had improved, but they were nowhere near Kyden’s level, and she would’ve given her left pinky finger to kick his ass.

In their training sessions, Kyden no longer took it easy on her. He had increased his force with harder pushes, grabbing limbs and even some light smacks to her thighs, and she damn well tried to keep up.

Now in the second long, grueling hour of Kyden using her as a mop to dust the Guardians’ Hall floor, he had delivered a hard push to her back. She twirled around, slamming a fist straight into his chest. He responded with a deep groan, lunged forward to grab her arm, and twisted her away with a push to the hip. “You cannot let me get a hold of you.”

She sprung with a kick of her own, blasting his thigh, sending a loud smack echoing through the hall. Before she could pull back, he latched onto her foot, flipped her over backward, and she dropped with a heavy thud. He stood over her with an arched eyebrow. “As I said, you cannot let me get a hold of you.”

Thinning her lips, she exploded forward, attempting to land another blow. He dodged her hit and instead grabbed her thigh mid-stride. He dragged her forward, wrapping her leg neatly around his hip.

His eyes burned half with naughtiness, the other half in exasperation. “If this was real, you’d be dead.”

“Good thing it’s not real then.” She yanked her leg away, circled him and waited for an opening to attack.

Only a second later she spotted one.

He turned his body slightly, giving her the advantage she needed. Seizing her opportunity, she slammed her fist directly into his gut. He reciprocated by grabbing her arm and sending her face first to the ground.

His voice sounded well-amused in her ear. “Never let the enemy get behind you. This position leaves you vulnerable.”

Smashing her head back, she spun and socked him in the face, sending him flying backward. She jumped to her feet, surprised by the blood trickling down his nose.

He wiped it away, unfazed. “Once you attack, never stop. Not for anything.”

She took his advice.

When Kyden lunged at her, her instincts stepped in and she leaned out of the way. “That’s it.” He pounced to strike and she raised her arm to block his move, jabbing him in the side. “Good. Get me on the ground.” His eyes shone with pride as he attacked with a steady stream of grabs and pushes, but she dodged and blocked each one. “The longer we fight, the more tired you’ll become.”

For the first time ever, Kyden had changed his approach, and she had the real sense he wasn’t holding back. He moved swiftly, fought with the intent to disable her, and as the minutes drew on, his advice sank in.

She weakened.

He didn’t.

She raised her leg, kicked high, sending him tumbling back. Before she could even blink, he jumped to his feet, preparing to land a hard push to her stomach. She couldn’t stop it. No matter how fast she moved away, his hand would end up straight in her gut.

Holding her breath, she tightened her stomach, awaiting the blow.

When his hand finally connected with her abdomen, the impact of it sent her flying back, but she threw her arms around his neck. If she went down, she’d sure as hell planned to take him with her. As they fell, she spun their bodies, so he’d take the brunt of the fall. They landed with a hard thud and with her straddling his waist.

Pride lightened his eyes. “Well done.”

She heard his approval and spotted his delight, but she zeroed in on his kissable mouth. Beneath her, Kyden panted in labored breaths, and she breathed heavy, too. The feel of his masculine, thick body between her thighs made her burn.

Sweat slicked their flesh, sending hot desire sizzling down to the tips of her toes. The lingering adrenaline made her hands tremble against his warm chest. The scent of his natural spice made her downright wild.

Ever since his last near kiss attempt, three damned weeks ago, Kyden hadn’t made another move. Either he wanted to take things incredibly slow, or he simply wanted to punish her for some unknown reason.

She’d spent every night training with him and they’d also spent causal time together with Haven and Finn. Yet none of those nights included a good make out session, or even a bad one, unless she could count her