Page 13 of Caligo

“What are these?” I asked, balancing the weight of them in my hands and getting used to the different way they felt slashing through the air.

“Makhairas. A Greek slashing sword. And they’re yours.”

I couldn’t believe myself, but I was getting emotional over a damn set of swords. “Thank you.” My voice sounded thick. My gratitude wasn’t for the makhairas, it was the fact that he believed in me enough to trust me. I felt like I was truly on my way to becoming a Venator.

Jasper met me with two sets of sheaths. “Here. I’ll show you how to store them on your body.” He strapped the sheaths on underneath my shirt, and then carefully showed me how to store the swords. “I thought you would like these. They’re smaller, which means you can hide them when you need to.”

I practiced pulling them out, down along my hips. “I can’t get over how natural it feels to have a weapon on my body,” I marvelled.

Jasper watched me, his gaze serious. “I told you, you could do it. Venator blood runs in your veins.” He reached his long arms overhead, his focus shifting. “Are you ready to try these against me in wolf form? I’m going to take a quick lap, and then we can jump back into it.”

Was I ready for this? I wasn’t sure. But I nodded, and he backed away. While Jasper stripped off his shirt and folded it carefully, I took a seat in a comfy patch of grass to watch the show. He grinned when he saw me. “Didn’t you know it’s rude to stare?” he taunted as he started unbuttoning his jeans.

Pop! Went the top button, and I couldn’t take my gaze off him as I responded. “Didn’t you know it’s wrong you look this good when I’m supposed to be thinking about how best to beat you up?”

Pop! Jasper unsnapped the second button, pushing the denim over his hips. He raised an eyebrow at me. “I didn’t say I was going to make this easy for you.”

Something about what he said kick-started the nerves in me. He was so physically perfect, and he wanted me to mar his body with a sharp weapon. I covered my eyes, only peeking the tiniest bit to admire his long muscular form. “But this isn’t playing fair! And you won’t have a weapon while you’re a wolf! What if I hurt you?” I buried my face deeper into my hands.

Jasper knelt in front of me, pulling my hands away from my face. “Do your worst, Green. I know how you fight. I won’t let you get in too bad of a blow. You need to learn, and I’ll heal quickly. You had lots of practice with the Bokken.”

I tipped my head up to him. “You sound so sure! I don’t want to make a mistake.”

Jasper walked away again. “You won’t,” he called over his shoulder. I heard the cracking of bones, and the twist of his back told me he had started to shift again. It should’ve repelled me, watching his body contort. But the shift captivated me, and I could see the beauty in his changing form. The change only took a couple seconds, and then Jasper’s wolf stood in front of me. He sprinted off and I admired his lean shape as he ran around the field, dipping in and out of sight. When Jasper returned to stand before me, head cocked to the side, I knew he was waiting for me to let him know I was ready. I focused on my breathing, repeating to myself I had speed and maneuverability to my advantage. And swords. Couldn’t forget the swords.

Some semblance of a plan in place, I crouched. My feet dug into the soft earth to gain some solid footing. Jasper did the same. I said a quick prayer to whoever was listening that neither of us would end up too badly hurt, and waited for him to make the first move. He leapt towards me. He would probably expect me to stand my ground, but I didn’t want to go on the offensive right away. I ran, sprinting underneath his airborne form so we ended up in each other’s spots. I smirked at Jasper’s confused reaction -- he had probably expected to take me down on his first attempt. He was wrong. He attacked again. I dodged. I moved towards him, and he maneuvered out of my reach. This dance went on for some time, only a few minor scrapes on both of us. He was right -- we knew how the other fought.

I was out of breath, and a continual growl reverberated deep in Jasper’s chest. I was going to run out of energy before he did, and I wanted to win. I needed to do something unexpected to end up on top. It was like a light bulb went off in my head -- I literally needed to end up on top. I hoped all of the push-ups would pay off. The next time Jasper charged me, I ran at him head on. We had been dodging each other, which meant he wasn’t expecting me to come at him. His surprise slowed him down a fraction, which gave me the advantage I needed to drop one of my swords and grab the fur on his shoulders and swing myself onto his back. I was barely clinging on as he thrashed, trying to shake me off. The move wasn’t graceful, but I was on.

Jasper growled loudly, a warning. But I knew what I was doing and ignored him, pulling myself upright around his shoulders. Now I had to figure out how to maneuver myself on a moving animal. A moment later, and my blade sat at his neck as he stood frozen in place underneath me. I whooped and slid off his back, Jasper glaring at me, a disgusted noise coming from his throat.

I ruffled the fur on his head, kissing him right on the nose. “Bet you weren’t expecting that!” I felt high on adrenaline, blood pumping furiously through my body. Jasper shifted and I tossed him his jeans. I was exhilarated, smiling from ear to ear.

Grabbing me, Jasper kissed me. “I’m pissed you got the better of me, but damn if that wasn’t hot.”

I kissed him back, needing a release. My skin felt ten sizes too small. Jasper gripped me closer, and the heat of his body pressed against mine was too much. “I want you,” I told him between kisses.

I wrapped my hands around his broad shoulders, and he laughed, tracing my spine with his hands. “Well, Ava Green. Not only did you best me twice tonight, but now I find out fighting turns you on? Have I died and gone to heaven?”

“Shut up and kiss me.” I pulled his face down to meet me, trying to undo my own jeans while we kissed. I couldn’t get my clothes off fast enough. Jasper brought his hands around, taking over for me, sliding my jeans off.

“I know what you need. Let me take care of you,” Jasper told me, running his fingers through my hair, under my shirt. Touching me everywhere. It wasn’t enough, and he knew it. He laid me down on the grass, resting on his elbow beside me. Reaching back, he rummaged in his discarded jeans to find a condom, sliding it down his cock. He didn’t take any time before he pulled my underwear off and thrust into me. I was running so high on my own power him entering me alone nearly made me come. I moaned into his mouth as he lifted me up and down on his cock. I tried to change our pace but Jasper stopped me. “Relax. Let me take control.”

Jasper continued his rhythmic thrusts, holding tight to my hips. It didn’t take long. I needed him for my release, and I felt his need for me, too. We had grown up in two completely different worlds, but we operated on the same wants, the same needs. He understood how I felt without me having to explain. The sensations built until I couldn’t hold back anymore, and I cried out as I felt him come to his own release.

We laid in the grass afterwards, content. “Did you ever think we’d end up like this, the first time we watched the sky in this park?” I asked him.

Jasper stood up, passing me my jeans. “Naked with swords?”

“Ha ha, very funny.” I pulled on my jeans, resisting the urge to roll my eyes.

He kissed my wrist, releasing me to toss his shirt over his shoulders. “I had hoped. Obviously. But I don’t control you.”

I pulled my sweatshirt on, carefully storing my swords on my back. “I hoped, too. But I didn’t want to admit it to myself.” Our path back to the bike was illuminated by stars and park lights alike. A gentle breeze picked up the stray hairs off my neck and cooled me down. A scrap of fabric blew in front of us, interrupting our idyllic walk. I stopped walking towards the bike and instead headed towards a bush at the edge of the forest that seemed to be accumulating most of the scraps.

“Where are you going?” Jasper asked. “It’s a little late for a walk.”

“There’s a ton of garbage blowing around, and I’m wondering if raccoons dragged some junk out here or something. We should tidy the mess up before it wrecks our training ground though,” I told him, picking up scraps along my way to the edge of the forest.

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