Page 27 of Cruel Destinies

We were practicing hand-to-hand combat, no shifting allowed. There were rumors that vampires were working on some biological weapon that would prevent shifters from being able to shift, or even use their powers, so we had to rely solely on our human abilities.

Most of the time, I—as well as the majority of my classmates—thought it was dumb. We’d never encountered such a weapon nor heard of one being usedanywherein the world. But Caesar insisted that we be ready anyway and thus required one training session each month.

But for once, I was glad for it. Although it would have been easier to sink into my dragon and shut off my thoughts in the sim, I’d been avoiding another simulation session since the incident with the invisible dragon. Concentrating on only using human abilities also took quite a bit of brain space, but I still found that I had to focus all of my attention on it to keep the replay of my fight with Niko from continuing on a constant loop.

I swung my leg around, attempting to sweep Shawn’s legs out from underneath him, but Shawn was quick and leapt like a schoolgirl jumping a rope. The image made me chuckle, and I missed the undercut punch that landed square in my gut.

Suddenly breathless, I took a staggering few steps backward to give my lungs time to recuperate, but Shawn took advantage and spun behind me, quickly hooking an elbow around my neck. It surprised me that I’d been trapped so quickly and effectively, especially given our height difference.

The surprise only lasted a moment because I only had to arch my back to lift Shawn off the ground. I hooked an arm around Shawn’s middle, catapulting him around my body and slamming him onto the mat.

Shawn lay there stunned, contemplating his next move. I knelt to pin his arms, but Shawn whipped his head up to strike it against mine, sending stars flashing across my eyesight as I flopped backward.

While my vision was momentarily hindered, I used my other senses to locate Shawn, who was now on my right, moving to make his signature final blow of shoving me to the ground with the force of his elbow and knee at once. Students often underestimated Shawn because of his smaller size, but inhuman—and even in dragon—form, Shawn was a worthy opponent.

I paused for a moment, pretending like the disorientation of my vision and explosion in my head was too much. I reached my leg out to catch the back of Shawn’s knee in order to collapse his leg.

But I miscalculated.

Shawn was inches too far back, and I missed it altogether, stretching my calf—freshly healed from three of the lead pellets that had embedded themselves into the muscle—until I felt a snap. New pain radiated up and down my leg. I could do nothing but lay on the mat while Shawn declared himself the victor.

I breathed deeply, lying on my back while my classmates cheered. Their celebration was always louder and more exuberant whenever someone managed to beat me, but I acted like I didn’t care. As soon as I thought I could handle the pain and finally stand, I limped off in a hurry, muttering something about finding Ms. Heather.

What a fucked up, hellish day it’s turned out to be.

I inched down the hall, leaning heavily against the wall. First the fight with Niko and now that foolish miscalculation in defense class that earned me a fresh injury. Felt like a torn ligament. Great.

Fortunately, the entire school was still in class, so I had the hallway to hobble by myself. The infirmary wasn’t far, but it took quite a bit of effort getting there. The closer I got, the more the thought of Ms. Heather’s face when she saw me return with an injury she’d recently spent so much time healing filled me with dread.

But what else could I do? Heal naturally? The thought was ridiculous.

When I rounded the corner, though, my heart leapt at seeing who had just exited.

Arya.

She must’ve had an extra training session with Ms. Heather.

And just like that, my common sense fled and a new plan formed.

“Hey!” I called loud enough that I hoped she’d hear and turn, which she did. I also hoped Ms. Heather wouldn’t hear or feel the need to come out and see how I was doing.

Arya looked everywhere but at me as she slowly approached.

I leaned heavily against the wall, hiding the fact that I was in significant pain. After what I’d been through, though, it wasn’t too hard to keep a straight face.

“Hey, Tobias,” she said softly, then looked confused. “Aren’t you supposed to be in defense?”

“I uh...” I stared at the ground, then shifted when the pain was too much. The wince was enough for her to react with a tiny gasp.

“You’re hurt,” she said, her voice firmer.

I felt my face and neck flame with embarrassment. I reached a hand up to grip the side of my neck, looking at the floor in front of me.

“It’s just a sprain, I’m sure,” I lied. Thesnapwas probably not just a sprain.

Immediately she took my arm. “Here, let’s get you to Ms. Heather.”

“No!” I shouted, then stopped myself. “No,” I said quieter.

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