Page 12 of Caligo

I smiled at her, overwhelmed with emotion -- happy she approved, grateful for Jasper -- and embraced her back. “Thanks.”

I gave Ben a quick hug, and then turned to Jasper, who had shrugged back into his coat and was offering me mine. We walked back to the bike. “Where to now?” he asked.

I tilted my face to the starry sky, content. “I thought you said you wanted to go for a run.”

He nodded, tipping his face skyward as well. “I do. But we got interrupted before you could tell me if you were okay with that kind of training.”

Jasper swung on the bike easily. My dexterity was getting better by the day, and I grabbed my helmet and jumped on behind Jasper. My blood was pumping from the dinner and Jasper, and I needed to blow off steam one way or another. I pulled him back to me and kissed him hard. “I’m ready for anything.”

Chapter 4

My heart felt too big for my chest. The streets were quiet and dark as we stopped at the motel for Jasper to change his shirt and grab his gear bag. Not having any other clothes, I grabbed one of his faded sweatshirts to throw on top of my jeans. Jasper watched me with a funny look on his face the whole time.

“What?” I asked.

He smiled faintly. “Nothing.”

I raised my brow. “Seriously?”

Jasper held me at arm’s length, brushing an unruly lock of hair away from my face. “You’re so damn beautiful. And you should keep the sweatshirt. It looks good on you.” He kissed my forehead and let me go.

I cuffed the too-long sleeves, blushing at his sweet words. “Come on, it’s time for me to kick your ass.”

We took the bike out to the old park, which I now thought of as “our park”, seeing as we seemed to be the only ones ever in it. Jasper dug through his gear bag. “Before I shift, there’s something I want to try,” he told me, half his face obscured by the oversized bag.

“Oh yeah?” I took my helmet off, admiring his butt in those tight-fitting jeans. I hoped whatever he wanted to try involved removing clothing.

“Check these out.” Jasper turned and presented me with two short wooden blades.

I took them carefully, turning them over in my hands. “What are they?”

Jasper took one of the swords in his hands. “Bokken. They’re a traditional martial arts practice sword. Also known as what you will be training with tonight.”

Nerves shot through my body. “I know I said I wanted to learn weapons, but are you sure I’m ready?”

He carefully handed the blade back to me. “You’re ready. You have to remember all of this runs in your blood. Weapons should come quite easily to you once you know the basics.”

“The basics? I don’t just point and stab?”

“Not in the slightest, Green. These are designed for close combat. You’ll want to slash your opponents, not stab them. Don’t want to lose your blade, especially not in the middle of a fight.”

“Okay, slashing, not stabbing. Got it. Where do I aim?” The swords were a nice weight in my hands, and I felt almost graceful as I slashing the air.

“Here.” Jasper grinned and pointed to this throat, teeth gleaming in the dark. “Although I would prefer if you didn’t actually hit my throat tonight. They might not be sharp, but you could still do some damage. But in all seriousness, most of your targets are going to be bigger than you. You’re going to want to aim for the easiest spots that do the most damage.” He pointed to several spots on his body. “Throat. Armpits. Stomach.”

I nodded, taking the details in. “What about the back?”

Jasper shook his head. “Too many bones. Stay away from it. You probably won’t have much time to aim.” He dug in his bag again, coming up with two Bokken of his own. Jasper swung them around in the air expertly a few times, looking like he was born fighting with them. “Okay, you ready?” My stomach tightened, but I could do this. I knew I could. These blades felt like an extension of my arms already.

We started out slow. “Stay close to your opponent.” Jasper was speaking so easily he could’ve been at a party, not in the middle of sparring. “Your size will be your advantage. If you stay close, they won’t have the range to do as much damage.” I nodded, not enough breath left in me to respond. Soon, the talking stopped, and the pace picked up by an unspoken agreement. I found my blades easy to use, but I felt clumsy and slow compared to Jasper. It didn’t take long before Jasper had one of his swords at my neck. We were both breathing heavily, caught up in the moment. “Get out of your head, Green. Don’t focus on my strength, think about your speed,” he told me, pushing me a few steps away to start again.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. He was right. I wasn’t going to beat him with strength alone. My instincts were good, and I had to focus on that. Icoulddo this. Turning off the logical part of my brain, I went on my instincts alone and dropped into a defensive stance.

Jasper mirrored my movements. “Now we’re talking.”

I focused on matching his blows with speed instead of strength. Jasper’s smile dropped, and the only sound in the dark night was the cracking of wooden blades as they met each other. I found myself beginning to outpace Jasper’s moves, and I could see him concentrating as he tried to stay on top of things. There was nothing in my current world but me, these blades, and Jasper.

“Okay, okay! I give!” Jasper laughed, the deep sound reverberating in my belly, waking me from my stupor. I looked down and saw my blade at his stomach, his entire side unprotected. Pride echoed through me at the fact I had managed to best him, and I could see admiration reflected in his face as well. I walked over to the gear bag to put the Bokken away, and Jasper handed me another set of swords from his bag. Their sharp edges gleamed brightly in the moonlight, their curved blades looking menacing compared to the Bokken.

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