She wanted to do this, goddammit. She wanted to be able to fight, to defend herself.
She’d seen Grace and her crew of demi fight many times while she’d hidden in the shadows, doing Azel's dirty work, and now she was envious of their skill. So instead of pulling away and fleeing, she nodded at the beautiful redhead. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” Mia smiled back. “This stuff didn’t come naturally to me. Grace has that sleek, lean build, perfect for fighting. I, on the other hand, have curves, a lot of them. It took me a little longer to get used to moving my body in ways I never had before. Eve’s the same. We got booty and we like it.”
Luna chuckled. “I most definitely have booty.”
Mia grinned. “Us booty babes need to stick together. The more you do these moves, the stronger you’ll become, and the easier it’ll get. Believe me, I’m super uncoordinated, but Zenon worked with me as well, and now I can kick ass. So will you.”
“You think so?” Luna hated the desperate note to her voice, but she wanted this. She hadn’t realized how much until she walked in and was confronted by a room full of determined demi capable of beating the shit out of a scum-sucking demon.
“I know so.”
“Do you go out with Grace and fight?”
She shook her head, something moving through her eyes. “No…not yet. Zenon isn’t overly excited about the idea. Eve and Meredith want to as well, but our mates are…protective.”
It must be nice to have someone care about them like that.
Had her mother cared about her once?
The strongest memory she had of her mother was the way she’d died. And Ronan, well, he’d been a child as well. She struggled to remember him sometimes too.
“Maybe you could get Gunner to help with your training?” Mia said.
At the mention of his name, she instantly remembered the way he’d kissed her, and her face heated again. “He’s already done so much, I wouldn’t like to ask.”
“He wouldn’t mind,” Mia said, smiling warmly. “In fact, I think he’d love it.”
“I don’t know, maybe I could ask.”
Mia squeezed her hand. “I think you should, but until then, I’m happy to work with you, and I know Grace would be more than happy to as well. Eve, Meredith, James, and I have a class with Grace on our own a couple times a week. You’re more than welcome to join us. You can go at your own pace.”
Warmth built behind Luna’s ribs, taking her by surprise. “Thank you.”
“Hey, we’re sisters, remember? No need for thanks.”
She didn’t understand why they were all so nice to her. Why they had singled her out, of all people?
Mia gave her another little nudge. “Okay, let’s run through a few moves. We’ll go slow until you get the hang of it, then pick up the pace.”
Luna nodded, determined to master this.
Half an hour later, the room had cleared out, all except for Luna and Mia.
Grace had come over and given Luna a few pointers before she left, and had shooed everyone else out, thankfully. Now both Mia and Luna were red-faced and sweaty. Mia hadn’t let her stop until she ran through without a mistake, and it boosted her confidence.
Of course, that’s why Mia had been so persistent, and Luna was more grateful than she could say. She was getting it. She was actually getting it.
The door opened as Luna was doing a step-forward-and-jab move, and she and Mia both glanced over. Gunner and Zenon walked in, pausing just inside the door.
“What’s going on?” Zenon asked his mate, his yellow gaze moving over her.
Mia walked to him immediately and wrapped her arms around his waist, looking up at him. “Luna and I were training.”
Luna would have probably found the male’s yellow eyes unsettling if her own hadn’t been so unusual. She was used to the looks by humans when she’d occasionally let herself be seen, even a few demons had looked at her funny. So no, she wasn’t afraid of the way he looked, tattoos, scars, and all. Outward appearance didn’t bother her, not after living with demons most of her life.
But the vibe he threw off, that was something else. She’d felt it the first time she’d seen him months ago. It screamed don’t come any closer, and Luna heeded it now, staying back when she felt that familiar pull toward Gunner.
One of Zenon’s hands slid up Mia’s back and into her hair. “You’ve been training hard,” he said, still looking