If I made you uncomfortable, or if I hurt you.” Again, he waits for me to respond and once again I offer nothing. “If I brought up old memories of how Luca found you. Of the night you got that scar. Of how we met…”
Concerned eyes search my face for confirmation, catching every detail of emotion I reveal. I open my mouth but say nothing. Instead, I cross my arms and secretly trace my fingers over the jagged line that etches over my ribs.
Memories of all the times Asher held me to him, safety enveloped around me as his strong arms pulled me against his chest. The night I got this scar, the night Luca found me, the night it all fell apart, Asher held me the way Declan did this morning. Like he’d never let me go. Like I’d never have to fear a world without him in it.
My throat bobs at the thoughts that involuntarily flood my mind. I force another dry swallow and keep my eyes on the floor instead of facing him.
“You didn’t scare me, Declan. I’ve been in combat before, combat I wasn’t prepared for, but I’m not that dying girl you saved a year ago.” He tilts his head to try to meet my eyes but I shift in my seat until I’m angled away from him. “I just didn’t expect to actually appreciate what you had to teach,” I say a bit honestly. I have to give him an answer and this is as honest as I’m willing to be. “I’m sorry I misjudged you. You’re a great teacher and I hope you’ll continue teaching me.”
A steady breath slips through my lungs, calming and reassuring, and I force myself to smile up at him. A look of false happiness etched into my straining features. His head tilts slightly and a beat passes between us before he finally nods. My stomach jars within at his easy acceptance. My pain magnifies internally while I keep my lips turned up in a sad smile—a look I’ve seen the hybrid give others countless times.
Four
A Proposal
Declan keeps his word and continues to teach me hand to hand combat over the next couple of days. Muscles I didn’t know existed ache throughout my body. My legs wobble beneath my steps. My arms shake when they lift from my sides. My sides that protest with every movement. A good sign that Declan’s doing his job. I still continue to avoid the nightly celebrations the best I can. Luckily, Kaino hasn’t ventured out to drag me to one, either.
It’s a rather nice routine I’ve settled into, actually. Every morning just before dawn I train with Declan, keeping my emotions placid and my attention on my own body. In the afternoon I work at the clinic, filling my time even though it is incredibly slow. I guess that’s expected when the majority of the population heals themselves. And in the evenings I eat dinner with Luca. It’s boring but simple.
I’m just smirking to myself as I send a strike to Declan’s jaw, which he dodges, as easily and annoyingly as he does every day, but I catch him off guard and he stumbles to the dirt, flat on his back. Achievement washes over me. Maybe I didn’t land the punch but my surprise attack paid off. It’s so rare that I ever get the upper hand on the hybrid that the adrenaline from my minor success overtakes my thoughts. Happiness and pride burn through my veins and I can’t help but close my eyes and smile into the warm sunlight as sweat trails down my neck.
Within moments, my feet are kicked out from under me and I land hard on my side right next to him, dirt flying up all around me. Sharp pain floods my limbs and jars my teeth.
His angled features curve up in a delighted smile toward the morning sky that I was just worshiping a moment earlier. “Always celebrating too soon, love.”
The pain shooting through my arm and my ribs intensify and I suppress a groan. It’s obvious I’m Dr. Thierry’s most recurring patient. She’ll be horrified when I ask her to take a look at my arm that might possibly be fractured. My injuries never seem to cross Declan’s mind. He’s so used to his natural healing abilities and those of the Wandering Warrior’s, he clearly hasn’t got a clue how fatally human I am.
“I have a proposal for you,” Declan tells me, glancing at me out